Lightly sweet and infused with floral, aromatic spices, Warm Cardamom Honey Milk is a wonderful way to unwind at the end of a long day.
I have been on such a cardamom kick the past few months. I just love the sweet, floral, lightly citrusy flavors contained in those tiny green pods. It’s such a beautifully complex and aromatic spice.
I’ve been having fun using it to infuse a new layer of flavor into old favorites (read: I’ve been putting it in everything.).
Over the summer, I added it to my Blueberry Crumb Bars, to rave reviews. It’s also great in Brown Sugar Rice Pudding, Snickerdoodles (downright addictive and coming to the blog this Holiday season), and even paired with chicken (a’la Ottolenghi).
By far, one of my favorite uses has been Warm Cardamom Honey Milk. Simply divine.
I’m lucky to live close to a wonderful spice shop. It’s become one of my favorite places to browse (and lose total track of time!) in my local downtown area.
I can never just buzz in and out for one item. Once I open the door and am greeted by that beautiful mélange of aromas, I always kick into “explorer mode” and end up leaving with a bag of goodies.
Not that I’m complaining. I’ve discovered spices that I didn’t even know existed, and the shop has been a real inspiration to my cooking.
Not to mention the quality difference in freshly-batched herbs and spices. Talk about an elevation of flavor! If you have a similar resource near you, I highly recommend spending an afternoon exploring. It really is fun.
Back to the Warm Cardamom Honey Milk.
After one of my trips to the spice shop, I wandered around the corner to the coffee house, where I ordered my favorite comfort beverage: Steamed Milk and Honey. (It’s so good that after having discovered it on their menu, I rarely find myself ordering a latte anymore when I need to warm up.)
As I sat and rifled through my spice purchases, I saw the bag of ground cardamom and decided to sprinkle a little into my milk. The flavor was amazing.
As someone who regularly makes Chai tea at home, I figured why not leave out the tea and just infuse whole spices directly into the milk? So, I did, adding a cinnamon stick (because I love the combination of cardamom and cinnamon). The results were delicious.
What’s great about this milk is that it’s completely customizable. If you don’t like cardamom, any whole spice of your choosing can be substituted (including your favorite Chai spice blend). Have fun and experiment!
I love to pour Cardamom Honey Milk over hot breakfast cereals (oatmeal, cream of wheat/rice) for a flavor that’s a little different from the expected.
On its own, warm spiced milk is a wonderful way to unwind at the end of a long day.
On cold winter nights, you’ll often find me relaxing in front of the fireplace with a cup of this, a book, and my most favorite pair of fuzzy socks. If that isn’t the definition of comfort, I don’t know what is!
Warm Cardamom Honey Milk
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 - 8 green cardamom pods*, to taste
- 2 - 3 tablespoons honey, to taste
Instructions
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Gently crush cardamom pods to expose seeds (a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin both work well). In a small saucepan, combine milk, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and honey (to taste). Gently warm over medium heat, just until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan.** Remove from heat and let steep 10-30 minutes, depending on how strongly-flavored you like your milk.
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Strain milk through a fine-mesh sieve and discard cardamom pods. Return to saucepan and gently rewarm, if desired. Serve with a cinnamon stick. Leftover milk can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly-covered container and rewarmed as needed.
Recipe Notes
Don't feel like using the stove? Fill a mug with milk, add about 1/2 tablespoon honey, and a small pinch each of ground cardamom and cinnamon (adjusting both sweetness and spices to taste). Microwave on high for about 45 seconds, stirring halfway through, until warmed. Strain and enjoy.
Strained, infused milk is also delicious prepared in a milk frother or French Press according to your manufacturer's directions.
*I've come to learn that not all cardamom is created equal, mostly attributed to varying degrees of freshness. Some are much more assertive than others. Cardamom can be a strong flavor in general and can easily overpower a dish if used with too heavy a hand. When using ground, I tend to think of it in terms of "pinches" rather than teaspoonfuls. It's better to be conservative and add additional to taste than to have to try to dull an overly-spiced recipe.
**It's important not to boil or overheat your milk, so it doesn't get an unappealing "cooked" taste.
Roxana Glenn says
Okay, you are my new favorite person. I love cardamom and cannot find enough uses for it. I use it in my homemade apple sauce, I’ve replaced the ginger in my ginger snaps and make cardamom snaps at Christmas (for some reason cardamom smells like Christmas to me) but there can never be too many uses for it. I envy you your spice shop – I’m very rural, having come from the city, and as much as I love it out here, one of the things I do miss are specialty stores like a coffee or a spice shop. Can’t wait to try this and read up on more!
Amanda {Striped Spatula} says
Hi Roxana, Cardamom lovers unite! I love the idea of using it in apple sauce and your cardamom snaps sound divine! I’m hoping to do a Cardamom Snickerdoodle recipe for Christmas this year. :) Thank you so much for commenting!