This homemade orange peel tea recipe is the perfect way to reduce your food waste and drink something healthy on the way! With 3 simple ingredients this tea is made in no time! You can even customize it to make it the perfect tea!
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this recipe
- Ingredients needed
- How to make fresh orange peel tea:
- Variations
- The key to success
- How to store your orange peels and the tea:
- Other recipes using orange peel
- Frequently asked questions
- Other drinks you might like:
- 📖 Recipe
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Why you'll love this recipe
Orange peel tea is a healthy and fragrant drink that we all should make more often! Especially during the cold winter season this hot cup of tea will be perfect!
- Quick: After only a few minutes you will have your hot tea ready to drink.
- Easy: You won't need much effort to make this tea. With only a few simple steps this recipe is done.
- Against food waste: This tea recipe is perfect to use up leftover orange peels and avoid unnecessary food waste. After making the tea simply throw the peels into the composter.
- Makes the house smell good: Letting steep your tea will make your whole house smell like oranges. You basically have a drinkable potpourri!
- Health benefit: Orange peel tea has a bunch of health benefits. Orange peels have not only been used in the kitchen but also in medicine. It is said to help against viruses and bacteria. Especially when being sick with a cough or a cold this orange peel tea maybe mixed with some ginger will be a great way to help get healthy again. There are many other benefits to orange peels. I am not a specialist so I recommend reading about it on google.
If you like this fresh orange peel tea recipe you might also like this Caramel Apple Hot Toddy.
Ingredients needed
- Orange Peel: It's very important you use bio / organic oranges that have not been in contact with pesticides. This recipe works with both oranges as well as blood oranges as they both are sweet. Make sure you remove the white part from the peel as that might turn your tea bitter.
- Water
- Cinnamon Stick
- Sweetener (optional): Add your favorite sweetener if needed. Honey, sugar, stevia, etc. all works. I prefer my tea without any sweetener which is why this recipe is not using any.
How to make fresh orange peel tea:
Making this recipe is super quick and easy. Here is how it is done:
- Fill a medium sized pot with water.
- Cut the oranges in slices. I found that the flavor is better that way than using the whole skin.
- Add everything to a pot and turn up the heat to medium high.
- Wait till the water cooks. Then turn of the stove and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Serve the tea cold or warm.
Variations
This orange peel tea has a very smooth and fruity flavor that is not very strong. If the basic tea made with orange peels is to basic for you then here are some flavor options for you:
- Add more spices: Add more spices to the pot before boiling to make it more flavorful. You could add cloves, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, etc. Especially if you add fresh ginger to your orange peel tea you will get a nice spice kick and it is also perfect for when you are sick.
- Make it a black orange tea: After boiling add your favorite black tea and let it steep for 2-3 minutes.
- Make it a green orange tea: Add some green tea after boiling and let it steep for a few minutes. A green tea with orange peels is an amazing flavor combination especially during the early spring time.
- Make it a chai tea: To create a chai tea with orange peals simply cook your chai tea as usual but add the sliced orange peels together with the tea leaves. I usually use a masala tea spice mix from the Asia store and cook it in milk with some sugar.
- Add different fruits: Add your favorite fruit tea in addition to the orange peels to make this your own fruit tea.
- Make a bubble tea: Make an orange peel bubble tea by making your favorite bubble tea recipe but replacing the tea with the orange peel tea.
The key to success
In order to be successful with this recipe and not end up with a bitter taste or unwanted side effects, here is what you should be careful with:
- Remove the peels if you do not drink everything within an hour. If you leave the peels in the tea for to long it will get bitter
- Make sure you use thin peels. If they have a thick white part you might end up with a bitter drink as that part is the bitter one
- Be careful to not drink to much of it as it could cause diarrhea, or vomiting.
