I have to say I used to be a bit of a coffee snob. Well, that is until I stopped drinking coffee. I actually wasn’t a snob. That’s kind of harsh. I liked to consider myself a coffee connoisseur and I was raising mini coffee connoisseurs. If you saw us in the coffee aisle at the store, all of my kids (and I mean all) would not stop squeezing the bags and sticking their little noses to the “smell spout” until everyone had smelled all the variety there was to smell. Then, when they were done, they would go back and smell their favorite coffee blend again.
I am not exaggerating here, I’m sure we were a sight to see. I didn’t encourage this behavior but I definitely didn’t discourage it either.
I started making my own fancy coffee at home to save some money. Some chocolate sauce to coat the cup, and simply blending the coffee (that I had frozen in the ice cube trays) with vanilla ice cream, more coffee for the liquid, and voila! A delicious coffee dessert…I mean drink.
Now, fast forward to when my youngest daughter was 9-months-old and she and I battled a horrendous case of thrush. I almost stopped nursing her, but I was too determined and stubborn to do that. No matter what I tried, it would seem to be helping and then come back with a vengeance. I couldn’t take it any longer. After battling the beast for over a month, I did what I had to do…I gave up sugar. [Cue the sad violin music.]
I don’t have to tell you that coffee just wasn’t as enjoyable after that.
That is, until my body got used to not having all that sugary stuff and then I could really taste my coffee. I drank it black with coconut oil and a dash cinnamon.
A little over two years ago I stopped drinking coffee altogether.
I was pregnant with our youngest son and coffee did not sound good or sit right in that first trimester. So I thought, ehh, I’ll just stop drinking it. I probably drink too much anyway.
Now you’re probably thinking, doesn’t the title of this post say something about Golden Milk? Well, yes!
Since I don’t drink coffee anymore, on these chilly mornings and evenings I’m still wanting to drink something warm. Usually I make myself a warm drink with almond milk, cacao, cinnamon, and honey, which is quite tasty.
But recently I was introduced to Golden Milk Tea and it was super yummy!
I get headaches from cane sugar, so I’m always trying to look for ways to make delicious things without using that.
I’m going to share with you my Golden Milk Tea recipe that I make in our instapot/pressure cooker.
I made it just this past weekend for a party and everyone – from a friend’s one-year-old to my 98-year-old grandma – really enjoyed it. 🙂
Alaina’s Golden Milk Tea in the Instapot
Ingredients
- 2 whole or 4 half cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole cloves
- Small chunk of ginger, peeled (about thumbnail size)
- Pinch of coarse ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 can full fat coconut milk, 13.5oz
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons honey (add after cooking)
Note: make sure to get coconut milk that doesn’t have any “extra” ingredients in it.
5 Simple Steps To Make Golden Milk Tea
- Add all the ingredients (except the honey) into the Instant Pot (or similar pressure cooker).
- Put the lid on. Make sure the valve is closed. Press manual and set the time to 15 minutes on high pressure.
- When the time is up, wait for 10 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure.
- Strain out the cinnamon sticks, chunk of ginger, and cloves.
- Add honey.
If I had coconut whipped cream, I would have topped it with that and a dash of cinnamon.
But my daughter finished it off on her cup, so my handy frother did the trick of making my drink feel a little extra fancy. And who doesn’t want to enjoy a fancy drink? Especially if it’s good for you.
What are the benefits of Golden Milk (aside from being caffeine-free)?
If you do a quick search, you’ll find tons of stuff online about the benefits. Just to name a few things, it helps reduce inflammation, improve mood, reduce cell damage, improve memory, prevent heart disease, possibly reduce the risk of cancer, lower blood sugar levels, boost the immune system, improve bone health, and aid in digestion. I also read you can drink it iced, but that you’ll receive more health benefits if it’s consumed warm.
Have you ever tried Golden Milk Tea? Have another favorite recipe for your Instant Pot or pressure cooker? Let us know in the comments!
