Lavender Moon Milk Popsicles take your bedtime ritual to chill mode ~ made with creamy coconut milk, a touch of honey, and specks of real vanilla bean. Sweet dreams, the summer edit.
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What’s moon milk?
Moon milk is one of those things that’s both trendy and ancient. It’s a warm, milk-based drink traditionally sipped at bedtime to help relax the body and calm the mind. The idea comes from Ayurveda, an ancient system of medicine that’s still widely practiced in India today.
While it’s usually made with dairy milk, you can use any milk you like ~ almond, oat, cashew, coconut, whatever works for you.
Classic moon milk blends spices like cardamom and cinnamon, and often includes ashwagandha, an Ayurvedic herb known for its calming properties.
Ashwagandha is considered an adaptogen, which means it helps your body manage stress. It’s been used for centuries in India as a go-to household remedy, and Western researchers are just starting to catch on. Early studies suggest it may help reduce anxiety, stress, and fatigue—and there’s some exciting research into its potential role in treating serious conditions like cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and arthritis—though more studies are definitely needed. If you’re curious, you can read more here.
Scientists think ashwagandha works by influencing cortisol, a key stress hormone in the body—but there’s still a lot to learn.
One important note: ashwagandha is a supplement, not a regulated drug, so it’s important to buy from a trusted source and speak with your pharmacist if you’re taking any other medications. It’s not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding and hasn’t been tested in children.
If you’re thinking about taking it regularly, USA News & World Report recommends talking to a qualified health professional first, and doing your homework when choosing a brand. Look for one that’s independently tested for purity and potency, and transparent about where and how their ashwagandha is sourced.
Moon Milk is usually enjoyed warm, just before bed.
But with the summer temps upon us I couldn’t help but try it out in popsicle form. I used coconut milk and calming lavender in my moon milk pops, and they make the perfect ending to a sweltering day.
Ingredients for moon milk popsicles
- Traditionally moon milk is made with dairy milk, but I used coconut cream (you can use coconut milk as well.) I prefer coconut cream because it freezes up with the silkiest texture for popsicles. The difference between coconut milk and coconut cream is simply the amount of shredded coconut used to make them.
- Culinary grade lavender which is known for its anti-anxiety, sedative, and sleep-inducing properties. Culinary grade just means lavender that was grown specifically for food use, so no pesticides, etc.
- Ashwaganda powder
- Honey for sweetening
- Vanilla bean for flavor
I heat the coconut milk and let the culinary grade lavender buds steep to infuse their flavor into the milk. I add some vanilla bean and honey to sweeten the mixture, blend in some Ashwagandha, and then chill before I fill my popsicle molds.
Other ingredients for moon milk popsicles
You can blend many other ingredients into your coconut milk for popsicles or warm moon milk. Many of these ingredients will add healthy benefits as well as a gorgeous colors to your pops.
- spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, or turmeric
- maple syrup
- berry powder such as goji berry, wild blueberry, açai, or raspberry.
- matcha tea powder
- rose powder
- beet powder
- spirulina
- butterfly pea flower powder
That little black dusting at the top of my popsicles is where the vanilla beans settled, so if that bothers you maybe vanilla extract would be a better choice.
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Lavender Moon Milk Popsicles
Ingredients
- 14 ounce can coconut cream
- 3 Tbsp culinary grade lavender
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1-2 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp ashwagandha powder
Instructions
- Whisk the coconut cream or milk until it’s smooth. Add enough water to make 2 cups.
- Bring to a simmer in a small saucepan and stir in the lavender buds and the vanilla bean seeds (throw in the pod, too.) Take off the heat, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
- Chill until the mixture is cold.
- Fill the popsicle molds and insert sticks. Freeze until solid, 4-6 hours.
more homemade popsicles to try
- Watermelon Kiwi Popsicles
- Ripe Peach Popsicles
- Rainbow Fruit Popsicles
- Cherry Lemonade Popsicles
- Fresh Plum Popsicles
These taste okay, but they definitely help with sleep. They knock me out. I have deep sleep without any funny side effects.
These sound so good! Will definitely be trying them soon! Just wanted to point out though, the recipe intro referred to these as vegan, but tells you to add honey which isn’t vegan. Plenty of alternatives out there if anyone is though!
Good point, thanks Mae 🙂
How do you make them so perfectly white? When you add the honey, ashwangandha and lavender in, some color infuses into the milk. Added more milk but a light purplish brown color remained. Smells heavenly though!
Thank you so much for your beautiful posts. I just wanted to point out that Matcha does contain caffeine, so it may not be the best add-in for this otherwise sleep inducing and gorgeous treat.
Good point, thanks Kim 🙂
I’m going to get the ingredients this week to make this, sounds heavenly!
How delicious does this look.
How fascinating! I’ve never heard of this but would love to give it a try. We often eat kiwi in the evenings as a bedtime snack as they are supposed to help you get a better nights sleep. I am making these to try! Thanks/
I had no idea about the kiwi, interesting 🙂
And tart cherries are supposed to help you sleep too!!
Sounds heavenly. To make this as a sorbet in my Donvier ice cream maker I’m guessing I’d double the recipe but would other proportions need altering?
Oh I love that idea Jane, and also maybe an ice cream version! I think doubling should work, let us know how that goes, I’m inspired!