How to store your orange peels and the tea:
It is recommended to remove the orange peels from your tea if you do not drink it within an hour. That will prevent the tea from going bitter and getting a weird taste. After removing the peels simply cover the tea and keep it in the fridge if not used on the same day. Warm it back up on the stove or in the microwave when you want a cup.
When it comes to the fresh orange peels it is recommended to use them immediately! As you can keep the tea for up to 1 day without it starting to get a weird taste you can easily whip up the finished tea real quick and keep it set aside till you want to drink it.
If you do not have time to do that right away you should keep them at room temperature.
If you do happen to have a ton of orange peels and can not use it all up at once then simply dry them on the counter or in the oven!
Keep the orange peels on a paper towel for a few days at room temperature. They will get dry and be perfect for tea. They actually have more flavor in a dried state.
In the oven you can roast them just like you would dry orange slices! This requires some time, will be worth it tough. Make sure you only roast them till slightly crispy. They do not have the fruit flesh and therefore do not need as long as orange slices to dry. If you do roast them for to long they will loose their flavor. Keep the dried orange peels in an air-tight container like this one.
Other recipes using orange peel
How to Make Orange Peel Powder - The Simple Homeplace
Winter spice infused honey - Frolic & Fare (frolicandfare.com)
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I use dried orange peels?
A: Yes, you can also make a dried orange peel tea. Usually dried fruits are more intense, so start with less peels.
Q: Can I use orange slices?
A: Yes, you can also use whole orange slices to make this recipe. Even whole dried orange slices work well.
Q: Can I use blood oranges too?
A: Yes, you can absolutely make a blood orange tea too! Both citrus fruits are absolutely delicious in tea form.
Other drinks you might like:
If you already love this homemade orange peel tea, , I suggest you try more of my drink recipes:
- BAILEYS HOT CHOCOLATE IN 5 MINUTES
- CARAMEL APPLE HOT TODDY
- PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE MADE AT HOME
- ALMOND HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE
📖 Recipe
Homemade Orange Peel Tea Recipe
Equipment
- Big pot
- Knife
Ingredients
- Fresh Orange Peels of about 4 oranges
- 1.5 l Water
- 1 small Cinnamon Stick
Instructions
- Cut the oranges in slices. I found that the flavor is better that way than using the whole skin.
- Add everything to a pot and turn up the heat. Wait till the water cooks. Then turn of the stove and let it sit.
- Serve the tea cold or warm.
Notes
- It's very important you use bio / organic oranges that have not been in contact with pesticides
- If you let the tea sit for several hours then take the oranges and cinnamon stick out of the water, else it will get bitter.
- If your oranges aren't very sweet add some honey to the tea
- This is wonderful iced as well
US Customary conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Your Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
Sue says
This yummy tea is exactly what I needed this morning - thank you!
Giangi Townsend says
I have the last of my oranges on my tree, need to get them before the birds do, this will be perfect. I can only imagine how wonderful the house will smell.
Thank you for sharing
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
What a fantastic way to use orange peels! This tea was so delicious and so easy to make. My kids wandered out of their rooms to see what smelled so good LOL.
nancy says
this tea is super soothing and i can drink this every night after a meal
fede says
This is such a clever idea to reuse the oranges!!!
Jeannine says
such a great idea. and so tasty!
Deb says
So wholesome!
Jeanie says
such a brilliant drink, those orange peels wont go to waste again.
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
I usually grate orange peel and preserve it for baking, but the idea of making tea of it sounds great! I agree with using organic oranges always.
Natalie says
I bet this tea smells amazing. Cinnamon and oranges are the perfect combos. I can't wait to give this tea a try.
Jean says
this is so genius to drink, lol… I use cinnamon powder as I dont have a stick and turn out to be good too.
Jacqui | thesimplesprinkle.com says
It couldn’t be easier and simpler to make! So delicious and wholesome.
Judith says
A very refreshing drink!
Bec says
1.5 what of water? Cups, liters?
Bianca says
Hi Bec,
The "l" after the 1.5 means liter 😉