Name: Lemon Verbena Tea Recipe
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 16 min
Ingredients: 3 lemon verbena leaves; 4 cups water; 4 tsp. honey or sweetener of choice (optional)

Té de Cedrón

If you enjoy herbal teas, you will really enjoy this fragrant lemon verbena tea – té de cedrón – which can be enjoyed hot or over ice. In Mexico, people drink it as a sleep aid and to help reduce indigestion but we drink it because it has a bright delicious lemony flavor.

Our version is delicately flavored and lightly sweetened with real honey. You can also prepare it with agave nectar, stevia or sugar although it is great without any sweetener too.

In Mexico, it is common to find lemon verbena grown in pots in patio gardens. It is easy to grow and can be used to cook a wide variety of dishes in addition to preparing tea. Lemon verbena is especially good when used to add a delicate lemony fragrance to fish. Learn how to grow it here.

A few leaves are all you need to prepare your tea. You can double or triple the number if you prefer a stronger flavored tea or will be serving it iced.

Enjoy!

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3.62 from 18 votes

Lemon Verbena Tea Recipe

Recipe to prepare a delicate, fragrant Mexican lemon verbena tea (té de cedrón) which is lightly sweetened with natural honey. Delicious served hot or iced.

Course Drink

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword cédron, herbal tea, lemon verbena, tea

Prep Time 1 minute

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 16 minutes

Servings cups

Calories 22kcal

Author Andrés Carnalla

Ingredients

3 lemon verbena leaves
4 cups water
4 tsp. honey or sweetener of choice optional

Instructions

Place the 3 lemon verbena leaves in the 4 cups of water.
Boil for 15 minutes.
Serve hot or iced with a teaspoon of honey in each glass for sweetness.

Notes

Adjusting the Flavor

Our recipe makes a very delicately flavored tea. Chopping the leaves before boiling releases more flavor if you prefer a stronger tea.

Preparing Iced Tea

Double or triple the quantity of leaves if you are preparing iced lemon verbena tea.

Sweetener Options

You can use agave nectar, stevia or sugar to sweeten your tea instead of honey. It is also delicious unsweetened.

Plant Names

Lemon verbena is also known as lemon beebush. In Mexico, it is called cedrón.

Nutrition

Calories: 22kcal | Sodium: 5mg | Sugar: 6g

More Mexican Beverages to Enjoy

Comments

Kittygayle McMoon says

July 14, 2018 at 6:10 am

Thank you very much for this site! I grow Lemon Verbena every year and often am not sure what to do with all of it. Even though I am not in a “frost-free” climate, mine comes back as if it is a perennial! Weird… This has given me another idea for it. Also, can’t wait to try the cactus salad; sounds yummy to me!

- Douglas Cullen says
  
  July 23, 2018 at 7:06 am
  
  We’re glad that you like the site! You definitely have to try the cactus salad. It’s delicious!
  
Becky says

June 09, 2020 at 1:33 pm

Do you dry the leaves or use them fresh for the tea?

Cecilia Virginia Maravilla says

March 02, 2022 at 8:04 pm

Hi my name is Cecilia, we come from Michoacán , Mexico and my father brought a plant many years ago , we drink it for any occasion, we come from a family of 12 kids. And all of our kids love this test , it reminds them of their childhood, I moved to Arkansas and I haven’t been able to grow this out here .