This jujube tea is the drink to make when you’re feeling bloated, constipated, worn down, during pregnancy, postpartum, on your period, or just need a nourishing, cozy drink. According to Chinese traditional medicine, red dates are a warm food that helps replenish energy and blood. I’m going to show you how to make this nourishing tea, plus a milk tea variation!

Here’s how to make jujube tea at home!

Jujube Tea Takeaways:

• Jujube tea has lots of antioxidants and nutrients, perfect for when you’re feeling under the weather.
• It’s a one-post recipe, so you don’t need to wash more than one dish!
• Enjoy it plain or add milk and tea for a red date milk tea.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• It’s nourishing, cozy, and good for you!
• Learn how to make a healthy tea that you can enjoy every morning.
• Make this for people of all ages, kids, and elders included.
• Tastes just like something you can get at the cafe, but for a fraction of the price.

What is Jujube Fruit (Red Dates)?

Jujube, or red dates, or 红枣 (hóng zǎo), are Chinese dates that grow on trees and look like a small, brown pear or apple. Fresh dates are crisp, sweet, and crunchy, similar to an apple but have a sweet, tangy, honey-like flavor. Jujubes are extremely popular dried, and look like a red medjool date with a similar flavor but a chewy, spongy texture.

You can find dried jujubes in many, many Chinese dishes, from soup, stir fry, dessert, and tea! It adds a lovely sweetness and aroma.

Jujube vs. Dates

While jujubes might look like regular dates when dried, they’re quite different. Medjool dates come from the palm fruit family and are packed with sugar, with a caramel-like flavor. Regular dates are also high in fiber and calories, so they’re a popular high-energy snack.

Jujube or red dates are crunchy, mildly sweet, and tangy when fresh and are from the buckthorn family. Dried red dates are high in vitamin C and potassium and contain lots of antioxidants! Texture-wise, it’s not as chewy or sticky as a Medjool date because it has less natural sugar in it. While they’re not carbohydrate-heavy, they still have a nice, mild caramel sweetness!

What is Jujube Tea (Red Date Tea)?

You can boil dried jujube fruit to make jujube tea, which is a popular herbal tea in both Chinese and Korean cultures. It’s often made as a sort of skin, digestive, or stomach tonic because of its antioxidants. It’s also a popular tea thanks to traditional Eastern medicine, which categorizes food based on how “hot” or “cold” it is for Qi (energy).

In Chinese medicine, dates are a warm food that rejuvenates the body and stimulates blood.

Normally, you add dried jujube, goji berries, and dried longan to water, but you can also add ginger slices and brown or black sugar for flavor.

There are dozens of variations of this red date tea, and all of them are delicious! It’s kind of like how many families have their own chai recipe, but it’s still all chai.

What Does Jujube Tea Taste Like?

Jujube tea is sweet, slightly tangy, and herbal! It has a dried fruit flavor, similar to honey, and sometimes has a slightly malt flavor. Depending on what you add, it can also have a cinnamon or ginger flavor. But the base flavor is fruity and honey-like.

It’s super easy to drink, and kids love it because it’s sweet!

Benefits of Jujube Tea

There’s a reason why people who are sick or postpartum drink jujube tea! Scientifically, jujubes are nutrient-dense and packed with antioxidants, and great for skin health, digestion, and sleep. (Check the sources!) It’s known as a health food and has large amounts of bioactive substances like polyphenols, amino acids, fiber, and other nutrients that can have anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic, and anticancer properties.

It’s a popular tea to drink during pregnancy because it helps lower the rate of uterine fibrosis (or hard parts of tissue). In postpartum, this study showed drinking jujube tea reduced the amount of heavy metals in breastmilk, which results in healthier infants! Jujubes also have flavonoids and saponins that help reduce menstrual cramps.

So, clearly, these small fruits have a ton of health benefits!

Jujube Tea Recipe: Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make jujube tea at home:

• Dried Jujubes (Red Dates) — The best dried jujubes are home-dried! You leave fresh jujubes covered outside in the sun until they’re wrinkly and brown. But you can also find them at the Asian grocery store, packaged in plastic bags!
• Dried Goji Berries — This is more common to find in both Western and Asian grocery stores since it’s a popular acai topping. You can even get them at Costco!
• Ginger — Fresh ginger root is perfect for this. You can leave the skin on and cut thin slivers to infuse in the tea. You could also use pressed ginger juice for a potent flavor.
• Brown or Black Sugar — Chinese brown or black sugar works best! Usually, it’ll come in bricks or rocks that you hammer or cut into smaller pieces. You can also use brown sugar as a substitute. This gives a nice smoky and malty flavor.
• Water
• Milk (Optional) — Use whole milk or oat milk for the best flavor! It has more fat, which makes it taste creamier.
• Black Tea (Optional) — To make this a proper tea, you can add loose-leaf tea after the ingredients have simmered out.

How to Make Jujube Tea

1. Halve Jujubes and Remove Seeds. Slice dried jujubes in half lengthwise and remove the pit. Be sure to use a sharp knife as the skin might be tough and leathery. Once pitted, separate the halves into two pieces.
2. Slice the Ginger. Wash and dry the ginger root, and remove skin if desired. Then slice the ginger into thin coins.
3. Prepare Sugar. Break apart brown or black sugar into smaller pieces until you have roughly 2 tablespoons worth of sugar. If you’re unsure, add small pieces first, then taste and add more.
4. Simmer Ingredients. Add dried jujube, goji berries, ginger, sugar, and water to a pot, then heat on medium heat until gently boiling. Simmer the mixture for 10 – 15 minutes until the water turns a red golden color. You can taste the tea here to see if you want to simmer longer for a deeper flavor.
5. Jujube Milk Tea Variation: To make jujube milk tea, simmer the ingredients for 10 minutes, then add loose-leaf black tea to the pot and let the tea brew for 3 – 5 minutes on low heat. Once the tea is done brewing, add milk and stir to combine.
6. Serve and Enjoy! Serve while warm. Ladle the tea into a mug with pieces of date and goji berry, and enjoy!

Tips for the Best Jujube Tea

• Use Hot Water: To speed up the tea-making process, boil water in a kettle to add to your pot before heating on the stove. This way, you don’t have to wait for the water to boil, and you can jump straight into simmering.
• Add Longan: For extra fruity flavor, add dried longan. It has a honey-like sweetness, similar to raisin (but way better). You can find dried longan at any Asian grocery store.

FAQ’s

What is jujube tea good for?

Jujube tea is an amazing antioxidant-rich tea that’s great for digestion, skin, bloating, postpartum, and period cramps. It has a lot of anti-inflammatory nutrients and helps lower blood sugar, help you sleep better, and boost immunity. It’s such a healthy drink that you can drink daily.

Does jujube have side effects?

It doesn’t have any harmful side effects, unless you’re allergic or taking specific medications that don’t react well with jujube. It’s safe to eat for most people, but it can cause discomfort if you don’t eat fiber regularly.

Can I make this iced?

Yes! To make this iced, let the jujube tea cool completely before serving over ice. You can also chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight, then serve it chilled without ice! It’s super refreshing and great on a hot, humid day.

Other Tea Recipes to Try

This jujube tea is so easy and delicious; it’s the perfect easy one-pot tea you can make at home or in a dorm. If you want more delicious drink recipes, here are some other tea recipes to try next:

• Roasted Milk Tea
• Cold Brew Earl Grey Milk Tea
• Peach Cold Brew Green Tea
• Ginger Tea