This Butterfly Pea Tea Recipe is a beautiful blue tea that can be served hot or cold. It is a magical tea that is blue in color but changes color to purple when you add lemon or lime to it. Since it's rising in popularity, I thought to make and share the recipe with you guys.
I'm a tea lover and drink 1-2 cups daily. But sometimes, I don't feel like having a hot cup of tea during hot weather. On such days, Iced Tea feels like an absolute pleasure. It refreshes and rejuvenates and makes the summer heat easier to bear. Butter Pea Tea works great for those days, and also it turns out to be a fun experiment for the kids. Another such drink is Mango Tea, especially when it's mango season.
Butterfly Pea Flower has been used for centuries in most parts of Asia because of its natural remedies. Just like Ginger & Turmeric, it also provides many health benefits for your wellbeing.
The post contains Helpful Tips & Tricks for making Butterfly Pea Tea Recipe. But if you're in a hurry, you can also click "Jump to Recipe' under the Heading to go directly to the Recipe Card, or you can also click Recipe Card from the Table of Contents below.
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⭐WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Refreshing - Just like any other Iced Tea, this butterfly pea flower ice tea is refreshing and makes you feel fresh for a longer time. You can enjoy it in hot weather with lots of ice cubes.
- Unique - This is an amazing tea, especially because of the blue color. No other teas have such a gorgeous blue color.
- Magical - Yes, you read it right, it is a magical tea. The tea has a blue color but turns purple or pink when you add lemon juice to it.
- Easy - It is easy to make and requires minimal ingredients. You can use fresh butterfly pea flowers or get a pack of dried flowers or a tea bag to make this incredible tea.
🍹ABOUT BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER TEA
Butterfly Pea Flower Tea is a special tea made by steeping butterfly pea flowers with water. Steeping these flowers with water brings out the gorgeous blue color. It is caffeine-free as the tea is made with flowers.
It is a Herbal Tea and has a gorgeous blue color. It is also a magical drink because its color changes with a few drops of lemon juice. This tea is made from dried flowers of the Clitoria Ternatea plant. This is widely used in most parts of Asia, particularly Thailand & Vietnam. You can use fresh as well as dried flowers to make this beautiful drink.
Color plays an important role in making this drink so popular. This is often served as a welcome drink in many spas & hotels. Also, the pea flower is used in meals in rice and in some desserts.
This tea can be served hot or cold. But my favorite is the iced version with a summer salad.
🥘INGREDIENST & SUBS
- BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER: This is the main ingredient for the recipe. You can use fresh butterfly pea flowers. Or you can use dried butterfly pea flowers or tea bags. For a lighter tone, add a few flowers. But if you want bold flavors to add 5-6 flowers into the pot.
- WATER: Next, you need boiling water to steep the flowers. This will help in bringing the blue shade to the tea.
- SWEETENER: This is optional; if you like, add sugar/honey/maple syrup to your tea to make it sweet.
- LEMON JUICE: You can also add some lemon juice as per your taste. When you add lemon juice, the color of the tea will change to purple because of a change in ph level.
- ADD-ONS: You can also add some mint leaves, some fruits like blueberries, raspberries, mangoes, etc for more flavor.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪HOW TO MAKE BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER TEA
** For the full recipe, check the recipe card below, but you refer here for step-by-step photo instructions.
Make On Stove-Top:
Boil 2 cups of water in the kettle. Pour water into the Tea kettle and add butterfly pea flowers to the insulated infuser. I have used this Ikea's Teapot for the tea.
Steep for 3 minutes. Then strain the tea and discard the flowers.
Make in an Instant Pot:
Add 2 cups of water to the Instant Pot and add butterfly pea flowers. Close the lid and pressure cook for 1 minute.
Once the timer beeps, immediately release the pressure by turning the vent in the venting position.
Open the lid and strain the tea using a mesh strainer.
Serve Tea:
To Serve Hot: Pour the tea into the cup and add sweetener (o your choice) and lemon juice and enjoy!
