Saenggang-cha

Name: Saenggang-cha
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 60 g fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 l water; 1 stick cinnamon (optional); 4 dried jujubes, slit (optional); 3 tbsp honey; 1 tsp pine nuts (optional)

Vegetarian

생강차 · saenggang-cha

Sliced fresh ginger simmered with cinnamon and jujubes into a warming, spicy tea, sweetened with honey and topped with pine nuts.

Saenggang-cha is a Korean hot drink from South Korea, ready in about 35 minutes and made with fresh ginger and honey. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

A cozy setup featuring ginger lemon tea with honey, promoting wellness and comfort. — Photo: Lusynda <3 / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 35 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 50

Ingredients

4 cups

60 g Fresh ginger (opens in a new tab), peeled and thinly slicedThe slices are strained out.
1 l Water (opens in a new tab)
1 stick (3 g) Cinnamon (opens in a new tab) (optional)
4 (16 g) Dried jujubes (opens in a new tab), slit (optional)
3 tbsp (63 g) Honey (opens in a new tab)Swap: Brown sugar (For a honey-free version.)
1 tsp (3 g) Pine nuts (opens in a new tab) (optional)Contains tree nuts

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Put the ginger, cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and jujubes in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) with the water and bring to the boil.
- 5 min
- high heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Simmer gently until the liquid is pale gold and strongly gingery.
- 25 min
- low heat
3
Step 3
Strain, stir in the honey (opens in a new tab) to taste and serve hot with a few pine nuts (opens in a new tab) floating on top.
- 2 min
- Sieve / strainer (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: South Korea · Commonly attributedMore food from South Korea
Dish: Snack · Hot drinks
Cooking method: Simmered
Taste: peppery, sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Low-carb
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: No nut ingredientsWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-basedWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead
Cook more with: Fresh ginger · Honey
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Tree nutsfrom pine nuts

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

50 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 268 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 1%
Carbohydrate 99%
Fat 0%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	50 kcal	19 kcal
Protein	0.1 g	0 g
Carbohydrate	13.4 g	5 g
Net carbohydrate	13.3 g	5 g
Sugars	13 g	4.8 g
Added sugars	12.9 g	4.8 g
Fibre	0.1 g	0 g
Fat	0 g	0 g
Saturated fat	0 g	0 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	6 mg	2 mg
Salt equivalent	0 g	0 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 19 mg
Calcium: 26 mg
Iron: 0.1 mg
Magnesium: 6 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 1 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: cinnamon, dried jujubes, pine nuts.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Add the honey off the heat to keep its flavour.

Common mistakes

Boiling the honey — add it at the end, off the heat, so it keeps its flavour.

Serve with

Sip after a heavy meal or on a cold day; serve with hotteok.

Storage

Refrigerate the strained tea for up to 5 days.

Reheating

Reheat gently, or serve chilled over ice in summer.

Variations

Yuja-cha: A similar warming tea made by stirring citron marmalade into hot water.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & BlendCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced60 g
Dried jujubes, slit (optional)4 piece · 16 g

Used in step 1

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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