Ginger Turmeric Shot with Lemon
As the days get shorter and the weather turns cooler and wetter, that typical fall mood sets in—cozy, yet a bit vulnerable. Coughs and sneezes seem to be everywhere, and that’s when a little golden immune boost feels especially welcome. In this post, you’ll find my recipe for a homemade ginger turmeric shot with lemon, easy to make at home without a juicer. With lemon, orange, a fruit of your choice for sweetness, plus fresh ginger and turmeric, you get a warming mix that tastes fantastic and is far more affordable than store-bought shots.
Ginger Turmeric Shots – without Taking Out a Loan
Most store-bought ginger turmeric shots cost around $1.79 per fluid ounce, or about $3.58 for a 2 fl oz bottle on average. For example, the Vive Organic Immunity Boost at Target sells for $3.49 per bottle ($1.75/fl oz). The Organic No Joke Ginger Juice Shot or the Organic Mighty Turmeric Juice Shot from Trader Joe’s is the most affordable option I’ve found so far at just $1.99 per bottle ($1/fl oz). Other brands, like the Suja Organic Immunity Defense Shot, Ginger and Turmeric Wellness Shot come in at around $4.09 per bottle ($2.04/fl oz), while The Ginger People – Ginger Rescue Shots with Turmeric costs $2.37 per bottle ($1.18/fl oz).
They taste good, I won’t argue with that. But usually around 3/4 of the content consists of apple or orange juice (or sometimes coconut water like the one from Trader Joe’s). And ginger and turmeric are by no means luxury goods. So I can’t understand the calculations of most suppliers.
Because I like to drink them, especially in the cold season, but I don’t like being taken for a fool, I started making my own ginger turmeric shots with lemon years ago. Many were too spicy, not spicy enough, not sweet enough, too bitter, too thick, too this, too that—until I came up with what I consider to be the perfect combination, which I am happy to share with you here. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Ingredients
Ginger, turmeric, orange, lemon, another fruit…
What goes into a ginger turmeric shot? Yes, ginger and turmeric—bingo—in this recipe, in their fresh form. But not just ginger and turmeric, and certainly not mainly, because that would be undrinkable. The main ingredient in store-bought shots is usually orange or apple juice.
I make my version mainly from orange juice. You can of course use store-bought juice, but if we’re making everything ourselves, we might as well squeeze it ourselves.
Orange juice is sour, but not sour enough, so I add freshly squeezed lemon juice. And because orange juice is sweet but not sweet enough for the shot in my opinion, I add another fruit.
Here you can be creative! I’ve tried all kinds of variations and they were all good, from strawberries to pomegranate seeds, grapes, apples, mango, pineapple – whatever you have at home.
You can also use mandarins instead of oranges, or mix oranges with grapefruit. Stick to my instructions and vary according to your taste and what’s available.
… and pepper and oil
Pepper and oil are also essential for a successful ginger turmeric shot—both of which are often not included in store-bought versions, especially the oil. Pepper and oil are particularly important for turmeric because curcumin, the “soul” of the turmeric root without which it would not be so bright yellow, is fat-soluble. Without fat or oil, the body has difficulty absorbing it. Even a small amount of oil is sufficient.
Another active ingredient that increases the absorption of curcumin is piperine, which is mainly found in black pepper. The combination of pepper and oil significantly improves bioavailability!
If you search the depths of the internet for ginger turmeric shots, you will even come across recipes with carrots (ok, I can kind of imagine that), apple cider vinegar (hmmm …) and garlic (…). But then I’d rather cook a curry, or dal, or khichari. 😉
At this point, if you like ginger in liquid form, I would also like to refer you to this delicious beet ginger smoothie and refreshing pineapple cucumber smoothie with ginger, yum!
By the way: In the German version of this recipe I included a calculation about how much I paid for the ingredients (prices in Austria/Vienna in October 2025). I calculated the price to be $0.56 for 2 fluid ounces, and everything is organic!
How To Make Ginger Turmeric Shots with Lemon
No juicer? No problem! Ginger turmeric shots are often prepared using a juicer. Since I don’t own one (not yet, anyway, because I love useful kitchen appliances, if only I had the space…), I make it in a high-powered blender.
There are different ways to do this, which I have all tried:
- Blend the unpeeled organic oranges and lemon straight away: much too bitter.
- Peel the orange and lemon but don’t juice them: much too thick. Then strain the whole thing: too tedious, time-consuming, and too much is lost.
I love my version with the freshly squeezed juice and then blending. Yes, it’s one more kitchen appliance. But I don’t make the shot that often, and cleaning is quick, so it works out pretty well.
Turmeric Stains…
…the blender jug…
When blending with fresh turmeric root, please note that the blender jug will turn yellow! You can either leave it as it is, because it will become clearer again over time when you blend other things in it and clean it afterwards.
