Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea

Juicy strawberries, a bit of sugar, and some lemons—along with just a few simple steps—make this Southern strawberry sweet tea an easy summer favorite.

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Prep Time30 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings14

If you’ve never had homemade sweet tea with real strawberry syrup, oh, you are in for something special. This isn’t just tea with fruit floating in it—it’s brewed and sweetened properly and then finished with a gorgeous homemade syrup that turns every sip into something downright addictive.

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Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea Ingredients

Can I use frozen strawberries? – Absolutely. Just thaw them first so they release their juices more easily.

Can I skip the lemon? – You could, but it really helps balance the sweetness. Even just a splash makes a difference.

Can I use regular tea bags? – Yes. A family-sized tea bag equals three regular tea bags. This recipe would use 9 regular-sized bags.

Can I spike it? – For sure. A splash of vodka or bourbon will turn this into an amazing summer cocktail.

How To Make This Strawberry Sweet Tea Recipe

This recipe makes enough sweet tea to fill a very large pitcher or two medium-sized ones.

How to Make It

1. Make the Strawberry Syrup 🍓
Simmer sliced strawberries with water and sugar for 30 minutes until the liquid turns ruby red and the berries are very soft. Strain the mixture into a large pitcher using a fine mesh sieve—press gently to extract the syrup, but don’t push so hard you end up with pulp in your tea. Cool completely.

2. Brew the Tea ☕
Pour 3 cups of boiling water into a bowl and add your tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes—no more, no less—then discard the bags. Stir in the sugar while the tea is still hot to fully dissolve it.

You can adjust the number of tea bags to vary the strength of your tea. For a stronger tea, add an extra tea bag and steep for an extra five minutes. For a lighter-colored tea, use only two tea bags and add extra water.

3. Combine It All
Pour the sweetened tea into the pitcher with the cooled strawberry syrup. Add 8 cups of cold water and fresh lemon juice. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate until cold (two to three hours).

4. Serve and Store 🍋
Serve over ice with a lemon slice and a whole strawberry perched on the rim of each glass. It’s pretty, playful, and the ultimate Southern touch.

💡 Make it ahead – It actually tastes better the next day, once the flavors settle and blend. Store in a sealed pitcher in the fridge for up to five days. Stir before serving if it’s been sitting, as the syrup can settle a bit.

More Sweet Tea Recipes

• Sweet Peach Iced Tea
• Texas Tea
• Raspberry Iced Tea
  

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Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea

5 from 6 votes

Juicy strawberries, a bit of sugar, and some lemons—along with just a few simple steps—make this Southern strawberry sweet tea an easy summer favorite.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 14

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Ingredients

  

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Strawberry Simple Syrup

• 3 cups strawberries, washed and stems removed then sliced (should measure three cups after they are sliced)
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar

Sweet Tea

• 3 cups boiling water
• 3 family-sized Lipton original tea bags
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 cups cold water, in a large pitcher
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 lemon, cut into slices or wedges for garnish in glass
• 6 to 8 strawberries (washed but leave stems on, with a cut on the bottom for garnish on the glass)
• ice

Instructions

 

• In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, and sliced strawberries. Cook over medium-high and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes, or until strawberries are soft and the liquid is a deep red color.
• Strain the strawberries using a mesh strainer into your pitcher. Press down on the strawberries gently, but make sure to not press too hard. You don’t want any strawberry chunks in your sweet tea.
• While the strawberry simple syrup is cooling in the pitcher, add 3 cups of hot water to a large bowl. Place 3 family-sized tea bags into the hot water and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags from the bowl and throw them away.
• Add 1 cup of sugar into the bowl with the tea and stir well.
• Dump the sweet tea from the bowl to the pitcher.
• Add 8 cups cold water to the pitcher and stir well.
• Add the juice from 1 large lemon to your sweet tea and mix well.
• Cover the pitcher and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, or until very cold. Serve over ice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

• This recipe uses 20-ounces of strawberries. You’ll want three cups of sliced strawberries plus 6 to 8 strawberries for garnish. 
• For the most intense strawberry flavor, this recipe works best with very ripe strawberries. While you can enjoy it all year round, strawberry iced tea is tastiest in the summer when strawberries are in season and at their juiciest.
• This recipe makes quite a lot of tea, so you’ll need either a very large pitcher or two medium-sized ones. If you’re not having a party and just want to make a drink to enjoy yourself at home, we suggest using smaller quantities of all the ingredients.
• You can adjust the number of tea bags to vary the strength of your tea. For a stronger tea, add an extra tea bag and steep for an extra five minutes. For a lighter-colored tea, use only two tea bags and add extra water.

Nutrition

Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

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