This 20-minute lemon ginger tea is a warming, no-fuss drink with a bold kick from fresh ginger, bright lemon, earthy turmeric, and honey to taste.
The Lemon Tea I Make on Chilly Days
In the summertime, I reach for a tall glass of my tart Hibiscus Tea. But when the air turns chilly, or I simply want something warm at the end of the day, I make this lemon ginger tea. Freshly grated ginger gives it a bold, peppery kick, while fresh lemon keeps it bright and zippy.
A small pinch of turmeric adds earthy warmth, and honey softens the ginger’s bite. The result is sweet, spicy, and citrusy, but you are in charge here. Start with less ginger for a gentler cup, then add as much honey as you like.
This is a no-fuss, 20-minute recipe. Boil the water, stir in the flavor-makers, then turn off the heat and let everything steep for 10 minutes. Strain it into your cup, add a lemon slice if you like, and settle in with all that gingery warmth.
Lemon Ginger Tea Ingredients
You need just five ingredients for this lemon ginger tea, but each of these flavor-makers does plenty of work. Cinnamon and fresh mint are optional, but both are lovely if you want to jazz it up.
- Water: The base of the tea. You’ll bring it to a boil before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Fresh ginger: This is where the tea gets its bold, peppery warmth. Freshly grated ginger is my first choice, though ginger paste also works in a pinch. Start with less ginger if you prefer a gentler cup.
- Lemon: One large lemon supplies the juice, and a few lemon slices make a bright, pretty garnish.
- Turmeric: You need only a pinch, less than 1/4 teaspoon, to give the tea a little earthy depth.
- Honey: Honey rounds out the ginger’s bite. Add it to your taste, depending on how sweet you like your tea.
- Optional additions: Steep the tea with a small cinnamon stick for extra warmth or fresh mint leaves for a vibrant, refreshing finish.
How to Make Lemon Ginger Tea
This fresh ginger tea could not be simpler: boil, steep, and strain. Give it the full 10 minutes to steep so the ginger, lemon, and turmeric have time to infuse the water.
- Boil the water. In a saucepan or teakettle over medium-high heat, bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
- Add the flavor-makers. Stir in the freshly grated ginger, lemon juice, turmeric, and 1 tablespoon of honey. If you prefer less heat from the ginger, start with 1/2 tablespoon.
- Steep the tea. Immediately turn off the heat and cover the saucepan or teakettle. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes.
- Strain and serve. Set a fine-mesh strainer over your cup and pour the tea through. Taste and add more honey if you like, then finish with a lemon slice.
Tips for Making Lemon Ginger Tea
- Adjust the ginger to your taste. A heaping tablespoon of fresh ginger brings a serious kick. Start with 1/2 tablespoon if you prefer a gentler cup.
- Do not rush the steep. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and give the flavor-makers the full 10 minutes to infuse the water.
- Sweeten in stages. Begin with 1 tablespoon of honey, then taste the strained tea before adding more. You want the honey to soften the ginger without hiding that bold, zippy flavor.
- Strain it well. A fine-mesh strainer catches the grated ginger and gives you a smooth, easy-to-sip cup of tea.
Is Ginger Tea Good for You?
Lemon ginger tea can be a warming, flavorful way to enjoy fresh ginger, but it is not a cure for a cold or infection. Ginger has been studied for several types of nausea and vomiting, though the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that most of this research involves ginger supplements rather than foods or homemade tea.
For me, the real draw is much simpler: This tea is bright, peppery, and soothing when I want to slow down or take the chill off. The pinch of turmeric adds earthy depth, and the honey balances the ginger and lemon. This is simply a lovely cup of tea!
Lemon Ginger Tea Variations
This recipe is simple by design, which leaves plenty of room to make it your own. Here are some of my favorite ways to jazz it up:
- Add cinnamon. Steep the tea with 1 small cinnamon stick for another layer of warm spice.
- Freshen it with mint. Add fresh mint leaves for a vibrant, refreshing finish.
- Let the citrus shine. Leave out the turmeric for a brighter lemon flavor.
- Try lime. Swap the lemon juice for lime juice to give the tea a different citrusy edge.
- Add your favorite tea. Steep the ingredients with green, oolong, or black tea for a more traditional cup.
What to Serve with Lemon Ginger Tea
This lemon ginger tea is lovely all on its own, but it also fits easily into breakfast or brunch. Pair it with my no-fuss Egg Toast with Vegetables for something savory, or keep things simple with a bowl of Savory Oatmeal.
Later in the day, serve it with a slice of tender Italian Pear Cake or dunk a crunchy Pistachio and Cardamom Biscotti right into your cup. For a light dessert, creamy Mahalabia with its delicate rose-water flavor makes a lovely pairing.
Try These Other Tea Recipes
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 heaping tablespoon fresh grated ginger, or start with ½ tablespoon for less heat
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- Pinch turmeric, less than ¼ teaspoon
- Honey, to taste
- Lemon slices, for garnish
Optional add ons:
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Boil the water. In a saucepan or teakettle, bring the water to a boil.
- Add the flavor-makers. Stir in the ginger, lemon juice, turmeric, and honey, starting with 1 tablespoon of honey.
- Steep the tea. Immediately turn off the heat. Cover and allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes.
- Strain and serve. Set a fine-mesh strainer over your cup and pour the tea through. Taste and add more honey if you like, then garnish with a lemon slice.
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Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit Our Shop for Greek honey.
Nutrition
Greek Honey- Thyme, Forest & Wild Herbs
Check out our special honey, straight from Greece. Perfect for sweetening your ginger tea!
I love this recipe!!! It’s exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much for sharing it.
One question, is it possible to prep this in advance in any way? If I prepare a batch, would it keep in the fridge?
We’ve never tried that before Sarah, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Delicious and refreshing! I double the water to encourage myself to consume more water. This is working for me: 2 cups water, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp grated ginger, 1/8 tsp turmeric. Someone suggested a little pepper and I’ll try adding fresh mint next time too since it’s on hand in the house.
Could you use frozen freshly grated ginger instead, or would that detract from the healing properties?
Hi, Paul. For the best tasting lemon ginger tea, we recommend sticking with fresh ginger. However, you can totally use frozen grated ginger in this tea without significantly affecting its healing properties. Freezing preserves most of ginger’s beneficial compounds, but there can be some minimal degradation if left in the freezer for a along period of time.
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.