Do you love oranges? Once they come into season, we enjoy their delicious, juicy flavor almost daily. But what do you do with the peels? Most people throw away this part of their orange eating experience because they just aren’t aware of how beneficial the orange peels are. In this article, you’ll discover how to make orange peel tea and the health benefits of orange peel.
Don’t throw away that orange peel! Find out the health benefits of orange peel and how to make a tasty tea.
Don’t throw away that orange peel! Find out the health benefits of orange peel and how to make a tasty tea.
Can You Eat Citrus Peels?
It is safe to eat orange peels and other citrus peels. You want to make sure it the fruit is organically grown so you are not ingesting pesticides.
Eat your orange and then break the rind up into quarter-sized pieces.
Fresh orange peels are delicious in herb waters. You can also add them to soups and stews or slow cook them with chicken or duck.
Grate fresh orange zest into cookies and breads or add a zesty flavor to sweets and desserts.
How to Dry Citrus Peels
After you have gotten your fill of fresh orange peel, let them sit out at room temperature on a screen until they are crispy.
Once dried, store the citrus peels in a jar in your spice cabinet. You now have a satisfying and revitalizing ingredient to use in your meals or orange peel tea throughout the year.
In a pinch, you can also purchase dried orange peel from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Orange Peel Tea Recipe
Orange peel makes a very good tasting tea. It is nature’s giveaway; you get a free packet of delicious tea every time you eat an orange!
To use your orange peels in tea, simply put fresh or dried orange peels and water into a pot with a lid on, bring everything to a boil and then turn off the heat. Let the orange peels steep for an hour or more, then strain them from the water and discard the used peels.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped orange peel OR 1 tablespoon dried chopped orange peel
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- If you are using fresh orange peels, chop them into ¼-inch sized pieces.
- If you are using dried orange peels, crush them a little with a mortar and pestle.
- Place chopped or crushed orange peels and water into a pot with a lid on it. I use stainless steel Revere pots; glass and enamel pots also work well.
- Bring the water and herbs to a boil and then immediately turn off the fire.
- Let the orange peels steep for 1 hour.
- Using a metal strainer, remove the peels from the tea and pour the tea into a teacup or pitcher.
- Drink warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- You can increase the amount of tea; simply use the same proportion of peel to water given above.
- The shelf life of this tea is about 2 days if kept covered in the refrigerator.
Are you ready to go deeper with your herbal tea journey? Check out the Herbal Tea Kick-Start Guide
Benefits of Orange Peel and Medicinal Uses
A delicious addition to winter meals, orange peel also has many health benefits and medicinal uses.
Colds and Flu
Orange peel chases away mucus and wards off colds and flu with its antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral benefits.
Orange, tangerine and mandarin peel teas are traditionally used for coughs that are due to excessive phlegm in the lungs. It is a good tea to drink if you have lots of mucus, chronic chest congestion or a wet cough.
Citrus peels are considered a valuable medicinal herb and are a popular ingredient in many Chinese Medicine tonics.
Digestion
Orange peels can also help with sluggish digestion and are effective for treating gas, bloating and nausea.
Citrus peels are loaded with vitamin C and pectin. Pectin, which is also abundant in apples, is a carbohydrate that feeds the beneficial bacterial in your gastrointestinal tract.
Yes, your gut is full of creepy crawly bacteria. You are a walking colony of bugs, an apartment complex for hundreds of different types of living organisms that can only be seen with a microscope. This beneficial microflora complements the immune system, helps us digest nutrients and keeps pathogenic bacteria in check.
Our daily wellness and vitality is intricately connected to the health of our gut bugs. Feed your bugs. When you eat sugar-ridden foods, you feed the bacteria that make you sick. When you eat orange peels, you feed the beneficial bacteria that keeps you healthy. So don’t throw away that orange peel!
Are you ready to go deeper with your herbal tea journey? Check out the Herbal Tea Kick-Start Guide
I put citrus peel into sugar and the oils come out into the sugar making it like syrup, I then use that in tea.
