I am not really a tea person and never have been. But because of this ginger challenge and learning how super easy it is to store ginger, I decided I’d better try it. This ginger tea, which I’m guessing shouldn’t even be called “tea” since it’s not made from leaves (?), is something special:
It turns out ginger tea is spicy! It’s super simple to make, smells absolutely amazing while steeping, and I really enjoy it. How to describe it? It tastes like ginger smells, plain and simple – and then you get the kick, which is directly proportionate to the amount of ginger used and the time steeped. There’s no “tea” flavor at all, if you’re not really a tea person.
I’m often cold in our house, not because my metabolism leaves anything to be desired, but because we’re frugal/eco-friendly and keep it at a whopping 64F in the winter and 61F at night, when I’m sitting still and typing (and freezing my buns off). A hot beverage is just what I need to warm up, and while I do like to drink bone broth, I haven’t been good about having it around in an unfrozen state this year.
Enter ginger tea into my life.
Not only does it warm my hands and my insides, but I also get these health benefits:
- anti-inflammatory properties
- gut-healing/protecting
- improves circulation/raises body temp
- anti-carcinogenic
- cough and cold treatment and prevention
I’m really grateful that challenging myself through The Ginger Challenge Series got me to finally try this super simple hot drink!
How to Make Ginger Tea
You have a few options to make ginger tea, and you won’t need any special equipment if you don’t happen to have tea-making supplies.
You can either heat the ginger in boiling water right in the pot or you can steep it like regular tea, but because it’s not dried leaves (although technically an herb), you need to let it steep longer than most looseleaf teas.
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PinIngredients
- 3–4 c. water
- 2 inches fresh ginger
Instructions
- Peel the ginger (or not!) and cut into thin slices to expose more ginger to the water.
- Option one (in a pot):
- Boil water in a pot, add the ginger and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Filter through a strainer (or just pour the tea off – you barely need the strainer).
- Option two (in a tea infuser):
- Put ginger in a tea ball or other infuser like this one (both found on Amazon, aff. links). Pour boiling water over it in individual cups. Steep for at least 20 minutes before removing ginger. (For one cup, use 2-4 slices ginger, maybe 2-4 mm each or about a half inch of ginger root total.)
- For either method, serve as is or with a squeeze of lemon and/or honey, or steep with green stevia.
Notes
* More ginger definitely makes it spicier! I tested doubling the ginger in this recipe, and BOY did it have a kick! It was too much for daily enjoyment, but if I was fighting a cold, I would welcome it.
* Boiling the ginger right in the water makes a much darker tea with more intense flavor as compared to steeping in hot water, and obviously longer time also increases the flavor.
* Amanda Rose leaves it in the pot overnight! Check out her method, including a super time-saving, money-saving tip on peeling ginger. Yee hah!
* If you boil the ginger in a pot, just rinse it out and air dry or use that pot for dinner or reheating leftovers. Nobody likes doing extra dishes!
* Both techniques will work just fine with
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Katie Kimball, CSME is a trusted educator and author of 8 real food cookbooks. She is passionate about researching natural remedies and making healthy cooking easier for busy families. She’s been featured on media outlets like ABC, NBC and First for Women magazine as well as contributing regularly on the FOX Network.
A mom of 4 kids from Michigan, she is a Certified Stress Mastery Educator and member of the American Institute of Stress.
Barbara says
If you store this in the fridge, does the ginger retain its nutritional benefits?
★★★★
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
Good question, Barbara, and I’m really not positive of the answer.
Gloria says
Wow! I can’t believe I saw this on Pinterest this morning. I have been drinking ginger tea for several years and make it exactly this way but I add a little honey to it also. The thing that really surprised me was that you mentioned you keep your heat on 61° at night and 64°during the day for the same reasons I do. I turn my heat off at night but I live in southern Nevada so the nights seldom go below 30°. At any rate I have to agree that this tea is one of the best warm-ups ever and it’s so delicious that I drink it often. Just wanted to let you know.
Trish says
I like to cold brew loose tea….and then keep it in the fridge to drink as “iced tea”. Is there a purpose behind boiling the water for ginger tea, or could I cold brew (using grated ginger in a french press). Thanks!
Dorothy says
I have been steeping my ginger slices with a couple broken sticks of cinnamon. Super yummy! I also found if I steep it too long and find it a bit spicy, I just dilute it with some more hot water and then there is more to go around! (Am I the only Mom whose kids want to drink what she’s drinking? 🙂 )
Lynda says
Haha, I’m sitting here drinking ginger tea! I love to add coconut oil to it as well. For a cold, instead of making it stronger (gives me a headache if too strong), I add cayenne pepper for the heat kick I need against the cold, which of course is another anti-inflamm. 🙂
Thanks for the tip on using frozen slices to make tea!
Alex says
I am a big tea drinker. I can’t say I’ve tried ginger tea though yet. I’m liking the health benefits. Great post!
★★★★★
Lisa says
Funny – I am not a “tea person” either. But – I love ginger tea! I am in the habit of having a cup each afternoon. With a couple drops of orange stevia in it.
I appreciate this ginger series!
Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship says
Lisa,
I’m glad you reminded me – I meant to include some notes from earlier posts about how people flavored this tea, like with orange juice. Yummy! 🙂 Katie