Take advantage of the awesome anti-inflammatory and digestion-boosting powers of turmeric with this delicious golden milk overnight oatmeal smoothie!
So I actually had a totally different smoothie recipe planned for today… but then golden milk happened.
What’s golden milk? It’s milk (usually a non-dairy variety like almond, soy, or coconut) that’s been spiked with a hefty amount of turmeric and sweetened with some non-refined sweetener… and it’s surprisingly delicious.
I say “surprisingly” because you better believe I was more than a little skeptical at first. I mean, sure it looked all warm and comforting, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I didn’t expect it to taste like curry. At least a little bit.
It’s gorgeously golden looks won me over, though…
Thankfully, it doesn’t taste like curry. And it’s so more than just a pretty face!
I’ve been hearing about the health benefits of turmeric for years now, but it’s always been one of those things that I just kind of brushed off because I’m not huge on curry and I didn’t really know what else I was supposed to do with it…
So when I my sweet tooth learned that you could add it to warm sweetened milk to make a nice cozy drink, I decided that was my cue to give it a shot…
I’ve only been drinking golden milk (and this golden milk overnight oatmeal smoothie) for a few days now so I’m not going to go all “OMIGOSH I’M HEALED!!!!!” on you guys, but I plan to keep drinking it for a few weeks and I’ll let you know what (if anything) I notice in my next What I Ate Wednesday post. Deal? Deal.
Until then, we can take a look at the crazy amount of peer-reviewed articles out there that talk about the numerous health benefits of turmeric (and its main compound, curcumin)… with the most important one arguably being its powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
Why’s this such a big deal? Well, inflammation is responsible for SO many of our biggest health problems, contributing to things like: cancer, heart disease, colitis, arthritis, allergies, acne, and chronic pain. It can be caused by a number of different things that we can’t always pinpoint or eliminate (food sensitivities, gut flora imbalance, STRESS, pollution, poor diet, not enough sleep, too much caffeine), so it’s not a bad idea to cozy up to things that have been shown to help combat inflammation… like the curcumin in turmeric.
And then do things with that curcumin to make it slightly more palatable… like make golden milk and then either drink that golden milk straight up (so comforting!) or use it to make a golden milk overnight oatmeal smoothie…
…. NEITHER of which taste like curry. I promise.
I mean, the first sip is definitely a little “whaaa?!?” but this stuff is strangely addicting and you’ll find yourself at the bottom of your glass and wanting more before you even realize it. It’s also supposed to be pretty great for digestion and controlling blood sugar. So there’s that.
And before I send you off with the recipe, there’s two important things to note. First, don’t be tempted to save time and skip the golden milk brewing process. It’s only 5 extra minutes, and heating the turmeric brings out the curcumin and makes it that much more potent. Second, the black pepper isn’t a typo and it’s not really optional… not if you want the full benefits of this drink, anyways. I know it sounds bizarre, but the human body isn’t great at using curcumin effectively, and even just a tiny amount of black pepper increases the bioavailability of it by up to 2000%.
But I’ve been rambling for way too long, haven’t I? I hope you give this drink a shot, and I hope you enjoy!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Golden Milk Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
Ingredients
For the golden milk:
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened almond milk**
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup***
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- pinch of black pepper
For the smoothie:
- ¼ cup (20 g) rolled oats****
- 1 Tbsp (7 g) chia seeds
- 1 cup (240 ml) brewed golden milk (see above)
- 1 medium-size banana, frozen (100 g)
Instructions
- The night before, prepare your golden milk by combining all the ingredients in a small sauce pan set over medium-high heat, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to low, allowing the milk to simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, give it a good stir, and let it cool to room temperature.
- Add all of the smoothie ingredients except for the frozen banana to the bowl of your blender and give them a good stir to ensure that everything is well combinted. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
- The next morning, remove your blender bowl from the fridge and add the frozen banana. Blend on high until a smooth and creamy consistency is reached, adding more milk if the smoothie is too thick for your liking. Transfer to a bowl or glass, add desired toppings, and enjoy!
Notes
* Cook time refers to chilling time. ** You can also use coconut, cashew, or soy milk. *** You can also use agave nectar or honey if you don’t need this to be vegan. **** Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need this to be gluten-free. You can also sub the oats with 1/2-1 scoop of your favourite protein powder or 2 tbsp (14 g) chia seeds to make this grain-free.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
Looking for more overnight oatmeal smoothie recipes? Try one of these!
Chocolate Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie
Caramel Apple Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie
Almond Joy Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie
Banana Latte Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie
Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oatmeal Smoothie
Hi, Amanda
You’re absolutely correct. This smoothie is really great for inflammatory problems, especially the turmeric.I love oatmeal smoothie with some cinnamon stick. I really enjoy them. Thanks for putting them together.
Looks amazing Amanda. I love the overnight milk combo. just saved it
Oops I just made the chocolate smoothie, blended everything and put in the fridge for overnight, guess I was to blend in the morning, oh well hopefully it will still thicken. Will read the directions better next time lol
Can you mke his without the ground ginger? I want to make this but don’t have any ginger at the moment ( I hate ginger if we’re being honest lol) but I’m wondering if it’s a must have to bring the flavors together?
