Learn how to make the best fresh lemon ginger tea with this five-ingredient recipe! Sweet, spicy, and refreshing, it’s the perfect pick-me-up for when you need a little immunity boost or simply want to wind down for the day.
Made with a bold, slightly spicy flavor profile thanks to the ginger root, this homemade lemon ginger tea is sweetened with honey and balanced with a touch of lemon and turmeric for the ultimate soothing hot drink.
Super quick and easy to make, it’s commonly used to help fight colds and infections when you’re feeling under the weather. If you need a boost, try this tea along with things like Greek Lemon Chicken Soup or Easy Mediterranean Chickpea Soup and whatever ails you doesn’t have a chance.
Lemon ginger tea is great for when you’re sick and a little immunity boost. Like my Hibiscus Tea in the summertime, I drink lemon ginger tea just to relax or to warm up on a chilly day. The comforting warmth and bright flavors in this homemade fresh ginger tea are a great way to end (or even begin) the day!
Table of Contents
What’s in Lemon Ginger Tea?
If you guessed lemon and ginger, you’re right! However, there are a few extra ingredients needed to make the best lemon ginger tea recipe. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Water: Whether you’re making lemon ginger tea, Arabic tea with fresh mint, or simply steeping a pre-made bag of your favorite tea blend, you need water to begin!
- Grated ginger: Use freshly grated ginger or even ginger paste to add a slightly spicy, tangy taste.
- Lemon: Both lemon juice and lemon slices are used to add notes of citrus flavor.
- Turmeric: Just a pinch is all you’ll need to add depth to the flavor and extra health benefits!
- Honey: Use as little or as much as you’d like to sweeten this ginger tea recipe to your taste.
How to Make Ginger Tea
Once you learn how to make ginger tea, you’ll never go back to tea bags again! Here is how it’s done:
- Boil the water. In a saucepan or your favorite tea kettle, boil your water over medium-high heat.
- Stir in the ingredients. Gently stir in all of the ingredients, starting with just 1 tablespoon of honey. You can easily add more later if needed!
- Steep the tea. Shut off the heat, cover the saucepan or kettle, and allow the ginger tea to steep for at least 10 minutes. This is what allows the flavor to really sink in!
- Serve. Place a small mesh strainer over your cup, and pour the tea through. Then, adjust the sweetness to your likely, add a slice of lemon to make it extra pretty, and enjoy!
Is Ginger Tea Good for You?
Yes! Not only is ginger tea delicious, warming, and low in calories, but it’s also full of health benefits, too, and can help boost your immune system, aid in digestion, soothe upset stomachs, and even reduce symptoms of nausea.
These positive impacts are largely due to the use of ginger root, which comes from the ginger plant. However, it’s important to note that fresh ginger root, not ginger powder must be used. This is because dry ginger does not contain gingerol, the powerful antioxidant, found in the fresh root.
Coupled with the antioxidant properties of honey and the polyphenols in turmeric that can help reduce inflammation, relieve arthritis symptoms, and more, this ginger tea is the ultimate cold-busting, mood-boosting recipe!
Ginger Tea Variations
Now that you have the basic recipe for fresh ginger tea, feel free to experiment to make it your own! For instance, some of my favorite variations include:
- 1 small cinnamon stick for extra warmth and spice.
- A dash of fresh mint leaves to make it extra vibrant and refreshing.
- Omitting the turmeric to allow the citrus flavors to shine through.
- Using lime juice for a slightly different taste.
- Steeping the ingredients with green, oolong, or black tea.
What to serve with ginger tea
This fresh ginger tea recipe is super satisfying when served on its own, but it also pairs perfectly with all your favorite snacks and meals!
For example, start your day on the right foot with a warm cup of tea and a Savory Oatmeal Bowl, a Smoked Salmon Sandwich, or Healthy Breakfast Egg Muffins.
Or, treat yourself to an afternoon treat or post-dinner dessert by serving it with Easy Churro Chips, a slice of Italian Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake, Mahalabia (Rose Water Milk Pudding), or Biscotti!
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Lemon Ginger Tea
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh grated ginger, start with ½ tablespoon if you want it less spicy
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- Pinch turmeric, less than ¼ teaspoon
- Honey, to your taste
- Lemon slices, for garnish
Optional add ons:
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- In a saucepan or teakettle, boil the water. Stir in the ginger, lemon juice, turmeric, and honey (start with 1 tablespoon of honey and add as you need).
- Immediately turn the heat off. Cover the teapot and allow the ginger tea to steep for 10 minutes.
- Place a small mesh strainer over your cup and pour the ginger tea through. Garnish with a slice of lemon.
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Notes
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Very nice and easy!!
Amazing recipe – this tea is phenomenal. Just one question, 1 tbsp of honey is nearly 20g of sugar so why does the recipe claim to only have 2.9g of sugar? Where is the other ~15+ grams of sugar going?
Hi, Koa. Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention. We recalculated those nutrition facts so include the honey properly. Enjoy!
I need something cool and sweet that I can be drinking morning and night to burn fat and stay healthy
Hope this tea does the trick for you!
I’m trying to find heart healthy recipes to reduce cholesterol
I’m in love with this recipe as a great starting point! I can’t do tons of ginger, so I used roughly 1 tsp of zested ginger. Love lemon, so I did 1.5 large lemons worth of juice, plus a tiny bit of lemon zest. The rest I did as the recipe recommends. This was the most exciting, flavorful, and rewarding cup of tea I’ve ever had!
Wonderful! Thanks so much, Sharon!
I love hot drinks! This is a delicious, healthy, drink. It’s soothing to the body and soul. I drink it most every evening. It helps me to get a good night’s sleep.
Is there an app of your fantastic recipes? I’ve looked in the play store nada. Do you have an app I can download?
We don’t at the moment, Trish, I’m so sorry.
I don’t eat honey, but I started making this a week ago (sans honey), and I’ve made this every morning since! Don’t leave out the mint, I forgot this morning and it’s definitely better with it. I love the spiciness of the ginger with the tastes of the lemon juice, and the mint sort of cuts through it. I’m sure the honey will take it to another level, but I love it without. This is definitely a keeper!
Thanks, Wendy!
Hi Suzy, Durdana from India. I am very big found of your recipes. I love it. I am in USA now, came to visit my children in California. I bought your Olive oil and shawarma stuff. For sure will try in India to make shawarma in your style. I was in Dubai for 18 years. I know about Mediterranean food. Let me tell you i like your personality. Keep it up.
Thank you so much, Durdana!
This is a great recipe. I’m a huge ginger tea lover and am adding turmeric to everything. Since black pepper is a good carrier of turmeric, it helps your body to metabolize it, I did something kinda crazy…..I added just a tiny bit to the tea. This one of the best turmeric tea recipes I’ve run across. Thank you!
OR….you can cut a 1” piece of ginger, a 1” piece of turmeric root…add a big cup of water, microwave for 1-1/2 minutes, add 1 tsp of honey and a tea bag…preferably green tea. Let it steep until it is as strong as you like. I’ve never added lemon but have added mint leaves which I grow. It is pretty good…I have a cup every afternoon.
Can you tell me why for just a cup of this tea, the potassium level is high?
Hi, Jill. I’m wondering if it’s just due to the lemon juice. Please note that we use a software program based on the ingredient list to help us with nutritional information, and it is a best estimate as we are not dietitians.