How to Make Thai Hibiscus Iced Tea (น้ำกระเจี๊ยบ)

Name: How to Make Thai Hibiscus Iced Tea (น้ำกระเจี๊ยบ)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 8 cups of hot water; 1 cup dried hibiscus flowers; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/4 cup lime/lemon juice, as needed.; For garnishing: ginger mint, Thai basil, lemon, or lime slices.

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Learn how to How to Make Thai Hibiscus Iced Tea (น้ำกระเจี๊ยบ), a refreshing herbal drink perfect for a hot summer day. This vibrant crimson brew, made from dried hibiscus flowers, offers a burst of tart flavor complemented by the zesty touch of lime juice. Enjoy it hot or cold!

Try my Butterfly pea flower tea for more healthy and delicious Thai drinks. Try also this 10-minute tamarind iced tea. For a very refreshing and naturally colorful lemonade, try Butterfly Pea flower lemonade. Then indulge a little with the delectable Thai iced tea recipe to give life a little balance of sweetness and healthy!

Jump to:

Why You'll love this Thai hibiscus Iced Tea
What is Hibiscus Tea or Nam Kra Jeap?
Roselle vs Hibiscus
What Goes Into Hibiscus Tea Recipe
Ingredients for making Hibiscus Tea
How To Make Thai Hibiscus Tea Recipe
Garnishing Options
Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips
Hibiscus Tea benefits
Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
What to Serve With Thai Hibiscus Iced Tea
Variations
Substitutes
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
More Thai Summer Recipes You’ll Love!
How to Make Thai Hibiscus Iced Tea (น้ำกระเจี๊ยบ)

Why You'll love this Thai hibiscus Iced Tea

It’s a perfect summer drink, especially around the fourth of July
Hibiscus flowers tea is all-natural and even better if you can find organic flowers!
Hibiscus is full of health benefits that your body will love. We’ll ignore the sugar for now, but you can use healthy substitutes too. More hibiscus tea health benefits are in the notes section below.
It’s so easy to make! Only a handful of ingredients are needed.
It can be made beforehand and is perfect for backyard BBQs or summer grilling parties.
You can have it hot or cold to drink it all year round!

What is Hibiscus Tea or Nam Kra Jeap?

Hibiscus tea, also called Agua de Jamaica or Roselle flowers, is a herbal tea made by steeping dried hibiscus flowers in hot water. This delicious drink, known for its vibrant color and tangy taste, is enjoyed throughout Thailand as a street drink. It's an excellent thirst quencher in the hot and humid Thai temperature.

For my recipe, I’ll use dried hibiscus flowers since my winters here in the North are tragically too old for these tropical red beauties.

Roselle vs Hibiscus

Roselle and Hibiscus are the same thing! Roselle is another name for one of the species of the hibiscus plant, and the two names are sometimes used interchangeably. So, whether you call it roselle or hibiscus, it's all the same lovely plant! They are sometimes called Red Sorrels or Bissap.

What Goes Into Hibiscus Tea Recipe

Below are the ingredients for making hibiscus tea. You can even omit the lime/lemon juice since hibiscus flowers are naturally a little tart. The recipe is easily adjustable as you prefer the taste of your tea.

Ingredients for making Hibiscus Tea

Dried hibiscus flowers. Find hibiscus at your local Asian grocery store, online, or at some local Middle Eastern and Hispanic markets.
Hot water. Use filtered plain water for an even more, healthier option.
Lime juice. Lemon juice is an excellent substitute.
Sugar. Adjust as needed for your sweet taste preference. Or use simple syrup, maple syrup, pomegranate molasses, monk fruit sugar, agave, or honey for a healthier option.
Ice cubes for serving.

How To Make Thai Hibiscus Tea Recipe

Step 1. Combine hot water, sugar, and dried hibiscus flowers in a glass bowl or medium pot.

Step 2. Add hot (boiling water to the tea mixture, and let it steep for 15-20 minutes to extract the full flavor. Use a whisk to stir and make sure the sugar is dissolved. The longer you let the tea steep, the more tangy your tea will be. Don’t go over 30 minutes, as the tea can release a bitter taste.

Step 3. Once cooled, strain the tea mixture over the sink and place the sweet tea in a pitcher or water vase.

