Golden Turmeric Paste (w/Fresh Root or Dried)
A plain golden turmeric paste recipe to use on skin, in curries & smoothies, and to make golden milk lattes!
Servings: 6 oz.
Calories: 142.48kcal
Ingredients
- ⅔ Cup water
- 6 oz. fresh turmeric root peeled & chopped* (or ⅓ cup turmeric powder + ¼ Cup water)
- 1 oz. fresh ginger root grated (or 2 teaspoons ground ginger)
- 4 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- First, be aware that your hands and equipment will stain when making turmeric paste, so plan around that. If using turmeric powder, skip to step 3. If using the fresh roots, carefully wash and then dry all your pieces of turmeric and ginger, checking for mold, and then peel each piece with a spoon.
- Chop the roots into small pieces, and then add them to a very high-powered blender along with the coconut oil and sea salt. If needed, you can add the water while blending, but I highly recommend waiting since oil & water don't always mix well (especially in a cold house!).
- Put your turmeric, ginger, coconut oil, and salt mixture into a small saucepan and add the water. Then heat everything on low for about 7-10 minutes. I recommend setting a timer, because although you need to heat the fresh turmeric a bit to make it more bioavailable, you don't want to overheat it.
- Stir in the fresh-ground black pepper and simmer it all for one more minute, then let your golden paste cool before jarring it.
Notes
Turmeric Stains EVERYTHING!: Whether you're using fresh or dried turmeric, you'll find that its intense yellow color gets on everything and it stays there. The powder stains worse, but you'll be working with it for less time, so on average it will tend to stain less.
I use an old cutting board to prep my turmeric and a glass blender/juicer so I can get all the color out. Unless you use gloves, prepare to have yellow fingertips for about a week after making your own golden paste!
Making More Traditional Golden Paste: to make a more typical ayurveda golden paste, you would use ghee instead of coconut oil, and add about ½ teaspoon each of cinnamon & cardamom, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
*Using Fresh Turmeric Root: this is definitely the more time-consuming and stain-inducing version of how to make turmeric paste. When I've made it with fresh turmeric, it's taken about 1.5 extra hours to wash, peel, and chop the fresh turmeric & ginger before making golden paste.
I've made both versions, and while I prefer the milder flavor of fresh turmeric, it's definitely something you should make in a big batch & freeze. Note that 6oz. of fresh turmeric will yield roughly 4.5-5oz. once peeled (fresh ginger has a similar yield ratio).
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 142.48kcal | Carbohydrates: 114.99g | Protein: 13.06g | Fat: 71.73g | Saturated Fat: 51.51g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 305.77mg | Fiber: 35.83g | Sugar: 5.4g