Cinnamon Tea
Make the best cinnamon tea with this simple recipe! You'll need cinnamon sticks and water. Find variations, health benefits, and more here.
Posted by Kathryne Taylor on December 5, 2024
Let’s warm up with a mug of cinnamon tea! Cinnamon tea (té de canela in Spanish) has become my drink of choice during cool weather. It’s hot and nicely spicy but not overwhelmingly so. Cinnamon’s inherent sweetness makes it a well-balanced drink. Plus, it makes the house smell amazing.
If you enjoy the spice factor in masala chai tea, you’ll love cinnamon tea, and it’s so easy to make. Make your drink creamy with a splash of milk, or sweeten it with honey if you’d like. I like mine plain or with a splash of heavy cream, depending on my mood.
This cinnamon tea is caffeine-free, so it’s perfect for sipping past noon. My husband and I have gotten into the habit of sipping cinnamon tea after our daughter goes to bed, which is a lovely way to unwind.
Cinnamon Tea Benefits
Besides tasting great, cinnamon tea caught my attention as a way to potentially improve blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. Given the possibility, cinnamon tea may offer benefits to diabetics and women with PCOS. If lowering blood sugar is your goal, it’s best to avoid adding sweeteners like sugar or honey to your drink, which will have the opposite effect.
Cinnamon is also very high in polyphenol antioxidants, which may help your body fight off free radicals. Its anti-inflammatory properties can help improve cholesterol. Plus, it’s antibacterial and antifungal. I’m not a nutritionist, but cinnamon sure sounds like a winner!
Types of Cinnamon
When you read about the potential health benefits of cinnamon consumption, consider which type is referenced. Make your cinnamon tea with Ceylon cinnamon, otherwise known as “true cinnamon” or cinnamomum verum. Consuming large amounts of other types of cinnamon, particularly Cassia cinnamon, may damage the liver and increase the risk of bleeding.
You can try making cinnamon tea with any cinnamon sticks you have at home, but if you start drinking it regularly, please switch to Ceylon cinnamon sticks. I buy organic Ceylon cinnamon sticks from Frontier Co-op on Amazon.
How to Make Cinnamon Tea
While this recipe is simple, how long you simmer (and steep) the tea is surprisingly important. I made cinnamon tea over and over again to find the method that yields the best results with the purest cinnamon flavor.
Multiply the recipe as needed—for each cup of water, include one cinnamon stick.
- In a saucepan, combine the water and cinnamon stick(s). Cover the pan so the water doesn’t evaporate. Bring the mixture to a hearty simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 10 minutes, covered. If you simmer any longer, the tea tastes flat and turns a dull brown color.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it steep for 10 minutes. Cinnamon releases a significant amount of flavor as it cools.
- Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into your mug. Enjoy while warm, or chill it for up to four days (reheat or enjoy it cold).
Shortcut Option
This shortcut method is super easy. The downside is that it uses twice as much cinnamon.
- Bring one cup water to a boil, then pour it over two cinnamon sticks in a mug.
- Let the cinnamon steep for 10 minutes before sipping or adding cream (it becomes spicier as it cools, and needs time to cool to a safe temperature anyway). You could carefully remove the cinnamon sticks at this point if they bother you, but I usually leave them there.
That’s it!
Watch How to Make Cinnamon Tea
Cinnamon Tea Variations
Here are a few delicious spins on cinnamon tea.
- Make it sweet: Stir in honey, maple syrup, or sugar, to taste. While I enjoy my tea unsweetened, cinnamon and honey is a match made in heaven.
- Make it creamy: Add a splash of half-and-half, cream, whole milk or any other plain creamer that you enjoy.
- Make it extra spicy: Add a couple of whole cloves, or a cardamom pod. You could also try thinly sliced fresh ginger or turmeric.
- Make it citrusy: Steep your tea with a couple thin slices of orange or lemon.
- Make it caffeinated: Once you’ve removed the pot from the heat, steep black or green tea for the length of time offered on the package. Or go rogue with the concept and try adding a cinnamon stick to your cup of hot coffee (I love it).
- Enjoy it cold: This tea is nice over ice as well. Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate it for later.
Cinnamon Tea Notes
- Expect the intensity of your tea to vary a bit from batch to batch. Some cinnamon sticks weigh more than others (mine range from 4 to 7 grams) and some inherently seem to have stronger flavor than others.
- Some recipes suggest reusing your cinnamon sticks, but I don’t recommend it. They lose a significant amount of flavor each time they’re used. They take a long time to air dry, and I worried about mold or bacteria growing while wet.
More Drinks to Warm You Up
If you enjoy this cinnamon tea, check out these warming drinks. Browse more drinks here.
Please let me know how you like your cinnamon tea in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Cinnamon Tea
Make the best cinnamon tea with this simple recipe! It’s warming and spiced and makes your home smell amazing. Enjoy this hot, caffeine-free beverage any time of day. Multiply the recipe as needed, and don’t miss the shortcut option in the notes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long, preferably Ceylon)
- Optional: Creamer and/or sweetener of choice
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the water and cinnamon stick. Cover the pan and bring the mixture to a hearty simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for 10 minutes, covered. Remove the pot from the heat and let it steep for 10 minutes, then pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into your mug. Enjoy while warm, or chill it for up to 4 days (reheat or enjoy it cold).
