Tea isn’t just for sipping! It’s a versatile ingredient you can use in rubs, soups, desserts, brines, and so much more. Using tea leaves or brewed tea in your cooking can transform ordinary dishes intro extraordinary platefuls of yum! From floral teas like jasmine and chamomile to bolder teas like chai and dragon well, harnessing the flavors of this unique culinary ingredient adds layers of flavor and aroma that will intrigue your senses. Check out these 10 sensational recipes that prove tea is so much more than just a drink!
Sweet Tea Barbecue Chicken
This is a simple recipe from Taste of Home and is a great introduction to cooking with tea. The barbecue sauce in this recipe is made with ½ cup of good ol’ fashioned sweet tea and a cup of apple juice that come together to add a little zest and zing to your sauce!
Earl Grey Tea Cookies
We bet you’ve heard of these before. Earl Grey tea cookies might be the most familiar recipe that lists tea as an ingredient. This version from A Spicy Perspective puts an American spin on these classic British tea cookies (or tea cakes, as some call them). Tea leaves are added right to the dough in the final step of mixing. After they’re baked, these puffy cookies are coated with a delicious lemon glaze. I bet you can’t eat just one!
Sweet Tea-Brined Grilled Pork Chops
This is another dish that takes advantage of the south’s favorite drink: sweet tea. This recipe from Southern Cast Iron marinates thick pork chops for 24 hours in a brine of hot tea, brown sugar, citrus, garlic, onion, and spices. The result? Super moist chops that are loaded with flavor!
Chamomile Corn Chowder
Arbor Teas has an entire section of tea-infused recipes that I urge you to check out! This recipe for corn chowder uses 3½ cups of delicate, floral chamomile tea as the base. The sweet corn pairs perfectly with the tea broth. This chowder includes potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions and bell pepper to ramp up the flavor even more. Because it uses no butter or cream, it’s also vegan – and it truly couldn’t be easier to make!
Stir-Fried Shrimp with Dragon Well Tea
Dragon well tea, also calld long jing tea, is a prized green tea in China. You can find it at H-E-B right here. If you’re having trouble sourcing it, using any Chinese green tea will work in this recipe from Cooks Without Borders. High-quality shrimp, dragon well tea leaves, and Shaoxing wine add layers of unique flavors to this not so typical stir-fry. Shaoxing wine is a rice wine you can find online or at Asian grocery stores.
Chinese Tea Eggs
For a truly authentic taste of the east, try these traditional Chinese tea eggs from The Woks of Life. Blogger Judy Leung says Chinese tea eggs are savory snacks found in street stalls across China. She says, “First, you hard-boil the egg. Then, you crack the shells to allow a briny tea and spice mixture to seep in to the egg within, creating a marble pattern and a tasty flavor.” Beautiful!
Barbecue Spicy Tea Sauce
Spice up your next barbecue with this recipe from Plum Deluxe! The beauty of this recipe is that you can use any tea you want – black tea, herbal tea, cinnamon tea, the sky’s the limit. Experiment until you find the one you love! Slather this sweet, spicy sauce over chicken, ribs, pork, grilled halloumi cheese, or whatever your heart desires!
Chai-Spiced Rice Krispie Treats
Rice Krispie treats made with tea? You bet! Chai is a black tea from India made with spices like cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and more. You can use any kind of black tea for this recipe from Cooking Therapy. The flavor boost will come from the spices you choose. The powdered spices get mixed in with the marshmallows, melting into a spicy mixture of gooey goodness. This recipe uses cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and star anise.
Jasmine Tea Rub Ribs
These oven-roasted ribs are another unique dish we discovered on the Chinese cooking blog The Woks of Life. Tea-roasted meats are a specialty in China and now you can bring that authenticity right to your table! This recipe uses a rib rub made with floral Jasmine tea leaves. The ribs are also brined in a tea mixture so you’re getting a double dose! If you want to impress your dinner guests with some authentic far east flavors, this is the dish to do it!
Matcha Tea Pancakes
Matcha tea is well-known for its health benefits, but who are we kidding? We love these pancakes because they’re beautiful and delicious! This super easy recipe from Natalie’s Health uses matcha powder, rolled oats, and a handful of spinach to boost the health benefits even more. Vanilla extract adds a sweet, smoothness to the flavor profile. Top these vibrant green hotcakes with fresh yogurt and berries, almond butter and nuts, or anything your heart desires!
Leave a Reply