Ginger Shots Recipe
Updated: May 9, 2024, By Swasthi
Ginger Shot, an immune boosting drink made with fresh ginger, lemon & pantry staples. Learn to make the simplest wellness drink at home with my easy time-tested recipe. Invest just 5 minutes of your daily time into making these, you will thank yourself later!! After experiencing the benefits of Ginger Shots for more than a decade I thought of sharing it here with all the details.
What is a Ginger Shot?
Ginger Shot is a small concentrated, intensely flavored drink that is based largely on the juice of ginger root combined with lemon juice. It is further heightened with black pepper and sweetened with honey. In this homemade version we strike a balance of spicy, sweet and tangy tastes that everyone will love. While it is certainly flavorful and delicious, some may find the flavor rather intense with a pretty strong kick of heat. But it really lasts just a few moments. Arguably, the benefits certainly outweigh the drawback of their intensity.
Ginger shot is a combination of ingredients that work together to deliver a number of health benefits. Unlike a glass of juice that one might sip to enjoy the flavor, these are swallowed quickly. There are a number of pre-bottled ginger shots available on the market. But when you are making a choice between the bottled variety and making them in your home kitchen, the choice is clear. Homemade is clearly better for a number of reasons.
Homemade vs. Store Bought
First of all, when making them at home you are able to hand-select the ingredients. As is the case with all juices, organic is the best choice here. Because it limits the amount of chemicals in your diet, namely pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers.
The second reason is that the benefits of the ginger begin to deteriorate as the juice oxidizes. The very optimal time frame for consumption is immediately after juicing. For this reason, it is best not to freeze or store ginger shots for extended periods of time so as to derive maximum benefits.
Finally, homemade ginger shots are less expensive than the store bought version. In the end, you are getting the most for your money which is always a wise choice.
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Faqs
What are ginger shots good for?
There are a number of reasons to add ginger shots to your daily health regimen. Since they possess powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, they benefit immune health, soothe nausea and digestive issues.
When should you drink ginger shot?
For full benefits, ginger shots are best when taken once a day, first thing in the morning, and on an empty stomach. It is strongly recommended that they be consumed in limited quantities, because they may cause heartburn and stomach acidity. It can be said of ginger shots that more is not necessarily better.
What are ginger shots made of?
Ginger
In India and China, it has long been understood that ginger has a lot of beneficial medicinal applications. Among those are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is believed to improve so many bodily functions including the brain and heart.
It is also widely used to treat a variety of digestive issues, such as nausea, while helping to fight colds and flu. Beyond that, it may even lower blood sugar levels when we incorporate it in our diet.
Lemon
Due to the high Vitamin C content of fresh lemon, it is a natural boost for your immune system. It is also believed to contain a number of antioxidants that cleans and detoxify your liver and digestive system.
Beyond those benefits, lemon juice may also aid in balancing your body’s pH level. It brings antibacterial and antiviral properties to the table, making it not only a beneficial ingredient, but a flavorful one.
Honey
Beyond tempering the heat and intense flavor of the ginger and lemon, honey contains amazing properties that help to boost immunity & fight infection. It also improves the digestive system as a natural cleanser. This is a real benefit to ginger shots.
In this recipe I recommend Manuka honey because it offers the best antibacterial/antiviral and antioxidant properties. Manuka honey is simply honey derived from the bees that feed on the manuka plant, which are found in New Zealand.
With that said, it stands to reason that it is more expensive than other widely available honey. If you are unable to get Manuka honey, raw honey is a suitable substitute. It is better than regular honey in that its properties are still intact.
Black pepper
Beyond adding a bit of heat to the ginger shot, black pepper contributes other health attributes. Specifically its active compound, piperine, is believed to enhance the absorption of certain nutrients. It further improves digestive health.
For these reasons, it stands to reason that the benefits are compatible with the other ingredients for optimal digestive health.
3 ways to make
Once you committed to making ginger shots at home, there are a couple of ways for you to get started.
- Grate and extract the ginger juice manually. Then mix it with lemon juice.
- Blend in a small grinder with lemon juice and then filter it.
- Using a slow juicer is good if you are making at least 4 to 5 shots.
By far the first method is the best and I have been making our shots this way.
Photo Guide
How to make Ginger Shots (Stepwise photos)
1. Begin by rinsing the ginger well under running water. Scrub with a vegetable brush and rinse to remove any mud stuck there. Pat dry with kitchen papers or air dry.
