Pandan Tea is a traditional South East Asian herbal tea with no caffeine. Made from pandan leaves, water, and sugar, you can find it in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia etc. I also show you how to make popular variations such as Pandan Tea with Lemongrass.
Jump to:
⭐ Why This Recipe is a Star
- Easy: You pretty much just boil the ingredients for 5-10 minutes. No special cooking equipment or technique required.
- Fragrant: Pandan leaves, also known as screwpine, are really fragrant and used to scent everything from rice to desserts in Asia. (It contains the same flavor compound, 2-Acetyl-1-Pyroline (ACPY), as Basmati and Jasmine rice and thus complements them very well.)
For information on "What is Pandan" and its place in the Southeast Asian kitchen, head down to the FAQs.
🥘 Ingredients
You only need 3 simple ingredients for this unique herbal tea:
- pandan leaves: do not stinge here. You will need at least 5-10 leaves per litre of water. If not, your pandan tea will smell fragrant but taste of nothing! Fresh pandan leaves work best as dried leaves have lost most of their aroma. (If not, frozen leaves are a better choice than dried.) Choose bright green, fresh looking ones.
- sweetener: Traditionally, we used palm sugar to sweeten, but you can also use light brown sugar or even honey. (Don't use dark brown sugar- the molasses flavor is too dominant.) If using sugar, remember to add when the tea is still hot so that it will dissolve. If using honey, allow the drink to cool, so that honey's nutrients are not destroyed by the heat. I sometimes use lemongrass syrup or pandan syrup to enhance the flavor.
- water
📖 Variations & Substitutes
- Pandan Lemongrass tea: Add 2 stalks of lemongrass per 1 litre of water. Asian lemongrass recipes usually use the tender inner portion of the bottom part of the lemongrass stalk- the bit that is white- so this is a great way to use the top part of the lemongrass stalk.
- Pandan Ginger Tea: Another complementary flavor is ginger. (You can add both ginger and lemongrass at the same time.) Ginger has a strong spicy flavor, so don't use too much or boil too long. If not, it'll overpower the delicate pandan flavor. I recommend no more than 1-2 slices per litre of water.
- Iced Pandan Tea: allow to cool then add ice cubes. A great drink for summer!
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
1a. Wash your 5-10 pandan leaves well. If it comes with the root, cut that off. Bruise between your hands then cut the leaves into smaller 2-inch pieces. (Alternatively, you can tie them into a knot- the traditional way!)
1b. Add the 1 litre of water and cut up leaves to a pot and bring to a simmer.
Note: DO NOT use high heat as we don't want to destroy the light pandan scent.
2a. After simmering for minimum 5-10 minutes, the tea will turn a light green. (10 minutes if you have 5 leaves, 5 minutes if you have 10.)
2b. Add in the palm sugar or brown sugar when still hot. (If not, it'll be difficult to dissolve.) Add as much as you need but I recommend half a block of palm sugar or 3 Tablespoons of light brown sugar.
Note: if using honey, wait for the tea to cool before adding.
2c. Scoop out the tea and portion into cups, leaving the leaves in the pot. (They're big enough that you don't have to sieve them out.)
🥡 How to Store
Store extra in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Pandan is a Southeast Asian herb that is so widely used, it's known as the Vanilla of the East. You can find it in most Asian gardens.
Outside of Asia, you'll need to go to the Asian market for them. Look for them in the fridge or freezer sections.
Pandan is rich in Vitamin A. It also contains some antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds, vitamin E and ascorbic acid. In addition, pandan extract oils have been found to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, headaches, and earaches. However, more research needs to be done on pandan's health benefits. (This information is FYI only- please consult a medical professional before making changes to your diet.)
🥗 Other Pandan Recipes
Enjoyed this easy Pandan Leaf Tea Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this Asian tea, please consider supporting it by buying me a bottle of soy sauce! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
Pandan Tea (10-minutes)
Equipment
- 1 Pot
- 1 Scissors to cut the leaves. If not just tie them in a knot, after bruising with your fingers.
Ingredients
- 5-10 pandan leaves Feel free to add more if you want. Don't use less or there'll be no fragrance. You'll smell it but not taste it! Cut off the root, wash, bruise with hands, then cut into 2-inch pieces.
- 4 Cups water
- 3 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar Substitute: Palm Sugar, Honey, Lemongrass Syrup, Pandan Syrup etc
Instructions
- Add the 1 litre of water and 5-10 cut up leaves to a pot and bring to a simmer.Note: DO NOT use boil continously over high heat as we don't want to destroy the light pandan scent.
- After simmering for minimum 5-10 minutes, the tea will have turned light green.(Simmer for 10 minutes if you have 5 leaves, 5 minutes if you have 10.)
- Add in the palm sugar or brown sugar when still hot. (If not, it'll be difficult to dissolve.) Add as much sweetener as you need but I recommend half a block of palm sugar or 3 Tablespoons of light brown sugar.Note: if using honey, wait for the tea to cool before adding.
- Scoop out the tea and portion into cups, leaving the leaves in the pot. (They're big enough that you don't have to sieve them out.)
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
If this Singaporean Drink recipe was helpful, maybe you'd like to sign up for my newsletter in which I send you more tips and tricks to make authentic Asian food?
Frank L Kaffenberger says
Thank you a friend just brought me a bag of tea bags from Vietnam I am enchanted by the sweet ethereal fragrance and earthy subtle tones. It brings me great joy and you have shared some ways to make it. Thank you
Zen says
Hi Frank, thanks for stopping by, I am so happy that you enjoyed the pandan tea recipe! Pandan flavor is great in rice and desserts such as cakes too!