YOU DID IT! haha I somehow thought the Golden milk may get the infamous OOS treatment 🙂
Hi 5-ing some stained yellow fingers and on that note, shall continue the binge read tomorrow.
Oh my goodness, this is stunning. I’ve actually never tried golden milk but am a huge believer in turmeric and will be trying this! Thanks for sharing! -Jessica
I make overnight oats every day and you totally got me hooked onto golden milk. It’s so delicious! My husband isn’t a huge fan of overnight oats and now he has it every morning. It’s a great start to the day both in flavor and health benefits. Thanks so much for the super simple recipe and nutrition facts, it’s definitely going to become a household fave 🙂
Alright you got me. I’m totally intrigued. The Hubby has been having lots of headaches again lately. He has been a wee bit stressed, especially with his board exams coming up. Maybe this will help.
Sending good vibes his way <3
I love seeing inventive recipes using turmeric! It’s one of those spices that’s just so good for you I don’t know why more people use it every day. I haven’t made a straight golden milk recipe before, but I make my own version of a coconut milk-based chai latte and I add turmeric to it. It’s my go to recipe whenever I’m sick!
I’ve tried adding turmeric to my smoothie a few weeks ago and it was SO good! I haven’t tried making golden milk yet but it’s definitely on my to-do list. Mostly so that I can make this smoothie. It looks amazing!
I was seriously surprised at how good it was. Try the golden milk! It’s sooooo comforting at the end of the day.
I make turmeric milk tea when I am sick sometimes, but I never thought to put it in a smoothie! What a great idea!
I have so much turmeric thanks to an overly-enthusiastic Indian MIL. I usually throw some in my smoothies and I actually have a recipe to share next month that uses it as well. If you ever need any, just let me know haha.
Haha! I’ll keep that in mind 😀
Love that you take current food trends and put your own twist on it – looks delicious as always! What could be better than a nutrient packed smoothie? 😉
The flavour combinations should not work, but it is delicious! I liked the flavours at each step, first, the golden milk, then as overnight oats, finally, with the banana incorporated in. Thanks! 😀
It’s so bizarre, right?! I’m so glad you liked it 😀
I’ve never heard of golden milk before except in your TOL post! I actually use turmeric quite often, not in curries necessarily but simply in stir fries or on poultry meat. Even whisked in my eggs for omelets. I like the rate very much, I don’t think it tastes anything like curry. I can imagine that it’s tasty in sweet dishes!
i have to make this smoothie! love that it’s an overnight recipe and that its rich in tumeric too. tumeric is something i’m having a lot of this winter – so the recipe is perfect!
I’m SO INTRIGUED. I will definitely be trying golden milk tomorrow. GENIUS to put it in an overnight oat smoothie! Maybe this will help with my tummy troubles 😀
It definitely might! It’s supposed to be good for digestion and I’ve definitely been noticing some things going on down there.
I just made whipped cream from chickpea liquid…I think I’ll try anything. I really want to like this, but not being a curry fan, I am also skeptical. I’ll have to try it out at a time I’m not famished, so if I don’t like it, I can get rid of it and not feel bad =P
I’m not big on curry either and it doesn’t taste like it at all as long as you add enough sweetener! And did the whipped cream work? I actually have a jar of chickpea liquid sitting in my fridge waiting to be used for something but I’m not sure what to do with it!
You’re right that color is gorgeous!
I have never tried golden milk before. Do you have a basic recipe you’d recommend?
You can just try the first part of the recipe to make the basic golden milk. It’s nice and comforting before bed.
This looks so delicious! I definitely need to start eating more turmeric!
Yum! I love golden milk and also make a similar turmeric tea when I’m sick that helps a lot. Love the idea of doing a smoothie version!
It is incredible the amount of scientific based benefits of this spice! Most natural remedies are not proven, so it’s really cool there is so much research behind it. More reason for me to bite the bullet and try it!
It’s pretty crazy! They actually found it more effective than medications in a lot of cases… and with no nasty side effects.
Your Caramel apple overnight smoothie was probably what got me hooked on actually liking smoothies. I usually like to chew food, but it was so creamy and almost ‘doughy’ in a good way, that I thought, ‘Woah, now this is a smoothie!’ This looks just as good, and I love the color!
Doughy is the perfect way to describe it! And I totally know what you mean. It’s really hard for me to like smoothies that don’t have either oats or lots of frozen bananas.
I love all the health benefits of tumeric. This recipe looks so good too! And the color is super pretty hehe.
I just made golden milk for the first time this week! I loved it but making it into a smoothie or oatmeal is probably more my style/taste (it is strong!). I’m obsessed with the color.
I’m loving it too! But that’s kind of because I’m obsessed with smoothies in general.
Okay I needed this reminder to try the golden milk! I want to try tonight before bed, you make this look so good 🙂
I’ll try to remember to remind you tonight 😛
It’s funny because last night I just posted a question asking if anyone had any recipes using turmeric. Thanks for sharing Amanda, I’ll have to give this a try,
I hope you like it, Hollie 🙂 It’s definitely the best tasting way I’ve found to eat more turmeric.