Iced Turmeric Chai Latte: Refreshing, Spicy, & Anti-Inflammatory

Don’t you wish the big coffee chains sold anti-inflammatory drinks like this Iced Turmeric Chai Latte? Throughout the summer, I love nothing more than sipping on a cold drink, served over ice, with lots of spicy notes, a hint of sweetness, and a splash of creamy, milky comfort.

It’s even better when these drinks are easy to make, budget-friendly, and bursting with health benefits like this one is.

One of my favourite ingredients lately is turmeric. Maybe you’ve heard of this spice packed with antioxidants and potent anti-inflammatory properties?

If you’re also a fan of drinks that are both refreshing and nourishing, this iced turmeric chai latte recipe is for you!

What is Chai, Anyway?

For many of us in North America, “chai” is a familiar combination of a mix of spices that can include cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger and black pepper.

And even though this isn’t very traditional or “authentic”, I like adding spices like allspice, fennel or star anise to homemade chai blends.

However, in many parts of the world, the word chai simply means tea.

So if you’re guilty of saying chai tea (consider me guilty as charged!), it’s actually redundant. Because chai is tea. Masala chai would probably be a better description because it consists of black tea plus spices and/or herbs in India.

The Star of the Show: Turmeric

The real hero of this beverage is turmeric, a vibrant yellow spice that adds both flavour and health benefits. It is an astringent (aka drying) Indian spice.

Turmeric turns everything it touches a bright yellow (including fingers, counter tops and even my black granite sink – don’t worry, it eventually disappeared!).

If you’ve ever eaten yellow mustard, you’ve probably already tasted turmeric—it’s often added for its colour.

Beyond its culinary uses, though, turmeric has emerged as one of the most powerful healing foods on the planet.

Science-Backed Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin

Turmeric’s active compound, curcumin, is renowned for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

The authors of Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease write that researchers have studied turmeric in thousands of human and animal studies. Some of these studies have shown curcumin’s abilities to help combat more than 70 diseases and health conditions.

Some of these include:

• Inflammation: Curcumin is a potent natural anti-inflammatory compound. It can help reduce chronic inflammation, which is a precursor for many diseases like arthritis, heart disease, and even cancer.
• Brain Health: Studies have shown that curcumin may help improve cognitive function and slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. It has also been shown to reduce damage to neural synapses, types of structures or pathways through which brain cells communicate. It helps reduce oxidative stress in brain cells and may also help lower toxic metal levels that contribute to cognitive decline (1).
• Heart Health: Curcumin has been linked to better cardiovascular function. It helps protect the heart by reducing inflammation, improving the lining of blood vessels (endothelial function), and even lowering cholesterol levels.

Regular intake of turmeric has also been proven to also slow down generalized age-related degradation of cognitive function and memory decline [2].

Healing Spices also mentions turmeric’s ability to potentially reduce inflammation levels associated with numerous types of cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, various forms of arthritis, age-related macular degeneration and other eye conditions [3].

Much of the research has studied turmeric in large quantities, such as with supplementation. However, there are clearly some solid reasons to consider using it in your culinary adventures, too.

Luckily, there are many incredible edible ways to use this flamboyant spice into our everyday cooking. From dinner to desserts and everything in between, I firmly believe that turmeric deserves a place at your table.

Absorption Hack: Add Black Pepper

Turmeric is a powerful spice, but did you know that combining it with black pepper can enhance its bioavailability?

Curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream on its own, but black pepper contains piperine, which can increase the absorption of curcumin by up to 2,000%!

So, whenever you’re using turmeric in your recipes, don’t forget to add a pinch of black pepper for maximum health benefits.

All that nutritional info aside, this chai latte is full of spice and everything nice!

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Why Use Cashew Milk in this Iced Turmeric Chai Latte?

Cashew milk is a great choice for this recipe because of its rich, creamy texture. Compared to almond milk, it has a more neutral taste, making it a versatile base for both sweet and savoury drinks.

If you’ve never made cashew milk, it’s made the same way as almond milk, but it doesn’t need to be strained.

Coconut milk (either full-fat or full-fat diluted with water 50/50) is another non-dairy milk I would use in this recipe.

You can substitute cow’s milk if you tolerate dairy, but you might need to adjust the sweetener. Cow’s milk contains lactose.

To make this Iced Turmeric Chai Latte vegan:

• don’t use cow’s milk; and,
• substitute the honey with another liquid sweetener. Good options are maple syrup, coconut nectar syrup, brown rice syrup, yacon syrup, or maybe even molasses, etc.

For the chai black tea bags, I used an organic brand of tea. You could make your own chai blend of course, but I used a prepared blend this time.

Iced Turmeric Chai Latte Recipe

This iced turmeric chai latte is perfect for those hot summer days when you crave something cold but also want a little spice in your life. It’s creamy, floral, and subtly sweet, with the anti-inflammatory power of turmeric at the forefront.

This summer sipper isn’t just a delicious way to stay cool—it’s also packed with nutrients that support your overall health.

So, the next time you’re craving a refreshing drink, remember that your body can benefit from a little spice, too.

What’s your favourite way to enjoy turmeric? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Life is a plate… Eat up!

Ashleigh

Sources:

• [1] Aggarwal, Bharat B. and Debora Yost. Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease. Sterling: January 2011.
• [2] Aggarwal, Bharat B. and Debora Yost. Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease. Sterling: January 2011.
• [3] Aggarwal, Bharat B. and Debora Yost. Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease. Sterling: January 2011.

Some text and links updated in October 2024.