Recently, the Internet went nuts about Kourtney Kardashian’s Insta-tribute to the placenta pill. (In case you missed it, she posted a picture of two placenta pills she was about to take on Instagram and hashtagged it "#benefits #lookitup.") Well, we did look it up. And it turns out that even though most traditional doctors don’t see any reason to take them—there’s no scientific evidence to support popping them—they are still very popular in the midwife sector. So if you think you may want to eat your placenta, consult your doctor first just in case. Then, if you get the go-ahead, try these DIY placenta recipes from Katie DiBenedetto, author of DIY Placenta Edibles.
Placenta Smoothie
Placenta
1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
½ cup plain organic whole-milk yogurt
1 cup frozen strawberries
Note: Feel free to substitute in your favorite smoothie ingredients.
1. Put on gloves if you'd like to use them.
2. Place your placenta on a tray, and see where you feel called to remove a piece of it to use in this recipe. Using your scissors, take out a half dollar-sized chunk from one particular spot, or you can remove several smaller pieces from different spots, such as the maternal side, the fetal side, the cord insertion point, etc.
3. Place placenta pieces, along with half of the orange juice, into your blender.
4. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add remaining orange juice, yogurt, and strawberries
6. Blend on high until well incorporated.
7. Serve in a gorgeous glass with a colorful bendy straw.
Placenta Lasagna
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter
½ lb placenta
1 lb ground beef
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp dried oregano, basil, and thyme
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ cup red wine
½ cup broth
¼ cup broth
½ cup whole milk
1. Sauté onions and garlic in butter over medium heat for 8 minutes.
2. Chop placenta into small pieces using either a very sharp knife or a pair of kitchen scissors.
3. Add placenta pieces and ground beef to the pan with the onion and garlic, and cook until beef is no longer pink.
4. Add tomatoes, dried spices, salt, pepper, and wine, simmer 15 minutes, or until the wine is reduced by half.
5. In a 9"x13" pan, pour the 1/4 cup of the broth, and then cover with a layer of lasagna noodles. Top noodles with half of the meat/tomato mixture and half of the ricotta cheese. Add another layer of noodles. Top noodles with remaining meat/tomato mixture and ricotta cheese. Add another layer of noodles.
5. Drizzle half cup of the broth over noodles, making sure to spread as evenly as you can. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Drizzle the milk on top of the cheese.
6. Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and brown.
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Placenta Chili
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter
½ lb ground beef
½ lb placenta
1 Tbsp each of dried cumin, dried oregano, dried turmeric, dried basil, chili powder, and salt,
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 large tomatoes, diced
16 ounces cooked kidney beans
1. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic in butter over medium heat for 10 minutes.
2. Cut placenta into small pieces using either a very sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Add placenta pieces and ground beef to pot with the onion and garlic. Cook until ground beef is brown.Add spices, and mix well.
3. Add red wine vinegar, and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add beans, and cook just long enough to heat the beans through.
4. Serve in bowls garnished with sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions.
Placenta Truffles
Placenta
½ cup unrefined organic coconut oil
¾ cup organic coconut butter
5-6 Tbsp raw cacao powder
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt to taste
Note: This recipe is based on the amount of placenta powder from an entire placenta. If you are only using part of your placenta for truffles, then adjust the ingredients accordingly.
1. Grind your placenta in a coffee grinder until it is very fine—you may need to do it in several batches. (If you already ground your placenta, then you can skip this step.)
2. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, and strain your placenta powder into the bowl. The strainer will catch the bigger bits of placenta that would be unpleasant to have in your truffles. Toss the bigger bits, or pop them into capsules and consume them that way.
3. Set up a double boiler on the stove, and begin melting the coconut oil and coconut butter in it.
5. Add placenta powder, and mix until incorporated.
6. Add the cacao powder, maple syrup, and sea salt. Mix until incorporated. Continue adding maple syrup and salt to taste.
7. Set up candy molds on a tray.
8. Pour 1 Tbsp of truffle mix into each mold.
9. Place tray of truffles in the freezer until set, about 15 minutes. Store finished truffles in a container in the fridge or freezer.
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Annie Daly
Annie Daly is a New York City-based freelance writer, editor, and author who specializes in wellness, travel, and culture. She is the author of Destination Wellness (2021), and co-author of Island Wisdom (2022). A former editor at SELF, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed Travel, Yahoo Travel, and Good Housekeeping, she has also written for a variety of publications, including Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue, Travel + Leisure, Marie Claire, InStyle, and AFAR, among others. To follow her work, find her on IG @anniemdaly and subscribe to her Substack, Destination Wellness.