Or you can clean the jug with denture cleaner tablets (yes, you read that right). Fill the blender with warm water, dissolve 2 denture cleaning tablets in it and leave it overnight. Then rinse with dish soap and dry as usual.
It’s even easier to clean the rinsed, dry container with sunlight, as the UV rays break down the dye. To do this, I simply place the container on my balcony in sunlight.
… and your hands too
Turmeric not only stains the blender jug, but also your hands – if you can’t find organic turmeric and have to peel it yourself. But don’t worry, after a few hours or a few washes, everything will be “clean” again.
If you want to speed up the process, massage some oil into your skin (because curcumin is fat-soluble, as we read above) or combine it with salt or granulated sugar to make a scrub.
It is more stubborn on your nails, but not permanently. However, it doesn’t usually get there when peeling. If it does, you can remove the dye with lemon juice or oil. If necessary, you can also remove stubborn yellow stains on your nails with nail polish remover (containing acetone).
What’s So Good About Ginger Turmeric Shots?
Ginger turmeric shots not only taste delicious, they are also useful for a number of things. My personal number one benefit is their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effect and the fact that they boost the immune system because the plant substances actively support the body’s defenses. Ginger also has a warming effect because it stimulates blood circulation. A bonus for the cold season.
If you would like to read more about the effects of ginger I recommend the articles by the National Library of Medicine and the Harvard Medical School, as well as those about turmeric, from the same sources: National Library of Medicine and the Harvard Medical School.
When to Drink the Shot?
Since nutrients are absorbed more quickly when there is nothing else in the stomach, it is recommended to drink the ginger turmeric shot on an empty stomach. Drinking it in the morning also makes sense because the shot can boost your metabolism and stimulate digestion. The shot is also a pick-me-up, so it’s best to drink it after getting up to kick-start your day.
Please note: My stomach can handle a lot, so please take this recommendation with caution if you have a sensitive stomach, as it could cause heartburn. It’s better to start by drinking a shot after a meal. If that works, you can try a mini portion on an empty stomach.
By the way, I drink the homemade shot every day, but not for weeks on end. Simply because I don’t get around to making it every week, I can’t always find fresh turmeric roots in the store, and so on. I usually make the ginger turmeric shot with lemon on Sunday or Monday and drink it for five days, because that’s about how long it lasts (in a well-rinsed and sealed bottle, stored in the refrigerator).
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Ginger Turmeric Shot with Lemon: A Warming Boost for Fall and Winter
Equipment
- 1 blender *)
- 1 citrus juicer *) (not the cheapest one, but the prettiest one – and it works so well)
Ingredients
- 300 ml orange juice 3–5 oranges, depending on how juicy they are
- 80 ml lemon juice approx. 2 lemons
- 75 g fresh ginger root, organic
- 50 g fresh turmeric root, organic
- 200 g grapes or other fruit for sweetening see note
- 1 tsp oil e.g., olive oil
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Squeeze the lemons and oranges and pour the juice into the blender jug.
- Add the ginger and turmeric to the blender jug (unpeeled if they are organic).
- Add fruit to sweeten.
- Add oil and pepper.
- Blend everything for 1-2 minutes. With a good blender, you will get everything finely blended and homogeneous. Alternatively, you can strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
- Pour the mixture into a clean (previously rinsed with hot water) glass bottle, close it, and store it in the refrigerator. Drink 1 small glass every morning for 5 days. Shake briefly before drinking.
Video
Notes
- The amount of ingredients yields approximately 600 ml (20.3 fl oz), depending on the fruit used (e.g., less with pomegranate seeds than with grapes).
- I fill a 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) glass bottle (that is the size we would get in Austria) and drink the rest straight away. I therefore consider 600 ml to be 6 (generous) servings.
- Nutritional values were calculated using 200 g of grapes as fruit for sweetening.
- Fruit: Be creative and use whatever you have at home or whatever you like best. So far, 250 g of strawberries (fresh or frozen), 1 mango, 1 apple, and 100 g of grapes, 200 g of pineapple (peeled and weighed), or the seeds of a pomegranate have proven to be good choices. You can also use mandarins instead of oranges, or mix in grapefruit. If you like, you can also add a little ground cinnamon. What did you decide on? Feel free to share your experience with everyone else in the comments.
- Ginger turmeric shot beginner? Then maybe try 50 g of ginger to 50 g of turmeric. I find that a tad too boring. My dear friend recently grimaced a little at my version with 75 g of ginger (she still liked it, though). If you like it very spicy, you can increase the amount of ginger to 100 g.
- To peel or not to peel? You don’t need to peel organic ginger and turmeric.
- Turmeric stains: Turmeric will stain your blender jug and, if you peel it without gloves, your hands too. So that I don’t go on and on here in the notes section, if you’re interested, please take a look at the post above, where I share my tips and tricks on how to get rid of the dye.