Ginger Shots

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Ginger shots are intensely flavored drinks that deliver a super-concentrated burst of ginger juice. They’ve become very popular items at juice bars and grocery stores for their powerful anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, and antioxidant properties.

Two ginger shots in shot glasses.

I used to buy ginger shots at the supermarket during the winter months, to help boost my immune system. But gosh are they expensive! So to save some money, I developed this copycat recipe to share with you and it’s spot on to the store-bought version.

These ginger shots are incredibly simple to make, plus you can customize the intensity of the ginger juice to suit your taste. All you need to make these healthy wellness shots at home is a high-powered blender and a fine-mesh strainer. They’re super easy to make!

The ingredients to make ginger shots on a countertop.

Ginger Shot Ingredients

Similar to Kor brand (or other supermarket brand) wellness shots, there’s just 4 ingredients in this recipe:

  • Ginger: For the strongest flavor, I recommend using fresh ginger root. But check out my tips below on using dried ginger.
  • Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice will always provide a brighter flavor than jarred lemon juice. So that’s what I use!
  • Coconut Water: Coconut water adds a little natural sweetness to balance the pungent ginger lemon flavor.
  • Cayenne Pepper: Just a pinch of cayenne pepper gives these shots a kick of heat, and it can also improve circulation and digestion.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below

Ginger shot ingredients in a blender, ready to be blended.

How to Make Ginger Shots

You don’t need a fancy (and hard to clean) juicer to make ginger shots. Just pull out your high-powered blender and a fine-mesh strainer and whip them up!

  1. Wash and chop ginger root. No need to peel the ginger since you’ll be straining the juice before drinking it. Just roughly chop it to make blending easier.
  2. Juice fresh lemons. The bright citrus flavor of fresh lemon juice pairs well with the ginger and tastes much better than bottled lemon juice. It also gives you a healthy dose of Vitamin C.
  3. Blend until smooth. Blend the ginger pieces and lemon juice until no chunks of ginger remain.
  4. Strain well. Straining the ginger and lemon mixture helps remove bits of ginger peel and those pesky ginger fibers! To get the most juice, press the solids with the back of a spoon when straining.
  5. Serve. Ginger shots are meant to be drunk all at once as a quick shot. Be careful not to drink more than one shot a day since too much ginger can cause heartburn.
Two ginger shots next to a lemon and ginger root.

Health Benefits of Ginger

If ginger shots are new to you, let me give you a little background on the health benefits of ginger. Ginger is a flowering plant originating from China, and is related to turmeric, cardamom, and galangal. The underground part of the ginger stem has a long history in both traditional and alternative medicine. And ginger gets its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties from naturally high levels of gingerol.

Ginger has been used to treat nausea, indigestion, muscle soreness, and osteoarthritis symptoms. It also may help to lower blood sugar, improve brain function, and prevent heart disease. It’s a true superhero in the world of superfoods and one of my favorite anti-inflammatory ingredients. That’s why I also love making quick pickled ginger or candied ginger and adding it to meals.

Common questions

Can you use ground ginger as well?

I prefer fresh ginger root in this recipe over ground ginger powder. Ginger root tastes almost spicy when eaten raw, while ground ginger has a more earthy flavor similar to ground turmeric. But, if you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can quickly make these ginger shots by whisking together ground ginger with the other ingredients.

Do the ginger shots burn when you drink them?

Not going to lie, they do! The potent flavor compounds in fresh ginger can give you a fiery sensation in your mouth when drinking ginger shots. That’s normal, but you can always drink a little water afterwards.

Can you add other ingredients and flavors?

Yes! To make your ginger shots even healthier, you can always tweak the recipe and add raw honey, turmeric root, aloe vera juice, pineapple juice, or apple cider vinegar.

More Healthy Drink Recipes

Want more recipes to help boost your immune system? Give these a try!

Enjoy these homemade ginger shots for a wellness boost! Once you make them, I’d love to hear what you think of them in the comment box below.

Two ginger shots next to lemon and ginger.

Ginger Shots (Better Than Store Bought!)

