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As much as I love a green smoothie, it’s important to get a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Blending the rainbow is one way I do that. This turmeric smoothie recipe is pure sunshine in a glass—using oranges, carrots and turmeric to create the color. It’s the perfect way to kickstart your day with tropical fruits and powerful, immune-boosting ingredients.
Table of contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
All of the ingredients in this turmeric smoothie are simple, plant-based whole foods you can feel good about:
- Turmeric (ground): This golden spice brings warmth and color to the smoothie. You’ll find ground turmeric in the spice aisle, or grab fresh turmeric root in the produce section if your store carries it.
- Honey: Complements the turmeric and ginger nicely. Look for raw honey or manuka honey, known for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
- Fresh ginger root: Adds a spicy-sweet kick that balances the creaminess of the smoothie. Look for firm, smooth ginger in the produce section, bonus points if it’s organic.
- Orange (peeled and zested): Bright and juicy orange makes the smoothie taste like sunshine. Pick up fresh oranges from the produce section.
- Frozen mango: Naturally sweet and creamy, mango gives tropical vibes in every sip. Find it in the frozen fruit section, perfect for thick, cold smoothies without needing ice. For instructions, you can also check out my guide on how to cut a mango.
- Frozen sliced carrots: A sneaky way to add veggies, fiber, and extra beta-carotene. You can buy pre-sliced frozen carrots in the freezer aisle or slice fresh carrots yourself and freeze them.
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How to Make a Turmeric Smoothie
My turmeric smoothie is quick, creamy, and full of benefits. Just blend a few simple ingredients and sip golden goodness in minutes.
- Add ginger, orange, and almond milk to your blender. These form the bright, creamy base that sets the stage for all the other flavors.
- Blend until silky smooth. Give it a good whirl so the ginger fully breaks down and the orange citrus flavor shines through.
- Toss in the frozen mango, carrots, turmeric, and raw honey.
- Blend one more time until thick and creamy. Pour into your favorite glass and sip immediately while it’s fresh.
Turmeric Hack
Long before it became the star of golden lattes, turmeric was cherished in Ayurvedic medicine for its powerful healing benefits. This golden spice has been used to soothe inflammation, aid digestion, and bring vibrant energy to meals.
To get the most out of turmeric’s benefits, try adding a tiny pinch of black pepper before blending. Black pepper contains piperine, which, when combined with curcumin, has been shown to increase bioavailability by 2000%.
Easy Swaps and Add-Ins
This smoothie is creamy, nourishing, and totally delicious as is—but don’t be afraid to make it your own! Here are a few simple swaps or tasty add-ins you can try:
- Milk alternatives: No almond milk? Try oat milk or add a tropical twist with coconut milk.
- Creamy: Add half a banana or a few slices of avocado to make the smoothie thicker and even more creamier.
- Sweet: Instead of raw honey, try pure maple syrup or Medjool dates for a vegan-friendly option. You can also check out my guide on natural sweeteners I like to use.
- Protein: Blend in a scoop of my Homemade Protein Powder, a spoonful of hemp hearts, or even a dollop of Greek yogurt to make this smoothie more filling.
Serving Suggestion
This turmeric smoothie recipe makes 16 oz—perfect for one adult. For kids, split into two 8 oz servings, and serve with a straw to make sipping easier.
More Recipes with Turmeric
If you’re digging the golden glow and anti-inflammatory benefits of this turmeric smoothie recipe, here are a few more turmeric recipes to try next:
- When I need something soothing, turmeric tea is my go-to—warm, cozy, and full of anti-inflammatory goodness.
- And when I’m craving creamy comfort, golden milk hits the spot. It’s turmeric, cinnamon, and plant milk blended into the perfect hug in a mug.
- When I want a quick boost, I make turmeric blender bombs—frozen cubes of turmeric, ginger, and healthy fats that blend into an instant wellness smoothie.
If you make this turmeric smoothie, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Honey Turmeric Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 inch fresh gingerroot peeled
- 1 tablespoon orange peeled and zested
- ¾ cup almond milk or other nut milk
- ½ cup mango frozen
- ½ cup sliced carrots frozen
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
Instructions
- Place ginger, orange and almond milk in blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend until creamy.
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Fresh vs. dried turmeric: Fresh turmeric root gives this smoothie a brighter, peppery flavor and extra nutrients, but if you can’t find it, ground turmeric works just fine.
- Add natural sweetness: If your smoothie tastes a little too zesty, add more honey, half a banana, a couple of Medjool dates, or a splash of maple syrup.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
About 1 inch of fresh turmeric root or ½–1 teaspoon of ground turmeric is a good amount for most smoothies. For those new to turmeric, starting with a smaller quantity is recommended before adjusting to taste.
