I’m writing this with a glass of iced green tea next to me. I cycle between these anti-inflammatory drinks on this list.
No single drink fixes inflammation. What you drink every day, and what you don’t, adds up over time. In this article, we will cover what to look for in an anti-inflammatory drink, the 13 I make and buy, where juice and prebiotic sodas fit, and what my boys drink.
What to Look for in an Anti-Inflammatory Drink
I pay attention to two things: what’s in the drink and what it replaces.
Coffee and tea are among the biggest sources of polyphenols, or plant compounds that act as antioxidants, in most people’s diets, which is why they show up on my list of anti-inflammatory foods to eat every week.
I also watch added sugar. Sugary drinks are a leading source of added sugar in the American diet, and drinking them often is associated with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In one large study of women, drinking at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day was associated with a 29% higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Keep in mind that research on individual ingredients has limits. Much of the research used supplements or extracts, which provide much larger doses than you’d get from a typical serving of these drinks. For me, the bigger question is often what the drink replaces, especially when the swap means less added sugar.
Anti-inflammatory Drinks I Make at Home
The first seven on the list I make at home and the last six I buy.
1. Coffee with Half-and-Half
Why I Like It
I drink my coffee with half-and-half and no sugar, and only before lunch, since I’m pretty sensitive to caffeine. My husband has gotten really good at making amazing coffee at home with our glass Chemex, electric teapot digitally set to 195°F, and a specific grinder. It doesn’t even compare to coffee shop coffee. So much better. I wrote more about coffee benefits and what to put in it in a separate post.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- In a study of 1,855 adults, people who drank about 2 to 3 small espresso cups daily had lower CRP levels than non-drinkers, and those who drank unsweetened coffee had lower CRP levels than those who sweetened it. This was a snapshot in time, so it can’t show that coffee caused the difference.
- Coffee is one of the biggest sources of dietary polyphenols. Coffee contains several types of polyphenols, including phenolic acids and other phytochemicals.
2. Green Tea, Iced or Warm
Why I Like It
Green tea is my afternoon drink. I drink it warm most of the year and iced when it’s hot. For iced tea, I steep 4 to 6 servings in hot water for 3 to 4 minutes, then refrigerate it so it’s ready all week.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- Green tea is rich in catechins, including EGCG, one of the most studied.
- A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of 38 randomized controlled trials found that green tea supplementation improved some measures of oxidative stress, but didn’t significantly change CRP, IL-6, or TNF-α.
- In observational studies following more than 645,000 people, drinking about 10 oz of green tea a day was associated with about a 16% lower risk of stroke compared with not drinking green tea.
3. Black Tea
Why I Like It
My favorite black tea is Harney & Sons Vanilla, but I also have Earl Grey on hand. Harney & Sons is naturally flavored, so it doesn’t need any sweetener. It’s so good that I learned a lesson the hard way. One afternoon around 3 or 4 p.m., I drank four glasses of it and later had a hard time sleeping that night due to the caffeine. Now it’s my morning tea.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- Black tea’s polyphenols are theaflavins and thearubigins.
- A large review of observational studies found that each additional cup of black or green tea per day was associated with a modestly lower risk of heart disease and stroke. The authors rated the evidence low to moderate.
- In a UK study of nearly 500,000 adults aged 40 to 69, where black tea is the main tea people drink, two or more cups a day was linked to a 9 to 13% lower risk of death over about 11 years.
4. Ginger Tea
Why I Like It
I use ginger tea bags because they’re easy, but fresh ginger works, and you can make a stronger cup. Grate a tablespoon, steep it covered for 10 minutes, and then strain. If you use tea bags, check the label and choose one where ginger is the first ingredient.
For sore throats, adding some lemon and honey can help soothe it.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- A review of 16 trials with 1,010 people found that ginger supplements lowered CRP and TNF-α, two inflammation markers.
- Results varied widely across trials, and ginger didn’t lower every inflammatory marker the researchers measured.
- These studies used supplements, which deliver a lot more ginger than a cup of tea. Tea still counts, but it’s a smaller dose.
5. Peppermint Tea
Why I Like It
Peppermint tea is my caffeine-free evening option. It’s warm, unsweetened, and won’t keep me up. Peppermint can worsen heartburn; try chamomile or another herbal tea instead.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- There’s little human research on peppermint tea and inflammation.
