How to make cumin seeds tea (jeera tea recipe)

Jeera tea is toasted cumin seeds boiled in water: a pale amber, earthy drink that needs one teaspoon of seeds, one cup of water and about eight minutes. The seeds go in whole, get a quick dry-roast to wake their aroma, then simmer for three minutes and steep, covered, for a few more. Honey and lemon are the usual additions, both stirred in after the tea is off the heat.

The drink is the brewed cousin of jeera water; for the cold-steeped version, see how to make jeera water. Start with whole seeds that still smell strongly of jeera, the kind covered on the cumin seeds guide, and keep the ratio at one teaspoon to one cup, doubled together when you brew for two.

1. Measure. One teaspoon of cumin seeds (2.5 g) and one cup of water (240 ml) per cup of tea; double both for two cups.
2. Dry-roast the seeds. Tip the seeds into a small pan over medium heat and stir for about 30 seconds, until the earthy, smoky aroma rises. No oil is needed.
3. Add the water and boil. Pour in the cup of water, bring it to a rolling boil on high, then lower the flame and simmer for three minutes. The water turns pale amber.
4. Cover and steep. Switch off the heat, cover the pan and leave the tea for two to three minutes so the flavour settles into the water.
5. Strain. Pour through a tea strainer into a cup, press the seeds lightly with the back of a spoon and discard them.
6. Finish and drink. Stir in honey, a squeeze of lemon, or both, and drink warm.

• Too many seeds. More than a teaspoon a cup makes the tea harsh. If a cup tastes bitter, cut the seeds back rather than boiling longer.
• Boiling long instead of steeping. Ten hard minutes on the flame give a flat cup. Three minutes of simmer plus three of covered steeping is the method, and it is enough.
• Honey in the boiling water. Honey only needs to dissolve; stir it in after the tea is off the heat and strained, so it never boils with the seeds.
• Old powder. Ground jeera that has sat open for a long time loses its aroma and brews a cloudy cup. Whole seeds hold their aroma longer, and keeping them well is covered on how to store cumin seeds.
• Leaving the seeds in. Strain them out; nobody wants a mouthful of seeds at the bottom of the cup.

One cup, measured, start to finish.

The plain cup is water with a teaspoon of seeds: about 8 kcal in the seeds before straining; the strained cup holds less. IFCT 2017's per-100 g figures for the seeds sit on the jeera nutritional value per 100g page. Brew one cup at a time; the tea is best fresh, and a reheated cup tastes flat.

Honey and lemon turn the plain brew into the cup most people know. Stir in one teaspoon of honey (7 g, about 21 kcal) once the tea is strained and off the heat, and squeeze in a wedge of lemon if you like it sharp. For a powder version, whisk half a teaspoon of cumin powder into the boiled water and strain the cup twice through a fine sieve, because the powder will not settle on its own.

Powder is the fallback when the seed jar is empty; whole seeds brew cleaner and hold their aroma for months in a sealed jar. Jeera tea is usually drunk plain and warm, often after a meal, and it needs no milk: the flavour is the seeds' own. If the goal is a cold drink for summer, the jeera water page has the overnight method instead.

Can cumin seeds reduce gas?

This page makes no claim that cumin seeds reduce gas or bloating. Jeera tea is a warm, mild drink of water and a teaspoon of seeds, sipped after meals for the taste. A 2014 review of culinary herbs and spices adds the honest frame: eaten in small amounts and mixed with other foods, their true health benefit is unclear. Take it as a drink, not as a remedy.

Which jeera is used in jeera rice?

Whole cumin seeds, the same seeds that make this tea. The jeera rice recipe crackles whole jeera in hot ghee for 15 to 20 seconds before the rice goes in, so the rice takes the aroma without the grit of powder. Buy whole seeds, and the one jar does for tadka, tea and rice alike.

Can I use cumin powder for jeera tea?

You can, though the cup will be cloudy. Whisk half a teaspoon of powder into the boiled water, then strain twice through a fine sieve before drinking. Whole seeds are the easier choice: they brew clean, sink to the bottom and hold their aroma far longer in the jar, which is why the recipe starts with them.

How long do I boil cumin seeds for tea?

Three minutes after the water reaches a rolling boil, then two to three minutes of steeping with the lid on. Boiling longer does not make the tea stronger; it turns the cup flat. If a cup tastes weak, add a pinch more seeds next time instead of extra minutes.

Can I add honey to cumin tea?

Yes. Stir in a teaspoon of honey (7 g, about 21 kcal) once the tea is off the heat and strained, with a squeeze of lemon if you like it sharp. Added at the end, it only dissolves and never boils. The plain, unsweetened cup stays the lighter choice, and any honey counts as added sugar for the day.

Is jeera tea good before bed?

It is cumin seeds and water, with no tea leaves and therefore no caffeine, so a warm cup in the evening is a matter of taste. Keep it plain or lightly sweetened, and brew it fresh rather than reheating a morning pot.