The Best Green Tea for Weight Loss: The Ultimate Guide

What Is the Best Green Tea for Weight Loss?

Here are our picks for the best green tea for slimming your waistline.

The following few points guided us in selecting our recommended teas:

• The teas only contain natural ingredients without any additives.
  
  
• We have selected pure loose-leaf green teas as well as green tea blends.
  
  
• The green tea blends must have additional natural ingredients that have been scientifically linked to weight loss. Examples include ginger or chili. We provide more details below.
  
  
• The teas must fit various price points.

We do not recommend green tea extracts as they can be harmful to your liver in the long run.

We also avoided potentially harmful slim teas that contain senna leaves or garcinia cambogia, which are actually used for detox and are not meant to be used for weight loss in the long term.

There is only one product in this list with such ingredients, for the purposes of people who are looking to detox as an initial step in their weight loss journey.

With that being said, based on our research, the best green teas for weight loss are:

1. Get Lost Stackable Teas by The Republic of Tea - Best Overall
   + 6 natural ingredients that help with weight loss
   + Three unique blends for different times of the day
   + Climate Pledge Friendly
   
   
2. Zest for Life by Firebelly Tea - Best Loose-Leaf Tea Blend
   + 4 natural ingredients that help with weight loss
   + High-quality USDA Organic ingredients
   + Loose leaf tea
   + Environmentally friendly package
   
   
3. Matcha Green Tea with Turmeric by Bigelow - Best Budget Option
   + 4 natural ingredients that help with weight loss
   + Also good for cholesterol-lowering
   + Cost-effective
   
   
4. Makes Good Sencha by Firebelly Tea - Best Pure Green Tea
   + High-quality mix of sencha and gyokuro teas grown in Japan
   + Loose leaf tea
   + ECOCERT, USDA and Canada Organic certified
   + Environmentally friendly packaging and practices
   
   
5. Organic Matcha Green Tea by Matcha DNA - Best Matcha for Weightloss
   + USDA Organic
   + Tested for heavy metals and has BPA-free packaging
   + Cost-effective for matcha tea
   
   
6. Decaf Green Tea by Davidon's Tea Bulk - Best Decaf Option
   + Bright and refreshing flavor
   + Enjoy it both hot or cold 
   + No artificial ingredients
   
   
7. SkinnyBoost 28-Day Detox Tea Kit - Best for Detox
   + 5 natural ingredients that help with weight loss
   + May improve digestion
   + Vegan, natural, gluten-free and non-GMO

1. The Republic of Tea - Get Lost Stackable Teas

Best Overall

The Get Lost Stackable Teas by The Republic of Tea consists of three tea blends each containing a special mix of teas and herbs that helps boost weight loss.

Each tin contains 14 tea bags for a total of 42 tea preparations per purchase.

In addition to green tea, these three tea blends offer an impressive combination of ingredients that have been scientifically linked to weight loss.

The following ingredients, which these blends contain, have also been linked to weight loss:

• Yerba mate,
• dandelion,
• chili peppers, 
• gymnema leaves, and 
• banaba leaf extract. 

All ingredients are gluten-free and kosher, and when combined with green tea, they will help you reach your weight loss goals!

Plus, these three tea blends are reasonably priced at around $0.38 per unit.

The Republic of Tea - Get Lost Stackable Teas

Check Price on Amazon

2. Zest For Life by Firebelly Tea

Best Loose-Leaf Tea Blend

We have selected this green tea blend because of its high-quality all-natural ingredients which are USDA Organic certified.

In addition to the loose leaf green teas, Zest for Life has the following ingredients that have been scientifically linked to weight loss.

• Ginger,
• chili, and
• lemon verbena. 

So with Zest For Life, you have a powerful combination of ingredients that work together to help you reach your weight loss goals.

This tea also comes in environmentally friendly compostable packaging, which is always a plus for us.

The only con is that it's a bit expensive, but you're paying for quality. You can get 10% and free shipping by subscribing.

It can also be a bit spicy for some.


If you're looking for the best kind of green tea for weight loss this is definitely a great choice. I can vouch for this tea as it has become part of my daily teas.

Zest for Life by Firebelly Tea

Check Price on Firebelly Tea

3. Bigelow Matcha Green Tea with Turmeric

Best Budget Option

This turmeric matcha green tea blend by Bigelow is an excellent choice for those who are on a budget but are looking for an effective green tea blend for weight loss.

