Moon Milk

Wind down this comforting moon milk recipe. This pretty pink drink made with tart cherry juice milk and honey! Get the details on how much tart cherry juice you need for sleep and make this easy recipe!

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This delicious drink recipe combines several ingredients that have been studied for their ability to help improve the quality or duration of sleep. If you’ve seen on TikTok that cherry juice helps with sleep, it’s true. Read on to find out how much and just how it works!

What makes this moon milk good?

• This recipe is made with just 3 simple ingredients.
• Tart cherry juice and milk might help with sleep.
• It’s beautiful and fun but also relaxing to make.

Winding down with a warm beverage can be a great way to settle in for the night. This moon milk recipe checks the boxes for sleep supporting ingredients. Other relaxing beverage options include golden milk lattes and caffeine-free, herbal teas (especially those with valerian root). But let’s get into this one and why it’s good!

Tart cherry juice benefits

A natural source of melatonin, tart cherry juice may help improve sleep quality as well as how long you’re able to stay asleep.

How much do you need to drink? It’s important to note the amounts. To get these effects, those studied drank as much 16 ounces (2 cups) of juice a day for two weeks. So, you might want to add another cherry drink to your day.

And it has other potential benefits. Tart cherry juice might also help the reduce muscle soreness after intense physical activity (like a marathon) and reduce symptoms associated with certain types of arthritis and reduce blood pressure levels.

Where to buy tart cherry juice

Trader Joe’s sells cherry juice at the lowest price I’ve seen at $3.99 for a 32 oz bottle. The ingredient list is simply filtered water and cherry juice concentrate. It doesn’t contain any added sugars or preservatives. Most other places sell the juice for much higher pricing, at around $6 a bottle.

You can also find cherry juice at health food stores and an increasing number of major supermarkets. Cherry juice concentrate is also available in stores and online – just add water when you’re ready to use it.

What is moon milk?

Moon milk has origins in centuries-old ayurvedic medicine where it’s used as a remedy for sleeplessness. It’s a warm mug of milk blended with herbs and/or spices.

Traditionally made with whole milk for the sleep-inducing components found in dairy, the moon milk popping up all over Instagram has been adapted in mainstream wellness circles to use non-dairy milk.

What’s the best milk to use?

This moon milk works well with regular dairy milk or plant milks to keep it vegan. I used almond milk for this one but you can also use oat milk, cashew milk or refrigerated coconut milk. Go with the creamiest, full fat plant milk you enjoy for the best results.

If you are ok with dairy foods, feel free to make your moon milk with whole milk. Whole milk contains tryptophan. And research suggests that foods with the amino acid tryptophan might help improve sleep in some people.

Whether it’s the tart cherry juice, the milk, or the whole process of slowing down, moon milk definitely helps me fall asleep faster.

How to make moon milk

To make moon milk, you’ll simply heat milk in a small saucepan with whole herbs or spices to extract as much of the benefits as possible. Whisk in ground or powdered spices like nutmeg before serving for a frothy, comforting cup of warm milk.

I used a handheld frother to get the beautiful frothy finish you see in the picture. I highly recommend it.

You can add adaptogenic ingredients like ashwagandha, powdered valerian root, or other sleep-inducing or stress relieving ingredients that work for you.

I am using tart cherry juice, which is a natural source of melatonin and may help with sleep. I got mine at Trader Joe’s. It’s 100% juice and doesn’t have any added sugars. It will be tart. So, I’ve added honey. The honey sweetens the drink and also helps emulsify the moon milk to keep it from breaking down before you’re done sipping.

I added some edible, food-safe rose petals on top just for the fragrant aroma and aesthetics.

So. That’s my very non-traditional take on moon milk.

When your goal is to fall into blissful sleep, you don’t need a tedious task keeping you up. As such, I made this moon milk recipe as easy as possible using real, simple ingredients. 

Tips for making frothy moon milk?

• Use a handheld frother (same as you’d use for coffee). Once the milk mixture is heated through, use it to whip the drink into a soft, frothy finish! You can also use a heat-safe blender for the same results.
• Don’t pour cold milk into room temperature juice. It will curdle and separate. To avoid this, start with the both chilled.

And here’s the easy recipe.

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