Tamarind Iced Tea

Tamarind Iced Tea or juice is the new lemonade this summer! The healthiest and tastiest drinks to cool down on a hot summer day! Served with extra lime, cilantro and lots of ice cubes to make it extra chilled!

Homemade Tamarind iced tea is the drink to quench your thirst this summer. The hardest part of the recipe is to figure out a place where to buy those brown, beans look alike, fruits. Then it’s basically soaking them and squeezing the pulp out to make this fantastic iced tea. Tamarindo has a particularly sour taste, just like lemon or lime. And just like them, tamarind needs some sugar to balance its acidity resulting in this famous ‘sweet and sour’ dynamic duo we all love.

Where is Tamarind from?

The tree grows around the world actually, although it comes from Africa, today it grows everywhere from Asia to South America and its fruit is fairly popular in those continents as well. In Mexico, they call this drink agua de Tamarindo, in Thailand; Nam Ma Kham Wan, in Ghana; Poha Beer, etc. Although, in Europe and North America, tamarind juice or iced tea is not so popular yet but totally should be.

Tons of health benefits

Tamarind is filled with vitamins and minerals and is a great helper for general stomach problems, cardiac issues, vision issues, skin issues, weight loss and much more. It’s even taken by some pregnant women to prevent morning sickness. If you want to learn all about its health benefits check this site here.

The method

The method to make iced tea with it… is slightly more complex than with a tea bag… But the time you’ll invest in making this “one of a kind” drink is well worth your time. First, you’ll need to get rid of the pod’s shell and pick out the roots. Then, add some hot water to the tamarind and let it rest for a minimum of 15 minutes. This process will soften the tamarind meat. Once done, you’ll have to use your hands to squeeze all the pits out and release the pulp. Later, pass the paste through a sieve to make it extra smooth and Voila! 

Once you have the tamarind pulp, simply mix it up with water and sugar and you’ve got yourself a fantastic thirst-quenching Tamarind iced tea! For this particular iced tea, I’ve chosen Stevia (a natural zero-calorie alternative to sugar) as a sweetener but it could be simple syrup, sugar or honey with an extra few limes/lemon slices for decoration, coriander leaves (cilantro) for a creative touch and loads of ice cubes to guaranty a brain freeze. With this drink, you’ll get through those hot summer days without a problem.

Perfect for a pool party, BBQ party, new ‘avant-garde’ lemonade stand for the kids or any summer event. These FoodOlic recipes would match perfectly with Tamarind Iced tea:

• Avocado Hot Dog
• Mango Chicken Tandoori skewers
• Spanish-style burger on the BBQ

Print Pin

Tamarind Iced Tea

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 15 minutes

resting time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 2 liters

Calories 563

Tamarind Iced Tea or juice is the new lemonade this summer! The healthiest and tastiest drinks to cool down on a hot summer day! Served with extra lime, cilantro and lots of ice cubes to make it extra chilled!

Ingredients

• 350 g Tamarind pulp (about 500g with pods)
• 500 ml hot water
• 5 tbsp sugar, sirup or honey (3 tbsp of stevia)

toppings

• lime or lemon (slices)
• cilantro (leaves)
• ice cubes (don't be shy)

Metric – US Customary

Instructions 

• Take the shells and branches off the tamarind pods.
• Add boiling hot water to the tamarind and let it rest 15 minutes.
  
• With your hand, squeeze the pulp until it becomes a paste and detach the pits.
• Pass the mixture through a sieve.
  
• Add the tamarind paste to a pitcher and fill with water, add the sugar and lemon.
• Leave in the fridge to cool a few hours.
• Add coriander leaves (cilantro) and lots of ice cubes before serving.

Notes

The values underneath are with actual sugar but use Stevia if you want to cut on calories.

Author: thefoodolic

Calories: 563kcal

Course: Bebidas

Cuisine: african, asian, Mexicana

Keyword: drink, iced tea, juice, tamarind

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 147g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 1100mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 105g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition Facts

Tamarind Iced Tea

Amount per Serving

Calories

563

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

1

g

2

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.5

g

3

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

0.3

g

Sodium

 

62

mg

3

%

Potassium

 

1100

mg

31

%

Carbohydrates

 

147

g

49

%

Fiber

 

9

g

38

%

Sugar

 

105

g

117

%

Protein

 

5

g

10

%

Vitamin A

 

53

IU

1

%

Vitamin C

 

6

mg

7

%

Calcium

 

137

mg

14

%

Iron

 

5

mg

28

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Mix well before serving. Enjoy on a hot summer day!