Learn how to make easy pineapple hibiscus sun tea (agua de jamaica con piña) with dried hibiscus flowers, sweet pineapple, fresh oranges, ginger, and cinnamon. This ruby-red tropical summer drink is bursting with flavor and delicious over ice.
Also, try my elderberry hibiscus sun tea, strawberry hibiscus lemonade, or this hot and cold brew hibiscus tea recipe (agua de jamaica).
A Quick Look: Pineapple Hibiscus Sun Tea (Agua de Jamaica con Piña)
- 📝 Recipe Name: Pineapple Hibiscus Sun Tea (Agua de Jamaica con Piña)
- 🕒 Total Time: 15 minutes active + 2-4 hours sun steeping
- 👥 Servings: 14-16 cups
- 🎯 Key Ingredients: Loose leaf hibiscus tea (flor de jamaica) or hibiscus tea bags, fresh pineapple chunks, orange wheels, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick
- 🌱 Dietary Info: Vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, plant-based, caffeine-free
- ✨ Best For: Summer entertaining, backyard BBQs, and homemade drinks
- 💕 Why You’ll Love It: Beautifully ruby-red and made using a simple hot-start brewing method for deeper flavor and color.
A big glass jar of tea is a staple in my kitchen all summer long. This pineapple hibiscus sun tea is a tropical twist on traditional agua de jamaica, made with pineapple, oranges, ginger, and cinnamon.
A quick hot steep helps develop a deeper ruby-red color and richer hibiscus flavor before the tea finishes brewing in the sun.
Next, try this aguas frescas recipe, homemade horchata, or fresh watermelon juice.
Why This Recipe Works
- The Hot-Start Method: A quick 15-minute hot steep helps unlock the deepest color and richest flavor from the hibiscus, ginger, and cinnamon before the tea finishes brewing in the sun.
- Naturally Balanced Flavor: Sweet pineapple softens the tartness of the hibiscus, creating a refreshing drink that needs little to no added sweetener.
- Warm Spiced Depth: Inspired by hibiscus drinks enjoyed around the world, including agua de jamaica and West African sobolo, fresh ginger and cinnamon add subtle warmth and complexity.
Pair this pineapple hibiscus tea with my nacho bowls, meatless 7-layer dip, tacos with refried beans, and tacos dorados de papa.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here's what you'll need to make this pineapple hibiscus tea.
- Loose Hibiscus Flowers: Traditional dried flor de jamaica, or substitute 12 to 16 individual store-bought hibiscus tea bags (make sure hibiscus is the only ingredient).
- Fresh Pineapple Chunks: You’ll need 5 cups of sweet, ripe pineapple chunks (about 1 pineapple). Don't throw away the pineapple peelings! While the fruit flesh goes into this sun tea, you can use the peelings to make a zero-waste batch of pineapple skin tea.
- Oranges: Two fresh oranges sliced into thin wheels bring a gorgeous citrus aroma.
- Fresh Ginger & Cinnamon: One whole cinnamon stick and a fresh piece of ginger (leave the skin on if organic).
- Filtered water
See the recipe card below for exact amounts and measurements.
For more refreshing drinks, try this cactus smoothie (licuado de nopal), blueberry lemonade, and iced green tea lemonade.
How to Make Pineapple Hibiscus Sun Tea
Here's how to make this pineapple sun tea:
- Step 1: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Pour over hibiscus flowers (or tea bags), ginger, and cinnamon stick. Steep for 15 minutes.
- Step 2: Transfer the warm liquid and spices into a 1-gallon glass jar. Drop in pineapple and orange wheels. Top off the jar with cold filtered water to the 1-gallon mark. Cover tightly, place in a sunny spot to brew for 2 to 4 hours max.
- Step 3: Strain into a bowl.
- Step 4: Pour the strained tea into a large pitcher filled with ice, garnish with fresh fruit slices, and enjoy!
Tested Tips
- Press the Fruit: Pineapple acts like a sponge, soaking up flavor. When straining, use a spoon or potato masher to press the fruit chunks to extract every last drop of sweet tropical juice.
- Adjust the strength to your taste. If the tea tastes too concentrated after straining, simply add a little cold water until it's just right.
