Rose Moon Milk: A Dreamy Sleep Tonic Recipe

Sweet dreams lie ahead with this rose moon milk. This sleep tonic is a tasty, warming bedtime beverage that will help you rest. It is naturally gluten free, dairy free, and easy to make. This recipe also comes with a sweet bonus: it’s pink!

What is Moon Milk?

With all the stress of this past year, I think we could all use some help getting a good night’s sleep. Throughout my journey with wellness, I have been continuously working on improving my sleep routine. I always try my best to make an effort to get off of my phone, read a book, and journal rather than falling asleep in the middle of watching TikTok videos! This rose moon milk has been a great addition to my nightly bedtime ritual. It really has helped me get in the habit of actually winding down before hitting the sack.

So, what is moon milk? Moon milk is a drink that consists of warm milk mixed with spices and herbs that help the body and mind to relax and fall sleep. These drinks are usually colored vibrantly but naturally with ingredients like butterfly pea flower powder, turmeric, pitaya, and beetroot powder (what I used to color this pink moon milk!). I think it was the colors that made the moon milk trend start to take off on highly visual social media platforms like Instagram!

Moon milk started to become trendy in 2018. It rose to popularity around the same time as golden milk (aka turmeric lattes) did. What both of these drinks have in common is that they are both rooted in the ancient Indian holistic healing tradition of Ayurveda. In Ayurveda, plants and herbs are used for their medicinal properties. Each ingredient in this moon milk recipe has a specific purpose and will help you destress and unwind!

Rose Moon Milk Ingredients

Like I said, all of the ingredients in this recipe serve a purpose! Let’s go through them before we start making this rosy pink moon milk:

Milk: drinking warm milk is an age-old bedtime ritual. Plant milk (oat milk, almond milk) contain melatonin and tryptophan– both of which help with sleep.

Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate: unsweetened tart cherry juice is full of nutrients and antioxidants. Tart cherries also contain melatonin, tryptophan, and anthocyanins. Melatonin helps you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer while the tryptophan and anthocyanins can boost the effects of melatonin. Here is a study on tart cherry juice and sleep. The cherry juice also gives this rose moon milk its lovely pink color!

Beetroot: beetroot moon milk is everywhere on Instagram! This is not only because beetroot powder has a gorgeous pink hue, but also because beetroot can help promote healthy blood flow.

Ashwagandha: ashwagandha is an adaptogen and one of the most important medicinal herbs in Ayurveda. It can help to reduce anxiety and stress.

Ginger: ginger root has tons of antioxidants and is also known for its anti-inflammatory properties. 

Raw honey: honey, specifically raw honey, is also a great source of antioxidants. It can aid in soothing sore throats and coughs. Honey also has antibacterial properties. 

Rose water: the scent of rose is incredibly calming!

Dried rose petals and lavender garnish: they both add heavenly, calming scents to this sleep tonic.

Additions and Substitutions

Rose Moon Milk Additions

There are quite a few ingredients you can add while making this rose moon milk recipe. Something you may want to do is add a few drops of CBD oil into your latte. My favorite CBD brands at the moment are Ned and Equilibria.

You may also want to add a dash of ground cardamom rather than ginger to your sleep tonic. Cardamom compliments the rose flavor so well. It is so comforting and warming, and it has a ton of health benefits as well. You could also add a little pinch of cinnamon!

Sleep Tonic Substitutions

While you can’t leave out the cherry juice or beetroot powder (how would your moon milk be pink??), you can substitute a lot of other ingredients! For a fully vegan latte, you can use pure maple syrup instead of raw honey to sweeten. If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, you can use ground ginger from your pantry.

Now, let’s make some moon milk! Get ready to enjoy and sleep tight!