Cayenne Ginger Lemon Shot (no juicer needed!)

Learn how to make cayenne ginger lemon shots at home with this easy recipe! It’s ready in 5 minutes, only requires a blender (no juicer!), and is packed with colorful, fun, and staple ingredients!

Jump to:

• why you need these juice shots!
• ingredients and substitutions
• recipe testing notes
• how to make this - step by step
• watch how to make this - step by step
• common questions
• storage tips
• more tasty citrus recipes
• Recipe

why you need these juice shots!

Hello cold and flu season! If you have a little one in daycare, you know just how often the whole household gets sick. At which point, you rush to the store to stock up on all things orange and yellow that you think could possibly help you.

I almost always end up with those expensive little “Immunity Shots” in my cart because they have to help right?! Well, according to this Harvard Health study, Vitamin C has been shown to be marginally effective at shortening a cold, so I’m going to take what I can get.

Now here’s the cool thing, those little juice shots are made with standard ingredients that you probably need to use up in your fridge anyway! So I’m going to show you just how easy it is to make a cayenne lemon ginger shot. And after that, here’s why you’ll be making these juice shots every week!

• No juicer required: You only need a blender and a strainer to make this tasty ginger shot recipe!
• Customizable: Once you get the feel for making these ginger shots, you can customize them with what you have in the fridge. Try using grapefruit instead of orange or add a splash of apple cider vinegar for a zing!
• Makes a lot with minimal work! This recipe makes 20 servings - that will get you through a couple of weeks of drinking these lemon ginger shots daily. Yet, it only takes 10 minutes to make from start to finish!
• Mentally, it will make you feel better: As noted above and by other sources like the Mayo Clinic, Vitamin C, Zinc, and other properties found in these fruits and vegetables aren’t proven effective at fighting or shortening a cold. But, so much of fighting a cold is staying positive (yup, mindset) so if you think a bright, colorful, “wellness shot” that burns your throat will help - it just might!

ingredients and substitutions

All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See recipe card for quantities.

• Citrus: We use a ratio of 1 lemon to 2 oranges, but you can substitute with grapefruit. You can also use 100% lemon juice or orange juice for these orange juice shots.
• Carrots: Carrots add a little sweetness and according to USDA FoodData Central are high in Vitamin C. You can use a cored apple in place of carrots if needed.
• Honey: Honey is one of the few ingredients to get the Mayo Clinic's blessing that it actually has been shown to work as a cough suppressant, soothes a soar throat, and can help the immune system run better. You can swap this out for agave or maple syrup, but they don’t share the same health benefits.
• Cayenne pepper: We use ground cayenne pepper, but you can also pop in half of a whole, deseeded cayenne pepper. Be careful when adding it, a half teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper produces pretty potent shots.
• Turmeric Powder: This can be found at many stores, including Costco. You can also try using turmeric drops. If you don’t have turmeric, you can replicate the tang in these turmeric lemon shots by using apple cider vinegar.
• Ginger: For these ginger turmeric shots, we need ginger! We use fresh ginger root but you can use ginger juice or powdered ginger in a pinch; you can also use black pepper in place of ginger if you don't have it.
• Coconut water
• Water

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

recipe testing notes

Throughout our testing of these lemon ginger cayenne shots, we learned what worked and didn't work. Here are the key takeaways!

• Separation is normal: Because these wellness shots are strained only once, there is still some fibrous material left in the juice. This will naturally separate as it sits in the fridge. Simply give it a shake before enjoying it!
• No strainer? If you don’t have a strainer, you can still make this by squeezing it through a cheesecloth or a flour sack dishcloth. If you don’t have those, you can make this by peeling all of the ingredients, blending, and then just drinking it with pulp.

how to make this - step by step

Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe card!

Step one: add it to a blender

Add everything except the coconut water to the blender. No need to peel anything (unless you are making this without a strainer)! But, I do recommend cutting the citrus in half so it fits in the blender better.

Helpful tip! If you don’t have a strainer, you can still make this! Start by peeling all of the ingredients, blend, and then just drink the shots with pulp! 

Step two: blend

Blend this until smooth. It may take a full minute of blending and you may need to stop and scrape down the sides to ensure it fully blends. You can always add a little more water too if it won’t blend well.

Step three: strain

Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl or measuring cup that can hold at least 4 cups. Pour some of the mixture into the strainer (you’ll have to work in batches) and use the back of a spoon to push the liquid through. Once you’ve gotten most of the liquid out, discard the fibrous parts and repeat the process until you’ve worked through all of the juice mixture.

Step four: add the coconut water

I won’t lie to you and say these taste like actual orange juice. These ginger immunity shots have a strong kick of ginger and cayenne that will make you sweat a bit after you take them (they are a shot, after all!).

I like to mix in 12 ounces of coconut water because it takes the edge off and adds electrolytes (according to this expert answer from Mayo Clinic). You can also pour it over ice cubes to enjoy it more like juice.

Helpful Tip: Why add the coconut water in after the straining? This ensures that you get to drink all of the coconut water and don’t lose any during the straining process!

watch how to make this - step by step

common questions

Can I make this turmeric shot less spicy?

Yes, I recommend starting with half the amount of cayenne pepper if you're concerned about the spice level. You can also just leave it out altogether. 

How do I know if I got all the liquid out of the pulp while straining?

You’ll know that the pulp has been mostly strained when it has the consistency of damp clay. If you squeeze the pulp together, it should hold its shape but still be wet.

Are there any tips for straining through a fine mesh sieve?

Yes, here are my helpful tips for getting the most out of the ingredients:

1. Use the back of the spoon to sweep the pulp from side to side while also pushing with moderate pressure.
2. Don’t forget to press the sides! As you press the bottom, pulp will creep up the sides. You can press the liquid out of this pulp or scrape it down into the middle.
3. Remove the film. As you press the liquid out, a thin film may develop underneath the pulp that will prevent liquid from getting through the strainer. Use the spoon to gently scrape away this film and make sure to remove it between batches (when you discard the pulp).

Do I need to remove the seeds from the lemon and orange before blending?

If you're using a fine mesh sieve, then you don't need to remove the seeds. However, if you don't have a sieve, then you should peel the lemon and orange and remove the seeds.

Can I freeze these cayenne ginger lemon shots? 

Yes, freezing these in ice cube trays is a great way to save them for longer periods of time. Simply pour the liquid into ice cube trays or even muffin tins, freeze, remove, and then transfer to an air-tight container or ziptop bag. These will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

storage tips

I love to make a large batch of these ginger lemon shots and keep some in the fridge and some in the freezer.

Fridge: Store this juice in a large mason jar (or other airtight jar) or lidded container for up to 1 week. Some separation will occur while it sits. Simply shake it or stir before enjoying.

Freezer: To freeze it, pour the homemade ginger shots into an ice cube tray or muffin tin and flash freeze it. Flash freeze just means to freeze it until frozen (about 8 hours).

Then, pop out the cubes or disks and transfer them to an air-tight container or plastic zip-top bag to prevent freezer burn. Store in the freezer for up to three months.

Scaling: Feel free to scale up or down this recipe to make as much as you need or want. If scaling down, just try to keep the ginger-to-lemon ratio about the same (1 ginger stub to 1 lemon) to make sure the shot is not too bitter. The other ingredients are more flexible in how much you use. 

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