Notes
Shortcut option: This method uses 2 cinnamon sticks per cup of water, but it’s quicker and easier. Place 2 cinnamon sticks in a mug. Bring 1 cup water to a boil, then pour it over the cinnamon sticks in the mug. Let it steep for 10 minutes before sipping or adding cream. You could carefully remove the cinnamon sticks at this point, but I don’t bother.
Cassia Cinnamon is the cheap ‘false’ cinnamon.
Ceylon or Verum Cinnamon is the true cinnamon. It is more expensive, but safer variety.
If someone has liver issues, one cinnamon roll from a well known chain, can cause liver failure.
Research has found that eating too much coumarin may harmTrusted Source your liver. Research suggests the limit should be about 0.1 milligrams (mg) per 1 kilogram (kg) or 2.2 pounds (lb) of body weight.
Coumarin is present in cheap cinnamon… not in Ceylon Cinnamon.
Hi Amy, that’s concerning that even one cinnamon stick could be damaging. I’ve not read that. Can you please share your source?
How nice to see that your reader, Amy, took the time for an important warning! Dr. Michale Greger warned us in 2012 of this potential liver problem at even 1 teaspoon daily and not safe for children ( and perhaps lightweight smaller people like me even at that! You could search his short videos on NutritionFacts with the words Cinnamon and liver toxicity, but I just looked and do not see any updates. An MD reviewed answer to a member’s question (at ConsumerLab.com), “Is cinnamon dangerous for my liver? I put about a teaspoon of it in my oatmeal every day.” was shocking and convincing explaining that some cinnamons may be mis-labeled and actually contain cassia which contains the toxic substance coumarin and has been the straw that broke my denial and today convinced me to quit entirely any cinnamon besides one I confirm to be Ceylon, which is not as tasty, but compared to liver issues, an easy decision. Thank you, Katherine, for spurring me to look again at the research! Your site is new to me and I shall try cinnamon tea if I can find same in Ceylon tea sticks!
Thanks for your recipe for Cinnamon Tea.
I am from Kerala, India, closer to Ceylon where cinnamon grows. Presently, I live in the US. For years I have been drinking cinnamon tea before I go to bed.
In the morning , I make a drink with cinnamon, organic pure cocoa powder and honey. Al I know is that it is medicinal and I am sure it is helping me with my blood sugar and healthy living even in my 90’s.
OC
Thank you for your note, O.C.! Sounds like you know good cinnamon. It’s wonderful to hear that you’re living well in your 90s—that’s my goal! Wishing you well!
I made this as soon as I got the email!!! It is SO TASTY and warming. I did the “shortcut” of boiling water and using 2 cinnamon sticks. Steep for 10 mins and put a little vanilla almond creamer. Wow!! The perfect winter treat. Thank you Kate!
Kate, thanks for your note! I’m actually enjoying my shortcut cinnamon tea as I type—cheers!
Thank you so much for your lovely recipes! The Cinnamon tea is amazing, thanks to help and teach me to make it so much yummier ;)) for me and my fam & friends! I will keep follow your recipes that are full of amazing inspirations. Have an amazing winterwonderland swason, or at least beginning of it. Here in Kitchener Ontario Canada is it a winter wo ndrrland for sur! Thsnks agajn
Thank you Manuela! Happy holidays to you and your family!
Is it necessary to pre sift icing sugar before using in recipes? Some people say yes and others say only when specified.
Hi Christine, I’d follow the specifications if offered and would definitely sift it beforehand if it looked lumpy.
Just made a mug of cinnamon tea on this cold day and am loving it. This is definitely my go-to tea. I made the quickie way ; no fuss, no muss, just a satisfying cup of cinnamon tea. And who doesn’t love cinnamon.
Hooray! Thanks Pat!
It was delicious! I love the way it warms you up when you drink it. Yummy! I will be making this again.
Awesome! Thank you, Cassandra. It is really the perfect wintery sipper.
Very simple but lovely. Try the cinnamon tisane as directed, then explore your spice collection. I added an allspice berry, whole clove, cardamom pod, peppercorn, star anise and crystallised ginger. It tasted spicy, mildly sweet and smelled amazing. A new winter favourite!
Oh, I love the sound of your homemade blend! That’s also a great way to use up some whole spices that often sit in the back of my drawer.
I sometimes heat cinnamon in water on the stove as an air freshener. Thanks to your recipe, I finally gave it a taste. Oh. My. So very tasty. Can’t wait to make more.
Even better! Air freshener plus a lovely drink. Thanks, Linda!
This cinnamon tea is so sweet and satisfying just as is. I used the recommended Ceylon Cinnamon sticks. So good, so easy!
Hooray! Thanks Ronnie!
I have always loved cinnamon but never thought of making tea out of it. I tried it today & really loved it. Unfortunately, I used the last of my cinnamon sticks in it, now I’m going to have to goto Target or Big Lots to get some. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad! Thanks for the note, Jill. Try to find Ceylon cinnamon sticks—they taste the best and are the safe option if you’re making lots of tea.
Where O Where can we find Ceylon cinnamon sticks?
Hi Gayle! I bought organic Ceylon cinnamon sticks sold by Frontier Co-op on Amazon. Here’s the link.
Yes, this is pretty perfect. So comforting. Love the idea of adding milk.
Just a question…how many organic cinnamon (Ceylon) sticks come in a package from Amazon and how long do they last. Thank you.
Hi Noreen, it will depend on which vendor or package you select from Amazon, there are several options. For freshness, I would consult the expiration date on the package.