Make a refreshing ginger tea with powdered ginger, ground ginger or fresh ginger root that you can drink before bed hot or cold to sooth, fight colds, detox or even support weight loss efforts.
With just three simple ingredients, this fresh ginger tea can be made in no time. It's a triple threat, acting as an immunity booster, detoxifier, and relaxant with its sweet, spicy, and invigorating taste. Like my Magnolia tea smoothie, this ginger tea is floral and heady. Unlike my ginger shots and ginger juice, this tea can be consumed hot or cold and is a wonderfully soothing bedtime drink.
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What is Ginger Tea?
Ginger tea is an herbal drink make from ginger and water. Ginger is a root native to many continents. Crushed in hot water, the root gives off a striking bright and spicy flavor. The beverage can be served hot or cold and has many benefits including immunity protection, gut correction and weight loss support. The tea is easy to buy as a tea bag, but it is even easier to make at home using either ground or powdered ginger, or fresh ginger root.
Ingredients
Ginger. Fresh or powdered. For every one cup of water, use either 1 inch of fresh ginger root or 1 tablespoon of ginger powder.
Lemon. Slices or bottled juice. You'll need two slices of lemon per cup or 1 tablespoon of juice.
Maple syrup. If you want a sweetener, use maple syrup, or agava syrup, or honey if you don't need it to be vegan.
Water.
Tools Needed
- Measuring spoon
- Pot to boil water
- Knife to cut lemons, ginger root
- Strainer (to strain fresh root)
- Mug
Step by Step Instructions
A detailed recipe is in the card at the bottom of this post but here are general steps.
Make Ginger Powder Tea
To make a hot cup of ginger tea using ginger powder or ground ginger, simple stir ginger powder into a cup of just-boiled water. Stir in lemon or orange juice, and allow it to steep for a minute. Enjoy!
Make Ginger Root Tea
1. Prepare ginger root. Wash the root with water and a brush if need be to scrap off dirt. Cut off any rough areas. You do not need to peel ginger root for this tea. Cut the root either with a knife, a cheese grater or a garlic press.
2. Now make ginger tea. Here are two ways.
- Boil and strain. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add the ginger root and lemon or orange slices, simmer for 1-2 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a mug, press on the pulp with a spoon to extract all liquid, then drink.
- Use a tea ball. Chop ginger and lemon into small bits, either with a knife, grater or garlic press. Add this mixture to a tea ball. Boil water, add it and the tea ball to a mug, and let the tea steep for 5 minutes. Then enjoy.
Recipe Tips
How to make a stronger tea. The more ginger root used, the stronger the tea. In addition, the more pulverized the ginger is, the stronger the flavor. You could use a combination of the three methods above - cutting, grating, pressing - for an extra strong tea.
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How much ginger to use. Ginger root comes in knobs that are about 1-inch in diameter. You'll need about 1 inch in length per every 1 cup of water. In weight that is about 1 ounce of ginger root per every 1 cup of water.
What to do with left over strained ginger pulp?
Make homemade powdered ginger. Dry it in the oven at 25o F for an hour, blend into a powdered ginger. It's probably a better use of time to do this when you gather more pulp such as when making my ginger juice or ginger shots.
Add the leftover pulp to a stir fry or stew or pasta sauce. Keep the pulp frozen in ice cube trays and thaw and add a cube to various dishes you cook for an extra zing.
Tea Variations
Flavors to add to your tea. In addition to lemon and oranges, you can add pinches of cinnamon, black pepper, crushed mint leaves, and even basil leaves.
Citrus swaps. You can use slices of lime instead of lemon or orange. Both add a fresh citrus flavor and scent to your tea.
Sweeteners. If you want to sweeten your tea, use a teaspoon or less of maple syrup to keep it vegan, or honey, or agava syrup, or monk fruit syrup, and even date syrup although the latter will turn your tea dark.
Ginger Tea Benefits
Weight Loss: The very property that makes ginger taste burny, gingerol, also triggers the metabolism and fires up fat burning. In addition, it is said to have a relaxing effect which can reduce stress eating.
