Easy and Delicious Ashwagandha Recipes

By Saralyn Bellmer

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Ashwagandha is a calming adaptogenic herb that supports our stress response and is especially recommended for those who experience agitation, nervousness, or sleeplessness. It gets its name from Sanskrit words that can be translated as essence of a horse, which we think is a beautiful summary of the root's energy. Considered to promote a youthful state for both physical and mental health, it is a beautiful tonic that benefits many systems and is suitable for all ages. The flavor is delicately sweet, hay-like, round, creamy, and a bit bitter.

While we believe that powdered ashwagandha is a great form of this herb - and the best way to take advantage of its high iron content - we recognize that herbal powders are, by themselves, not always the most delicious. Yet, when used in food and beverages, taking Ashwagandha Powder can be easy and quite delightful! Herbal protein balls, easy chocolate treats, and moon milk are three of our favorite ways to use this herb!

Ashwagandha Bliss Balls

These protein rich snack balls are an old herbalist's trick - they're a tasty way to pack herbal powders into something nourishing, easy to make, and infinitely adaptable. We like to make a batch over the weekend and have them to snack on during the week!

Bliss Balls Recipe

1 - 1 1/2 c. Almond Butter, or a blend of nut and seed butters (tahini can be a nice addition)

1/2 c. Ashwagandha Powder

Maple Syrup or Honey, to taste (you can also make bliss balls with dates)

Optional:

Protein Powder

Cocoa Powder

A mixture of dried or freeze-dried berries, cacao nibs, bee pollen, dried coconut and salt to roll the finished balls in. We used goji berries, cacao nibs, and a pinch of salt in this batch!

Mix the nut butter, herbal powder, sweetener and optional protein and cocoa powders in a food processor, Vitamix, or medium sized bowl until fully incorporated. The mixture should be like a thick dough. Roll into 1" or 1 1/2" balls with your hands.

You can make these more fun and interesting by sprinkling or rolling the formed balls in a coating of your choice. We recommend roughly grinding a mixture of dried or freeze dried berries, cacao nibs, bee pollen and a pinch of salt!

Refrigeration makes these balls a nice firm texture.

Eat 2-3 per day for a good herbal dose!

Easiest Ashwagandha Chocolate Recipe

A fancy bar of chocolate is nice, and we buy them too, but sometimes we're home and just want a chocolatey something and this ALWAYS does the trick. This is a “recipe” we’ve been making for a million years and have contemplated sharing it before but honestly it’s so simple it almost feels stupid to talk about. Which we finally decided was a great reason to share! The concept is mixing cocoa powder with a semi solid fat and adding sweetener and you can go from there… The end result is like a chocolate ganache. We like the added benefits of making this an adaptogenic chocolate treat simply by adding our organic ashwagandha powder!

Herbal Chocolate Treat Recipe

Coconut oil
Cocoa powder (We love this one from Diaspora Co.)
Maple syrup or raw honey, to taste
Ashwagandha powder
Tincture of choice (optional) - We think Big Hug is really yummy here, it's rosy and sweet and provides hormonal support and a mood boost
Pinch of salt

Notice we don’t measure anything, because it literally doesn’t matter! If you want a functional dose of the herbs then follow the dose instructions on the label.

Lick your fingers often and add things to taste! Mix until combined and enjoy by itself, with a banana, on bread, whatever!

Feel free to form into shapes and refrigerate for something more like a truffle.

We will eat several spoonfuls in a sitting. It contains good fats, good minerals, good mood boosting compounds, and is lovely if you have a uterus that is grumbling at you. Also lovely if not!

A note about coconut oil: We like Dr. Bronner the best. We know their sourcing director and they do a truly amazing job setting up supply chains that are both socially and environmentally ethical.

Ashwagandha Moon Milk

If you're using ashwagandha for sleep support, you may not be interested in pairing it with chocolate! Sans cocoa, we think the best way to take ashwagandha powder is in a hot, creamy beverage. You can adapt this recipe and turn it into an ashwagandha "golden milk" simply by adding more turmeric powder.

Moon Milk Recipe

1 c whole milk or unsweetened nut or oat milk
1 tsp Ashwagandha powder
Pinch each of ground spices: cardamom, cinnamon, turmeric, or ginger (optional)
Maple syrup or raw honey, to taste

Warm milk on medium heat, add ashwagandha and ground spices and incorporate thoroughly with a whisk. Take off heat and sweeten to your liking.

Enjoy!

If you're still not enjoying powdered ashwagandha, you can also take ashwagandha tincture! We blend ashwagandha with other adaptogens and nervines in our stress relieving tincture, Resilience Formula.