Fight inflammation and boost immunity with these lemon ginger turmeric shots! They have only 5 calories per serving and take under 10 minutes to make – no juicer required.
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These lemon ginger turmeric shots are loaded with antioxidants to fight inflammation, boost immunity, and keep you healthy year-long.
They require only 4 ingredients to make, no juicer is required, and can be enjoyed fresh as shots or frozen into ice cube trays.
Let’s make them!
Benefits of Lemon Ginger Turmeric Shots
Lemon ginger turmeric shots are a good source of immune-boosting vitamin C and inflammation-fighting antioxidants.
These shots also help to reduce bloating, stabilize blood glucose levels, and are a great way to rehydrate thanks to the natural source of electrolytes they contain.
Read on to discover the top benefits of the ingredients used to make lemon ginger turmeric shots.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice contains vitamin C for immunity, electrolytes for hydration, and also helps to reduce bloating and stabilize blood sugars.
Vitamin C: The juice of one lemon provides around 26% of the daily recommendation of vitamin C for women, which is critical for immunity, collagen production, skin health, and aiding in the absorption of iron (1).
Electrolytes: Lemon juice contains trace minerals that act as electrolytes to keep you hydrated. The electrolytes found in lemon juice include sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium (2).
Bloating: Lemon is a natural diuretic, helping to flush excess fluids and sodium from the body to reduce bloating (3).
Blood Sugar Control: The acidity of lemon juice helps to lower the rise in blood glucose levels following a high-carb meal by 30% for better blood sugar control (4).
Ginger
Ginger is packed with powerful antioxidants that reduce inflammation and improve digestion. Gingerol is the primary antioxidant found in the ginger root that provides its medicinal properties (5).
Pain & Inflammation: As mentioned in my article on Fruit Tea Benefits, ginger can help to reduce muscle pain following exercise by 25%, and is also able to significantly relieve arthritis pain by reducing swelling and inflammation (6).
Digestion: Ginger reduces gas, bloating, nausea, and constipation by speeding up the rate at which food moves through the gut. In addition, ginger alleviates stomach pain and cramping by relaxing the muscles of the GI tract (7).
Turmeric
Turmeric is rich in curcumin, a phytochemical that gives turmeric its bright orange-yellow color and anti-inflammatory properties. The inflammation-fighting properties of curcumin are associated with treating conditions such as arthritis, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease (8).
Arthritis: One study found that taking 1,000 mg of curcumin daily for 8-12 weeks had comparable results on reducing pain and inflammation to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like ibuprofen and diclofenac sodium (9).
Cancer: Curcumin inhibits tumor growth and is considered a “promising anti-cancer agent” due to its cancer-fighting properties (10).
Alzheimer’s Disease: Curcumin was found to improve memory in patients with Alzheimer’s disease by reducing inflammation and the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, both of which are associated with Alzheimer’s (11).
Black Pepper
Black pepper increases the absorption of curcumin by 2,000%, which is why we’ll be using a small amount to make these lemon ginger turmeric shots (12).
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- To Sweeten: add stevia, honey, or pure maple syrup if desired. This can be added directly into the blender when making the recipe, or stirred in when serving.
- Turmeric: if you don’t have turmeric root, you can use 3 teaspoons of ground turmeric.
- Pepper: don’t skip the black pepper! It increases the absorption of the curcumin in turmeric to reap all of its anti-inflammatory benefits 🙂
Equipment
- Lemon juicer: a hand-held juicer will ensure no seeds end up in your lemon ginger turmeric shots.
- Blender: a high-speed blender or nutribullet work well to break down the ginger and turmeric roots to yield the most juice.
- Mesh strainer: we’ll use a medium-sized mesh strainer to extract the juice after blending.
- Ice cube trays: I recommend using silicone ice cube trays to freeze the juice into cubes so you can enjoy them for several months. One batch of the recipe yields around 10 cubes.
Equipment Notes
- Juicer: If you’d like to use a juicer, this can be used instead of the blender. No mesh strainer will be needed if using a juicer.