4.98 from 73 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Start your day with an anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, and antioxidant blast! These super-simple ginger shots take just minutes to make with a high-speed blender. Watch how I make them in the video below!

Video

Ingredients  

  • ¼ cup ginger root, washed, roughly chopped
  • cup lemon juice, from 3 to 4 lemons
  • ¼ cup coconut water
  • pinch or two cayenne pepper

Instructions 

  • Place all the ingredients in a high-powered blender. Put the lid on the blender, and process until the ginger and lemon juice mixture is smooth.
    Making ginger shots in a blender.
  • Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer.
    Pour the ginger juice through a fine mesh strainer into a glass.
  • Press on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible.
    Pushing down on the ginger mixture in the strainer, to extract as much juice as possible.
  • Pour the strained liquid into shot glasses and drink all at once.
    Two ginger shots on a table.

Lisa’s Tips

  • You can always double, triple, or quadruple this recipe and save the remaining ginger shots for up to one week in a sealed container in the fridge. I love to make an extra-large batch and then store in these glass shot bottles or freeze leftovers in a Souper Cubes tray. If you use this small tray, one shot is equal to about 2 frozen cubes. You can then just thaw and enjoy as needed! 

Nutrition

Calories: 12kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 4mg
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: ginger shot recipe, ginger shots, wellness shots
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted September 2020, but updated to include new information.

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.98 from 73 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




181 Comments

  1. Thank you! Started using after getting a cold. I don’t like medicine. This helped my congestion! Wow that first shot was potent, and 4 days later not so bad.5 stars

  2. Can I just drink the pulp as well instead of squeezing it all out? Wondering if their might be more nutritional value to take the fiber as well.
    Thank you!

  3. I haven’t tried it yet, but was wondering if I could add a dropper of turmeric extract to the ginger shot daily?

  4. So spicy haha but good!! I left out the cayenne, added honey and subbed some lemon for orange juice bc I’m a wimp ;) thank you Lisa! I woke up with a sore throat and it actually has helped it feel better. I tripled the recipe to make 6 shots.5 stars

  5. Shots ready for tomorrow morning till the weekend. That should wake me up in the morning 😂5 stars

  6. I am going to make the ginger shots
    I have put my self on turmeric for imflamation only started on Thursday and literally pain free it’s a miracle even having treatment with a chiropractor with very bad hip going to see her Monday she will be shocked as I was in so much pain so will follow your recipes thank you.

  7. Made second batch yesterday and l look forward to having one every morning… Thanks for sharing 👍😀😀5 stars

    1. If the solids were peeled before using, you could always toss them in a smoothie. But if it’s more the outer skin, I’d probably just use in compost.

  8. Please send this recipe to my email .
    It sounds fantastic I am going to add turmeric and black pepper also5 stars

  9. Absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Question- how many ounces is a (shot) serving? I’ve just been filling up an actual shot glass so far.

  10. I make this in larger batches and add some fresh oranges and cinnamon sticks. My husband and I both use it. We drink it 3 times a week with our breakfast.

  11. I am obsessed with making a double batch of this weekly. I use it every morning! I’ve never bought so much fresh ginger but I love them. I add a tablespoon of raw honey too. Thank you for an amazing, easy, and affordable immune booster!5 stars

  12. What do you do with the pulp that is left over? I added turmeric root so I have a fair amount of pulp. Thank you!

  13. I’m so impressed with this post. Thank you so much for the recipe. I’d also like to find out if I can make my ginger drink in a 5-liter container at once. If so how do I preserve it?

    1. You can quadruple this recipe and save the remaining ginger shots for up to one week in a sealed container in the fridge. You could also freeze a larger batch in an ice cube tray or another freezer-safe container.

    1. Wiskey penicillin? Do tell! I’m in covid jail and the ginger shot took away the nasty metallic taste in my mouth from the antiviral medicine.
      I’d love your recipe.

  14. So glad I found this recipe! I immediately had to try. I forgot to buy coconut water so i just went with drinking water. Also added turmeric root in the mix.

