How to Make Fresh Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon balm tea is not only delicious, but easy to make and packed with health benefits. If you have lemon balm in your garden, learn how to make this delightful herbal tea. If you don’t have lemon balm, you might want to grow some just to make lemon balm tea!

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I do not recommend any products I have not purchased and used myself. Read my full disclosure here.

Lemon balm, also known as melissa officinalis, distinguishes itself in several ways:

• delicate, lemon-like, uplifting flavor
• easy to grow
• provides many health benefits
• adapts itself to a variety of culinary and medicinal purposes

A member of the mint family, its leaves looks quite similar to mint. They are a little different shape and a more yellowish green than most mint varieties. I usually harvest maybe 4-5 times per growing season, and it grows back in after a few weeks for another harvest.

If you have grown mint, you know it grows vigorously to the point of being invasive. Lemon balm also grows easily in the right conditions; mine comes back each spring here where I live in north Georgia. Growing it in a pot is a good way to contain it.

Pin for later!

Health disclaimer The Site offers health and nutritional information and is designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Click here for more information.

Health Benefits of Lemon Balm

One reason to love lemon balm is its gentle medicinal benefits. These benefits aren’t really my main reason for growing lemon balm, but they can be significant. Here are some oft-touted health benefits of lemon balm and lemon balm tea:

• calming and soothing (a balm)
• mood support (combats anxiety and depression)
• aids focus
• helps manage stress (regulate cortisol)
• good for type 2 diabetes
• may improve heart and liver health
• anti-microbial (via rosmarinic acid)
• antioxidants
• aids in weight loss
• may help digestion
• sleep aid

Learn more here and here and here.

Will lemon balm cure all your troubles?

No, that seems highly unlikely. This is not medical advice… Lemon balm tea could be one of your tools, though. If it doesn’t help, you will have done yourself no harm, maybe a little good, and you will have enjoyed a lovely cup of tea.

The biggest reason to drink lemon balm tea?

It is just delicious! You don’t even need to add anything to lemon balm tea to make it taste wonderful, Of course, you can add things and make it taste all sort of different ways, but just lemon balm and water is all you need. Hot or cold!

So what does lemon balm taste like? As you may presume, there is definitely a lemon-y aspect to the flavor, minus the sour tang of lemon fruit. Fresh lemon balm leaves also taste… fresh, somewhat similar to the way fresh mint is brighter than dried. Even though lemon balm is a cousin of mint, it tastes distinct.

The “balm” in the name suits the flavor of lemon balm. Unlike actual lemons, there is a soothing sense to lemon balm. The flavor is less intense than lemon is, but rather delicate and nuanced. It is hard to describe, but quite delightful, and not overpowering at all.

How to Make Lemon Balm Tea

You don’t really need a recipe! This is super simple. Harvest some fresh lemon balm. I try to cut the stem just above where I see some new little leaves forming, like this:

Wash it, then I usually either cut it roughly with a knife or muddle it a bit with the back of a spoon or with a potato masher. Just damage the leaves a bit to facilitate the oils releasing into the tea. If you don’t do this, you will still have good tea.

For 2 quarts of tea, I use about 1/2 cup fresh lemon balm leaves.

Pour hot water over the leaves. Try to use water that is just short of boiling for best flavor. Let it steep 5-10 minutes; cover it if you plan to drink hot. If you intend to make iced tea, then you can stick it in the refrigerator and let it go longer.

Strain and drink!

Questions and Answers

Can I make just one serving?

You can; I usually make a bunch and chill it, since lemon balm is a warm-weather crop and quite refreshing. It is also good hot; if you want a single serving, try a tablespoon of leaves with a cup or so of water. Cover while it steeps so you don’t lose heat. Double the ratio for 2 servings, and so on.

Do I need sweetener?

No, the tea tastes good without. Lemon balm is not sour at all. Of course, you could add a bit of honey or some other sweetener you like in tea. You could add a little honey plus a little lemon juice for extra flavor.

When should I consume lemon balm tea for health benefits?

Whenever you like! It won’t keep you awake, and it won’t put you to sleep. Lemon balm tea isn’t that intense, as some herbs are. Here are some times to consider:

• in the morning, for a calm, focused start to the day– especially if your morning cortisol is a bit higher than you’d like
• just before bed, as a wind-down before sleep or to help prevent insomnia
• when you feel stressed– maybe the lemon balm will help, maybe the break for tea will help…
• anytime you feel like a tasty mug or glass of tea
• for refreshment– especially iced lemon balm tea– if you’ve been sweating, add electrolytes

What else could I add for different variations?

As lovely as lemon balm is all by itself, it plays nicely with many flavors. Anything that is good with lemon will likely taste good with lemon balm, so you can experiment confidently. Just remember that, while lemon is a strong flavor, lemon balm is delicate. Keep that in mind when adding other strong flavors.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• fresh mint
• fresh ginger root
• fresh basil
• lemon, lime, or orange– if you use fresh slices, remove them from your iced tea after a few hours so the tea isn’t bitter
• fruit slices or even the tops of strawberries
• lavender buds

What are other uses for lemon balm?

Tea is so appealing that I don’t do much else! This year, though, I have a couple of things steeping in the pantry for medicinal purposes. You can also add lemon balm to desserts and savory dishes!

• lemon balm tincture— I have this in process now, but haven’t used it yet
• lemon balm salve— the oil for this is also steeping on a pantry shelf
• lemon balm pesto— I want to try this!
• combined with other teas, such as raspberry leaf, green tea, etc.
• try in ice cream, finely chopped in fruit salad, in fruit desserts, etc.

I don’t have any lemon balm growing! What can I do?

It takes a little while to grow lemon balm from seed, and of course you need to plant it in the warmer months or indoors. If you can’t find any fresh lemon balm, don’t have any growing, or don’t intend to grow it, you can use dried lemon balm.

Dried isn’t quite as fragrant as fresh, but it is certainly convenient. Dried lemon balm tea will still provide a good flavor and health benefits! You can purchase plain herb tea made of lemon balm and use on its own or combined with other herbs.

You can also try tea bags. We like this tea for a treat!

If you are mostly seeking the health benefits, you can purchase a lemon balm tincture. Or a lemon balm salve.