Pineapple Skin Tea (Anti-Inflammatory Tea)

This pineapple skin tea combines the power of pineapple peel, turmeric, ginger, honey, and more for a sweet, flavorful anti-inflammatory tea! 

After years as a food blogger, I’m always on the hunt for ways to reduce my food waste. This pineapple skin tea is something I stumbled upon recently, and I’m so sorry that it’s taken me this long to discover – all that pineapple peel I could have transformed into delicious, flavorful anti-inflammatory tea (aka pineapple tea)!

This pineapple skin tea is inspired by a popular traditional Jamaican similar drink combining pineapple peel with ginger, orange/lemon juice, and several other additions. Luckily, it’s now in my life, I added a couple of extra ingredients, and I think you very well may love it as much as I do.

I’m no stranger to combining turmeric and ginger for their excellent health and anti-inflammatory benefits (like these Ginger Turmeric Energy Shots, One-Pot Turmeric, Ginger &Pumpkin Soup, and Simple Golden Spice (Golden Milk Powder). However, the addition of pineapple peel adds extra flavor and anti-inflammatory benefits to the tea!

Pineapple Skin Benefits

Pineapple contains (including the pineapple peel and core) a powerful enzyme called bromelain. Bromelain is a protein-digesting enzyme with anti-inflammatory benefits and has been used medicinally for centuries.

Currently, bromelain is used for several purposes – when ingested, it is likely to reduce inflammation and swelling of the nasal passages and throat. However, it also helps prevent blood clotting and encourages the formation of new red blood cells, which may be beneficial for treating cardiovascular diseases.

There have also been several studies to show that bromelain has the potential to help with several inflammation-related diseases. These include osteoarthritis, asthma, chronic sinusitis, colitis, and even cancer.

It is also rich in immune-boosting vitamin C and may also help with digestion issues and fighting intestinal parasites.

Top Tip: It’s important to note that bromelain can interact with several medications, including anticoagulants and antibiotics. If you’re unsure, then it’s always best to consult a medical doctor before trying this pineapple tea.

Top Tips For Pineapple Peel Tea

• Make sure to thoroughly wash the pineapple before using the pineapple peel (method included below). 
• You can collect pineapple scraps in a bag in the freezer until you’re ready to make a batch of this pineapple tea. 
• Add a pinch of black pepper to each serving of tea (you won’t taste it). This is needed to help our bodies fully absorb the turmeric nutrients.

The Ingredients

• Pineapple peel: use the core too for even more bromelain
• Orange & lemon: make sure to use fresh orange and lemon juice. I used a blood orange since I had one in my house. Feel free to use regular orange instead. You can optionally add that peel to the tea too, but I usually use it for this Non-Toxic Natural All-Purpose Citrus Cleaner.
• Aromatics: ginger and turmeric. I prefer to use fresh rather than powdered for this pineapple tea, so you don’t have the ground spice’s sediment in the liquid. 
• Herbs & spices: cinnamon sticks, cayenne pepper (optional) or black pepper (to help our bodies absorb the curcumin in turmeric), and rosemary. You can experiment with other herbs that pair well with pineapple, too – mint, lemon basil, basil, sage, etc. 
• Sweetener: I used honey. For a vegan option, you could use maple syrup.

Chef’s note: All of these ingredients were carefully chosen for their flavor as well as their health benefits. For example, cinnamon has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral properties while boosting gut health, digestive health, and lowering blood pressure and sugar levels. Meanwhile, cayenne pepper is metabolism-boosting, can lower blood pressure, aids digestive health, has anti-cancer properties, and may even relieve pain. So, all of the ingredients boost the pineapple tea benefits!

How To Make Pineapple Skin Tea

Step 1: Clean the pineapple

It’s essential to clean the pineapple skin thoroughly. You can do this by scrubbing the pineapple thoroughly with a vegetable brush. I like to do a vinegar soak – which helps to remove bacteria and pesticides from the skin.

Fill a large pot with enough water to submerge the pineapple body and add 1-2 tablespoon of vinegar – this shouldn’t affect the pineapple’s flavor.

Allow it to soak for between 20-30 minutes, then rinse well with clean water.

Step 2: Remove the peel

Pat the rinsed pineapple dry and then remove the peel with a sharp paring knife. You can also use the pineapple core (I didn’t this time as I was using whole slices for a recipe, for presentation).

The pineapple flesh can be eaten as a snack or stored in the fridge/freezer to make smoothies.

Step 3: Prepare the remaining ingredients

Prepare the ginger and turmeric roots by washing and peeling them and then grating them using a garlic grating dish or a fine grater.

You can slice them and slightly ‘bruise’ them by bashing with the knife handle’s hilt, but I find that the flavors infuse much better when grated.

Do this step with gloves on as the turmeric WILL stain your skin.

Then, juice the lemon and oranges – you can do this with an electric or manual juicer.

Step 4: Brew the pineapple tea

Add all of the ingredients (except the honey) into a large pot with water and heat over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer for an hour – the longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will become.

Step 5: Sieve and decant the pineapple skin tea

Allow the tea to cool down slightly before you sieve it and transfer it to bottles.

Optionally, forego the sieve and remove the large pieces of pineapple skin and the rosemary. However, you will then have some remaining pulp in the drink.

You can add a little sweetener now (I used honey), or just before serving it, or omit this entirely.

The pineapple tea is then ready to drink immediately or store for later.

How To Serve

You can enjoy the anti-inflammatory warm or cold. It can be enjoyed alone or added to other drinks, including lemonade and cocktails in place of pineapple juice. 

How To Store

Fridge: Store the leftover pineapple skin tea in airtight glass containers (so they don’t stain) in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Freeze: The pineapple tea can also be frozen into ice-cubes to add to drinks or thaw and consume.

How to use the leftover pulp?

After removing the rosemary and cinnamon sticks from the anti-inflammatory tea, there’s no need to discard the leftover pulp. This can still be used in several ways:

To create a pineapple juice: While lots of the flavor will be in the brewed tea, you can add all of the leftover pulp to a blender with some water and then sieve for a juice. As you haven’t ‘squeezed’ the peel before, there should still be plenty of flavor left to work with.

Blended into pulp: Blend the pineapple peel and leftover ginger and turmeric sediment into a pulpy mush. This can be frozen into ice cubes and then used in several ways.

• To add to smoothies.
• Add to marinades and stocks.
• To make a single portion of hot tea.

Related Recipes

• How To Cut A Pineapple (Pull Apart/ Peeling Pineapple Hack)
• How To Make Ginger Tea
• Ginger Turmeric Immune-Boosting Energy Shots (juicer recipe)
• Simple Turmeric Paste (Golden Paste)
• Simple Turmeric Honey Paste (+ Uses)
• How to Make Green Tea (with no bitterness!)
• Refreshing Blackberry Earl Grey Iced Tea
• Simple And Healthy Ginger Lemonade
• Simple Beetroot And Ginger Juice Recipe
• Fresh Mint Tea (Honey Citrus Mint Tea + Flavor Variations)
• How to Make Cinnamon Tea
• Hibiscus Tea (Agua de Jamaica)
• How To Make Turmeric Tea

If you try this Pineapple Skin Tea recipe, then let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments. I’d also really appreciate a recipe rating and would love to see your recreations – just tag @AlphaFoodie.