Turmeric smoothies can be enjoyed any time of day. Many people prefer them in the morning for an energizing start, after a workout to support recovery, or in the afternoon as a refreshing pick-me-up.
To use fresh turmeric, wash and peel the root, then slice or grate it before blending with other ingredients. Frozen turmeric chunks can also be kept on hand for easy smoothie prep.
Turmeric works best when combined with ginger, black pepper, and naturally sweet fruits such as mango, pineapple, or banana. Black pepper enhances the absorption of curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, making this combination both flavorful and beneficial.
Wow! This is so good! I’m thankful for all the peeps that take the time with trial and error to put healthy delicious smoothie ingredients together for us. I don’t always love every smoothie recipe I ever find so I may modify it, but I’m def thankful for this yummy and healthy one! It’s the first one from this site that I’ve made and I’m looking forward to trying more from here. I couldn’t do the 10 day challenge but I knew I’d want to eventually try the recipes when I had the time. Thank you thank you thank you again!!
This smoothie was delicious! I substituted two dates for the honey and used coconut water instead of milk. It was delicious, than I added a huge handful of power greens and some more water
Day 9 of Simple Smoothie Challenge. I prepped this smoothie as much as possible the night before, as my husband and I needed to hit the road at 4:15am. I did blend it quickly, to drink before leaving. The smoothie was good tasting and very thick! It took longer than normal to drink it all, but I finished mine and he finished his on the road.
It filled us up for many hours. It had interesting flavors! I liked the ease of prepping it ahead.
Loved the combination of flavors in this one! I always like trying smoothies that have veggies other than the leafy greens too. This was sweet enough that it almost didn’t need the honey. Definitely will be making this one again, I loved the blend of sweet orange and earthy carrot with the turmeric, ginger, and honey enhancing the flavor even more.
I am not a big fav of ginger so I didn’t love this smoothie, but it was okay and it gets extra points for its great health benefits. It probably won’t make it into my regular smoothie rotation but I would make it again.
This smoothie was surprisingly tasty and refreshing!!! I loved it and will definitely incorporate this into smoothies that I routinely make.
I really wanted to love this one more but to be truthful it was better than I expected. I think I’ll just need to tweak the sweetness and maybe a smidge less turmeric.
Great smoothie! The ginger and turmeric gives the smoothie a little extra kick and the ingredients are natural anti-inflammatories! Thanks so much!
When diagnosed with Covid, turmeric supplements are recommended by FLCCC. They are also very high on using products that are anti-inflammatory and anti-viral. So I will be making this a lot. Adding pepper is very important as it does aid in utilizing the turmeric properly. I have a question about the recipe. It says to zest the orange, but it doesn’t say to put the zest in the smoothie? Please advise…
I love this smoothie the color makes me smile it’s both delicious and refreshing. Not to mention the amazing health benefits!!!
This was a tough one for me to drink. The turmeric was too much for my taste. I continued to drink it because of it’s benefits but it was not pretty. I’ll try again but will cut down on the turmeric and ginger. I think after adjusting the ingredients I will like it
The color was really lovely! However, I thought there was too much ginger. I wouldn’t make it again on a regular day, but if I needed the vitamin C, ginger, and turmeric, I’d make it when I was sick. Thanks!
I have been waiting to try this one. So good! Really love the color and the bit of spice. I used turmeric root instead of ground.
This will be a regular for me….
I bet butternut squash would be a great addition to this.
I really enjoyed this smoothie which was truly something I would have never considered before. The smoothie is very freshening and an excellent source of vitamins for the winter months.
I have some very sweet honeydew that my husband had cut up in the fridge so I used it and the liquid in the container instead of the carrots and it sweetened it enough with the honey. Not almond milk so I used water along with some cashews soaked briefly and blended them with the ginger and orange – not my favorite and felt healthy drinking it. I’d advice drinking with a straw as turmeric could probably stain your teeth?
This is -not- a smoothie I’ll likely try again. The complexity of flavors was interesting but not my favorite, but the ginger was very hot in the quantities the PDF specified.
My other family members like it. One says he loves the sinus clearing effect of the spiciness. Haha 🙂
I’ve noticed that the PDF and the identical printed book recipes have additional or different ingredients, and quantities that differ slightly from the recipes compared to the emails and here. 1 inch of ginger (online version of recipe) seems to be about -half- of the tablespoon measurement the PDF called for. So I might have had double the intended ginger by making the PDF recipe.
It would be helpful to make the web versions of recipes fully match the PDF and printed book.