The reason we recommend this tea is that in addition to the green tea powder, this tea contains dandelion, which may aid with weight loss. It also has fennel, which may suppress appetite.

It contains black pepper, which may increase the absorption of curcumin by up to 2,000% (1). Curcumin is a component of turmeric that has been linked to cholesterol lowering.

There are no chemicals in this tea blend since all the ingredients are natural. Bigelow Tea is a Certified B Corporation, which means it meets high social and environmental standards.

However, this is a tea bag tea, and it doesn't yield the highest quality tea. It's not labeled as USDA organic. Tea bags also pose environmental impacts.

Bigelow Matcha Green Tea with Turmeric

Check Price on Amazon

Check Price on Walmart

4. Makes Good Sencha by Firebelly Tea

Best Pure Green Tea

Green tea by itself is already amazing at helping people lose weight, as supported by science (see below for more information).

So this list of green tea products for weight loss would not be complete without a quality pure green tea.

Makes Good Sencha is a blend of sencha and gyokuro, the latter being the highest grade of Japanese green tea.

Gyokuro also contains the highest amount of catechins (which help lose weight) among Japanese green teas.

This tea is from Kagoshima and Koyu in Kyushu, Japan, a region in Japan famous for its volcanoes. They have covered the land in a layer of ash rendering the soil very fertile. With the abundant rainfall of this region, this area in Japan is one of the best producers of green tea!

This tea is ECOCERT, USDA Organic, and Canada Organic. This is great because you can drink this every day in the long term without having to worry about any chemicals or pesticides.

Plus, it features environmentally-friendly packaging.

The only con about this tea is that it's a bit expensive. The reason is that it contains gyokuro.

Makes Good Sencha by Firebelly Tea

Check Price on Firebelly Tea

5. Organic Matcha Green Tea by Matcha DNA

Best Matcha for Weight Loss

Matcha tea is one of my all-time favorite teas given its delicious flavor and plethora of benefits.

If you want to lose weight while keeping things delicious then look no further.

This matcha tea is USDA Organic, tested for lead and heavy metals, and has a certified BPA-free package.

This is one of the most cost-effective USDA organic matcha teas on the market. The trade-off is that it's of culinary grade instead of the more luxurious (and more delicious) ceremonial grade.

Another benefit of matcha tea is that it's a more concentrated form of green tea, and thus has a higher concentration of beneficial compounds that help with weight loss and more.

However, be aware of how much matcha you drink to avoid exceeding your daily caffeine intake!

Although bouncing off the walls could help you burn some more calories!

Organic Matcha Green Tea by Matcha DNA

Check Price on Amazon

Pssst...

Don't care about the price? Then try this delicious ceremonial grade matcha green tea by Firebelly tea.

6. Davidson's Tea Bulk, Decaf Green

Best Decaf Option

This green tea by Davidson's Organics is an excellent option if you're looking for decaffeinated green tea to help you lose weight.

Davidson's Organics sources this tea from their own farms in India. They also package, blend and sell this tea. In other words, they have control of this tea from its germination all the way to the time it finds its way to your cup.

This Fair Trade, USDA Organic Certified & Kosher tea is non-GMO and free of chemicals and pesticides.

This 16-ounce bag of tea is also priced very reasonably at $1.55 per ounce!

In terms of cons, this tea tends to have lower quality leaf bits and is not of the highest grade.

So if you're a tea snob, you've been warned!

Also, it’s decaffeinated. So it may not be as effective at losing weight.

Davidson's Tea Bulk, Decaf Green

Check Price on Amazon

Check Price on Walmart

7. SkinnyBoost 28-Day Detox Tea Kit

Best Detox Option

This detox tea kit consists of 28 daytime tea bags and 14 nighttime tea bags with ingredients that have been specifically selected to help with weight loss and detox.

The daytime blend should be taken every day for 28 days, whereas the nighttime is intended to be taken every other day for 28 days.

All ingredients are natural, vegan, and non-GMO. These tea blends do not contain soy, gluten, or sugar.

In addition to green tea, the daytime tea has many ingredients that promote weight loss. These are:

• Oolong tea, 
• Ginger root
• Dandelion, and
• Garcinia cambogia

The nighttime also contains weight-losing ingredients, such as ginger root and dandelion. It also contains detox ingredients like senna leaf, and other ingredients that promote healthier digestion.

