Pineapple Peel and Clove Tea: How to Make It, What It Tastes Like, and What It Does Not Do
The photo going around shows a plastic bottle packed with chopped pineapple peel and whole cloves, with the text: “BOIL PINEAPPLE PEELS WITH CLOVES Drink this 3 times a day Why should you try this natural remedy today? I’ll show you the full recipe if you comment ‘OK’”
The drink is real, and it is popular in many parts of the world. In Mexico it is close to tepache, in Brazil and West Africa pineapple peel tea is common. It is fragrant, lightly sweet, and a good way to use peels you would normally throw away.
It is not a medical remedy. Drinking it 3 times a day will not cure any disease. Here is what pineapple peel and clove tea actually is, how to make it safely, and who should be careful with it.
What Is Pineapple Peel and Clove Tea
It is a simple infusion made by simmering washed pineapple peels with whole cloves, and often cinnamon and ginger. The pineapple gives a sweet tropical flavor and vitamin C. The cloves give a warm, spicy aroma from eugenol, the same compound that makes cloves smell so strong.
The bottle in the photo is not boiled, it looks like a cold infusion with chopped pineapple flesh and a lot of cloves. The traditional version is boiled briefly, then cooled and strained. Do not store unrefrigerated fruit water in a closed plastic bottle for days, that is a food safety risk.
This is a food beverage, not medicine.
What It Can and Cannot Do
What it can do:
- Hydration with flavor: It is a tasty, low-calorie way to drink more water, especially served cold over ice.
- Vitamin C and antioxidants: Pineapple peel contains vitamin C, manganese, and bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down protein. Most bromelain is in the core and stem, not the peel, and boiling destroys most of it. You still get flavor and some antioxidants.
- Reduce food waste: Using peels is a great zero-waste kitchen habit.
- Digestive comfort: Warm spiced tea can feel soothing after a heavy meal. That is comfort, not treatment.
What it cannot do:
There is no human evidence that pineapple peel and clove tea treats infections, cures inflammation, melts fat, detoxes organs, or fixes any medical condition, even if you drink it 3 times a day.
Clove eugenol kills microbes in a petri dish. Pineapple bromelain is studied as an anti-inflammatory supplement in concentrated doses. Neither effect translates to a cup of homemade peel tea curing anything in your body.
If you are sick, in pain, or managing a chronic condition, see a doctor. Do not replace medical care with a tea.
Safety: Read This Before You Brew - Wash the pineapple very well
Peels sit on the ground, in shipping boxes, and in stores. Scrub the whole pineapple under running water with a clean brush before cutting. Discard any moldy or bruised parts. Pesticide residues concentrate on the peel. If that worries you, buy organic, or just eat the fruit instead. - Cloves are strong
Culinary amounts in tea, 4 to 6 whole cloves per liter, are safe for most healthy adults. Large amounts can irritate your mouth, stomach, and throat. Never use undiluted clove essential oil. That is not what is in this tea.
Cloves can slow blood clotting. If you take blood thinners like warfarin, have a bleeding disorder, or have surgery scheduled, avoid medicinal amounts and talk to your doctor.
Cloves are not recommended in large medicinal amounts during pregnancy or nursing. Food seasoning amounts are fine. - Do not ferment by accident
The bottle in the photo is a closed plastic bottle full of fruit at room temperature. That will start fermenting within hours in warm weather. Fermented pineapple peel drink, tepache, is a real thing and is delicious when made intentionally, but accidental fermentation in a sealed bottle can build pressure and cause the bottle to burst, and uncontrolled fermentation can grow unwanted microbes.
If you are making tea, boil it, strain it, cool it, and refrigerate. Drink within 3 days. Do not store fruit and water at room temperature in a sealed bottle. - Blood sugar
Pineapple is naturally sweet. The tea itself is low sugar if unsweetened, but if you add a lot of sugar, count the carbs. People with diabetes should check their glucose response. - Allergies
Pineapple allergy exists and can cause mouth itching, swelling, or rash. Clove allergy is rare but possible. Stop if you react.
How to Make Pineapple Peel and Clove Tea Safely
This is the traditional boiled version, safe and clean.
Ingredients for about 1.5 liters:
- Peels from 1 large ripe pineapple, well washed, core included
- 4 to 6 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick, optional
- 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced, optional
- 1.5 liters water
- Juice of 1/2 lime, optional
- Honey or sugar to taste, optional
Instructions:
- Wash the pineapple thoroughly under running water. Scrub the skin. Cut off the top and bottom, then peel. Save the flesh for eating. Use the clean peels and the core, that is where most flavor is.
- Place peels, core, cloves, cinnamon and ginger in a large pot. Add 1.5 liters water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, until fragrant and golden.
- Turn off heat. Let cool 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean glass pitcher. Discard solids.
- Taste. Add lime juice for brightness, and a teaspoon of honey if you want it sweeter.
- Drink warm like tea, or chill and serve over ice.
Do not drink 3 times a day for weeks as a “remedy.” 1 cup a day as a beverage is plenty.
Store in the fridge, covered, up to 3 days. Do not store in a sealed plastic bottle at room temperature like the photo.
Better Ways to Use Pineapple Peels - Tepache, the real fermented drink: If you want the fermented version from Mexico, use a clean glass jar, add pineapple peels, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 liters water, cinnamon and cloves. Cover loosely with cloth, ferment 2 to 3 days at room temperature, strain, refrigerate. It is lightly fizzy and delicious. Use a proper fermentation recipe, not a sealed plastic bottle.
- Pineapple peel syrup: Simmer peels with sugar and water, strain, use for cocktails and mocktails.
- Just eat the pineapple: You get more fiber, vitamin C, and bromelain from the fresh fruit than from peel tea.
The Bottom Line
Pineapple peel and clove tea is a fragrant, zero-waste drink with a long tradition in many cuisines. It is hydrating, tastes good, and is a nice way to use peels.
It is not a natural remedy that you need to drink 3 times a day. It does not cure disease. The “comment OK for the recipe” posts are engagement bait, not health advice.
Brew it because you enjoy it, not because you expect a medical result. For any health concern, talk to a doctor or pharmacist. For a good drink, wash your pineapple well, boil the peels with a few cloves, strain, chill, and enjoy a glass over ice.