Step 4. Add the lime juice to the hibiscus tea and stir well. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add more sugar or simple syrup to your liking. Use right away or refrigerate the tea to chill even further.

Step 5. Prepare your glasses with ice cubed and your favorite garnishing options. Pour the tea over a glass and serve! Place the leftover tea in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy!

Garnishing Options

For an extra touch of elegance, garnish your hibiscus Tea with fresh hibiscus petals or lime slices ginger mint or lime slices for garnishing (optional)

Use thinly sliced fresh fruit like peaches, pears, apples, or berries to make it even more fruity and fancy!

Helpful Kitchen Notes and Tips

Make it a hot tea for sipping in the cooler months. There's nothing more comforting than holding a hot cup of tea on a snowy day!
Hibiscus tea bags are ok to use in a pinch, but they won't yield the dried flowers' naturally bright color and tangy flavor.
Adjust the sweetness of your hibiscus drink to your preference by adding more or less simple syrup.
To make simple syrup, combine a 1-1 ratio of sugar and hot water, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool before using.
Cold brewing is an alternative method for making Hibiscus Tea. Combine the dried hibiscus flowers and cold water in a pitcher, refrigerate for several hours or overnight, and strain before serving.

Hibiscus Tea benefits

Hibiscus tea offers several health benefits. It is rich in antioxidants, which help protect the body against harmful free radicals. These antioxidants can help reduce inflammation, promote a healthy immune system, and even contribute to heart health because it helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease.

Additionally, hibiscus tea is known for helping weight management. It contains compounds that can help inhibit the production of amylase, an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates. As a result, hibiscus tea may help prevent the absorption of too much carbohydrates and promote weight loss.

So not only is hibiscus tea a tasty drink, but it is also a healthy drink, minus the sugar used, but you can substitute it for a healthier sweetener version. Check below for sugar substitute options.

Helpful Kitchen Tools for This Recipe

What to Serve With Thai Hibiscus Iced Tea

Pair your Hibiscus Tea with light and refreshing Thai dishes like a mango salad or coconut shrimp for a perfect balance of flavors.

Variations

Make a sun tea by adding the hibiscus dried flowers to water in a pitcher, cover and let it steep in the sun for 4-5 hours.
Enhance the taste by adding cranberry juice or lemon juice splash to create a Hibiscus Lemon Cranberry Refresher.
For added sweetness, use this brown sugar simple syrup for an extra depth of flavor.

Substitutes

If you prefer a sugar-free version, use a natural sweetener like stevia or monk fruit sugar instead of syrup.

Storage

Store any leftover Hibiscus Tea in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it will stay fresh for up to a week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hibiscus Tea Good for?

Hibiscus tea is high in antioxidants. The right red color helps boost your immune system and fight off sickness. Hibiscus tea also helps reduce high blood pressure, according to Wikipedia. The tea also aids digestion, helps with weight loss, prevents obesity, and slows aging. Just an all-around very beneficial drink!

What Flavors Go Well with Hibiscus?

Hibiscus tea is versatile and goes so well with so many things. Add sweet and tangy fruit like oranges, apples, pineapple, peaches, lemons, or limes for a refreshing summer taste. In the winter, try dry spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cloves with winter herbs like rosemary, ginger, candied grapefruit, and so on.

Is it OK to Drink Hibiscus Tea Daily?

As long as you drink hibiscus tea without the added sugar, there's no reason why you can't drink one or two glasses of it daily. The dried hibiscus tea flowers have a naturally tangy-sweet taste to them which helps gives plain water a refreshing taste. If you don't like drinking plain water, hibiscus tea helps add flavor to your water.

What are the Side Effects of too much Hibiscus Tea?

Like all things in life, moderation is key. If you drink anything excessively, there tend to be unpleasant consequences. Since hibiscus is a plant and not processed food, there are few negative side effects. Enjoy the sweetened tea in moderation, but I wouldn't stress about the straight-up tea with no sugar added! (:

Can I use fresh flowers of the hibiscus to make hibiscus flower tea?

Yes, you can. Use only the petals of the flowers and leave out the bottom green part that looks like tiny hibiscus leaves. Using fresh red hibiscus flowers has yielded the best result for getting the bright red color. Other colors tend to get washed out and turned into a yucky brown color that is not so appetizing.

More Thai Summer Recipes You’ll Love!

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