Orange Peel Tea – Homemade Citrus Flavored Tea

Orange peel tea is colorful herbal black tea infused with the flavors of orange peels and spiced black tea. This is basically water boiled with orange peels to which we add tea bags. Spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom etc can also be added or masala chai tea bags can be used to make spiced orange peel tea.

This homemade citrus flavored tea is great for tea lovers who want to explore and try different tea recipe ideas!

I used masala tea bags & fresh orange peels to make this colorful, bright tea that is perfect for afternoon tea party or holidays when you just want a colorful, refreshing tea which is slightly different from the usual tea.

If you do not have masala tea bags, you can use regular black tea bags and add any spices like cardamom, ginger, cinnamon etc if you like!

What is orange peel tea?

Orange peel tea is flavored herbal tea made with orange peels as the main ingredient.

You may use fresh orange peels or dried orange peels or orange peel extract and orange zest (or a combination of some of these) to make orange peel tea.

Here we use fresh orange peels to make easy orange peel tea.

If you use dried orange peels or the extract, you will need to use lesser amount than fresh orange peels since dried orange peels will have more concentrated, stronger flavor.

When cooled & served with ice cubes as a sweetened ice tea, this is perfect for hot summer months as well!

When you add sweeteners like honey, the tea turns a little darker in color, but more sweeter in taste!

I have used masala tea bags to make this a more flavored spiced tea, but if you wish to make this caffeine free, you can make the orange peel tea without tea bags too.

If you use sugar to sweeten the tea or if you skip the sweetener altogether, the tea will look bright orange in color although the color is also influenced by the tea bags that you use.

You can use any leftover fresh orange peels or dried orange peels to make orange peel tea.

You can also make this tea without any tea bags if you want to avoid using black tea or any caffeine.

You can just boil the water with orange peels to make the flavored orange peel herbal to which you can also add spices & sweetener if you like.

If you have leftover fresh oranges from market or from your own orange tree in the garden, you can use them in recipes like this orange peel tea or orange jam, homemade fresh orange juice, mango orange smoothie, homemade orange cake or find more orange recipes here!

Orange peel tea benefits and side effects

This is a citrus flavored herbal tea made with orange peels and black tea bags.

You can use spiced masala tea bags instead of regular black tea bags to add more flavors & spices to your orange flavored tea easily.

You may also add these spices separately if you wish.

Some of the spices that go great with orange peel tea is grated ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon (you can use cinnamon sticks) etc.

The health benefits of orange peel tea includes the health benefits of orange peels, the kind of tea that you use, and also the spices that you add.

Orange peels are edible, flavorful and they have their own health benefits as well!

Orange peels contain vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, flavonoids and many more nutrients which are essential for a healthy heart & more.

You can read more about health benefits of orange peels here.

Since the oranges are citrus fruits and orange peels have strong citrus flavors, it’s a good idea to have orange peel tea in moderation.

If you have any medical conditions or allergy or if you are pregnant, always make sure to consult with your doctor before trying any herbal flavored tea including this orange peel tea to avoid any kind of possible side effects.

Orange peel tea can also cause acidity for those who are prone to it, so it ‘s important to have this in moderation if you decide to try it.

You can find more ways to use orange peels here.

So here is how you can make this homemade orange flavored tea from scratch.

How to make orange peel tea?

We use the following ingredients to make easy homemade orange peel tea.

ingredients to make orange peel tea

orange peels ½ cup (from about 1 to 2 medium sized oranges)

water 2.5 cups (plus more as needed)

honey 2 tablespoons (adjust to taste)

tea bags 2 (I used masala tea bags flavored with Indian spices)

orange zest 1 teaspoon (optional, you may also use lemon juice for a more citrus flavor)

Step by step instructions

Wash the orange peels very well (you may use fresh peels or dried peels) and add the peels to a saucepan.

Add the two cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil.

Also add the zest (if using) and let the mixture simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Switch off the stove and add the tea bags. Steep the tea for about 3 minutes.

Once the tea is steeped, remove the tea bags from the saucepan (leaving the tea bags for longer time can make the tea taste slightly bitter).

If you are not in a hurry, you may leave the peels in the prepared tea until the tea cools down so more flavor from the peels will be added to the tea.

Add more water to the tea according to your preference. I added one more cup of water because when we simmered the water with the peels initially to make the tea, some of the water added is evaporated.

Once the tea is cooled enough, filter the prepared tea through a strainer and transfer the prepared tea to serving cups.

Add honey (or your preferred sweetener), stir in to mix with the tea & serve!

Alternatively you can refrigerate the filtered tea and serve chilled with ice cubes later if you want iced tea.

In fact, orange peel tea tastes the best when it chilled in the refrigerator and served with ice cubes which is perfect, refreshing summer tea bursting with colors & flavors!

So if you are not in a hurry, do try this tea chilled with added ice cubes.

You can also add more lemon juice if you want a more tangy flavor and also you can adjust the amount of sweeteners as you like.

You can add more honey, maple syrup or sugar based on your preference.

Instead of cooled tea, if you want hot cup of tea, you can reheat the prepared tea or you may filter the tea as soon as it’s prepared (need to be careful since its’s really hot), add the honey & serve hot!

Notes: It is a good idea to use organic orange peels to make orange peel tea for the most health benefits!

How to store orange peel tea?

If you wish to store this tea for longer time, you can transfer the tea to pitchers and refrigerate and use for another 2 to 3 days as it stays fresh in the refrigerator, if you store it properly.

If you want to store the tea for even longer time, you can transfer the tea to ice cube trays and store in the freezer for little longer periods.

More blog posts on tea:

how to make chamomile tea taste better

what does chamomile tea taste like

honey green tea

how to make green tea taste better

Below you can get the recipe for homemade orange peel tea in detail.