This is a perfect summer drink, butterfly pea lemonade! It is a refreshing, healthy, and very simple drink to make for your backyard grilling!
If you want less sugar and an even more simple and healthy butterfly pea flower tea recipe, this one is for you. Want more sweet and tangy Thai drinks? Try my hibiscus tea recipe. For a very delicious tropical cocktail with a Thai twist, try my creamy coconut lime mojito. You are set for all your summer drinks!
What is Butterfly Pea Lemonade?
Butterfly pea lemonade is a sweet and tangy drink made from butterfly flower pea, mixed with fresh lime, lemon, or premade lemonade. The blue flowers are tropical flowers grown in Thailand, Malaysia, and many tropical Asian countries. The butterfly pea flowers are bright blue and it's the source of much natural blue food used in drinks, desserts, baking, and cooking. The drink is also known by the name anchan lemonade, blue pea lemonade, or butterfly pea drink.
Why Butterfly Pea Drink?
- Butterfly pea tea lemonade is the ultimate summer drink. It’s a refreshing, delicious simple drink to make.
- It’s a fun recipe to make with your kids. Watching their faces marvel and wow when lemon juice turned the blue drink into different shades of purple is a pure magical childhood moment. A fun memory you won’t forget!
- Butterfly pea tea is chockfull of health benefits that are so good for you. We’ll ignore the sugar for now, but you can use healthy substitutes too. Check the notes section for more helpful tips.
- It’s a very simple recipe using a handful of ingredients with lots of garnishing options.
- It’s a perfect drink with many beautiful hues of blue and purple that you can use to match your themed parties without using unhealthy food coloring.
- It can be made ahead of time for summer gatherings.
What Goes Into Butterfly Pea Flower Recipe
Below are the key ingredients for making butterfly pea flower lemonade. Read on to see how easy it is to make this delicious and magical drink!
Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade Ingredients
- 6 cups of hot water
- ¼ cup dried butterfly pea flowers.
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon or lime juice for added tanginess. Or 1 ½ cup pre-made lemonade, adjust as needed as each brand has a different level of sweetness and tanginess.
- Garnishing options. Ginger, mint, Thai basil, kaffir lime leaves, rosemary, lemon, or lime slices.
How To Make Butterfly Pea Tea Lemonade
STEP ONE
Combine hot water, sugar, and dried flowers in a glass bowl or medium pot. Add hot water to the tea mixture and let it steep for 15 minutes. Use a whisk to stir and make sure the sugar is dissolved.
STEP TWO
Strain the tea mixture over the sink and place the tea in a vase, let cool and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
STEP THREE
Prepare your glasses with ice cubes and garnish options. Pour the cold blue tea over your glasses and leave the top 2-3 inches at the top for lemon or lime juice or lemonade.
STEP FOUR
Pour 1-2 tablespoon(per serving) of lime or lemon juice over the blue tea and watch the magic happens! The tea will turn all shades of pink, purple, and magenta, rather hypnotizing to watch! Taste the tea and adjust the flavor with more lemon or lime juice. Or you can use store-bought lemonade too for a less sour lemonade. The leftover tea will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Helpful Kitchen Notes for your Butterfly Lemonade
- Use a pre-made lemonade if you don’t want to squeeze lime/lemon juice or if you want to make a big batch for a party.
- Garnishing ideas: Mint, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, rosemary, Thai basil, cucumbers slices, lemon, lime, oranges, peaches, nectarine and so much more!
- Sugar. Use white, palm, coconut, or monk fruit sugar. Honey is a great option for this tea too.
- For a fun idea, store the extra lemonade in ice-cubed trays to use as ice to throw in your pitcher. Two birds with one stone!
- Try selling butterfly pea tea lemonade instead at your lemonade stand, and watch the fun reactions and conversations to follow!
FAQs
What is in Butterfly Flower Lemonade?
Butterfly flower lemonade is made with dried butterfly pea flowers that have been steeped in hot water and sugar. Once cooled, the blue drink is then mixed with either lime or lemon juice or pre-made lemonade. There's a ph element in the blue tea that once mixed with any citrusy liquid that it turns into many beautiful shades of pink, purple, and magenta.
What does Butterfly Pea Lemonade Taste Like?
The butterfly pea flower itself has no taste hardly at all. But once the blue water is mixed with sugar and lemon or lime juice then it tastes like a summery refreshing drink. The more sugar and citrus juice you add the stronger and more flavorful your butterfly lemonade.
Is Butterfly Pea Flower Actually Good for you?
Yes! The butterfly pea flower has a ton of healthful benefits that are good for the body. Especially when used as tea without added sugar. Butterfly pea tea is rich in antioxidants that help reduce inflammation. Blue tea has healthful benefits that relax and calms our nervous system which inturns help with reducing anxiety and stress. You can find my even more simple yet healthy butterfly pea flower tea recipe here.
More Thai Summer Recipes you’ll love!
- Butterfly tea (hot or cold)
- hibiscus tea recipe
- Creamy coconut lime mojito
- Thai iced tea recipe
- Thai tea limeade
- Thai coconut ice cream recipe
- Thai glass noodle salad with shrimp
- Thai beef salad
- Thai green mango salad with cashew
- Namtok beef waterfall salad
- The best Crying Tiger recipe
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Print
Butterfly Pea Lemonade
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Butterfly pea lemonade is a refreshing, healthy, delicious, fun, and naturally colorful drink. It is also very simple to make as a perfect addition add-on to your backyard grilling! It's a perfect summer drink!
Ingredients
- 6 cups of hot water
- ¼ cup dried butterfly pea flowers.
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon or lime juice for added tanginess. or 1 ½ cup pre-made lemonade, adjust as needed as each brand has a different level of sweetness and tanginess.
- Garnishing options. Ginger, mint, Thai basil, kaffir lime leaves, rosemary, lemon, or lime slices.
Instructions
- Combine hot water, sugar, and dried flowers in a glass bowl or medium pot. Add hot water to the tea mixture and let it steep for 15 minutes. Use a whisk to stir and make sure the sugar is dissolved.
- Strain the tea mixture over the sink and place the tea in a vase, let cool and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
- Prepare your glasses with ice cubes and garnish options. Pour the cold blue tea over your glasses and leave the top 2-3 inches at the top for lemon or lime juice or lemonade.
- Pour 1-2 tablespoon(per serving) of lime or lemon juice over the blue tea and watch the magic happens! The tea will turn all shades of pink, purple, and magenta, rather hypnotizing to watch! Taste the tea and adjust the flavor with more lemon or lime juice. Or you can use store-bought lemonade too for a less sour lemonade. The leftover tea will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Use a pre-made lemonade if you don’t want to squeeze lime/lemon juice or if you want to make a big batch for a party.
- Garnishing ideas: Mint, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, rosemary, Thai basil, cucumbers slices, lemon, lime, oranges, peaches, nectarine and so much more!
- Sugar. Use white, palm, coconut, or monk fruit sugar. Honey is a great option for this tea too.
- For a fun idea, store the extra lemonade in ice-cubed trays to use as ice to throw in your pitcher. Two birds with one stone!
- Try selling butterfly pea tea lemonade instead at your lemonade stand, and watch the fun reactions and conversations to follow!
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- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Thai
Keywords: butterfly pea flower lemonade, butterfly pea lemonade, butterfly lemonad, butterfly pea drink
Suwanee
So wonderful to hear, Sarah! Glad it was a success!
Sarah
I made this for our Halloween party and it was a hit! I added some lime and lemon to achieve the purple color and opted for agave to sweeten. Enjoyed a hot cup plain as well for morning tea and it was great. Would make again!
★★★★★