This strawberry sweet iced tea recipe is the perfect drink to cool off on those warm days. It is a great way to enjoy the homegrown flavors of strawberry season with the whole family.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: This iced tea recipe is so simple to make with only a few staple ingredients.
- Refreshing: It’s an incredibly refreshing beverage, perfect for cooling down on hot summer days.
- Healthy Alternative: Packed with antioxidants from the tea and vitamins from the fresh fruit, it’s a healthier alternative to sodas and store-bought drinks that are full of artificial sweeteners.
- Social Drink: It’s a great non-alcoholic option for social gatherings, ensuring that everyone can enjoy a special drink.
Learn how to make sure your strawberries grow back year after year so you can keep making delicious recipes!
Tips
- Quality of Tea: Use good-quality tea bags for the best flavor. Black tea is traditional, but feel free to experiment with green or white tea for a lighter taste.
- Berry Choices: Fresh berries will give the best flavor, but frozen can work too. Just ensure they’re thawed so they’ll break down easily when making the syrup.
- Adjusting Sweetness: Start with less sugar than the recipe calls for and taste as you go. You can always add more sugar, but you can’t take it away.
- Steeping Time: Don’t over-steep your tea as it can become bitter. Check the strength after 15 minutes and remove the bags when it reaches the flavor you like.
- Storage: If you’re not serving the sweet tea immediately, store it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. It’s best consumed within a couple of days.
- Tea Strength: For a stronger tea, add an extra tea bag or two while steeping.
Equipment Needed
- Large pitcher
- Saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Fine mesh strainer
- Measuring cup
Ingredients
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries for the best flavor.
- Tea bags: Black tea bags, add more for a deeper tea flavor.
- Water: Divided, half for steeping, the other half for diluting.
- Sugar: Granulated for best results.
- Ice cubes: To chill your southern sweet tea
Variations & Substitutions
- Honey: Use honey instead of granulated sugar for a healthier alternative
- Sparkling Sweet Tea: Replace some or all of the water with sparkling water for a fizzy version of the sweet tea.
- Iced Tea Popsicles: Pour the prepared sweet tea into popsicle molds and freeze for a frozen treat.
- Decaf Tea: For an evening drink, use decaffeinated tea bags so you can enjoy it without affecting your sleep.
- Green Tea: Use green tea for the added health benefits.
How to Make Strawberry Sweet Iced Tea
- Prepare the Strawberries: Wash and slice the ripe strawberries, removing the tops.
- Puree the Strawberries: In a food processor or blender, puree the sliced strawberries until smooth.
- Brew the Tea: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Cover and steep for 15-20 minutes.
- Prepare the Strawberry Simple Syrup: While the tea is steeping, combine the strawberry puree and sugar with 1 cup of water in another saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the berries break down and the sugar dissolves, creating a syrup.
- Strain the Berries: Pour the cooked strawberry puree through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on the berries to extract all the simple strawberry syrup. Save the strawberry pulp for strawberry fruit leather!
- Combine Tea and Homemade Simple Syrup: Remove the tea bags from the steeped tea, squeezing out the excess tea. In the large pitcher, combine the brewed tea and berry syrup.
- Dilute the Tea: Add the remaining 6 cups of cold water to the pitcher. Stir well to combine.
- Chill: Refrigerate the tea until it’s completely chilled.
- Serve: Fill glasses with ice, pour the iced strawberry tea over the ice, and garnish with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.
- Enjoy: Enjoy the sweet, refreshing taste of your homemade strawberry tea on a hot day or at any gathering that calls for a special touch.
More Summer Drink Recipes
Southern Strawberry Sweet Iced Tea
This strawberry sweet iced tea recipe is the perfect drink to cool off on those warm days. It is a great way to enjoy the homegrown flavors of strawberry season with the whole family.
Equipment
- Large pitcher
- Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
- Fine-Mesh Strainer
- Measuring Cup
Ingredients
- 4-6 tea bags depending on your taste preference for strength
- 1 cup mixed strawberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar or adjust to your sweetness preference
- 8 cups water divided into 2 cups for brewing and 6 cups for diluting
- Fresh berries and mint sprigs for garnish
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the Strawberries: Wash and slice the ripe strawberries, removing the tops.
- Puree the Strawberries: In a food processor or blender, puree the sliced strawberries until smooth.
- Brew the Tea: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea bags. Cover and steep for 15-20 minutes.
- Prepare the Strawberry Simple Syrup: While the tea is steeping, combine the strawberry puree and sugar with 1 cup of water in another saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the berries break down and the sugar dissolves, creating a syrup.
- Strain the Berries: Pour the cooked strawberry puree through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on the berries to extract all the simple strawberry syrup. Save the strawberry pulp for strawberry fruit leather!
- Combine Tea and Homemade Simple Syrup: Remove the tea bags from the steeped tea, squeezing out the excess tea. In the large pitcher, combine the brewed tea and berry syrup.
- Dilute the Tea: Add the remaining 6 cups of cold water to the pitcher. Stir well to combine.
- Chill: Refrigerate the tea until it’s completely chilled.
- Serve: Fill glasses with ice, pour the iced strawberry tea over the ice, and garnish with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.
- Enjoy: Enjoy the sweet, refreshing taste of your homemade strawberry tea on a hot day or at any gathering that calls for a special touch
Notes
- Quality of Tea: Use good-quality tea bags for the best flavor. Black tea is traditional, but feel free to experiment with green or white tea for a lighter taste.
- Berry Choices: Fresh berries will give the best flavor, but frozen can work too. Just ensure they’re thawed so they’ll break down easily when making the syrup.
- Adjusting Sweetness: Start with less sugar than the recipe calls for and taste as you go. You can always add more sugar, but you can’t take it away.
- Steeping Time: Don’t over-steep your tea as it can become bitter. Check the strength after 15 minutes and remove the bags when it reaches the flavor you like.
- Storage: If you’re not serving the sweet tea immediately, store it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh. It’s best consumed within a couple of days.
- Tea Strength: For a stronger tea, add an extra tea bag or two while steeping.