    But I’ve been wondering: will a ginger shot break my fast? I do intermittent fasting from 7pm to 11am. I wonder if taking this in the morning (7 or 8am) will break my fast5 stars

    1. I would not consider this breaking my fast. Many I.F. plans say that something under 50 (or so) calories will not affect your levels enough to cause a significant change. If you’re really concerned you can monitor your blood levels with a drug store glucose monitor, and see what affects you personally.

      1. I think it will be too pungent without another liquid to balance the lemon and ginger.

  15. I started making these during the first Covid winter and I make them every winter or whenever a Covid wave is going around. I used to get a sinus infection every single winter. Maybe it’s just a coincidence – but I haven’t been sick with so much as a cold since I started making them! I usually make a double batch on Sundays. If the store has fresh turmeric, I do half turmeric and half ginger. I’ll do a mix of whatever citrus sounds good – lemon, grapefruit, lime. I think orange makes it sweeter so it might be better if you find them to be too sharp.

    Lisa, these shots have become an important part of my health and wellness. I love how affordable it is to make these from scratch instead of buying them. Thank you!5 stars

  16. Hi Lisa : do you think it would lessen the potency if I add some strawberries or blueberries to mellow the taste a bit? I did find coconut water that has hardly any sugar and low carbs – but it’s not organic. I’m getting it anyway and hoping for the best.. I was looking for apple juice or other mild juice but again – too much sugar etc.
    So I thought I’d make this more like a shake since I sometimes have had reflux and don’t want to feel the burn that much.
    I’ll let you know how it goes. If you think it will ruin the effect, please let ME know. Thank you!

  17. I love this recipe I’ve been using for a while now but was curious about how much pineapple juice to add in, I want to try something new5 stars

    1. It’s really just personal preference. I’d start with maybe 2 to 3 tablespoons and increase or decrease from there.

  18. Just made some and added a bit more ginger. I used white pepper instead of cayenne because I didn’t have any in the pantry.
    YUM YUM YUM!5 stars

  19. These are great! The 3x recipe made (6) 4oz bottles for me. So much cheaper than buying in store. I spent $9 not including glass bottle for storage.5 stars

      1. How much ginger would i use, to make, say, 5,days in the fridge. Also, is fresh ginger best kept in fridge, or out
        Many thanks for your recipes,

      2. You can change the serving amounts in the recipe card to see how much each ingredient you need. As for storing ginger, I would keep it out of the fridge in a cool and dark place.

  20. Hi Lisa, great recipe! Out of curiosity, how big should each serving/shot be? I want to make sure I’m not overdoing my daily Ginger intake.5 stars

    1. Hi Steve – there’s two servings in this recipe, and I believe they’re about 1/4 cup each. But I’ll measure it next time I re-make the recipe. :)

  21. Hi so looking to make these. When do i add the coconut water? It’s doesn’t say or did i miss it thank you. 5 stars

    1. Yummy.. I concentrated with extra ginger. And poured into Ice cube trays. In the morning pour coconut water over a cube.5 stars

  22. Hi Lisa,
    Approximately how many fl oz will each serving be ? Asking because I plan to make a bigger batch and store in my fridge but not sure what size bottles to get for storage. Thanks in advance !

    1. You can double this recipe and save the remaining ginger shots for up to one week in a sealed container in the fridge.

  23. Hi Lisa,
    You mentioned using pineapple juice-would it be possible to sub the pineapple juice for the coconut water and still get similar benefits? I have the pineapple juice already on hand

  24. My blender recently broke. Will a food processor do the trick or will it not blend as smoothly as a blender would?

  25. So shockingly good!! The spice from the shot reminded me of a real shot!! Back in my home town I was known as “The Slide” because them alcohol would go straight down my throat! I eventually got alcohol poisoning and has to stay weeks in the hospital and the doc told me to stop drinking. My life felt pointless. My throat dry and throbbing at the thought of some good old shots. When I saw this recipe my eyes grew wide. I drove my Honda to the local grocery store and bought all the ingredients to make this. I am so grateful I decided I was gonna try this because it was definitely a life-changing decision. Thank you so much for making this recipe and replacing my old alcohol habits. Will definitely be making this in the future for my younger kids who share a similar issue.4 stars