- An indirect benefit is that caffeine-free teas won’t disrupt your sleep, and poor sleep is linked to higher inflammation.
6. Hot Cocoa From Scratch
Why I Like It
When my boys ask for hot cocoa, I make it on the stove with milk, cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and a little honey or maple syrup. The cocoa you buy matters more than anything else in the recipe. I use the plain brown Hershey’s Cocoa, which is natural cocoa.
A serving of a popular milk chocolate cocoa mix has 19 g of added sugar. Mine has about 4 to 9 g per mug, depending on how much honey or maple syrup you add.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- One analysis found natural cocoa had 34.6 mg of flavanols per gram, while heavily Dutch-processed cocoa had 3.9. Flavanols are the polyphenols in cocoa.
- Check the ingredients. Natural cocoa says “cocoa,” and Dutch-processed says “cocoa processed with alkali.” I recently learned this myself!
- In a two-year trial, a cocoa extract providing 500 mg of flavanols a day lowered hsCRP by about 8% per year compared with placebo. That’s a much larger, more concentrated dose than you’d get from a mug of homemade hot cocoa, but this lightly sweetened homemade mug is still a better swap than a packet mix.
Homemade Hot Cocoa
Equipment
- 1 small sauce pan
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups milk (I used unsweetened almond milk; any milk works)
- 4 tbsp Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder (natural, not Dutch-processed)
- 11/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1-2 tbsp honey, maple syrup, or sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
Make Cocoa on the Stovetop
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it steams. Don't let it boil.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder, cinnamon, and sweetener until smooth.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour into mugs. Add salt to taste in each mug.
Notes
- I made it with 2½ cups of milk, and it was rich enough to stretch to 3 cups.
- If you use dairy or pea protein milk, each serving will be closer to 8g of protein.
- If your milk is fortified with calcium, each mug would have about 290 mg of calcium (22% of the daily value).
- One of my kids didn’t like the salt, and the others did. Adding it at the end lets everyone make their own.
- Use natural cocoa. Plain Hershey’s Cocoa is natural, and darker Dutch-processed cocoa has far fewer flavanols.
- Honey isn’t safe for babies under 1 year. Use maple syrup or sugar for little ones.
Nutrition
7. Golden Milk
Why I Like It
Golden milk is warm milk with turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of black pepper. It’s the drink on this list I reach for least. I don’t love milky drinks, and the turmeric took some getting used to. When my son wanted to try it, I made one batch and split it between his small floral cup and my mug. I add black pepper because piperine can increase curcumin absorption.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- Curcumin is the active compound in turmeric, but your body absorbs very little of it on its own. Black pepper contains piperine, which raised curcumin absorption by 2,000% in one small study. The fat in milk may help too, since curcumin is fat-soluble.
- A review of 28 trials found curcumin supplements lowered CRP and other inflammation markers in people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. The results were promising, but the studies varied a lot, so more research is needed.
- Bigger effects showed up at 1 gram of curcumin a day or more. A teaspoon of turmeric in a mug provides far less, since turmeric is only a small percentage curcumin.
Golden Milk
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk (dairy, almond, oat, or coconut)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- A pinch black pepper
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
Make Golden Milk on the Stovetop
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it steams. Don't let it boil.
- Whisk in the turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and sweetener, if using, until smooth.
- Pour into a mug, or split between a small cup and a mug to share.
Notes
- Black pepper helps your body absorb the turmeric. In the original study the boost was large, though the doses were much higher than a mug of golden milk.
- Any milk works: dairy, almond, oat, or coconut.
- If you use dairy or pea protein milk, each serving will be closer to 8g of protein.
- If your milk is fortified with calcium, each mug would have about 290 mg of calcium (22% of the daily value).
- Honey isn’t safe for babies under 1 year. Use maple syrup for little ones.
Nutrition
Anti-inflammatory Drinks I Buy
8. Kefir
Why I Like It
Kefir is a fermented milk drink, and I drink it on its own and in my smoothies. I buy either Lifeway or Aldi’s Friendly Farms strawberry or plain. The strawberry has 8 g of added sugar per cup and the plain has none, so I mix them about half and half for my kids, who want a little flavor. That comes to about 4 g of added sugar per cup (a teaspoon), with 10 g of protein.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- In a 17-week Stanford study, people who ate more fermented foods had more diverse gut bacteria and lower inflammation markers. It was a small study of a whole diet, not kefir alone.
