Golden Cacao Latte [vegan, gluten free] aka Turmeric Latte for People Who Hate Turmeric

Jan 16, 2019 • Updated Jun 20, 2023

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I might be the only one but I’m just going to say it. I hate the taste of turmeric. I really, truly, deeply hate it and I don’t understand how people consume it straight up (#healthgoals) but I don’t hate the health benefits. In fact, I love the health benefits and also used to love the way I felt back when I used to force myself to chug golden lattes, because I actually could feel the difference.

To summarize, turmeric’s main active ingredient, curcumin, has great anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it an especially beneficial ingredient for individuals with autoimmune diseases, arthritis in particular and honestly, most people because inflammation is a major cause of a lot of discomfort and many diseases. It has also been linked to pain relief, improved digestion, healthy blood flow and more. With a little bit of research, you can find a lot of additional proven health benefits and the best part is that it’s a natural product versus a manufactured supplement or drug.

This Golden Cacao Latte recipe, or Turmeric Hot Chocolate, or Turmeric Latte for People Who Hate Turmeric recipe was a result of my trying to find a way to consume turmeric in a way that was actually enjoyable. So if you’re looking for a way to consume turmeric and reap health gains in a way that actually tastes good, or just love the combination of turmeric and chocolate, this one’s for you. I have never flown through my spice bottle of turmeric until I started making this latte every morning. I’m almost at the point where I need to pick up a new bottle, and I never thought this day would come. 10/10 recommend this recipe.

I’m providing my base recipe below, and want to call out a few things that you can play around with, and a few things I recommend against playing around with. First of all, I use ground turmeric powder in my recipe, but you can of course always opt for fresh turmeric root. If you’re in the I-don’t-like-how-turmeric-tastes boat with me though, I’d recommend sticking with powder because the root is a lot more intense in flavour as you can imagine.

As with most of my recipes, you can, and should adjust the flavour, especially because when you first start out drinking turmeric, you may have a lower tolerance for the flavour. As you continue to drink this latte and “graduate”, you might find that your tastebuds become a little more accustomed to the spice, and may then want to decrease the sweetness, cinnamon or cacao powder.

Since we’re talking cinnamon, I thought I’d also mention that I personally use Ceylon cinnamon in my sweet dishes. There are 2 main varieties, Ceylon and Cassia. The difference is slight, but Ceylon has a bit more of a sweet taste to it, so it works best in desserts, whereas Cassia is great for cooking savoury dishes with.

I also recommend not substituting the non-dairy milk for just water, because the creaminess really adds to the flavour of this latte AND it’s important to consume turmeric with some kind of healthy fat for best absorption as well. I personally use homemade cashew and almond milk made in my Almond Cow machine, but coconut milk works especially well too.

You’ll also notice black pepper in the recipe and while it might sound out of place, turmeric and black pepper are commonly consumed together because black pepper also helps to significantly enhance the absorption of curcumin from the turmeric. It’s beneficial to pair the two, and I promise that especially in this recipe, you won’t taste it at all. Look, if you’re going to consume turmeric and you aren’t a fan, all the more reason to try and benefit as much as you can when you do consume it, right?

I also just wanted to note that you can also cook savoury dishes with turmeric, and I actually don’t mind it at all in curries, stews, and with other spices. So if drinking turmeric STILL doesn’t appeal to you after you try this recipe, give a savoury dish a shot. Chances are you probably eat dishes already that contain turmeric that you just don’t notice!