Basil Tea

Here’s how to make basil tea! This fresh herb infuses a beautifully subtle flavor into tea: add lemon for the perfect combination.

Got leftover basil in your garden? Let’s make basil tea! There are so many ways to use basil, from basil pesto to margherita pizza. But if you want the easiest, healthiest way to use it? Make tea! Alex and I have been making herbal tea recipes with all our garden herbs: oregano, thyme, and mint. Basil tea was next in our list: and this herb tastes best combined with a little black tea and lemon. It adds a subtle, peppery flavor that’s irresistible! Here’s what to do.

How to make basil tea

You need just three ingredients for this basil tea recipe: a bag of black tea, fresh basil, and a lemon slice. While basil is best known for flavoring Italian recipes, its flavor lends intrigue to tea. This recipe has a slightly different method from our other herbal tea recipes. Because the flavor of basil isn’t strong enough on its own, combine it with black tea and lemon for the perfect brew! Here’s what to do:

1. Boil: Boil a pot of water. We use an electric tea kettle (that we also use for our morning coffee).
2. Harvest herbs: Grab 6 large leaves of basil.
3. Muddle: Use a wooden spoon to gently mash the lemon and basil.
4. Steep: Add a black tea bag to the mug and fill with boiling water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then enjoy!

Basil tea benefits

Fresh basil is known to be full of anti-oxidants, anti-bacterial properties, and Vitamin K. We can’t promise a cup of basil tea will cure all your ailments, but it can’t be argued that it’s positively soothing to drink a cup! This is a healthy way to enjoy this powerful fresh herb. Read more about the Benefits of Basil.

Grow your own basil

Basil is easy to grow at home! You don’t even need garden space: just a pot and a sunny ledge! You can use it in recipes all summer long (see below). Here are a few of our resources for growing and harvesting basil:

• How to Grow Basil Here’s all about how to grow it: including the important pruning step!
• How to Harvest Basil Make sure to harvest your plant regularly.
• How to Store Fresh Basil Here’s a storage trick to keep this herb fresh for days.

More herbal teas

You can make tea with all sorts of herbs! Here are more herbal tea recipes to try:

• Thyme tea
• Mint tea
• Ginger tea or Lemon ginger tea
• Oregano tea
• Rosemary tea
• Lemon tea
• Sage tea

Love tea recipes? Also try our Iced Tea, Sweet Tea and Cold Brew Tea.

More ways to use basil

Basil adds the perfect herby punch to foods from pizza to salads! Here are our top basil recipes to use this tasty herb:

• Pesto: The best way to use up basil! Try Basil Pesto, Cashew Pesto, Walnut Pesto, Vegan Pesto, or Vegan Cashew Pesto. Or try Basil Sauce: like a pesto without cheese and nuts.
• Sauce: Try garlicky Basil Sauce, like pesto without nuts and cheese.
• Pizza: Try Everything Basil Pizza or Margherita Pizza.
• Pasta: Add to Tomato Basil Pasta or Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes.
• Salads: Try on Caprese Salad or in Antipasto Salad. Or make Fresh Basil Vinaigrette.
• Soup: Add to Tomato Basil Soup.
• Cocktails: Try Gin & Basil Cocktail or Basil Gimlet.

This basil tea recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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