Anti-Nausea: Ginger is science-confirmed the best anti-nausea correction. A single cup of fresh ginger tea can reverse stomach upset, acid stomach, motion-sickness, even pregnancy morning sickness symptoms. [source]
Anti-inflammatory properties: Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties that ward off disease by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. This is done through antioxidants found in both fresh and powdered ginger, including parasols, gingerols, and shogaols.
Stimulates digestion: Ginger has been shown to stimulate digestion and improve gut health, which is important for overall health because this allows the body to absorb nutrients more efficiently and eliminate waste products more effectively.
Supports liver function: The liver is a key organ in the detox process. Ginger has been shown to support liver function, potentially helping to remove toxins and other harmful substances from the body by binding to toxins, including heavy metals.
Supports Healthy Blood Pressure & Brain Function: The herb's antioxidants, especially gingerol, has been shown to have a direct positive on lowering high blood pressuring and supporting the healthy firing of brain neurons.
Of course, ginger tea's benefits work best when incorporated in a balanced diet, with regular exercise and adequate hydration.
Side-effects to Drinking Ginger Tea
More than 3 cups a day can cause heartburn and possibly diarrhea. In addition, do not take ginger tea if you are on blood thinners as the tea can conflict. Ask your doctor if you have questions about drinking ginger tea.
FAQS
Ginger tea is an ideal beverage for the morning, specifically within the first 30 minutes of waking up, optimizes its benefits. It helps jumpstart metabolism, break the overnight fast, and alleviate nausea.
Lemon ginger tea has invigorating effects that can be enjoyed both hot and cold. With its restorative properties, it is a revitalizing and rejuvenating drink either way.
A warm glass of lemon ginger tea on an empty stomach in the morning is often recommended for weight loss. In addition to weight-loss-supporting gingerol, the cleansing effects of lemon juice and anti-inflammatory properties of ginger work together to fire the metabolism, supporting weight control goals.
Ginger & Detox Recipes
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📖 Recipe
How to Make Ginger Tea (Powder & Fresh Root)
Equipment
- 1 pot (to heat water) or use microwave
- measuring spoon
- knife to chop fruit, ginger root
- tea cup
Ingredients
Ginger Powder Tea
- 2 teaspoon ginger powder also called ground ginger
- 8 ounces hot water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or orange juice
Ginger Root Tea
- 2 inches ginger root, fresh
- 8 ounces hot water
- 1 slice lemon or orange
Optional sweetener
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or your favorite tea sweetener
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Instructions
Make ginger powder tea
- Boil water and pour into a mug or heat-safe glass measuring cup. Stir in the powdered ginger and lemon juice or orange juice.2 inches ginger root, fresh, 1 slice lemon or orange
- Allow it to steep for 3 minutes, then enjoy. There will be floating powder, so keep a spoon at hand and keep it stirred up.1 teaspoon maple syrup
Make ginger root tea
- Wash the ginger root well to remove dirt. Use a brush under running water and cut off discolored areas. You do not need to peel it.
- Chop the root with a knife or grate with a cheese grater or put a chunk in a garlic press and squeeze out pulp.
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add the chopped ginger root and lemon or orange slice, simmer for 1-2 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a mug, press on the pulp with a spoon to extract all liquid, then drink.2 inches ginger root, fresh, 1 slice lemon or orange
- Squeeze the fruit slices and discard. Pour the tea through a strainer into a mug. With a spoon, press on ginger pulp in strainer to get every last bit of tea. Enjoy!1 teaspoon maple syrup
Storage
- Ginger tea can be easily made ahead and stored. Refrigerate the tea in a closed jar for 1 week. It can even be frozen in ice cube trays and thawed when needed. Drink the refrigerated tea cold or hot, heating it in the microwave for one minute.
Ben says
Thank you, this helps my cold, I made it with an electric kettle because I'm not American haha
Dee Dine says
I am glad it helped! Hope you feel better soon!
William says
Thank you for adding a recipe using ground ginger. Fresh ginger root is extremely hard for me to get because it's usually sold out at my local markets as fast as they get it due to a restaurant buying it up.
Dee Dine says
I'm glad this recipe was helpful. Thank you for the rating! That is annoying that fresh ginger goes so fast. I also have a ginger shot recipe that uses powder.