9 Genius Ways To Use Turmeric In The Kitchen

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Turmeric remains the golden child of the health world with its bright yellow color and anti-inflammatory benefits. The Asian plant is part of the ginger family and it’s often used in natural medicine, as well as in the culinary world. If you can get your hands on turmeric powder or fresh turmeric, here are some genius ways to use it in the kitchen.

1. Teas

One of the easiest ways to incorporate turmeric into your diet is to make turmeric tea. As long as you have water and organic turmeric powder, you’ll be all set. All you have to do is bring water to a boil, add the turmeric and let it simmer for 10 minutes or so. Here’s a recipe that combines water, turmeric powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, raw honey and lemon juice.

2. Dips

With its beautiful golden color, powdered turmeric is perfect to add to dips for a pop of color and dash of spice. Turmeric is mildly aromatic with scents of ginger and orange, thought it has a slightly bitter flavor. Add it to dips like this turmeric yogurt dip or turmeric and ginger tahini dip. It’s often used in place of saffron.

3. Smoothies

You can’t go wrong with adding a teaspoon or so of turmeric powder into your smoothie. If you can, try using ingredients with complementing flavor profiles. Try this carrot, ginger and turmeric smoothie with banana and fresh pineapple. Turmeric can also work just as well with apple, beets, cucumber and ginger in this deep red smoothie. Here’s a list of 10 anti-inflammatory turmeric smoothies to experiment with.

4. Marinades

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A little turmeric powder goes a long way in a  marinade. Try grilling red snapper with a fresh turmeric marinade or honey turmeric chicken with a combination of garlic, honey, oyster sauce, turmeric and cayenne pepper. You can also go the rice bowl route with turmeric-marinated tofu.

5. Roasted Veggies

When you have vegetables that alone are a little bland, add some turmeric before you roast them. Make some turmeric and cumin roasted cauliflower, turmeric and cinnamon roasted sweet potatoes or turmeric roasted carrots. You can’t go wrong.

6. Popcorn Topping

For a quick popcorn topping when you need an easy movie snack, sprinkle some turmeric powder on top. You’ll be fighting inflammation as you catch up with all of your Netflix shows. This turmeric popcorn is coated with coconut oil, cinnamon and ginger.

7. Roasted Nuts

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It’s easier than you think to make your own roasted nuts. For a perfect work snack or on-the-go bite make some roasted turmeric and chili cashews with coconut oil, turmeric powder, chili powder, sea salt and black pepper. Turmeric will work with pretty much any nut you want and it’ll give them a pretty golden tint.

8. Lattes

Golden milk — also known as turmeric milk or a turmeric latte — is pretty popular right now. You can find it in a lot of coffee shops or on the menu at some healthy restaurants. Here’s a recipe for golden milk that’ll put you right to sleep. This turmeric latte is made with coconut milk, raw sugar, turmeric, ginger, Chinese five-spice powder and salt.

9. Soups

For the perfect warming soup, try adding a little turmeric to the pot. This golden turmeric chickpea and chicken soup is all kinds of comforting. This detox turmeric lentil soup is great for your digestion and it’s jam-packed with vegetables.

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