How to Make Ginger Tea from Scratch
Updated Jan 20, 2026
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Hot ginger tea is great for warming up on a cold day or for when you’re feeling under the weather. See how to make this herbal tea properly using fresh ginger, with tips from a Tea Sommelier.
Fresh Ginger Tea from Scratch
What makes this ginger tea so unique and so good is the method I used in making it. I steep freshly grated ginger in water with lemon, then add honey. It’s an herbal beverage and doesn’t contain any caffeine.
Note from Jee
You may think making ginger tea from scratch seems like a lot of work, but it’s actually quick and easy using my shortcut that involves a grater.
I used to slice the fresh ginger to make the tea, but that involved cooking it on the stovetop for at least 15 minutes. I came up with the idea to grate it so that I could cut the cook/steep time and it worked!
Ginger is the root of a flowering plant and it can be eaten raw. It’s spicy so a little goes a long way.
Recipe Summary
- 4-ingredient recipe to make ginger tea using fresh ginger, lemon, honey, and water.
- Ginger is grated then steeped in hot water. Honey and lemon are added to the drink to balance the sharp ginger flavor.
- This recipe makes a 16 ounce (2 cups) serving.
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Ginger Tea Video
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh ginger: Find ginger root in the produce section of your supermarket. I look for firm pieces that look plump.
- Lemon: Sliced lemons or lemon juice both work.
- Honey: Use any kind of honey you have.
- Water: Tea is mostly made of water so I always use filtered water.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Peel and grate ginger. Grate ginger straight into the teapot.
Step 2: Add lemon slices and hot water into the teapot.
Step 3: Cover and steep. Herbals teas can steep for longer than black tea or green tea. The longer you steep, the stronger the ginger and lemon flavor.
Step 4: Strain solids and pour hot tea into a teacup. Add honey to taste.
Recipe Notes
No need to buy the entire ginger root.
Avoid buying fresh ginger root that’s shriveled and dry. Look for one that’s plump and firm. Ginger is usually sold by weight, not by the piece, so don’t be afraid to break off a piece of the freshest ginger root in the pile if it’s too big.
Adjust ginger as needed.
Add as much or little ginger as you like since it can get too spicy. For a serving of 1 cup of water, I’m using an half inch of fresh ginger root. If you want a milder taste, use less ginger.
Keep grated ginger in the freezer.
You can grate ginger ahead of time and freeze it. Store it in a resealable plastic bag, flattening it before freezing.
Tea Sommelier’s Tips
- A teapot with a strainer lid or a French press works great for making ginger tea.
- Instead of sliced lemons, you can also use the juice from half a lemon.
- To peel fresh ginger easily, use a spoon to scrape off the peel.
- Make sure to scrub and wash the lemons before using them.
- I strain out the ginger but you can definitely leave it in.
Related
- Ginger Shot
- Golden Milk (Turmeric Latte)
- Citron Tea from Scratch
- Lemon Tea
- Ginger Syrup
- Pineapple Ginger Iced Tea
If you tried this Ginger Tea recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and let me know how you like it in the comments below.
Fresh Ginger Tea
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- ½ lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 inch fresh ginger root
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Peel and grate ginger.Peel one inch piece of fresh ginger root and grate into a teapot.
- Add lemon slices and hot water into the teapot. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.Use filtered water for the best quality ginger tea. Boiling hot water should be used. If using an electric kettle with a temperature setting, set it to 208°F.
- Strain solids and pour hot tea into a teacup. Add honey to taste.
Notes
- Avoid buying fresh ginger root that’s shriveled and dry. Look for one that’s plump and firm. Ginger is usually sold by weight don’t be afraid to break off a piece of the freshest ginger root in the pile if it’s too big.
- To peel fresh ginger easily, use a spoon to scrape off the peel.
- Add as much or little ginger as you like since it can get too spicy. For a serving of 1 cup of water, a half inch of ginger root in this recipe. If you want a milder taste, use less ginger.
- You can grate ginger ahead of time and freeze it. Store it in a resealable plastic bag, flattening it before freezing. When you need some grated ginger, snap off a piece.
- Instead of sliced lemons, you can also use the juice from half a lemon.
- Make sure to scrub and wash the lemons before slicing them.
- Herbals teas can steep for longer than black tea or green tea. The longer you steep, the stronger the ginger and lemon flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this recipe! I just put a bowl with two cups of water in the microwave for 2 minutes. Added the ginger and lemon and put a plate on top to let it seep for five. After I put it in a mason jar and added my honey. Thank you!!!
Great ginger tea recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I didn’t actually follow the recipe. I used it strictly for guidance about relative quantities of water and ginger root. I went my own way beyond that, in part because I was using frozen ginger root and in part because I wanted a strong infusion for therapeutic purposes.
I figured others might be interested in my variation, which is why I’m posting it here.
I took out a 1″ section of ginger from a container I keep in my freezer, and peeled it with a carrot peeler. It’s easier to do this if you don’t let it thaw too much, but it wasn’t too hard to peel even after I let it thaw more than I’d intended.
I then sliced the section of peeled ginger root into the thinnest slices I could muster without being too fussy about it. Hint: ginger is much easier to slice with the grain rather than across it, meaning lengthwise rather than crosswise, because you’re not cutting across the fibers in this very fibrous root but parallel to them.
I dropped the ginger slices into a large mug, and
when the water for my morning tea was at 200° F., I added some of that slightly less than boiling water to the mug containing the ginger slices. I then covered the mug with a small plate and left the ginger infusion to do what it would until I was ready to drink it many hours later.
At that point, I poured the ginger infusion into a small saucepan and covered the pan with a lid, bringing the temperature back up to slightly below boiling. Meanwhile, I dropped what was perhaps a scant tablespoon of locally produced creamed lemon honey in the mug, and then poured the reheated ginger infusion back into the mug using a handheld strainer
to remove the slices of ginger.
In retrospect, I’m not sure that last step was really necessary because the slices of ginger were large enough and I guess so waterlogged that they weren’t floating in my tea. I might have just left them in there like one might do with herbal teas in teabags, in order to continue adding to the strength of the infusion —although, granted, I may already have extracted everything the ginger slices could provide.
This was not as complicated as it sounds; I put in more detail than was probably necessary for those of you who’ve never worked with frozen ginger. It’s a brilliant way of storing fresh ginger root if you bought too much of it or don’t feel like running to the store every time you want a hunk of ginger for something you’re cooking. You can expect a loss of texture and some discoloration as a result of freezing and thawing it, but given how finely we tend to chop or grate ginger for use in food recipes, neither of those changes makes much difference if any.
Hi!!
I generally heat my water to temp in an electric kettle. Then I put the things that I am going to steep into my infuser & that into large Yeti like cup (covered to steep) and drink right from there. (adding honey after i take out the infuser). Would it be fine to add the grated ginger to my loose leaf tea, in the infuser??
Thank you!
Hi Andrea, yup!
I love everything ginger. A word of caution though…while ginger doesn’t have any caffeine, it is a stimulant. I realized this after making a mocktail with it during Dry January. It kept me up all night! But I think this recipe is a great replacement for morning coffee or to cozy in on snowy days. Like today! 🙂
I noticed that actually there is no tea used in this recipe?
Hi Yeyen, yup, no real tea. It’s tea in the sense that it’s an herbal infusion.