I like to soak citrus peels in vinegar for about 2 weeks then use the vinegar for cleaning.
I’ve always been a fan of fruit peels and rinds. As a kid (many years ago) I ate the apple peels as they came off for pie filling. And I squeezed the citrus peels into my face and enjoyed breathing in the released oils, even eating some peels. Still do but am more reluctant to eat the peels if not organic as you say. I don’t put them out on window sills cause my son complains they attract fruit flys and gnats -not good for our plants.
We have a mandarin tree in our garden here in Spain and I blend up the rinds with water and add the slurry to the garden as a natural fertilizer and pest deterrant (including those pesky feral cats that like to use our garden as a litterbox).
Very good information thank you
I would love to use any of the citrus teas as Ice Teas. Is it ok to drink it cold or will it lose it’s medicinal value?
You may drink it chilled, if you prefer. In Ayurveda, though, we don’t drink cold drinks as it cools the digestive fire.
Thank you for this article. I never thought about using the orange peels for tea. I’m so excited to try this out.
i do same to pineapple skiln
I want to be clarified, what you’re referring to as orange peel is the same as orange rind, am I right?
yes
Another way to consume orange peels is in the form of « orangettes », a traditional french confectionery made of candied orange peels and dark chocolate. A delicious treat to be eaten in moderation because of its sugar content. Lemon peels can be used too, they are then called « citronnettes ».
Those sound like decadent treats!
Oops, sorry I forgot the link to the publication : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32391511/
I just read a scientific publication about the benefits of citrus peel flavonoids as cancer prevention agents, and I was looking for a simple way to extract those compounds, so thanks for your article.
if you didn’t purchase organic oranges should you worry???? I washed them well with baking soda and rinsed them. But, I am still concerned about the sprays etc. when using them for tea, I use dried oranges peels for a vinegar cleaning spray. I have not tried them for tea. I guess you could also use lemon peels to??
I only use organic citrus peels. It is important to make herbal medicines with ingredients that have not been grown with chemicals
since they are thick skinned they get sprayed frequently throughout their growing cycle, thereby making it virtually impossible to remove the chemical spray as it sits in “layers” within the skins
I add slices of orange peel and a few leaves of fresh mint to boiling water to make “tea”! Refreshing and tasty alternative to “regular” tea.
Yummy!
I wash the whole orange n throw it on my smoothie.
I do save my orange peels. When they are not organic I break them up in small pieces and throw them in my garden flower beds around the house. They are supposed to deter cats (mine) from doing their business in there. Life is just a puzzle, but together we’ll find ways to solve our issues. Keep the sense of humor!
The same goes for lemon peels. My mom would boil a lemon with peel and all in water to make leaf tea.
This has been a very helpful health tip for me. God bless you.
I use orange leaves for tea. Am wondering if any citrus tree is good for that.
Yes, you can use orange, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit
Thank you for this info, Kami.
Organic oranges are not readily available at the grocery stores I most often shop at. I recently bought some dried granulated organic orange peel though and have used it in a blend with oatstraw, hibiscus and dried apples to make a tea. Yum!
Hi Kami
Thanks for all the great advice and recipes. I’m wondering about any pesticide residue on the peels. I wouldn’t want to drink it. I used to like to chew on the peel when I was younger but stopped because of all the talk of pesticides. Thanks
You absolutely don’t want to use pesticide citrus. please make sure your oranges are organic
I remember eating the peel along with the orange when I was a kid (about 60 years ago…). And I’ve used them when making marmalade. Lately I’ve dropping the peels down the disposal and then I run it for 2-3 seconds to freshen the air. From now on I’ll save them for tea! Thank you!
[…] Eating the entire fruit or vegetable – known as eating root-to-stem – has come into vogue in the food world in recent years. From the greens on your beets or carrots to the seeds in your melons, we throw away a lot of edible food simply because we aren’t used to cooking with it. For instance, did you know you can make a yummy pesto from carrot greens? A comforting winter tea using orange peels? […]
For this tea should you remove the pith before making the tea, or does it matter?