- Taste before adding maple syrup. Depending on the sweetness of your fruit, you may need very little—or none at all.
Make It Your Way: Customizations & Toppings
- Add More Fruit: Toss fresh sliced strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries into the jar while it steeps for a lovely berry twist.
- Make It Fizzy: Fill your glass halfway with the strained hibiscus tea and top it off with sparkling water or ginger ale.
- Spicy version: add a Tajín rim
- Fresh Herbs: Slap a few sprigs of fresh mint or sweet basil between your palms to release the oils and drop them into your glass.
Perfect Pairings
Serve pineapple hibiscus sun tea alongside Mexican rice bowls, cowboy caviar salad, pinto bean salad with corn, or mango avocado salsa with plenty of tortilla chips. It's especially good for summer BBQs, potlucks, and backyard gatherings.
Storage
- To Store: Keep the strained tea in an airtight glass pitcher or mason jars in the fridge. It stays crisp and delicious for up to 3 days.
Try pairing this with easy bean dip, bean taquitos, homemade guacamole, and fresh pico de gallo.
Pineapple Hibiscus Sun Tea FAQs
Yes. If it is cloudy or rainy, just let the jar sit and steep inside your refrigerator overnight (about 6 to 8 hours) before straining.
Yes, pineapple pairs beautifully with hibiscus. The natural sweetness of pineapple helps balance hibiscus's tart, floral flavor, creating a refreshing drink that feels bright, tropical, and well balanced.
Yes. While traditional flor de jamaica produces the strongest flavor and deepest color, hibiscus tea bags work well too. For this recipe, use about 12-16 hibiscus tea bags in place of the loose flowers.
Agua de jamaica con piña is a variation of traditional agua de jamaica made with pineapple. The pineapple adds natural sweetness and a tropical flavor that helps balance the tart, floral taste of hibiscus.
More Refreshing Summer Drinks to Try
Try these refreshing drink recipes next!
Did you try this recipe? Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest! 💛
📖 Recipe
Pineapple Hibiscus Sun Tea (Agua de Jamaica)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup loose flor de jamaica, (dried hibiscus flowers) OR 12-16 pure hibiscus tea bags
- 5 cups fresh pineapple chunks
- 2 oranges, thinly sliced into wheels
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 1 (2-3 inch) piece organic fresh ginger, cut into thick unpeeled chunks
- 4 cups hot water
- Cold filtered water, enough to fill a 1-gallon jar, plus extra to top off the pitcher
- 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup, optional, adjust to taste
Instructions
- Add the flor de jamaica or tea bags, ginger, and cinnamon stick to a large bowl or saucepan.
- Pour the hot water over the mixture and steep for 15 minutes.
- Transfer everything to a large glass sun tea jar or pitcher. Add the pineapple and orange slices.
- Add enough cold water to reach about 1 gallon.
- Cover and place in a sunny location for 2-4 hours.
- Strain out the hibiscus flowers, fruit, ginger, and cinnamon.
- Taste the tea. If desired, stir in the maple syrup.
- Chill and serve over ice with fresh fruit garnishes.
Notes
- Use ripe pineapple for the sweetest, most balanced flavor.
- Hibiscus tea bags can be substituted for loose flor de jamaica. Use 12-16 tea bags. If you prefer a lighter, fruitier tea, use 12 bags. For a deeply tart, traditional flavor, go with 16.
- Taste before adding sweetener. Depending on your pineapple, you may not need any maple syrup.
- If you want to add a splash of maple syrup or raw honey (if not vegan), stir it in right after straining while the tea still holds a little warmth so it dissolves easily.
- If the tea tastes too concentrated after straining, add a little extra cold water.
- Fresh orange slices, pineapple wedges, or a handful of blueberries make the finished drink especially beautiful for serving.
Nutrition
Julie Gaeta is a plant-based recipe creator, certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and mom of nine who's been plant-based for over 20 years. She's cooked approximately 4,382 pots of beans and can't vacation without her juicer and pasta pot. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Yahoo, YourTango, and other major outlets. She helps others simplify wellness and feel good again through her blog, coaching, and weekly newsletter.
Julie Gaeta says
I've been making hibiscus sun tea for years, and this version is a favorite. It's so refreshing, gorgeous in the glass, and always disappears fast!