- A review of kefir trials found no overall drop in CRP. In the three 12-week trials, all in adults with metabolic syndrome, CRP fell by about 0.5 mg/L.
- If lactose bothers your stomach, plain kefir may be easier to digest than milk. In a small study of adults who have trouble digesting lactose, plain kefir and yogurt cut gas by 54 to 71% compared with dairy milk.
9. Kombucha
Why I Like It
My kombucha is Health-Ade Pink Lady Apple. I buy it about every other month as a fun way to add some variety to my drinks. I love the fizz and the tart apple flavor.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- A 2019 review found only one study of kombucha in people. Most of the proposed benefits come from lab and animal research rather than human trials.
- Check the label: my 16 oz bottle is labeled as one serving and has 14 g of added sugar, so I drink half at a time, which is about 7 g. For reference, a 12 oz can of Coca-Cola has 39 g of added sugar.
10. Sparkling Water
Why I Like It
La Croix, Topo Chico, and Kroger’s or Aldi’s brand are all in my rotation. It’s an easy way to replace soda without adding sugar.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- Sparkling water isn’t anti-inflammatory on its own. The benefit comes from what it replaces: soda and other sugary drinks.
11. Sparkling Water With a Splash of Juice
Why I Like It
When I want something sweeter, I pour about 3 oz of 100% pineapple juice into a glass and top it with a can of sparkling water. That’s half of a small can of juice, and I store the rest in a covered container in the fridge, not the open can. Or I mix three kid-sized drinks for my boys, too.
IZZE is the store-bought version I pick up once in a while. It’s a sparkling juice made with 70% fruit juice.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- My homemade version keeps juice under 4 oz, as I explain below. Half of a 6 oz can of Dole 100% pineapple juice adds about 11 g of sugar, all naturally from the fruit.
- An 8.4 oz can of IZZE has about 6 oz of juice and 19 to 20 g of sugar, depending on the flavor. That’s more juice than my homemade version, so it stays an occasional drink.
12. Hydration Powder
Why I Like It
I keep Just Ingredients lemon lime hydrating powder on hand for days when I haven’t been drinking enough, and I can feel a migraine starting. It helps me get on top of hydration quickly, and I like that it adds flavor without added sugar.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- In a trial of people with frequent headaches, drinking about 6 more cups of water a day didn’t reduce headache days, but it did improve how much their headaches affected daily life.
13. Poppi
Why I Like It
I buy Poppi a couple of times a year, and only the small cans. I treat it as a swap for regular soda.
Anti-Inflammatory Features
- It’s not an anti-inflammatory drink. It’s sweetened with a little cane sugar and stevia, and a small can occasionally offers a sweet, carbonated drink instead of soda. I usually put a mini can in my boys’ Christmas stockings.
If Caffeine Bothers Your Sleep or Hot Flashes
Coffee, green tea, and black tea all have caffeine. In a Mayo Clinic study of 1,806 women, caffeine was linked to more annoying hot flashes after menopause. The difference was small.
I’m sensitive to caffeine myself, so I have coffee before lunch and stop by 12 or 1 p.m. to sleep well. Green tea is fine for me until about 4 p.m., but coffee is too much. In the evening, I switch to herbal tea.
If hot flashes or sleep are a problem for you, try the same, or switch to ginger or peppermint tea after lunch. You can read more about hot flashes and inflammation here.
What About Juice?
Some juice has research behind it. In one small trial, young women who drank about 11 oz of tomato juice a day for 20 days had lower inflammation markers.
Tart cherry juice is the one people ask me about. A 2023 review found a small drop in CRP, but a three-month trial in middle-aged adults found no change. Small, short studies suggest tart cherry juice may help with sleep and with muscle recovery after hard exercise, but many used much more juice than I’d drink, up to 16 oz a day.
My rule of thumb is 100% juice, about 4 oz or less at a time, and usually paired with a snack that contains protein or alongside a meal.
In a study of about 187,000 adults, three servings of juice a week were linked to an 8% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, while whole grapes and raisins were linked to 12% lower risk. Whole fruit is my everyday choice.