To Serve Cold: Half-full the glass with ice cubes. Then pour tea into the glasses and add sweetener (of your choice) and lemon juice, and enjoy!
You can also add some mint leaves along with blueberries or raspberries to the tea.
💭PRO TIPS
- If you want a strong flavor, steep the flowers in water for a longer time and when discarding the flowers, press the flowers with the back to the spoon to extract all the flavor from the flowers.
- Do not steep tea for more than 10 minutes, as it will make tea bitter.
- Use lemon juice to change the color from blue to purple.
- To make unsweetened iced tea, do not add any sweetener like honey/sugar.
🍵STORAGE
if you made big batch of butterfly pea flower tea, store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. Add lemon juice only when you the serving it. Top the tea with mint leaves and blueberries, and enjoy!
🧾COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Butterfly Pea Flower has a beautiful blue color, but it does not have many flavors. It has a mild flavor. It tastes more like green tea instead of floral Herbal Tea. Tastes great with some lemon juice.
Butterfly tea flowers are rich in anthocyanins, mostly found in colorful fruits and vegetables like berries. This helps in building & restoring the skin's collagen. When this tea is mixed with honey & lemon juice, it also helps in weight loss. It also has an antioxidant called proanthocyanidin, which helps overall eye development. Along with all these benefits, it has many more health benefits.
No, Butterfly Tea Flower Tea does not contain any Caffeine; in fact, it is a herbal tea and provides lots of health benefits if taken on a daily basis. It has anti-oxidants and helps in weight loss, and also promotes digestion.
It is best to drink in moderation. If you consume anything without moderation, it is not good for your health. Similarly, when you drink butterfly pea tea, you might feel nauseous, have diarrhea, and have a stomach pan.
🍹RELATED RECIPES
- MANGO ICED TEA
- CHAI MASALA & MASALA CHAI
- TURMERIC MILK
- HERBAL TEA
- CARAMEL ICED COFFEE
- AAM PANNA/ MANGO DRINK
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BUTTERFLY PEA TEA RECIPE
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Water
- 2 teaspoon Butterfly Pea Flower
- 2 teaspoon Honey optional
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Ice Cubes
Instructions
How to Make on Stove-Top:
- Boil 2 cups of water in the kettle. Pour water into the Tea kettle and add butterfly pea flowers to the insulated infuser. Steep for 3 minutes. Then strain the tea and discard the flowers.
How to Make in an Instant Pot
- Add Butterfly Pea Flowers and water to the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Close the lid, and with the vent in the sealing position, pressure cook for 1 minute.
- Once the timer beeps, immediately release the pressure by turning the vent in the venting position.
- When the valve goes down, and pressure is released, strain the tea and remove all the flowers. Open the lid and strain the tea using a mesh strainer.
Serving Tea:
- To Serve Hot: Pour the tea into the cup and add sweetener (o your choice) and lemon juice and enjoy!To Serve Cold: Half-full the glass with ice cubes. Then pour tea into the glasses and add sweetener (of your choice) and lemon juice, and enjoy!
- You can also add some mint leaves, blueberries, or raspberries to the tea.
Notes
- If you want a strong flavor, steep the flowers in water for a longer time and when discarding the flowers, press the flowers with the back to the spoon to extract all the flavor from the flowers.
- Do not steep tea for more than 10 minutes, as it will make tea bitter.
- Use lemon juice to change the color from blue to purple.
- To make unsweetened iced tea, do not add any sweetener like honey/sugar.
Mint says
Such a wonderful recipe! Butterfly pea tea is not only visually stunning but also packed with health benefits. The antioxidants in butterfly pea flowers are great for supporting skin health, reducing inflammation, and boosting overall wellness. I love how versatile this tea is, especially with the magical color change when adding lemon juice—it's always a hit with friends and family.
Thank you for sharing this refreshing recipe!
Joanne says
can I use butterfly tea store bought tea
SunGari says
Yea, of course