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Iced tea makes for the best summer drink, especially on a hot day! Luckily, it’s an easy homemade refreshment that can be made from scratch. You can make our iced tea recipe with hot brewed or cold brew tea. You can also add flavors, or keep it simple. Either way, it’s sure to be good!
Looking for some other refreshing drinks to serve with your summer meals? This Sweet Peach Iced Tea and Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea are two of our favorites. If you’re a fan of Iced Tea, we think you’ll like them!
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ICED TEA INGREDIENTS
You’ll need:
● 8 1/2 cups water
● 6 family size tea bags, tea tags only removed (Orange & Black Pekoe blend)
● 1 cup sugar (if Southern tea is desired, add an extra ½ cup)
● Lemon slices for garnish
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
Tea: You could use just about any tea you like for this iced tea recipe. If you have a favorite loose-leaf tea, you can use that instead. However, bagged teas tend to be a bit easier.
Lemons: The lemons in this iced tea recipe are completely optional. They add a nice bit of flavor. You could use other varieties of fruit as a garnish as well. Try adding peaches, strawberries, raspberries, or oranges. You could also try mint for a fun and simple flavor.
Syrups and Other Sweeteners: You can have some fun here. If you like flavored iced tea, you can add a variety of homemade syrups. You can also simply add honey for some sweetness and flavor. As mentioned in the ingredients list, the amount of sugar you add is up to your discretion.
HOW TO MAKE THIS ICED TEA RECIPE
With Cold Brewed Tea:
STEP ONE: Pour 8 cups of cold water into a pitcher with a lid.
STEP TWO: Place tea bags inside the pitcher, with tea tags hanging out of the pitcher.
STEP THREE: Place the pitcher in the refrigerator overnight or up to 12 hours.
STEP FOUR: Remove tea bags and discard. If tea bags burst, strain tea mixture through a screen sieve.
STEP FIVE: Heat the remaining ½ cup of water to a simmer, and remove from heat.
STEP SIX: Pour sugar into heated water, stir to dissolve.
STEP SEVEN: Pour sugar mixture into cold tea. Stir to incorporate sugar mixture.
STEP EIGHT: Serve your tea by pouring it over ice and serving with lemon slices.
With Hot Brewed Tea:
STEP ONE: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
STEP TWO: Add tea bags to water. Remove from heat and let them steep for 10-12 minutes, depending on how strong you’d like your tea to be.
STEP THREE: Carefully remove the tea bags.
STEP FOUR: Add sugar to the hot tea mixture. Stir to completely dissolve the sugar.
STEP FIVE: Add the hot tea mixture to the remaining 4 cups of cold water.
STEP SIX: Refrigerate until cooled.
STEP SEVEN: Serve your tea by pouring it over ice and serving with lemon slices.
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: Be sure to use any leftover iced tea in the refrigerator. Generally speaking, for the best flavor, you’ll want to drink your homemade iced tea within one day. But, it will stay good in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
You can’t go wrong with a cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. Now, you can cross the store bought teas off your list on your next trip to the grocery store. Making delicious iced tea at home has never been so easy. With this iced tea recipe, you will have delicious, refreshing iced tea in no time!
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Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 8 1/2 cups water
- 8 family size tea bags
- 1 cup sugar
- Lemon wedges to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pour 8 cups of cold water into a pitcher with a lid.
- Place tea bags inside the pitcher, with tea tags hanging out of the pitcher.
- Place the pitcher in the refrigerator overnight or up to 12 hours.
- Remove tea bags and discard. If tea bags burst, strain tea mixture through a screen sieve.
- Heat the remaining ½ cup of water to a simmer, and remove from heat.
- Pour sugar into heated water, stir to dissolve.
- Pour sugar mixture into cold tea. Stir to incorporate sugar mixture
- Serve over ice.
- Garnish with lemon wedges if desired.
Notes
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
- Add tea bags to water. Remove from heat and steep 10-12 min., depending on desired strength.
- Carefully remove tea bags.
- Add sugar to the hot tea mixture. Stir to completely dissolve sugar.
- Add the hot tea mixture to the remaining 4 cups of cold water.
- Refrigerate until cooled.
this was delicious and easy to make! my family loved it!