A steaming hot cup of Korean Jujube Tea (Daechu Cha) will warm you right up! Make and enjoy a classic hot Korean drink at home. Perfect for sipping during the cold winter months. Filled with antioxidants and BIG Korean flavor – YUM!
What is Korean Jujube Tea?
Korean Jujube Tea, also called Daechu Cha, is a classic Korean drink made from jujubes or dried red dates.
Combining dried jujubes with warming ginger and cinnamon makes this especially delicious. Daechu Cha is widely considered a healthy drink that aids digestion and improves sleep quality. It can be served hot or cold.
In this Korean preparation, jujubes are ground down into a thick paste with sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. Then stored in a sterilized glass jar to ferment into a thick, pasty syrup. Essentially, we are making a cheong – a Korean sweet syrup that’s made from fermented sugar and fruit.
After 1 month, it’s time to enjoy! Scoop a spoonful of the thick, syrupy paste into a cup. Add hot water and mix — for a comforting and soothing hot Korean drink!
At the Korean market, you can easily buy pre-made Jujube Tea paste. Look in the aisle where they sell Citron Tea, also called Yuja Cha, a kind of citrus cheong. But it’s much less expensive (and fun!) to make your own Daechu Cha paste at home.
What are Jujubes or Dried Red Dates?
Jujubes or dried red dates are well known as a superfruit in Asian culinary history and Chinese traditional medicine. Packed full of antioxidants, vitamin C, and vitamins and minerals — the health benefits are numerous. They boost immunity, lower blood sugar levels, prevent constipation, reverse free radical damage, and even help you sleep better at night.
What do they taste like? Jujubes or Chinese Red Dates are mildly sweet with a mellow earthy flavor. The flavor pairs well with warming ginger and cinnamon. In Korean cuisine, it’s a classic combination.
Ingredients:
Only 4 ingredients are needed for this delicious Korean hot drink!
- Jujubes. Jujubes are dried red dates. They are also known as Chinese red dates. Buy the seedless kind!
- Sugar. The sugar crystals wrap around the minced dates + ginger and melt into sugary, candied goodness. It’s also easier to mix and transfer into the container. I prefer sugar over honey. But you can certainly swap with honey if you like.
- Ginger. Organic ginger is preferred for its peppery bite. Make sure to mince well!
- Cinnamon. Provides depth and subtle earthy sweetness.
Instructions:
- Rehydrate jujubes. Add seedless dried Jujubes or Red Dates to a large bowl. Cover with boiling hot water (from the tea kettle) until the jujubes float. Give it a good stir. Cover with a plate so the jujubes are completely submerged in liquid. Cover and set aside until rehydrated and soft, about 1 hour.
- Make paste. Drain Jujubes with a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a food processor. Add minced ginger and cinnamon. Pulse into a thick paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula. The texture should look like wet sand. Make sure there are no big chunks.
- Add sugar. Transfer minced jujubes to a large bowl. Add sugar. Mix well with a spoon until the sugar is evenly distributed. It will look like crystalized bits of red dates/jujubes.
- Store in a jar. Transfer to an airtight container (like a 2L glass jar), packing down with a spatula so that there are no air pockets. Rest at room temperature for 8 hours (or overnight). Transfer and store in the fridge for 1 month.
- To serve: Scoop out 1 Tbsp of the syrupy paste (or more, depending on taste preference) to a large mug. Add hot water (about 1 cup) directly on top and stir. Steep for 5 minutes. Drink and enjoy!
Watch how to make it:
PRO Tips:
- Use a food processor. Makes the recipe SO much easier. Chopping by hand takes a long time.
- Mince evenly. For a pleasurable Daechu Cha drinking experience, make sure there are no large chunks of dates. Pulse in a food processor until evenly ground.
- Adjust sweetness to your liking. If you’d like a sweeter drink, add more Jujube paste. Or, drizzle a little honey in addition to the paste.
- Use a strainer, if you like. Korean Jujube Tea is a cloudy tea with bits of ground-up jujubes and ginger floating in hot water. That’s the way many people drink it. If you don’t like the idea of floating bits, use a tea strainer.
- Enjoy as a cold drink. Tastes good cold! Double the paste amount, as the taste will not be as strong. Steep with hot water, then cool to room temperature. Add a few ice cubes and enjoy!
- Be careful of cross-contamination. Homemade Jujube Ginger Tea does not contain the same preservatives as store-bought ones. Avoid touching ingredients with dirty hands and always use a clean spoon when scooping a spoonful of paste from the jar. Also, make sure to store in a clean glass jar. The process of fermentation should kill any harmful bacteria but make sure to use equal amounts of sugar and dried red dates.
More cold weather comfort food:
- Salmon Ochazuke (Green Tea over Rice)
- Galbi Jjim (Korean Braised Short Ribs)
- Instant Pot Vietnamese-style Chicken Ginger Soup
More drink recipes:
Korean Jujube Tea (Daechu Cha)
Equipment
- Food processor
- Large Bowl
- Mesh Sieve or Colander
Ingredients
- 2 cups/ 300g/ 10.5 oz Dried Jujubes or Red Dates *preferably seedless
- 1 1/2 cups/ 300g/ 10.5 oz Sugar *can be subbed with honey but the final texture will be more runny
- 3-inch section Ginger, preferably organic *peeled
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Rehydrate dried jujubes. Add seedless dried Jujubes or Red Dates to a large bowl. Cover with boiling hot water (from the tea kettle) until the jujubes float. Give it a good stir. Cover with a plate so the jujubes are completely submerged in liquid. Cover and set aside until rehydrated and soft, about 1 hour.
- Mince Jujubes. Drain Jujubes and add to a food processor. Add minced ginger and cinnamon. Pulse into a thick paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula. The texture should look like wet sand. Make sure there are no big chunks.
- Add sugar. Transfer minced jujubes to a large bowl. Add sugar. Mix well with a spoon until the sugar is evenly distributed. It will look like crystalized bits of red dates/jujubes.
- Store in a jar. Transfer to an airtight container (like a 2L glass jar), packing down with a spatula so that there are no air pockets. Rest at room temperature for 8 hours (or overnight). Transfer and store in the fridge for 1 month.
- To serve: When ready to serve, scoop out 1 Tbsp of the paste (or more, depending on taste preference) to a large mug. Add hot water (about 1 cup) directly on top and stir. Steep for 5 minutes. Drink and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use a strainer, if you like. Korean Jujube Tea is a cloudy tea with bits of ground-up jujubes and ginger floating in hot water. That’s the way many people drink it. If you don’t like the idea of floating bits, use a tea strainer.
- Enjoy as a cold drink. Tastes good cold! Simply double the paste amount. Steep as is then cool to room temperature. Add a few ice cubes and enjoy!
- Be careful of cross-contamination. Homemade Jujube Ginger Tea does not contain the same preservatives as store-bought ones. Avoid touching ingredients with dirty hands and always use a clean spoon when scooping a spoonful of paste from the jar.
Hello! I was wondering how long does this last in the fridge for?
If you’re careful of cross-contamination and store in the coldest part of the fridge with a lid tightly sealed — it should last several months. I’ve had jars last 6-8 months. If there’s only a little on the bottom of the jar, it will be more susceptible to mold so check carefully.