How to Make Lemon Ginger Turmeric Shots
Step 1: Prep the Ingredients
- Rinse the lemons and cut into halves.
- Chop the ginger and turmeric roots into 1/2-inch pieces. You can alternatively use ground turmeric if you don’t have fresh.
Step 2: Juice the Lemons
- Using a handheld juicer, juice the lemons into the blender, discarding the remains.
Step 3: Add in the Ginger, Turmeric, & Pepper
- Add the chopped ginger and turmeric root pieces into the blender (or ground turmeric if not using fresh), along with the black pepper.
Step 3: Blend, Strain, & Enjoy!
- Blend all the ingredients together for about 45 seconds until smooth.
- Using a mesh strainer, strain the juice into a measuring cup. Use a spoon to firmly press the pulp down to strain all the juice. This should yield approximately 1-1.25 cups of juice. Discard the remaining pulp.
- Divide the juice into shot glasses if drinking immediately, or into ice cube trays if freezing into cubes.
- If using a juicer instead of a blender, simply run the lemons and ginger/turmeric roots through the juicer. Add the black pepper (and ground turmeric if not using turmeric root) into the juice before serving or freezing.
Storage & Serving Suggestions
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store the juice in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in ice cube trays for up to 6 months.
Serving Suggestions
- Fresh Juice/Shots: Pour the juice into a 1-2 ounce shot glass and enjoy fresh.
- Frozen Cubes: Place a frozen lemon ginger turmeric ice cube into a glass and top with sparkling water for a refreshing summer spritzer, or in a mug with hot water or tea for a warming beverage.
- Stir in stevia, honey, or pure maple syrup to sweeten if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lemon ginger turmeric shots are citrusy + tangy from the lemon juice with a spicy kick from the ginger, turmeric, and black pepper. This flavor profile will give you an energizing boost!
Yes. Drinking 1-2 lemon ginger turmeric shots per day has many health benefits and antioxidants. Do not exceed 1-2 shots per day as excess curcumin can have adverse side effects (see below).
Although ginger and turmeric are generally safe, consuming more than 4,000 mg of ginger and 8,000 mg of curcumin (turmeric) per day can cause mild side effects including upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, dizziness, and low blood pressure.
Yes! They’re packed with vitamin C and anti-inflammatory antioxidants that support immunity.
To sweeten lemon ginger turmeric shots, add in some stevia, honey, or pure maple syrup. You can also replace some of the lemons with oranges.
Lemon, ginger, and turmeric are all associated with weight loss/management related to the effects they have on appetite, metabolic rate, inflammation, and blood sugar control. For example, one study concluded that participants who consumed curcumin significantly reduced their body weight, body fat, and waist circumference.
Related Content
I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below to let me know how you liked the recipe.
Lemon Ginger Turmeric Shots
Ingredients
- 6 lemons, juiced (around 1 cup)
- ⅔-¾ cup ginger root (chopped into 1/2-inch pieces)
- ¼ cup turmeric root (chopped into 1/2-inch pieces)
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the lemons and cut into halves. Chop the ginger and turmeric roots into 1/2-inch pieces (no need to peel).
- Using a handheld juicer, juice the lemons into the blender, discarding the remains.
- Add the chopped ginger and turmeric root pieces into a blender or nutribullet, along with the black pepper.
- Blend all the ingredients together for about 45 seconds, until smooth.
- Using a mesh strainer, strain the juice into a measuring cup. Use a spoon to firmly press the pulp down to strain all the juice. This should yield approximately 1-1.25 cups of juice. Discard the remaining pulp.
- Divide the juice into shot glasses if drinking immediately, or into ice cube trays to freeze.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Store the juice in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in ice cube trays for up to 6 months. One batch of the recipe yields around 10 cubes.
- Fresh Juice/Shots: Pour the juice into a 1-2 ounce shot glass and enjoy fresh.
- Frozen Cubes: Place a frozen lemon ginger turmeric ice cube into a glass and top with sparkling water for a refreshing summer spritzer, or in a mug with hot water or tea for a warming beverage.