Iced Tea

5 from 1 vote

If you are looking for a refreshing drink to serve with your summer meals, this iced tea recipe is sure to hit the spot!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Chill Time12

Total Time12 15

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: iced tea, iced tea recipe

Servings: quarts

Calories: 385kcal

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.

If you want to reduce the amount of sugar, adding baking soda to the unsweetened tea removes any bitterness without needing lots of extra sugar.
The amount of time you steep your tea depends on how strong you like it. Let it steep longer for a stronger tea.
If you have a French press, you could cold brew your tea in the press and when it comes time to strain loose leaf tea or if your tea bags burst, you can push the plunger down to strain the tea leaves.
For the best results, filtered water will make the clearest tea.

To make the hot brewed version:

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
Add tea bags to water. Remove from heat and steep for 10 to 12 minutes, 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.