In terms of cons, this tea blend should only be used for 28 days.

It contains garcinia cambogia which for long-term consumption, is deemed unsafe by the FDA (2). It also contains senna leaf which should not be consumed for prolonged periods of time, since it may cause laxative dependence (3).

In short, this detox tea kit should be used to kickstart your weight loss journey. After finishing it, move on to another brewed green tea option for losing weight.

Talk to your doctor before consuming this tea.

SkinnyBoost 28-Day Detox Tea Kit

Check Price on Amazon

What Is Green Tea?

Green tea is a type of tea that is made from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds. It comes from the same plant as black, oolong, and white teas.

The difference is that the green tea leaves have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process used to make oolong teas and black teas.

Green tea originated in China, but its production has spread to many countries in Asia and around the world.

Popular types of green tea include sencha, bancha, gyokuro, gunpowder, matcha, dragon well, genmaicha, and many more. There are even roasted green teas like hojicha.

How Does Green Tea Help With Weight Loss?

Drinking green tea has been linked to a boost in metabolism and an increase in fat burning (4).

Two small studies have shown that green tea extract increased calorie burn by 4 percent (5) and fat oxidation by 17 percent (6).

Other studies support the idea that green tea may help you lose weight. A study on 182 moderately overweight Chinese subjects concluded that two or more servings of high catechin green tea lead to a moderate reduction in belly fat (7).

A similar study on obese Thai people concluded that green tea consumption reduced body weight in obese people by increasing fat oxidization and calorie burn (8).

Another larger double-blind study consisting of 240 Japanese men and women showed a meaningful reduction in body and belly fat, body weight, and waist circumference for the green tea group when compared to the control group (9).

As can be seen, there are many studies that support the idea that green tea may help with weight loss.

But that’s not just it. Green tea has a plethora of health benefits…

Does Green Tea Have Other Health Benefits Besides Weight Loss?

Yes! Not only is green tea great for weight loss, but it also has many additional health benefits you should be aware of.

These benefits include:

• Green tea is rich in antioxidants. It has a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). It reduces free radicals in the body which can cause aging and various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. (10).
  
  
• Green may lower the risk of cancer. There is scientific evidence that green tea compounds may reduce the risk of prostate cancer (11), colorectal cancer (12), and prostate cancer (13).
  
  
• Green tea may boost brain function. The caffeine from green tea can improve mood, reaction time, and memory (14), whereas the amino acid L-theanine can cross the blood-brain barrier and can help reduce anxiety (15) (16). Further, there is some evidence that caffeine and L-theanine, when combined, as they are in green tea, can boost brain function even more (17).
  
  
• Green tea may protect the brain. A few studies have shown that the various catechins found in green tea can protect neurons in animal models and test tubes (18) (19).
  
  
• Green tea may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Green tea may help with insulin sensitivity while reducing blood sugar levels (20). This is backed up by a study on Japanese people which showed a 33% reduction in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A literature review encompassing over 280,000 individuals showed tea drinkers have 18% less chance of developing diabetes.
  
  
• Green tea may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. There is significant evidence green tea may lower LDL "bad" cholesterol by increasing the blood’s antioxidant capacity (21) (22).

How To Best Drink Green Tea To Lose Weight?

The best way is to incorporate green tea into your daily routine.

Green tea is not a magical potion that will instantly produce results. The results from the studies we have cited are based on weeks or months of consistent consumption of green tea.

So incorporating it into your routine will allow you to consistently drink it.

Also...

Green tea should be treated as one of your weight loss tools. Obviously, you should not solely rely on green tea to lose weight.

Without a balanced diet and exercise, you're likely to see little to no results.

Importantly…

We do not recommend green tea extracts.

Although they may have a high concentration of catechins, they can be toxic to the liver, as per the Liver Disease Research Branch at the National Institutes of Health.

In this post, we've only listed natural green teas (green tea bags, loose-leaf green tea, or matcha) that have natural ingredients such as ginger.

The exception is one product for those who wish to undergo detox. However, this product should only be used for the time specified and not in the long term.

What To Look For When Buying Green Tea for Weight Loss?

Although all green teas come from the same plant, not all green teas are created equal.

If you want to incorporate green tea as part of your weight loss lifestyle, it's important to select high-quality green tea that is free of pesticides, heavy metals, and other pollutants.

