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This creamy warm almond milk and honey recipe is the perfect bedtime routine to promote good sleep. This recipe tastes like a fall day, it’s dairy-free and packed with nourishing ingredients. Warm almond milk is a great plant-based beverage that naturally releases melatonin into the brain, which is necessary for deep sleep.
Warm Almond Milk Ingredients
I love lattes, and this warm almond milk and honey recipe has the taste of a decadent one, just without the caffeine. Here’s the ingredients you need to make this bedtime drink recipe:
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: Whether you choose store-bought almond milk or try my homemade almond milk recipe, def stick with unsweetened to avoid unnecessary sugars.
- Raw honey: Honey is a natural sweetener that also contains tryptophan which is a hormone that helps relax and send sleep signals to the body to promote restful deep sleep. If you have manuka honey— even better. Use it!
- Ground Cinnamon: Full of nutrients, cinnamon sticks are a great spice to help rid of inflammation. Freshly ground your cinnamon for that nutty flavor. Also, you can use some raw almonds for nuttiness.
- Ground Ginger: Ginger is great to add to warm almond milk before bed. Fresh ginger is a bit too spicy for my bedtime routine, so I stick to ground in this recipe. You can leave this out if you don’t have it.
- Cayenne Pepper: This spicy addition aids in digestion. A tiny amount is all you need in this warm almond milk to help get your body ready for bedtime.
How to Increase Protein
Add a simple protein boost with a tablespoon of almond butter. It thickens the drink and also adds an additional 3.4 grams of protein. You can even add a tablespoon of cacao, which has 1 g protein, to create a hot chocolate version.
How to Make Warm Almond Milk with Honey
This healthy hot milk is super easy to make! Whether you want to use a stovetop, high-powered blender or microwave, you’ll first need to warm the almond milk. Here’s three methods:
- Saucepan method: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan on medium-low heat and stir until warm. If you are adding in the almond butter and honey, add them at this stage. Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy!
- Blender method: If you have a high-powered blender, you can heat this recipe up directly in your blender. Simply add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until heated. It will be super frothy when finished, especially if you add in a tablespoon of almond butter.
- Microwave method: Combine all ingredients into a heat-safe mug and microwave for up to 30 seconds. Carefully test to ensure it’s not too hot before drinking.
Vegan Warm Almond Milk Alternative
Swap the 1/2 tsp of honey for pure maple syrup to add a little hint of sweetness to this bedtime beverage that’s vegan-friendly. If you want to stay sugar free, add a splash of vanilla extract.
Benefits of Warm Milk Before Bed
Warm milk has been a bedtime drink for generations to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and feel better when you wake up in the morning. Let’s dive into this recipe and highlight the individual ingredients that have been scientifically noted to improve sleep.
- Almond milk contains sleep-promoting hormones and minerals, like tryptophan, melatonin, and magnesium. Fun fact: 1 cup of almond milk contains 16 mg of magnesium
- Honey is a natural sugar that slightly raises your insulin levels, allowing tryptophan to enter the brain. Tryptophan is turned into niacin, which creates serotonin, which produces melatonin, an essential hormone for sleep. Reason 2,248 the human body rawks.
- Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, a naturally occurring flavonoid that gives cinnamon its flavour and odour. It also happens to play a role in improving sleep quality in insomnia.
Common Questions
Yes! You can gently heat almond milk on the stove or in the microwave. Warm almond milk is not only soothing but also an ideal choice for a calming evening drink. Just be sure to heat it slowly to prevent curdling, and enjoy its rich, comforting flavor.
Yes, this is a quick way to get warm milk, especially if you don’t have a high-powered blender or don’t want to take the time to heat it up on the stove. You only need to heat it for about 30 seconds to get a warm result.
Yes! For my warm almond milk recipe, I heat the milk up to a ‘warm’ temperature, not scalding hot. It’s delicious and easy to do.
You definitely don’t want to heat up almond milk for too long or you may burn your mouth. Warm almond milk shouldn’t cause any changes in digestion.
More Healthy Bedtime Beverages
I love sleep and need a lot of it to function properly. I also love coffee, yet I have to cut myself off by 2:00pm if I want to get a good night’s sleep. Turning to healthy caffeine alternatives, like warm almond milk, helps my body calm down and get ready for a great night’s sleep.
- Sleep Well Smoothie: A calming smoothie I drink when hungry before bedtime.
- Pink Moon Milk: This is a great non-caffeinated drink that helps me naturally calm down before bedtime.
- Lavender Sleep Tea: A lovely tea I use to settle my mind when I can’t sleep.
Warm Almond Milk and Honey
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 1 tbsp almond butter optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
- Heat on the stove, stirring occasionally over medium heat until warm.
- Pour into a mug and enjoy.
Equipment
- stove top
Notes
- Adding in 1 tbsp of almond butter helps add a bit of healthy fat and protein to curb hunger.
- If you have a high-powered blender then you can add all ingredients to your blender and blend for 30 seconds or until warm.
- Cayenne pepper adds a little heat, which can curb your appetite in the evening.
- Vegan? Swap honey for maple syrup.
Enjoyed some this evening, so good! The blender makes it super frothy.
Hi Erin! This one is great for evenings, especially when craving something a little sweeter!
Bedtime sweets are my weakness. I decided I have to stop so I can feel better so I decided to try this drink. WOW! It was so creamy and satisfying with a little sweetness and spice.
I am hooked already.
Hi Jocelyn! Bedtime sweets are my weakness too! You are so right, this gives you that same feeling, with way better nutrition!
I love the spiciness the ground ginger and cayenne give this warmed cinnamon almond milk!
Hi Candice! So glad you liked this one, the ginger and cayenne really make it!
Very nice and pleasing tea
Thanks so much! We have a whole section of drink recipes on our blog that includes other teas, I’d love it if you checked it out!
I really liked this, and it was nice to have something plant-based to help me with 2 big problems I have: not sleeping well (and trouble getting to sleep in the first place) and bad digestion. The only problem was that the almond butter never dissolved into the rest. It looked like it had and faked me out, but then it was all over the bottom of the mug when I was finishing it. In addition, I have to say, the thing looked like a turd! The drink was delicious, but that’s an eye opener when you’re looking to have a drink that makes you feel restful. So I’d say either leave it out or only use the blender (which is a lot of bother before bed).
Hey April – I’m glad you enjoyed it and that it helped you relax before sleeping. Having a nice, warm drink makes all the difference sometimes!
This milk tastes delicious and puts a stop to my nighttime carb cravings.
This recipe was delicious! I made the cold version from the Summer Cleanse but wanted to try this warm version now that the weather is turning. I added a bit more almond butter than suggested and it was super frothy.
Ummm. This recipe for warm almond milk is sooo comforting, delicious and relaxing. Love it!!!
Can you use oat milk instead of almond milk in this recipe
Thanks
Bari
Sure Bari! There are so many delicious plant-milks out there. We recommend that you use unsweetened and add your own sweetness with maple syrup, but it’s up to you.