When I drink juice, I keep the portion small and use juice to satisfy a desire for sugary drinks.
Where I Land On Prebiotic Sodas
Prebiotic sodas are marketed as gut-health drinks. I couldn’t find any studies of the sodas themselves, only of the fibers added to them. Those studies found that some types of fiber are harder to digest than others.
That matches my experience. I don’t buy Olipop because it has too much fiber in one can, and it makes my stomach feel gurgly and bloated. I can’t imagine how a kid’s stomach might feel with a large fiber dose.
Poppi has less fiber, so the small cans are an occasional swap for regular soda in my house. Poppi also uses stevia, and two small trials found stevia didn’t change gut bacteria over 4 and 12 weeks. Always check the ingredients on the label, as some people find certain ingredients (stevia, alternative sweeteners, dyes, or added fiber) affect them in various ways.
But if a prebiotic soda helps you replace a regular soda, that’s a reasonable swap. If you’re looking for a fermented drink with human research behind it, kefir has more evidence.
What My Kids Drink
Most often they drink water and milk. My boys drink hot cocoa when it’s cold out or near holidays. They like sparkling water and sometimes with a splash of juice, and IZZE or Poppi are a rare treat. During hot, humid outdoor sports days, I offer the lower-sugar Gatorade with no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors.
When they try a new drink (or food), I start with a small portion. They’re much more open to something new when there’s no pressure, and they helped make it. Then I ask them to rank it on a scale of 1 to 10. They love being the judges. I share more ideas in my post on introducing a picky eater to the anti-inflammatory diet.
Drinks Worth Limiting
Sugary drinks are one of the clearest beverage choices to limit. They’re a leading source of added sugar in the American diet. A review for the 2025 Dietary Guidelines found that sugary drinks may be associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes in adults, with moderate evidence. In middle-aged adults, drinking more than three a week was linked to a 46% higher risk of prediabetes and a faster rise in insulin resistance over about 14 years.
I limit sweetened coffee drinks, sweet tea, and regular soda. My nutrition hacks post has the sugar numbers for each.
Remember it’s about the pattern, not perfection! When I have a terrible migraine, a mini regular Dr. Pepper with some OTC migraine medicine sometimes helps me more than hydration, sleep, a balanced meal, or a snack alone. I suspect the caffeine plays a role, but that’s my personal experience, not a recommendation. My migraines are often related to low blood sugar levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Best Anti-Inflammatory Drink?
There isn’t one best anti-inflammatory drink. Focus more on what you drink regularly and what these drinks can replace. For me, that’s mostly water, coffee, and tea, with kefir and a few others mixed in.
What Can I Drink at Night?
If you are sensitive to caffeine (or caffeine worsens your menopausal symptoms), peppermint tea, ginger tea, and golden milk are all caffeine-free. Other herbal teas and sparkling water can help hydrate in the afternoon and evening.
Is Bone Broth an Anti-Inflammatory Drink?
Some people sip it as a drink, but I haven’t found good human research showing that bone broth itself reduces inflammation. A 2025 review by Mayo Clinic researchers looked at nutrients found in bone broth and how they may support the gut lining, but that’s for the individual nutrients, not bone broth.
Still, bone broth is a good replacement for sugary drinks; it contains some protein, and warm broth often feels good on a sore throat. I use it in soups, and here’s how I make bone broth.
Do Coffee and Tea Count Toward Hydration?
Yes. Caffeine only increases urine production for a short time at large doses, around 250 to 300 mg at once, which is about 2 to 3 cups of coffee. Even then, the effect mostly shows up in people who don’t usually drink it, because regular coffee and tea drinkers build a tolerance.
In a study that compared 13 drinks, coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and sparkling water hydrated about as well as plain water.
Takeaways
No drink can lower inflammation on its own. Choose mostly unsweetened drinks you enjoy, like coffee, tea, and kefir, and pay attention to what they replace. Swap sugary drinks for sparkling water or another drink you enjoy. When you choose juice, keep the portion small, around 4 oz or less at a time.
For more ideas, see my anti-inflammatory recipes, grab the printable anti-inflammatory food list, or read my step-by-step guide to starting an anti-inflammatory diet.
Let’s get UNstuck and stay UNstuck!