Reishi Mushroom Tea & Golden Milk: 3 Warming Recipes to Try at Home

A reishi mushroom tea recipe starts simply: dried Ganoderma lucidum slices simmered in 190–200°F water for 25–35 minutes, then strained into a mug. What comes out is earthy, woody, and slightly bitter — a forest-in-a-cup experience that has been part of traditional East Asian wellness rituals for centuries. Here at Foxfire Mushrooms in Longmont, Colorado, we love introducing people to this ancient preparation with recipes that are approachable, honest about flavor, and genuinely satisfying on a cold Colorado evening.

Below you’ll find three reishi tea recipes — from a simple classic to a spiced ginger version to a creamy golden milk — along with everything you need to know to brew them well at home.

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What Is Reishi Tea (and Why It’s Not Like Other Mushroom Drinks)

Reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) is not a culinary mushroom in the typical sense. It doesn’t sauté like a shiitake or crisp up like an oyster. It is dense, woody, and intensely bitter — you would not want to eat it off the cutting board. Instead, it has been dried and prepared as a tea or tincture for centuries in traditional East Asian practice, where simmering the mushroom in hot water draws out its complex compounds and produces a brew unlike anything else in the kitchen.

That distinct bitterness is the hallmark of real reishi. It tells you the tea is working as intended. The flavor softens considerably with honey, ginger, or creaminess from coconut milk — which is exactly why we’ve given you three different preparations below, ranging from straightforward and bold to gentle and approachable.

A Note on Reishi’s Flavor

Let’s be honest: reishi tea is bitter. If you’re expecting something like chamomile or even a mild green tea, you’ll be surprised. The flavor is deeply earthy and woody with a drying, lingering bitterness on the back of the palate — a little like strong, unsweetened dark coffee crossed with forest floor.

That’s not a flaw — it’s the flavor of genuine Ganoderma lucidum. But it does mean that Recipe 1 (simple reishi tea) is not everyone’s first-sip favorite. If you’re brand new to reishi, start with Recipe 2 (Ginger Honey Tea) or jump straight to Recipe 3 (Reishi Golden Milk), which is by far the most accessible and comforting of the three. Once your palate adjusts, the simple tea becomes oddly satisfying — like an acquired taste you’re glad you acquired.

What You Need to Get Started

• Dried Reishi slices vs. Reishi powder: Dried whole or sliced reishi is the most traditional form. You simmer the slices in water and strain them out. Reishi powder is more concentrated and dissolves into hot liquids — ideal for golden milk and blended drinks. Both work well; it comes down to what you have on hand.
• Water quality matters. Filtered water produces a cleaner-tasting brew. If your tap water is heavily chlorinated, it will compete with the subtle complexity of the reishi.
• A small saucepan and a fine-mesh strainer. That’s really all the equipment you need for the tea recipes. A milk frother or small whisk helps with golden milk.
• Growing your own: If you want the freshest possible starting material, Foxfire Mushrooms offers reishi spawn and grow kits — check out our Reishi mushroom growing guide for everything you need to get started. Home-grown reishi can be dried and stored for months.

A Note on Traditional Use

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) has been used in traditional East Asian practice for centuries as a warming, restorative brew. Modern researchers continue to study this fascinating fungus — if you want to go down that rabbit hole, there is a growing body of scientific literature worth exploring. We also recommend reading our turkey tail mushroom guide if you’re interested in other traditionally regarded mushrooms.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Recipe 1: Simple Reishi Tea

The most traditional preparation. Minimal ingredients, maximum flavor — earthy, bitter, and warming. Best enjoyed slowly, with a little honey stirred in.

Prep time: 2 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Serves: 1–2

Ingredients

• 3–5 slices dried reishi mushroom (or 1–2 tsp reishi powder)
• 2 cups filtered water
• 1–2 tsp raw honey, to taste (optional)
• Squeeze of fresh lemon (optional)

Instructions

• Bring filtered water to near-boil in a small saucepan — target 190–200°F. You want small bubbles rising steadily from the bottom, but not a rolling boil. A rolling boil is too hot and can degrade the brew.
• Add the dried reishi slices (or stir in powder if using).
• Reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 25–35 minutes. The longer you simmer, the stronger and more bitter the tea becomes. Start with 25 minutes for your first batch and adjust from there.
• Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a mug. Discard the spent slices (or save them — see Tips below).
• Add honey off the heat and stir well to dissolve. Finish with a small squeeze of lemon if desired.
• Sip slowly. This is not a chug-it kind of tea.

Tasting notes: Earthy, woody, lingering bitterness. Honey rounds out the edges considerably. Lemon adds brightness without fighting the mushroom.

