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    Home » Drinks » Homemade Iced Tea Recipe

    Published: May 5, 2021 · Modified: Aug 5, 2021 by Ajoke · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Homemade Iced Tea Recipe

    Skip to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Sweet, healthy, refreshing, and ready in 5 minutes. This homemade lemon Iced tea recipe is quick, easy, and simple to make. Sweetened black tea with a subtle flavor of lemon, this is guaranteed to keep you hydrated for hours, the summer heat has got nothing on you.

    a glass of iced tea with straw placed on a woven coaster.

    Homemade iced tea

    While I prefer to make iced tea with cold-brewed tea, today I will be sharing with you the quick and classic way of making it. That is, brewing hot tea which is faster than waiting around for cold brew to infuse.

    This recipe serves two but if you would be serving this to a crowd, please keep reading to know how to.

    If you would be serving this to a crowd then you would need a pitcher that would be big enough for the number of guests you are serving.

    What is iced tea

    Iced tea is a sweetened cold tea usually served in a glass with ice without milk. It can be sweetened with honey, sugar syrup, sugar, or any other plant-based sugar such as coconut sugar or maple syrup.

    It is typically flavored with lemon, other common flavors include orange, lime, raspberry, and peach. That said, you can flavor your homemade iced tea with any other flavors of choice, and don’t forget to add a few mints leaves too.

    You can use tea bags and loose leaves tea to make this drink. If time is not of the essence, you may consider using cold brew tea to make your ice tea instead.

    the overhead shot of lemon iced tea in a mason jar glass.

    Why you should be making yours

    It is amazingly easy and I mean EASY to make!!! If you make and drink tea regularly then you will understand my emphasis on the word EASY. How hard can making a cup of tea be especially if it doesn’t need milk?

    While sweet iced tea is readily available in stores for convenience, it should be noted that those ones are filled with preservatives and can be overly sweet too. Making yours at home would allow you to control what goes into the drink especially if you would like it less sweetened or without any sugar at all.

    It is affordable!

    This drink is perfect all year round and not in summer alone. Concentrated cold brew tea can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, so no reason not to have some in your fridge all year round.

    What you will need to make iced tea

    Teabags: this doesn’t have to be anything fancy, everyday regular black tea bags should be fine

    Sugar syrup: I have a vanilla sugar syrup recipe on the blog for how you can make yours at home. If not then opt for caster sugar, it is finer and would dissolve quicker in the water than granulated sugar.

    Lemon slices: you can use any citrus of choice for this recipe

    Ice

    Cold water

    Baking soda: This is optional but it helps eliminate bitterness from the tea and also produces a smooth tasting tea. There is also a theory that it makes the tea clear and not cloudy. Although, this can be simply achieved by not using scalding hot water. The best water temperature for brewing black tea is around 96C/204F

    ingredients needed to make ice tea.

    How to make iced tea at home in simple steps

    Place 2 teabags in a mug or a heat-proof glass then add boiled water and add a pinch of baking soda if using. Let the tea steep for about 4 to 5 minutes and discard the teabags.

    Stir the sugar into the hot tea until dissolved. Alternatively use sugar syrup for a quicker job.

    To 2 separate tall glasses (400ml capacity) add ice and few lemon slices, pour the sweet tea over the ice ¾ of the way then top with chilled water. Stir to combine, garnish with fresh mint leaves add more if need be, serve and enjoy!

    the process of how to make iced tea.

    Tips

    Do not over-steep the tea or it would become bitter, also when removing the teabags from the mug, squeeze them gently also to avoid bitter tasting tea.

    Double or triple the recipe to suit your need.

    FAQs

    Can this be made ahead

    Yes, you can make it ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours for best taste and quality. Keep it for 3 days at most.

    Tea bags or tea sachets

    You can use tea bags or tea sachets to make iced tea. Teabag leaves are smaller and finer while the leaves in tea sachets are loose and mimic the size of a loose tea. 

    Which is the best tea to use

    You can use any type of tea for iced tea including green tea and flavored tea. For more classic ones, then use black tea you can find in any supermarket. Teas labelled breakfast tea, earl grey tea, or Assam can be used too.

    is tea caffeinated

    Yes, but it is not as much as you would find in a cup of coffee. Usually, depending on your level of tolerance to caffeine, a mug of tea a day should be harmless.

    iced beverage garnished with lemon slices placed on a woven coaster.

    More iced beverage recipe

    Iced coffee

    Iced coffee condensed milk recipe

    Best Iced milk tea recipe (YouTube recipe)

    Mango pineapple smoothie McDonalds copycat

    Brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso

    If you made this refreshing beverage recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox

    a glass of iced lemon tea with a straw.

    Homemade Iced Tea Recipe

    Ajoke
    Sweet, healthy, refreshing, and ready in 5 minutes. This homemade Iced tea recipe is quick, easy, and simple to make. Sweetened black tea with a subtle flavor of lemon!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 0 mins
    Total Time 5 mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American, British
    Servings 2 glasses
    Calories 40 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Teabags any regular black teabags or flavours should be fine
    • 30 ml Sugar syrup sub with 1 ½ tablespoon of sugar or use according to taste
    • Pinch baking soda
    • Lemon slices you can use any citrus of choice for this recipe
    • 2 cups Ice
    • Coldwater

    Instructions
     

    • Place 2 teabags in a mug or a heat-proof glass then add boiled water (300ml) and add a pinch of baking soda if using. Let the tea steep for about 4 to 5 minutes and discard the teabags.
    • Stir the sugar into the hot tea until dissolved. Alternatively use sugar syrup for a quicker job.
    • To 2 separate tall glasses (400ml capacity) add ice and few lemon slices, pour the sweet tea over the ice ¾ of the way then top with chilled water. Stir to combine, garnish with fresh mint leaves add more if need be, serve and enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    Tips
    • Do not over-steep the tea or it would become bitter, also when removing the teabags from the mug, squeeze them gently also to avoid bitter-tasting tea.
    • Double or triple the recipe to suit your need.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 40kcalCarbohydrates: 11gSodium: 21mgPotassium: 9mgSugar: 11gCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

    Keyword homemade iced tea, ice tea, iced tea
    Tried this recipe?Mention @thedinnerbite or tag #thedinnerbite!
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Filed Under: Drinks

    About Ajoke

    Hello, Nice to meet you! Welcome and thanks for visiting my food blog "The Dinner Bite". Feel free to browse through, you are guaranteed nothing here but a yummy experience

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