Thank you!
the pith has a ton of nutrients, perhaps the most of the orange, so keep it
Just found this as I was doing a search on herb benefits . I don’t eat many oranges but my husband and son do so I will keep there peels to make tea. I was wondering if freezing and turning them into ice lollies would work the smae.
Yep, good idea!~
Thank You, I really didn’t know how amazing Orange Peel is!
Where am from we have been using orange peels for decades
My daughter is an RN and recommended orange peel tea for building immunity during flu and cold season. Her recipe includes a sliced lemon and a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I will never throw away another orange peel!
Hello Kami. Before eating or grating an orange or any fruit with skin, shoul you wash it before you let it dry on a screen? If so, would simple faucet water be enough?
You want to make sure your fruit is organic. I do wash my citrus before drying it and yes, i just clean it with water from my faucet.
Hi Kami! Can I do the same thing with Lemon Peel?
Yep, lemon peel makes a very nice tea!
Oh man, just last month I peeled a whole 10 lb bag of mandarins to freeze for smoothies. I threw all those peels away! Well, actually I fed them to my goats.
[…] Orange peel: Another Caribbean favourite, dried peels are used to make tea to treat coughs and colds. Orange peel tea is an excellent remedy for excess mucus, chesty colds and a wet cough. It’s also one of the best tasting herbal remedy teas. […]
[…] ♦ Living Awareness has a recipe for an orange peel tea. […]
This may sound trivial, but we eat a lot of oranges and mangos and save all peels for tea and I always take off the littlle nub of a stem and don’t think much of it, but since we have been eating so much of it lately, I’m aware of it. Should that little stem “nub” be taken off before making tea?
Hi Steve, i take the nub off…..
Thank you for this information.
Best wishes sent your way
as you continue your mission of health.
I know that chemicals are not good for us. That being said if a person was to make citrus tea using non organic citrus, would it be anymore harmful than EATING the non organic citrus?
I always try to use organic ingredients as much as possible. I recommend getting organic citrus peels, enjoy!
If you have nonorganic citrus peels, why not throw them into a jar covered with cheap white vinegar for a couple weeks (or even a month or two) and then strain it to make a great, non-toxic kitchen spray. I like it better than Fantastic spray or any of the others.
That’s what I do. No Fantastic spray cleaner in my kitchen! You can dilute it with a little water too. A great cleaner for stainless steel sinks is baking soda sprinkled all over the sink, then spray vinegar (or this cleaner) and the secret is to dip a scrub sponge into cream of tartar and then scrub. Wow! Shiny! It works without the cream of tartar, but that makes it look like new.
That’s what I do!
I also have lemon vinegar and lime vinegar brewing now.
my mother in law said this is also a way to lose weight but it has to be drunken before 2 pm i dont know why but it does work first thing in the morning before anything it will help burn fat
[…] How to Make Orange Peel Tea […]
[…] How to Make Orange Peel Tea […]
I learnt to make orange peel chutneys or tuvaiyal as it is called in Tamil country in India, from my mother. For a long time, I have been making tea with the peels. Every time I have any part of the orange, whether they are jaffa oranges or other varieties of oranges, there is a great feel of well being.
Would you be willing to share your orange peel chutney recipe, Nalini?
I have been drinking orange peel tea for ever .I make a pitcher ever morning with hot water drink it warm then cool and drinking it through the day I never knew it was so good for me I love the way it tastes.
I have recently started to use as a tea at am & pm it really helps with my stomach and digestive system. I just refuse to purchase teas from the stores to avoid preservatives.
I know, isn’t the orange peel tea nice?! And, the price is right!
I have been tossing them in a container on window sill for air freshner.
Thanks for this vital information. May God bless you.
I love this and am going to try it this afternoon. Thanks for the information.
[…] or fresh orange zest to your next smoothie or granola recipe for an added nutritional boost. It’s also great in tea! With a little honey, I might even be able to convince my kids to drink that […]
Yep, no chemicles wanted in your home remedies!
This is only for organic oranges…right?
I never knew!