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Tamarind Drink Recipe

You have to try this tamarind drink recipe. This delicious drink is so refreshing and it is very easy to make. What better way to have tamarind?

Tamarind drink recipe

What Is Tamarind

Tamarind is a tropical fruit that resembles bean pods. When the tamarind is young, the outer shell has a greenish colour with a brown overlay, and the fruit inside has a mint green colour.

Young tamarinds are sour but become a little sweeter as the fruit matures and ripes. The outer cell of ripe tamarinds is brown, dry and easily broken. And the fruit inside turns reddish-brown with paste-like pulps, which are easily removed from its black seeds. Ripe tamarind has a sweet-ish sour, tangy, tart taste.

Tamarind grows widely throughout Jamaica, but the fruit is mostly eaten raw and not used a lot in cooking. It’s rarely used to make drinks. The most popular thing Jamaicans use tamarind to make is a sweet we called tamarind balls.

Tamarind juice recipe

Tamarind Drink

Tamarind drink is not a common drink in Jamaica, but it is in other countries such as Mexico. However, I am one of those Jamaicans who try to cook everything I pick off a tree. So tamarind is no exception. It turned out to be an easy drink to make and it also tasted great.

how to use tamarind

What Goes In It

Here are the six ingredients you need to make tamarind drink. 

Tamarind drink ingredients
  • Tamarind: I’m using about 604g (1lb. 53oz) tamarind. That’s about 2 1/2 cups of tamarind pulps when I remove the outer shell. I also remove the seeds from the pulp, but it’s a long and tedious task.
  • Ginger: Not a lot of the ginger is needed. Enough to hit there is ginger in the drink.
  • Lime: As with the ginger, use just enough lime juice to hit it’s in the drink. Don’t substitute the lime for lemon.
  • Angostura bitters: Angostura bitters give the drink a cocktail flavour. Because of the alcohol content in Angostura bitters, you can remove it if you don’t want alcohol in the drink.
  • Vanilla: To enhance and deepen the flavour of the drink.
  • Honey: H Honey seems to work better in this recipe, at least for me. You can also use sugar, but I prefer the flavour the honey adds – you may too.

How To Make Tamarind Drink

Tamarind drink is so simple to make, and there are various ways to make it. You can make it with bits in it or without bits. In this recipe, I made it so that the drink has bits in it.

how to make tamarind juice
  1. Outer shell: Remove the outer shell to get to the pulp inside. The shells are easily broken with your fingers.
  2. Tedious Task: I sit and remove all the seeds from the tamarind pulp, which is long and tedious. You can also use the blender on the pulse setting to remove the seeds.
  3. Soften the pulps: Pour warm water over the tamarind pulp to soften them. If we were blending it as we did in this recipe, this step would be very important in making the drink.
  4. Pulse or blend it: Add the tamarind pulp, along with the ginger, to a blender. Because I remove the seeds from the pulp, I blend it, which leaves more bits in the drink. Using the pulse setting on your blender will also remove the seeds, so you don’t have to sit and remove them yourself.
  5. Strain: I used a sieve but believe me, a cheese cloth would be a better choice.
  6. Sweeten: Add the lime juice, vanilla, Angostura bitters, and sweeten with the honey.

No Blender, No Problem

You don’t have to have a blender to make tamarind drinks. Soaking the tamarind in hot water also works.

Soak the tamarind pulps and grated ginger in boiling water overnight, strain and sweeten.

You will still have the great taste of tamarind. However, the texture of the drink is different when it is made this way.

The drink is not as thick as it would if you blended it. So don’t feel it didn’t turn out right if the drink looks slightly different than the one in my photos.

Storing And Serving

Serving over plenty of ice. Store  in the refrigerator and consume within five days of making it.

Tamarind drink recipe

Tamarind Drink Recipe

Tamarind drink recipe. Refreshing and easy to make. Make this the next recipe you try and tantalise your taste buds with the tropical taste of tamarind drink.
4.75 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Jamaican
Keyword: Tamarind drink recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 123kcal
Author: Lesa

Ingredients 

  • 2 ½ cups (300 g) tamarind pulp
  • 0.4 oz (11.34 g) sliced ginger
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 drops angostura bitters
  • ½ tbsp lime juice
  • honey Sweeten to taste
  • 6 cups (1.42 l) litre Water

Instructions

  • Remove the outer shell of the tamarind and place the pulp in a kitchen bowl.
  • Boil half the water and pour it over the tamarind pulp in the bowl.
  • Add the remaining water and leave to soften for about 5-10 minutes.
  • Pour the water, tamarind pulp, and ginger into a blender.
  • With the blender on the lowest settings, pulse to separate the seeds from the pulp, which may take a few goes before all the seeds are separated.
  • Strain
  • Add the vanilla extract, angostura bitters, and lime juice, and sweeten to taste.
  • Put to chill and serve over plenty of ice.

Notes

  1. I remove the seeds before blending. More of the pulp is left in the drink after straining, which I like. But sitting and removing all the seeds from each pulp is a long and tedious task. 
  2. You can also use whatever sweetener you like. Honey adds to the tropical taste. 
  3. If you are using very sour tamarinds, use let the lime juice!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Tamarind Drink Recipe
Serving Size
 
1 cup
Amount per Serving
Calories
123
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
0.3
g
0
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.1
g
1
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0.03
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
0.1
g
Sodium
 
14
mg
1
%
Potassium
 
316
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
 
32
g
11
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
20
g
22
%
Protein
 
1
g
2
%
Vitamin A
 
16
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
 
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
 
37
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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13 Comments

  1. I enjoy reading the health benefits from drinking sorrel and using the leaves and flowers for making tea. I suffer with hih blood pressure and been over weight.

  2. 5 stars
    Is there anything I can use to replace the bitters?

  3. 5 stars
    Tried it and now it’s definitely one of my favourite drink! Wouldn’t stop drinking it, I finished it all in two day lol. Thanks for sharing

  4. Marina Teramond @ NMPL

    To tell the truth, I fall in love with cooking and I always try to find new recipes of interesting dishes and this one was able to capture my heart. It is so cool that you enlightened people about tamarind because it is a really unique and tasty fruit which can benefit you to a great extent and even can have a healing effect in some cases. It is so cool that you can adjust this drink to yourself and use different variations for cooking. Also, it is a great advantage that blender is not such a necessary tool in this process and you can do without it because this fact makes the cooking maximally available for any person, which is really important. I can say that your recipe has a simple and unique concept at the same time which helped me to cook a really juicy and refreshing drink without being burned with various difficulties. Thank you loads!

  5. 5 stars
    Sounds delicious and refreshing! I’m going to try it with sugar.

  6. Wow this is new to me, I love tamarind fruit but i never try drinking it.. I must try this recipe!

  7. 5 stars
    It is the first time I read about this drink. Sounds very tasty! If ill find all ingredients we gonna make it with my son.

  8. Tweenselmom

    5 stars
    Ooh it’s been a while since I had a tamarind drink. It’s very healthy. I tried this recipe I loved it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

  9. 5 stars
    The drink looks delicious so I had to try it and I really like the way it taste. Will make it again!

  10. Fransic verso

    5 stars
    This is an awesome drink and love that is easy for me to make it. Thank you for sharing!

  11. Ntensibe Edgar

    Hhhhmmmm….you are very adventurous, I must say! I think I can try out this drink minus the Angosutra bitters.

  12. I am going to try this sometime.

  13. Nice blog.
    Thanks for sharing

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