Ginger Shots

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Updated Aug 09, 2024

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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.

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!

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.
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.
Blend until smooth. Blend the ginger pieces and lemon juice until no chunks of ginger remain.
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.
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

Total: 10

Servings: 2 servings

Author: Lisa Bryan

Print Pin Review Save

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
▢ ⅓ 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.
Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer.
Press on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible.
Pour the strained liquid into shot glasses and drink all at once.

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

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: ginger shot recipe, ginger shots, wellness shots

©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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

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.