2. Peel the ginger root with a spoon or table knife to remove the skin. Since I was making 3 servings, I peeled the full root. If making a single serving shot, peel only an inch of ginger (about 5 grams) keeping the rest intact so it can be used the next day.
3. Rinse and cut the lemon. Make sure you use fresh cut lemon every day.
4. Begin to grate the ginger.
5. I grate only as needed.
6. Place strainer over a cup and transfer the ginger to a fine strainer. Press down with a spoon to extract juice. Lastly squeeze the pulp with your fingers to extract as much as possible.
7. You will have clear ginger juice. Measure this as per your requirement. Here is the amount that we follow at home. 15 ml per adult, 5 ml for kids between 3 to 6 years and 10 ml for kids between 7 to 12 years. I separate the portions to small individual cups.
8. Squeeze the lemon.
9. Mix together ginger juice and lemon juice. Ginger shot is ready at this stage.
10. Adding honey and black pepper is optional. But we always add honey as we don’t have any diet restrictions. You may avoid it if you don’t prefer to begin your day with sweetener. I use 1 teaspoon honey per shot.
11. Honey takes a while to dissolve with the other ingredients. Stir it well. The color of your ginger shot depends on the kind of honey used.
Tip: Avoid using more than 15 ml ginger in each shot. You can add more lemon juice but not more ginger juice as it can cause heartburn & acidity.
Consume ginger shot immediately on an empty stomach. We usually do not consume anything for at least 25 to 30 mins after having this.
We don’t consume ginger shots through out year. But seasonally whenever we feel the need. We continue it for 2 to 3 weeks max. Restrict the shots for kids to 5 to 7 days unless it is winter.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Ginger Shots Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 inch (5 grams) ginger (fresh peeled root, 1 tablespoon juice)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (more if preferred, fresh cut)
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional, preferably manuka honey)
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon (2 to 3 whole) crushed black pepper (optional, preferably freshly crushed)
Instructions
How to Make Ginger Shots
- Rinse ginger very well under running water. Scrub the ginger well with a vegetable brush and rinse thoroughly.
- Pat dry and peel the skin with a spoon or table knife. Dust off all of the peel.
- Using a Blender/Grinder: If you want to make a large batch of ginger shots, add the peeled ginger to your grinder/blender, black pepper and pour lemon juice. Grind until smooth, strain and stir in honey just before serving.
- Manual Method: Grate it only as required to extract 1 tablespoon ginger juice per serving. Usually 5 grams of peeled ginger gives 1 tablespoon juice.
- Place a strainer over a small cup and add all the grated ginger to it. Press down with a spoon and then squeeze it with your fingers to extract every drop of the juice.
- Then squeeze 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to it. Add honey and black pepper. Give a good stir until honey dissolves.
- Consume ginger shot immediately before it begins to oxidize. For best health benefits consume it on an empty stomach.
Slow Juicer Ginger Shot
- Using a slow juicer is advisable only if you are making at least 4 to 5 servings of the ginger shots otherwise the quantity will be too little for the machine to crush. Run your slow juice. To the chute, add the ginger immediately followed by the lemon juice. Add back the pulp and then pour the collected ginger shot.
- Serve ginger shot immediately.
Notes
- Nutritional values are with honey and black pepper. To make it sugar free skip honey.
- Easier way to clean and grate ginger: Rinse the whole ginger root and pat it dry. Peel approximately only an inch of the ginger keeping the root intact (without chopping it). Grate the ginger as needed and save the root for the next day. Peel only an inch of it when ever need. This way it is easier to grate as the ginger is long.
- Ginger shots are best consumed at room temperature.
- If the ginger and lemon are too cold, leave them at room temperature for a few hours.
- These are best made and consumed immediately for best health benefits so avoid storing.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Disclaimer: This post is for information purpose only. It should not be considered for treatment or cure of any disease. Ginger shots are not suitable to everyone so please check with your doctor if you are on medication.
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Recipe is awesome, I never had fresh ginger shot before and I loved it. Way better than store bought.
Thank you Ana. Glad you like the ginger shots
I loved it so much, thank you
100%
Thank you
Your recipe guide is very informative and clear. I learned what to avoid and of course how to make a ginger shot.
Thanks Anne.
Nice tips
Excellent drink
It is very clear and simple
Lovely
It is perfect!
