Moon milk is just a trendy name for an old-fashioned warm milk before bed. When I was a kid, my dad would make me warm milk with honey and vanilla and it always calmed me down and put me right to sleep. Now, there are all kinds of amazing ingredients I like to add to moon milk to make it a nourishing and delicious nightcap. The purpose of this drink is to help you fall asleep, so we want to use ingredients that will make us feel satisfied and calm. Below I am going to talk about the structure of a good moon milk and how you can customize it for your preferences.
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Milk
Of course, fresh, high-quality milk is the most important ingredient. I like to use raw milk or Organic A2 whole milk. If you’re dairy-free, I would recommend making your own nut or oat milk for best results.
Sweetener
A touch of sweetness will be delicious in any moon milk. I usually do raw honey, maple syrup, or raw cane sugar (especially if I’m whipping with a yolk). Add the sweetener to taste.
Flavor enhancers
My favorite options for flavoring moon milk usually comes from cupboard staples like vanilla, cinnamon, rose petals, cloves, and cardamom.
Sleep aids
Besides the warm milk, an additional sleep aid or two is essential to an effective moon milk. While there are many whole food, and herbal sleep aids, here are a few I always come back to:
Mineral Salt
Adding a mineral-rich salt will give your drink electrolytes and trace minerals in addition to balancing the flavors present in the drink. Just a pinch is all you need!
Protein
Adding a little bit of protein to your moon milk will help to balance the drink so it does not spike your blood sugar. This also means you will feel satisfied and full without the heaviness. Feeling satiated and balanced will also aid a good night’s sleep. I like to whisk in a scoop of collagen to my moon milk for its additional gut-healing benefits as well as protein. (you can use my code: WILDWOOD10 for 10% off!)
I also usually add a raw egg yolk to the drink. To do this, I whip the yolk with sugar until it is light, fluffy, and creamy, then I add the warm milk and stir to combine. This step is important because whipping the yolk with sugar protects the yolk from scrambling when the hot milk is added. Be sure to always use a local, pastured egg from a farm you trust if you’re going to eat raw yolk.
Additional toppings
- Collagen marshmallows
- Freshly whipped cream or coconut cream
Other adaptogens
You can add lots of other ingredients with health benefits. Some of my favorites include:
Equipment you will need to make moon milk
- Whisk or electric whisk
- Milk Frother
- Or a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan
How to Make Moon Milk
Instead of giving you one recipe, I’m going to give you an outline of my method so you can make your own moon milk to taste.
- In your mug, combine egg yolk and or collagen powder with the sweetener of choice and whip really well (please see notes on egg yolk in the protein section).
- On the stovetop, or in your milk frother, steep warm milk with the sleep aid and any additional adaptogens and flavor enhancers
- Add a small pinch of mineral salt
- Stir everything to combine
- Strain milk into the mug and stir to combine with sweetener and protein
Flavor combinations
Magnesium powder + burdock root + chai spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice)
Lavender + Vanilla
Nutmeg + cacao
Passionflower + hops + rose petals
Ashwagandha + cardamom
Magnesium powder + burdock root + chai spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice)
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. For educational purposes only. Please consult the appropriate health professional when making diet or lifestyle changes*
So glad Shelle asked for the title of the book. I love books, plants, Shakespeare, and the idea of “slow living”. I studied Botany in high school and college and became a librarian and am now retired. I have just discovered your webpage and find it very interesting. I look forward to reading your posts and trying your “Moon Milk” and other recipes. When I was young I had no qualms about mixing a raw egg in my milkshakes. Now, of course, I am a little more cautious, but was glad to see your recommendation for sourcing safe eggs. In case you are wondering how I discovered your webpage, I was writing a post on FB about people collecting “things”. I used the word “larder”. To be sure I had used the term correctly, I googled it and amongst my “finds” was your webpage post on “Stocking the Larder | An Old Fashioned Approach to the Pantry” which led me to “Moon Milk and Recipes for a Restful Sleep”. I look forward to more of your posts.
Hey Rebecca,
Thanks so much for visiting my site and following along! If you like my blog, be sure to sign up for my newsletter for regular updates and much more.
See you around 🙂
R
Would you be able to provide me with the name of the book shown in this photo for the moon milk recipe above?
Hey Shelle, the book is called Botanical Shakespeare. It’s a really beautiful Illustrated Compendium, but does not contain any recipes. I use it in my photographs for the aesthetic, sorry!
xo,
R