If you want to know how to make garlic tea, the short answer is quick: gently simmer or steep one or two crushed fresh garlic cloves in hot water for a few minutes, strain out the solids, then brighten the cup with honey, a squeeze of lemon and often a slice of ginger. The result is a warm, savoury, pungent, caffeine-free drink that home cooks have reached for on cold days for generations.
Garlic tea is not a delicate floral cup. It is bold and a little spicy, closer to a light broth than to a sweet tisane, and it is meant to be sipped slowly. Below you will find the ingredients, the amounts, the step-by-step method and a small table so you can dial the strength up or down to taste.
What garlic tea is (and how it tastes)
Garlic tea is simply fresh garlic infused into hot water. When you crush a clove and drop it into a warm cup, it releases a savoury, sulphurous aroma and a gentle heat that mellows as the drink cools. Expect something more like a thin, aromatic broth than a fruit or flower tea: pungent up front, faintly sweet once honey goes in, and rounded out by lemon or ginger.
The garlic-and-honey pairing is a classic home comfort in many parts of the world, from the Mediterranean and the Middle East to East Asia and Latin America. Cooks everywhere have long kept a head of garlic and a jar of honey within reach for a warming cup in the colder months. It sits in the same family as other savoury, rooty warm drinks — if you like this one, you will probably also enjoy a cup of turmeric tea or a spiced clove tea.
Because garlic tea is an infusion of a plant in hot water, it belongs to the broad world of herbal tisanes. If you are new to that idea, our guide on what herbal tea is covers the basics, and how to brew herbal tea walks through the general steeping technique that this recipe builds on.
The one technique that makes garlic tea taste better
Here is the key point most people miss: crush or slice the garlic and let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before it hits the water. When you break the cloves open and give them a short rest in the air, the garlic develops its full, savoury flavour. Dropping a whole, unbruised clove straight into hot water gives you a much flatter, weaker cup.
The second lever is time and heat. A shorter, gentler steep off the boil keeps garlic tea milder and rounder. A longer, more active simmer pulls out more of the pungent, savoury character and gives you a stronger, sharper cup. Neither is wrong — it depends on how bold you want it. Because raw garlic is strong, most people find that a gentle simmer of a few minutes is the sweet spot.
Ingredients, with amounts
This makes one warm mug. Everything here is flexible — garlic tea is forgiving, and you can scale it up for a small pot.
- Fresh garlic: about 1 to 2 cloves per cup, crushed or thinly sliced. Start with one if you are new to it.
- Water: about 1 cup, roughly 240 ml (8 oz).
- Honey: to taste, stirred in at the end (about 1 teaspoon is a good start). Skip it or use another sweetener if you prefer.
- Lemon: a squeeze of fresh juice, to brighten and tame the bite.
- Optional ginger: a thin slice of fresh ginger for warmth, which turns this into a garlic ginger tea.
- Optional spice: a small pinch of cinnamon, or a clove or two, for extra depth.
How to make garlic tea, step by step
This is the core garlic tea recipe. Work gently — you are coaxing flavour out of the garlic, not boiling it hard.
- Prep the garlic. Peel 1 to 2 cloves, then crush them with the flat of a knife or slice them thinly. Let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes so the flavour develops.
- Heat the water. Bring about 1 cup of water to a gentle simmer — small bubbles, not a rolling boil. If you are adding ginger, drop the slice in now.
- Add the garlic. Slide the crushed garlic into the water. Simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes for a fuller cup, or take the pan off the heat and let the garlic steep off the boil for a milder one.
- Strain. Pour the tea through a small strainer into your mug, leaving the garlic and ginger behind.
- Finish. Stir in honey and a squeeze of lemon to taste. Sip it warm and slowly.
Honey and lemon do more than sweeten — they soften garlic's sharp edge and round out the cup, which is exactly why garlic and honey tea is such a common combination. Garlic is strong, so start with less than you think you want and add more next time; it is far easier to build a cup up than to tone it down.
Use the quick guide below to match the amount of garlic and the method to the strength you are after.
| Garlic per cup | Method | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| 1 clove, sliced | Steep off the boil, about 5 min | Mild and mellow |
| 1 clove, crushed | Gentle simmer, about 5 min | Medium |
| 2 cloves, crushed | Gentle simmer, 8 to 10 min | Strong and pungent |
Honey, lemon and ginger variations
Once you have the base down, garlic tea takes well to small additions:
- Garlic and honey tea: the simplest finish — just garlic tea with a spoon of honey stirred in once it is off the heat.
- Garlic ginger tea: add a thin slice of fresh ginger while it simmers for a warmer, slightly spicy cup.
- Herb and spice: a pinch of cinnamon, a whole clove, a few black peppercorns or a sprig of thyme all pair nicely.
- Extra bright: more lemon, or a strip of lemon peel dropped in at the end.
Storing garlic tea
Garlic tea is best fresh and warm, but you can make a little extra. Let it cool, keep it covered in the refrigerator, and drink it within a day or so; gently rewarm it on the stove or sip it cold. The flavour keeps developing as it sits, so a stored cup often tastes stronger than a fresh one. If it smells off or you are unsure, throw it out — when in doubt, pour it out.
Is garlic tea safe to drink?
Garlic is an everyday food, and a cup of garlic tea is generally fine for most healthy adults. A few sensible, non-medical notes: large or very regular amounts of garlic can cause heartburn, stomach upset or lingering garlic breath, so keep it modest and see how you feel. If you take blood thinners or have surgery coming up, it is worth being mindful of large amounts of garlic and checking with your own healthcare provider first.
Never give honey to infants under 12 months. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or you take any medication, ask your own healthcare provider before making garlic tea a regular habit. Any warming or soothing feeling people describe is personal — responses vary, and this is not medical advice. Enjoy garlic tea as a comforting, savoury drink rather than as a remedy.