Blueberry Basil Tea

5 from 3 votes

This easy homemade blueberry herbal tea is made with fresh or frozen berries, plus basil or hibiscus for extra flavor. Serve this summer drink hot or cold!

Cook Time15

Steep Time:10

Total Time25

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: people (1 cup servings)

Calories: 43kcal

Author: Sarah Trenalone

Ingredients

6 cups water
4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup fresh basil or ½ cup dried hibiscus
¼ cup sugar, honey, or other preferred sweetener (Optional)

Instructions

Add water and blueberries to a large pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
When the water begins to boil, use a potato masher to crush some of the berries as they cook.
If you don't have a potato masher, you can skip this step.
After 10 minutes, turn off the heat. Stir in the basil or hibiscus and cover the pot. Steep for 10 minutes.
Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve or strain through cheesecloth. Use the back of a wooden spoon to push extra juice from the berries.
Tip: Cheesecloth will yield the clearest juice without sediment, but a fine mesh sieve will catch most of the sediment.
If desired, add sweetener to taste.
Serve hot, or chill in the fridge and serve cold.
Store leftover tea in the fridge and use within a week.

Notes

Yields about 8 cups of blueberry tea. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.

Note that blueberry juice will stain, so take care if you have porous countertops.

Nutrition information assumes 1 cup of tea per serving, and does not include the optional sweetener.

Nutrition