Iced tea is one of the most refreshing drinks you can enjoy in the summer. It’s wonderfully cold and intensely flavorful.
I like to infuse it with ginger, mint, and orange flavors. But even plain and unsweetened, it’s delightful!
It took moving to the U.S. South to realize why sweet tea plays such a significant role here. Living in year-round cool Northern California, I didn’t really get it. But summer is hot and muggy here; cold drinks are wonderfully refreshing.
In the sweltering summer of Memphis, Tennessee, I find that iced tea is just the thing when I get back home from a long walk, a bike ride, or even running errands.
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Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make this iced tea recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
- Water: You’ll need 8 cups of cool water.
- Tea bags: I use Earl Grey tea. I use eight tea bags – one bag for each glass of tea.
- Ginger: I like to add a small piece of fresh ginger root to the tea as it steeps. It adds a very subtle flavor. If you want a more robust ginger flavor, keep it in the tea while it cools.
- Mint: You’ll need a bunch of fresh mint leaves and another bunch for garnish.
- Baking soda: This helps keep the tea clear and counteract any bitterness. You’ll only need a pinch.
- Sweetener: This is optional. I typically don’t add any, but if you’d like to sweeten your tea, you can add a sweetener to equal ½ cup of sugar. Each glass will contain about a tablespoon of sweetener. If this seems excessive, you can start with ¼ cup of sweetener for the entire batch and see how you like it.
- Orange: I thinly slice a fresh orange and add the slices to the tea. I like it better than lemon. It adds excellent flavor and a hint of sweetness.
- Ice cubes: You’ll need 4-6 ice cubes for each glass.
Variations
- You can choose the type of tea that suits your taste. I opt for Earl Grey tea due to its rich flavor. However, you can also use plain black, green, white, or herbal tea.
- You can use different sweeteners, including sugar, honey, maple syrup, sugar-free granulated sweeteners, or stevia. You can also use brown sugar if you dissolve it entirely while the tea is hot.
- It’s fun to infuse the tea with different types of fruit. My favorite is orange slices, but other good options include lemon, lime, strawberry, or peach slices.
Iced Tea Recipe Instructions
Here’s an overview of the steps needed to make this refreshing drink. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below.
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Turn the heat off and add the tea bags, ginger root, and mint leaves. Steep the tea for 10 minutes. (Photos 1-3).
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the tea bags, ginger, and mint leaves from the tea. (Photo 4).
- At this point, you can strain the tea into a heatproof bowl.
- Stir in the baking soda and (if using) sweetener. (Photo 5).
- Stir in the remaining 6 cups of cool water. Refrigerate the tea until cold, for about an hour. Or place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. (Photo 6).
- To serve, transfer the tea to a glass pitcher. Fill drinking glasses with ice cubes and add one or two thin orange slices. Pour in the tea. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.
Expert Tips
- If your tap water has a clean taste, it’s OK to use it when making this recipe. Here in Memphis, we enjoy excellent tap water, so that’s what I use. But if your tap water tastes bad (when I lived in D.C., our tap water had a strong chlorine taste), it’s best to use filtered or bottled water.
- I use kitchen scissors to cut the string off the tea bags. This way, I can fully immerse them in hot water without immersing their tags.
- To prevent the ice cubes from diluting the tea’s flavor, you can make some tea beforehand and freeze it in ice cube trays, then serve the tea with frozen tea cubes instead of regular ice cubes.
Recipe FAQs
The baking soda is optional, but I like to use it. It makes the tea clearer and counteracts any bitterness, making the tea clear and smooth-tasting.
This is purely a matter of taste. I don’t sweeten the tea. I do add orange slices, and those add a hint of sweetness.
If you enjoy sweetened beverages, you can add a sweetener. Make sure to add it while the tea is still hot, especially if you use a granulated sweetener.
Iced tea should be served refrigerator-cold, which is around 40°F. That’s why it’s best to chill it before serving, even if you plan on serving it with ice.
Ten minutes is ideal. Steeping tea for too short of a time will result in weak tea that doesn’t have much flavor, while steeping it for too long could result in a bitter taste because more tannins are extracted.
Most tea packages will instruct you to steep the tea for 3-5 minutes, so if you worry about the tea becoming too bitter, you can steep the tea for around five minutes instead of ten.
Serving Suggestions
Iced tea can be enjoyed on its own as a refreshing drink any time of day. It’s great for breakfast, as a drink to accompany lunch, or as a snack.
It also goes exceptionally well with dark chocolate, chocolate-based treats such as fat bombs or homemade chocolate, and baked goods such as almond flour cookies and keto pound cake.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the tea covered and refrigerated for up to five days. Be sure to refrain from adding fruit directly to the pitcher. Add them to individual glasses right before serving.
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Recipe Card
Iced Tea Recipe
Iced tea is one of the most refreshing drinks you can enjoy in the summer. It’s wonderfully cold and intensely flavorful.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 2kcal
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Instructions
Make the tea:
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In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Turn the heat off and add the tea bags, ginger, and half the mint leaves. Make sure the tea bags are covered in water. Steep the tea for 10 minutes.
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Use a slotted spoon to remove the tea bags, ginger, and mint leaves from the tea. If needed, strain the tea through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl.
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Stir in the baking soda and (if using) sweetener.
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Stir in the remaining 6 cups of cool water. Refrigerate until cold, for about an hour. You can also place the tea in the freezer for 30 minutes.
To serve:
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Transfer the tea to a glass pitcher.
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Fill drinking glasses with ice cubes and 1 or 2 thin orange slices. Pour in the tea. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.
Notes
- If your tap water has a clean taste, it’s fine to use it when making this recipe. Here in Memphis, we enjoy great tap water, so that’s what I use. But if your tap water tastes bad (when I lived in D.C., our tap water had a strong chlorine taste), it’s best to use filtered water or bottled water.
- I use kitchen scissors to cut the string off the tea bags. This way, I can fully immerse them in hot water without immersing their tags.
- You can use any type of tea that you like. I use Earl Grey tea because I enjoy its robust flavor, but you can use plain black tea, green tea, white tea, or even herbal tea.
- You can use different sweeteners, including sugar, honey, maple syrup, sugar-free granulated sweeteners, or stevia. You can also use brown sugar if you take care to dissolve it fully while the tea is still hot.
- You can keep the tea covered and refrigerated for up to five days. Be sure to refrain from adding fruit directly to the pitcher. Add them to individual glasses right before serving.
- The nutrition info assumes that no sweetener was used.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 2kcal
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