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This soothing lemon tea is a quick infusion of hot water, fresh lemon, and honey. Here’s how to make it and a few variations.
Need a soothing drink that takes just 2 minutes to make? Try lemon tea! This herbal tea is a simple infusion of water, lemon and honey, and it’s amazing what those three ingredients can do.
I love that this simple drink is soothing for sore throats and colds, and also tastes invigorating as a morning drink. It’s simple to make, low in calories, and hydrating all at once! Here’s how to make this easy herbal tea.
How To Make Lemon Tea
Herbal tea is a term used for any infusion of boiling water with flowers, leaves, herbs and other plant matter. This lemon tea has no “tea” in its ingredients (the leaves from the tea plant or Camellia sinensis). All you need are lemon, honey, and water! Here’s how to make it:
- Boil 1 cup water: Boil a pot of water on the stovetop or in an electric tea kettle.
- Stir in the lemon and honey: Pour it into a mug and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ½ tablespoon honey to the glass.
- Adjust the flavors to taste. Want it sweeter? Add a bit more honey to taste.
Lemon Tea With Real Tea Leaves
You can also make lemon tea with actual tea leaves, if you like! Here’s what to do:
- Brew 1 bag black tea (like English breakfast) for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Pull out the bag and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ½ tablespoon honey.
Green tea can work too, but seep it for about 2 minutes so it’s not too bitter. Here’s a a table of seep times from my guide to making tea.
| Type of tea | Water temp | Seep time |
| Green tea | 180°F | 2 minutes |
| Oolong tea | 180°F | 2 minutes |
| Black tea | 210°F | 4 minutes |
| Herbal tea | 210°F | 5 to 10 minutes |
Ways To Change It Up
Here are a few variations to this tea recipe:
- Ginger: Ginger pairs well with the lemon, can aid with digestion, and may relieve headaches and migraines. Head over to my Lemon Ginger Tea Recipe or you add 1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger to the water first in a tea strainer and allow it to steep 5 minutes. Then add the honey and lemon, using 1 tablespoon honey in that drink to balance out the spicy flavor of the ginger.
- Fresh mint: Adding a few mint leaves makes a delicious herbal mint tea.
- Cinnamon: In the winter, add a cinnamon stick for a warmly spiced tea
- Rosemary or thyme: Add a few sprigs of herbs like in my rosemary tea or thyme tea.
Make-Ahead And Storage Notes
Always make lemon tea fresh. It takes only a few minutes and it doesn’t taste the same reheated. To speed things up, you can juice a few lemons in advance and store the juice refrigerated for up to 3 days.
More Herbal Tea Recipes
Dietary Notes
This lemon tea recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not this version: it’s an herbal infusion with no tea leaves, so it’s caffeine-free. If you make it with black tea it has caffeine.
You can, but it doesn’t taste the same. I highly recommend using a real lemon.
I recommend using 1 tablespoon lemon juice per 1 cup water (8 oz). You can add more to taste!
Lemon Tea
This soothing lemon tea is a quick infusion of hot water, fresh lemon, and honey. Here’s how to make it and a few variations.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Tea
- Method: Herbal tea
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 ounces) boiling water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Boil the water. Stir in the lemon juice and honey. Adjust the sweetness to taste if desired.
Let us know if you have any questions!