Here are a few tips to help you select the best and healthiest green tea.

Select Loose Leaf Tea

Loose-leaf tea tends to be of higher quality than tea bag tea because these often contain lower-quality plant bits. In fact, ConsumerLab found loose-leaf green tea has a greater concentration of EGCG (a catechin) than tea bags.

Tea bags are also polluting, so be nice to planet Earth and avoid them!

Even if you don’t have a teapot with a tea infuser there are ways to make loose-leaf tea without a strainer!

Select Organic Green Tea or Equivalent

Look in the label for USDA Organic or Fair Trade certifications to ensure your tea is free of chemicals and is grown environmentally sustainably and socially responsibly.

This is important if you're going to introduce green tea to your daily routine, indefinitely.

Select a Green Tea With Other Weight-Losing Ingredients

There are other ingredients that can be found in some green tea blends that have also been scientifically linked to potentially losing weight.

These are:

• Yerba mate, which has been shown to boost metabolism, and reduce the number of fat cells and their fat content in animal studies (23). Another randomized double-blind study was conducted on Korean subjects that were obese. People who consumed Yerba Mate saw decreased body fat mass (24).
  
  
• Chili pepper, which has also been linked to potential weight loss. It contains capsaicin which may promote weight loss by increasing your metabolism while reducing your appetite (25). It may also reduce calorie intake (26). A meta-analysis study found that capsaicin in chili peppers may contribute to weight management through energy intake reductions (27).
  
  
• Ginger, which may also help with weight loss. A literature review study concluded that ginger reduced body weight and the waist-to-hip ratio in overweight or obese people (28). A study of rats showed consistent decreases in body weight in rats even if they had a fat-rich diet (29).
  
  
• Fennel, which may also help with weight management. A small study on 9 women showed that those who drank fennel tea consumed fewer calories due to appetite suppression when compared to the placebo group (30). However, more studies are needed to understand the benefits of fennel on human weight.
  
  
• Dandelion, which may aid with weight loss. A study on mice proposes that dandelion extract may help with weight management by reducing fat absorption (31). Another study on mice showed similar results. Chlorogenic acid, a compound contained in dandelion, was found to reduce fat accumulation and body weight in mice (32).
  
  
• Lemon verbena, which may have anti-obesity properties. A study on mice suggests lemon verbena may reduce fat accumulation and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios, which tend to be high in obese people and animals (33) (34). A randomized controlled trial on 54 obese humans also showed that lemon verbena may potentially help with obesity. Compared to the control group, those who took lemon verbena and hibiscus extract experienced greater reductions in fat (35). However, further studies are needed to understand whether the hibiscus had any impact on the results.
  
  
• Gymnema leaves, which contain gymnemic acid, which suppresses sweetness (36). This may help curb your sweet tooth by making sugary foods less appealing (36). Furthermore, an 8-week study of 60 moderately obese individuals showed a 5 to 6 percent body weight reduction for the group who consumed Gymnema extract (37).
  
  
• Banaba leaves, which may also help with obesity. A study concluded that bioactive compounds found in banaba leaves can inhibit new fat cells and molecules (38). Further, the leaves contain pentagalloylglucose (PGG), a polyphenol that may prevent fat cells from maturing (39).

In short, if green tea is part of your weight loss journey, consider a blend with the above ingredients for a boost in its weight loss benefits!

Related Read:

• Learn about the differences between green and oolong tea

Frequently Asked Questions

Bottom Line

Green tea is a healthy beverage that has been associated with weight loss and fat burning. However, its effects are largely dependent on the individual. Those who are looking to lose weight should drink green tea regularly as part of a balanced diet and exercise routine.

The best green tea for weight loss will be blended with other natural ingredients such as lemon verbena, ginger, yerba mate, dandelion, fennel, chili, gymnema leaves, or banaba leaves, to create a more potent fat-burning tea.

However, make sure to speak with your doctor if you have any medical conditions before consuming these teas.

Finally, avoid using green tea extracts as they can be toxic when consumed in large doses over long periods of time. Stick to consuming green tea in its natural form for the best results.

Cheers to a cup of green tea!

Suggested Reads:

• What's the Best Tea for Cramps? Here are a few!
• Picks for The Best Calming Tea for Anxiety and Stress Relief
• Wondering What is the Best Tea for a Cold? Here are a few!
• The Best Morning Tea Selections for a Great Start!