How to Make Ginger Shots at Home
Blend 100 g of fresh ginger with the juice of 2 lemons and 120 ml of water, strain it hard, and you get about five 50 ml shots, each holding the juice of roughly 20 g of fresh root: about twice the ginger in a mug of ginger tea, and far more than you would eat in a meal. No study has tested ginger shots.
The juice is unpasteurised, so keep it in the fridge and drink it within a day or two, and because it is very acidic and ginger often causes heartburn, it isn't for everyone.
Ingredients
- 100 g (a piece roughly 10–12 cm long) Fresh ginger rootFirm, smooth root juices best. Peeling is optional if you scrub it well
- 2 (about 90 ml / 6 tbsp juice) LemonsOr 3 limes. Wash them before cutting
- 120 ml (½ cup) WaterCold drinking water; helps the blender turn
- 1–2 tbsp Honey (optional)Takes the edge off the heat
- ½ tsp turmeric and a pinch of pepper Ground turmeric and black pepper (optional)For colour and flavour; see the turmeric tea guide for what it does and doesn't do
Equipment
- Blender (a juicer also works)
- Fine sieve and a clean muslin cloth or nut-milk bag
- Jug and spoon
- Clean small glass bottles or a jar with a lid
- Ice-cube tray or small freezer pots (for freezing)
Method
Wash your hands, kit and produce
Wash your hands with soap and water, and use a clean blender, sieve and bottles. Scrub the ginger and wash the lemons under running water before cutting; bacteria on the outside can be carried into juice when you cut or squeeze it. Don't use soap on the produce.4,5
Chop the ginger
Peel the ginger with the edge of a teaspoon if you like, or leave the scrubbed skin on. Cut it into roughly 1 cm pieces so the blender can handle it.
Squeeze the lemons
Juice the lemons and pick out the pips. You need about 90 ml (6 tablespoons).
Blend
Put the ginger, lemon juice and water in the blender, with the honey if using, and blend on high for about 1 minute, until it is as smooth as it will go. Ginger is fibrous, so it won't become completely smooth.
Strain hard
Pour the mixture through a sieve lined with muslin into a jug, then gather up the cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. You should have about 250 ml. Compost the pulp, or freeze it in small portions for cooking.
Bottle and chill straight away
Pour into clean bottles, seal and refrigerate at once. Fresh juice that hasn't been pasteurised must be kept in the fridge, and acidity does not make it safe: bacteria can survive for long periods in citrus and other fruit juices.4,5
Drink within a day or two, or freeze
Neither the FDA nor the extension advice we read gives a time limit for homemade juice, so we borrow the University of California's advice for cut citrus, about 1 to 2 days refrigerated, and suggest you make only what you will use. For longer, freeze single shots in an ice-cube tray or small pots and thaw one in the fridge overnight.4,5
Serve one shot
Shake the bottle, since the juice separates, and pour one 50 ml shot. Drink it with or after food rather than sipping it slowly, then rinse your mouth with water. Wait before brushing your teeth.7
Safety
- This is raw, unpasteurised juice. The FDA warns that untreated juice can make children, older people, pregnant women and people with weak immunity seriously ill4
- Lemon juice has a pH of about 2.0–2.6, and frequent acidic drinks wear tooth enamel. Rinse with water afterwards and don't brush straight away6,7
- Heartburn, indigestion, belching, nausea and stomach upset are common side effects of ginger, and a shot is a lot of ginger at once1,2
- Pregnancy: the EU regulator prefers avoiding medicinal ginger, and the FDA advises against unpasteurised juice. Pregnant women should skip homemade shots2,4
- A warfarin review lists ginger among foods and herbs that may raise bleeding risk. If you take a blood thinner, ask a pharmacist before taking shots3
- Not for children: the EU regulator does not recommend medicinal ginger under 18, and raw juice is riskier for young children2,4
Variations
Swap one lemon for the juice of a large orange. It is sweeter and a little less sharp, though orange juice is still acidic.
Halve the ginger to 50 g and keep everything else the same. Each 50 ml shot then holds the juice of about 10 g of root, roughly what goes into a mug of ginger tea.
Feed the scrubbed ginger and peeled lemons through a juicer, then top up with water to about 250 ml. A juicer gets more liquid out of the root, so the shots will be stronger than the blender version.
Does it actually work?
No study has tested ginger shots, and nothing we read supports the immunity or 'detox' claims they are sold on; our ginger entry has no use for colds or immunity at all.
Its best-supported use is nausea in early pregnancy, rated 3 (Moderate), where ginger supplements eased nausea a little more than placebo but did not reduce vomiting, in trials the authors rated low quality. Those trials used powdered root, mostly under 1.5 g a day, and the EU regulator's travel-sickness dose is 1–2 g of powder.
Each shot here holds the juice of about 20 g of fresh root. Fresh weight isn't the same as powder weight, because the root holds a lot of water and some ends up in the pulp, so we can't convert it to a powder dose, but it is roughly twice the root in a mug of tea and well above anything tested. See /ingredients/ginger/ for the ratings.8,1,2
Questions people ask
How much ginger is in a ginger shot?
In this recipe, the juice of about 20 g of fresh root per 50 ml shot. That is roughly twice the ginger in a mug of ginger tea. We can't turn it into an exact powder dose, but it is a lot more ginger than most people eat in a day.
How long do homemade ginger shots last?
We suggest 1 to 2 days in the fridge, based on University of California advice for fresh-cut citrus; we found no tested time limit for homemade juice. Freeze single portions if you want to keep them longer.
Can I make ginger shots without a juicer?
Yes. Blend the chopped ginger with lemon juice and a little water, then squeeze it through muslin or a nut-milk bag. You lose a little juice compared with a juicer, but it works well.
Are ginger shots bad for your teeth?
They can be if you take them often. Lemon juice is very acidic, and frequent acidic drinks are a known cause of enamel erosion. Drink the shot in one go rather than sipping, rinse with water afterwards and wait before brushing.
Should I take a ginger shot every day?
No study has looked at daily shots. Ginger commonly causes heartburn and stomach upset, and a shot is a large amount at once, so if you want to try them, start with a milder version. If you take warfarin or another regular medicine, ask a pharmacist first.
Sources (8)
- Regulator/health agency NCCIH. Ginger: Usefulness and Safety. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (last updated February 2025).
- Regulator monograph European Medicines Agency HMPC. European Union herbal monograph on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma, Final Revision 1 (EMA/HMPC/885789/2022). 2025.
- Systematic review Tan CSS, Lee SWH. Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: a systematic review. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2021.
- Regulator/health agency US Food and Drug Administration. What You Need to Know About Juice Safety.
- University extension Snart JE, Arpaia ML, Harris LJ. Oranges: Safe Methods to Store, Preserve, and Enjoy. University of California ANR Publication 8199. 2006.
- University extension Clemson Cooperative Extension. pH Values of Common Foods and Ingredients.
- Professional body American Dental Association, Research Services and Scientific Information. Dental Erosion. Oral Health Topics (updated October 2025).
- Systematic review Viljoen E, Visser J, Koen N, Musekiwa A. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect and safety of ginger in the treatment of pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting. Nutr J. 2014.
Educational only. Patch-test anything new on your skin, and stop if it irritates.
Reader notes
Experiences and questions from readers, read by an editor before they appear. They are personal accounts, not evidence, and are not medical advice.