Recipe 2: Reishi & Ginger Honey Tea

Adding fresh ginger and a pinch of cinnamon transforms reishi tea into something genuinely warming and spiced. This is the best entry point for anyone who finds plain reishi too intensely bitter.

Prep time: 3 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Serves: 1–2

Ingredients

• 3–4 slices dried reishi mushroom
• 2 cups filtered water
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• Juice of ¼ lemon
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Bring water to 190–200°F in a small saucepan.
• Add reishi slices. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
• Add ginger slices. Continue simmering for another 10 minutes (30 minutes total). Adding ginger in the last 10 minutes keeps it bright and zingy rather than sharp and overpowering.
• Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a mug.
• Add honey off the heat and stir until dissolved. Honey added to boiling liquid loses its subtle floral notes and enzymes — keep the temperature in mind.
• Finish with lemon juice and a small pinch of cinnamon dusted on top.

Tasting notes: Warm, spiced, gently bitter. The ginger’s heat plays beautifully against the earthiness of the reishi, and honey weaves it all together. Far more approachable than plain reishi tea, and a recipe you’ll come back to all winter.

Recipe 3: Reishi Golden Milk

Creamy, warming, subtly earthy, and lightly spiced — reishi golden milk is the most approachable of the three recipes and the one most likely to become a daily ritual. The fat in the coconut milk helps carry the fat-soluble compounds in turmeric, and the black pepper activates turmeric’s curcumin. It looks beautiful in the mug.

Prep time: 3 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes | Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 tsp reishi powder (or 2 tbsp very finely strained, double-brewed reishi tea)
• 1½ cups full-fat coconut milk (or oat milk for a lighter version)
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper (activates turmeric’s curcumin — don’t skip it)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
• 1 tsp honey or maple syrup, to taste
• Pinch of ground cardamom

Instructions

• Warm coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally. Do not let it boil — you want steaming hot, not simmering or bubbling.
• Whisk in reishi powder, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, and cardamom. Keep whisking to prevent the powder from clumping on the bottom.
• Add coconut oil or ghee. Continue whisking until melted and fully incorporated.
• Remove from heat. Add honey or maple syrup and stir to combine.
• Pour into your favorite mug. Use a small handheld milk frother for 20–30 seconds to create a light foam on top if you like.
• Serve immediately. Dust a small pinch of cinnamon or turmeric on the foam.

Tasting notes: Creamy, comforting, lightly spiced. The reishi earthiness sits quietly in the background — you know it’s there, but turmeric and cinnamon lead. This is the recipe to make for a friend who says “I don’t like mushroom tea.”

Tips for Brewing Better Reishi Tea

• Water temperature is non-negotiable. Never use a rolling boil. Target 190–200°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, bring water to a boil and let it rest for 60–90 seconds before adding your reishi.
• Time equals strength equals bitterness. There’s no objectively correct brew time — it depends entirely on your palate. Start at 25 minutes and work your way up toward 35 minutes as you develop a taste for it.
• Don’t discard spent slices right away. Dried reishi slices can be simmered a second time for a lighter “second steep” — great for making a gentler tea later in the day or for adding to a pot of soup broth.
• Freeze leftover tea. Reishi tea stores well in the fridge for 3–5 days, or freeze it in ice cube trays. Pop a cube into your morning coffee, a smoothie, or the next pot of golden milk.
• Powder vs. slices for each recipe: Powder works best in golden milk (stirs in smoothly). Slices are better for the steeped tea recipes — they’re easier to strain and produce a cleaner-tasting brew.

Growing Your Own Reishi

There is something genuinely satisfying about harvesting your own reishi, drying it yourself, and brewing tea from mushrooms you grew on your kitchen counter or in your backyard. Reishi is a slower-growing species than oyster mushrooms, but it rewards patience with a dramatic, shelf-like fruiting body that is striking to look at.

Our Reishi mushroom growing guide covers everything from substrate selection and fruiting conditions to harvesting and drying your first flush. And if you’re just getting started with mushroom cultivation in general, our beginner’s guide to growing mushrooms is the right place to begin.

Ready to Brew Your Own?

Shop Reishi Grow Kits and Plug Spawn →

Grow your own, dry it yourself, and brew a cup that came entirely from your own hands. That’s the Foxfire way — from Longmont, Colorado, with a whole lot of love for fungi.

And when you’re done exploring the reishi recipes, head over to our full gourmet mushroom recipes collection for cooking-forward recipes featuring pink oyster tacos, blue oyster stir-fry, lion’s mane crab cakes, and more.