Easy Vegan Iced Vanilla Turmeric Latte

This iced "golden milk" latte is a fun and luxurious way to get a healthy turmeric fix when the temperature starts to rise.  I love this refreshing drink first thing in the morning, as an afternoon treat or even right before bed.  It is simple to make and absolutely delicious.  If you are nervous about turmeric this is a great recipe to begin to incorporate it into your diet.

This recipe requires just 5 ingredients and less than 5 minutes to make.  You simply throw everything in your blender, whiz it up and pour over ice.  That's it!

Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric, in particular, has a very long history of medicinal use (dating back nearly 4000 years!). In ancient cultures, medical practitioners focused on herbs for promoting the body’s immune system. Turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for many conditions, including breathing problems, rheumatism, serious pain, and fatigue. Modern medicine has begun to recognize its importance, mostly as a dietary supplement for inflammation, arthritis, and other conditions including stomach, skin, liver, and gallbladder problems (source). Curcumin (the orange-yellow component found in turmeric) has been shown to enhance antibody responses. This suggests that curcumin’s reported beneficial effects in arthritis, allergy, asthma, atherosclerosis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer might be due in part to its ability to modulate the immune system (source). Turmeric is rich in antioxidants and has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity (source). You can add a dash of ground black pepper and ½ teaspoon of coconut oil to this recipe if desired.

Pro Tip: black pepper and a fat increases the bioavailability of turmeric’s healing compounds as our bodies have difficulty absorbing it on its own.

It is slightly sweet and very creamy.  The creaminess comes from the slivered almonds.  I kept it refined sugar-free and naturally sweetened the drink with maple syrup which also adds a nice flavor that pairs well with the earthy turmeric.

And if you love this drink, be sure to try my hot turmeric latte in the colder part of the year.

This iced golden milk latte is vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, peanut-free and refined sugar-free.  If you give it a try, please let me know! Leave a comment below, rate it above, and tag a photo @eatingbyelaine and #eatingbyelaine on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook so I can see your creations.

Other delicious drink recipes you might like!

• The Best Homemade Almond Milk (+ What to Do with the Leftover Pulp!)
• How to Make Oat Milk
• Frozen Mint Lemonade (Refined Sugar-Free)
• Vegan. Turmeric Latte (hot)

Creamy Vegan Iced Vanilla Turmeric Latte

---

• Author: Elaine Gordon
• Total Time: 5 mins
• Yield: 1 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

This simple, creamy vegan beverage is caffeine-free so it works anytime of day. I love the sweet, earthy, flavor it offers and creamy texture. I serve it over ice and find it to be incredibly refreshing during the summer heat. This is a quick, easy and delicious way to incorporate more turmeric into your routine.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk or homemade cashew milk
• ¼ cup raw, blanched slivered almonds (not sliced almonds)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric*
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or a pinch of vanilla bean powder
• 1 cup ice cubes

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend on high for 30-40 seconds to ensure it gets nice and frothy. You want to make sure you give it enough time for the slivered almonds to fully "dissolve" into the drink otherwise it will be gritty.
2. Pour into a glass along with more ice cubes. You could add a sprinkle of ground turmeric on top if you want to be fancy.

Notes

You could use up to 1 teaspoon but I recommend starting with ½ teaspoon and working your way up if desired.

For better turmeric absorption add ½ teaspoon coconut oil and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper to the blender before blending.

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Category: Beverage

I thought I would provide a quick overview on turmeric but definitely check out the two links I provide below for more comprehensive information.

Turmeric is a plant that has a very long history of medicinal use, dating back nearly 4,000 years.  Turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for many conditions, including breathing problems, rheumatism, serious pain, and fatigue.  Modern medicine has begun to recognize its importance.  Many use it as a dietary supplement for inflammation; arthritis; stomach, skin, liver, and gallbladder problems; cancer; and other conditions.

There are a lot of claims about the health benefits of turmeric.  According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), preliminary studies found that curcuminoids (found in turmeric) may:

• Reduce the number of heart attacks bypass patients had after surgery
• Control knee pain from osteoarthritis as well as ibuprofen
• Reduce the skin irritation that often occurs after radiation treatments for breast cancer.

(Source)

To learn more about turmeric as traditional and modern medicine click here.

Want more turmeric in your life?  Be sure to check out my Split Pea & Red Lentil Creamy Vegetable Turmeric Soup and my Turmeric Spiced Millet Veggie Burgers (Gluten-Free, Nut-Free & Vegan).