There’s nothing like a warm and soothing drink on a chilly day! And if it’s got some legitimate benefits? We’re there! This Fresh Ginger Tea is one of our all-time favorites (delicious AND nourishing), and we finally got the perfected proportions written down so we could share it with you!
Not only is it super gingery, fresh, and easy to make, but it’s full of health benefits and SO much tastier and more potent than a tea bag! It’s also extremely versatile, with optional add-ins like fennel for digestion, cinnamon for sweetness, and more! Let’s make ginger tea!
What is Ginger Tea Good For?
The easy answer? Basically everything! That’s because ginger has powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties (source).
It’s been used traditionally as a remedy for nausea, vomiting, colds, flus, and pain, and research supports many of these uses! It’s also been studied for its benefits for many conditions including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, several different types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and more!
How to Make Fresh Ginger Tea
Making fresh ginger tea is as simple as boiling fresh ginger in water. Peeling it is optional and we typically only do so if it’s not organic or has dirt or blemishes on the skin.
We’re ginger lovers around here and have found the following to be our perfect formula:
- A ratio of 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger per 1 cup of water.
- Chopping the ginger into small pieces (or grating it) maximizes the potency of the tea.
- Boil for 7-12 minutes.
- Include optional add-ins for more complexity and health benefits: cinnamon sticks for sweetness and blood sugar support, fresh turmeric for more anti-inflammatory goodness, orange peel for zestiness and vitamin C, and/or fennel seeds for sweetness, a subtle licorice flavor, and digestive support.
For a milder tea, simply use less ginger or boil for less time.
After boiling, all that’s left to do is strain and sip! We love it without any added sweeteners or citrus, but feel free to add fresh lemon or orange juice or sweeten to taste with your favorite sweetener (honey pairs especially well).
We hope you LOVE this ginger tea! It’s:
Fresh
Gingery
Versatile
Easy to make
Full of health benefits
& SO much better than a tea bag!
We love making it as a bedtime or morning tonic, at the first sign of a sore throat (it’s wiped out oncoming colds for us!), or to warm up on a chilly day.
More Gingery Recipes
- Carrot Ginger Dressing
- 3-Ingredient Ginger Latte
- Gingery Lemon Tahini Sauce
- 3-Ingredient Ginger Lemon Water
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
How to Make Fresh Ginger Tea
Ingredients
GINGER TEA
- 2 ½ Tbsp chopped fresh ginger (peeling optional // organic when possible // a 2-inch piece yields ~2 Tbsp)
- 2 ½ cups water
ADD-INS optional
- 1 whole cinnamon stick (for sweetness)
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh turmeric (peeling optional // a 2-inch piece yields ~1 Tbsp)
- 2 (3-inch) pieces fresh orange peel (for zestiness)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (for sweetness and a subtle licorice flavor)
FOR SERVING optional
- Honey, maple syrup, agave, or stevia to taste
- Sliced lemon or orange
Instructions
- Add the chopped ginger and water to a small saucepan along with any of the optional add-ins.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover, reduce heat to medium, and allow to boil for 7-12 minutes (7 minutes for a more mild ginger flavor or 12 minutes for a stronger brew — keeping in mind the flavor will continue to develop off the heat). Strain through a fine mesh strainer into mugs. Optionally, sweeten to taste with your favorite sweetener (we prefer honey) and/or serve with sliced lemon or orange.
- Leftover tea can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or cooled and transferred to an ice cube tray for adding to cocktails, lemonade, iced tea, or water. Note: The ginger flavor will intensify as the tea sits. The ginger and spices can be reused again with fresh water, but the second batch of tea will not be as strong.
Kranthi says
I don’t get fresh turmeric in my city. Only the dried one or powder form..can i add turmeric powder to it. How much cinnamon should I use, if whole round stick form is not available, we only get broken small pieces. How many small 1cm square shape pieces I can add. Can i have it in the evening as a substitute to evening tea.
Hi Kranthi, this would be lovely in the evening! You could omit the turmeric or possibly sub ~1/8 tsp ground. 1 cinnamon stick is ~3 inches long. That would probably be ~1 Tbsp of broken pieces. Hope that helps!
Rach says
Can I make a batch of this pour into ice cube trays and freeze?
Yes!
Genevieve Maples says
I just made the tea as I have been under the weather with a cold and cough, it is delicious and soothing, I added fennel and lemon peel because that’s all I had but I can’t wait to make it with the other ad ins. Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Genevieve! We hope you feel better soon! xoxo
Joy says
Made this tea with cut ginger, lemon, real maple syrup and a cinnamon stick and my tummy feels good. The ginger isn’t hot really like a jalapeño, it’s more like a warm feeling on your throat. I’ll make this again.
We’re so glad you enjoy the tea, Joy. Thank you for sharing! xo
Michelle says
This recipie was amazingly good. I used 1 tablespoon chopped pealed gingerroot and 1 tablespoon chopped pealed turmeric root. I added a small bit of lemon zest and steeped for 10 min. It didn’t need a thing. I will try orange, cinnamon and honey for future variations.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Michelle! Love your addition. Thank you for sharing! xo
Juliana says
Yes, I made it and have for years but please, please don’t boil, it changes the taste. Heat on medium for 20 minutes or if in a hurry, pour boiling water on it but put it on only medium heat for 10 minutes. Thanks for all you do.
annette says
What if you can’t have oranges in your diet?
You can leave it out! The orange is optional.
Glenda says
I love ginger tea, also helps with my migraines. Can’t wait to try this fresh one I always make it up with dried ginger
We’re so glad it’s helpful for you, Glenda! Let us know how you like it with fresh!
SNL says
I just wanted to say thanks for the suggestion of adding ginger to hot water. A few shakes of ground ginger (no fresh/frozen ginger in the house) has improved my honey, lemon and black tea combo 10 fold. My sore throat thanks you haha :).
P.S. when my Mum/driver to the shops is feeling better (she actually has covid, mild), I can’t wait to try the fresh ginger version. As we can’t get organic ginger in the UK, does washing the skin help any or is it a myth? Thank you for all that you do.
Hi there! Washing is better than nothing, but you can also peel the ginger if you’re worried about the skin. Let us know what you think when you try it with fresh ginger!
Laura says
I’ll have to look elsewhere for the organic ginger as my grocery store doesn’t carry it. I just chopped up the ginger and boiled it..I probably should have washed it but it looked clean and to be honest I forgot.. This is the second time I’ve made this, HOWEVER, I only used ginger..no add ins. I put honey in it as I use it or after it boils and is cooling. It’s super yummy iced too! I’ve been struggling with GERD and this has been a HUGE help! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
We’re so glad it’s been helpful, Laura! Thank you for sharing! xo
Angela says
I would love it if you had an app so I could save all my favorites!
Hi Angela, We’ll add it to the ideas list. Thanks for the suggestion!
Trina says
I’ve made ginger and cinnamon teas, but not mixed together. I used ginger, cinnamon, fennel, and orange peel for this tea, didn’t have any turmeric. I did juice the orange and added that to the tea. I loved it! I’ll have this just about every night.
Thank you,
Trina
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Trina! Thank you for sharing! xo
Catt says
If you use unpeeled ginger, you should use organic ingredients, especially if skins are left on.
Thanks for sharing, Catt! We find organic ginger is usually more potent so we prefer it =)
Minnie Fulton says
I made this drink with all but the orange or lemon,skin on the organic ginger (no problem) the cinnamon stick gave it the greatness with the organic honey. I will definitely make this drink again , very delicious!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Minnie! Thanks so much for sharing. xo