Thank you for the many variations of this recipe! I finally decided on chucking the whole ginger, cut up lemon and ground turmeric and Blk pepper into a vitamix, per other suggestions. I added a few drops of liquid monk fruit sweetener.
I had to add about 1/2c water to aid blending. I strained the syrupy pulp and drank a bit mixed with more water- just to clean out the blender. Wow! Digestive issue solved in mere minutes. I plan to add water to the syrup and freeze the pulp in cubes for further use. Thanks for your guidance!🔥❤️
So glad it worked for you Jen. Thank you so much for sharing back the way you made it. It’s going to help others.
Nice remedy
Would you make a large batch of these ginger shots and freeze or refrigerate? Is it effective when you are trying to address issues?
Hi April,
Yes you can if you want for convenience. I don’t freeze or even refrigerate and prefer making them fresh each morning because it takes only 5 mins. I believe fresh made ginger shots are more effective to boost immunity and relieve from colds/sinuses. This is my experience and I have relied on this for decades and all my life. But everyone has a different perspective and is different. You may try out frozen/refrigerated as well.
Delicious shots. I am allergic to ginger so used galangal & it was tasty. I am sharing about what it is so others can also make the shots with galangal. It is a root that is similar to ginger with almost the same health benefits as ginger but tastes citrusy. If you can’t eat ginger because it is too strong then use galangal. It is a staple in Thai and Malaysian cooking. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was very helpful.
So glad you like the recipe Faye. Thank you for sharing back about galangal. Your idea may help others.
These look amazing! Can I use dried ground ginger to make the shots. Is it going to taste too strong? I want to make a batch & freeze it for my Mum. Any advice pls?
Pooja,
You can make a instant shot by stirring in half teaspoon ground ginger with 2 tbsps hot water. Stir in lemon juice and honey to taste. I am not sure if you can make a batch and store.
This is my go-to recipe for ginger shots. I’ve made this probably more than a dozen times in the last few months. I’ve even turned my Dad onto enjoying this after making him some. Thanks for posting and teaching me how to make such a satisfying wellness shot.
Happy to read this Mel. Thank you so much!
Why do you peel ginger? isn’t it edible? When you say 5 grams, do I need to use only that quantity per serving? Why do you need honey?
Yes ginger peel is edible and has a lot of nutrients but it can taste bitter especially in shots like this. You may use it if you are using organic ginger. If you intend to consume them for longer periods, it is advisible to use only 5 grams. Consuming plenty can easily cause dehydration, dry throat and stomach burn. Honey is optional and makes the drink palatable. It is traditionally used to treat cough, dry throat, sore throat etc. Please feel free to alter the ingredients to your taste.
For the last 2 weeks, I have been making these ginger shots for my family of 3. Satsuma are in full season now and we are loving them in these shots. Everyone should try and so easy to make!
Satsuma is fantastic! Thank you for sharing back!
Can I use ground turmeric in this ginger shot? How much would you suggest to make 1 serving? What other changes are required? TIA
Hi Nakul,
Yes you can use half teaspoon ground turmeric per serving. It is best to steep it in 2 tablespoons hot water, let cool down slightly and then add the rest of the ingredients. You don’t need to change anything. I would restrict shots with turmeric to 5 – 7 days. But with only ginger (no turmeric), they can be consumed longer.
My dad gifted me a slow juicer and this was the first recipe I tried. I used oranges and honey is delicious in this. Storing the shots for a week.
We are glad to know! Thank you Krisha for sharing back
My friend sent me this recipe saying “you got to try these amazing ginger shots”. I was suffering from acne and frequent sinus infections for many years. I started consuming these ginger shots for a month now and it’s really life changing. My sinus is almost gone now and acne has reduced. I also lost a pound with no diet changes. For me no honey since I can’t have it. This drink is less pungent & drinkable when made fresh so I make it enough for the day. This is the first thing I do every single day & this message is to motivate others.
Happy to know this helped you Brenda. Thank you
I have been making these shots for over a week and wondering if it is okay to consume cold shots. I cold press the ginger and refrigerate to last for a week. Make the shots with fresh cut lime each day. But my Indian mom says you shouldn’t consume this cold. Any thoughts?
Yes that’s what we Indians have been taught at home. It is best to consume these shots at room temperature, not cold from refrigerator especially if you are trying to improve migraines, sinus or arthritis. Warm or hot foods are better for digestion and absorption compared to cold. Please look online to know more. For the same reason we make fresh ginger shots each day.