What I love about making sweet tea is how simple it is and the joy it brings to everyone. My big mama always had a pitcher in her fridge, and so did my mama. Their tender-loving hands stirred countless pitchers that graced our dinner table. It’s easy to recreate that refreshing drink. All you need is some boiling water, tea bags and sugar. If you wanna get extra, add in some lemon or mint. But either way, you will end up with Southern comfort in a glass.
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How to Make Sweet Tea
- Add water to a medium sized pot and boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, turn off heat and add tea bags and steep.
- Remove tea bags from pot.
- Stir in sugar in increments until it completely dissolves into the hot tea.
- Add the sweetened tea to the pitcher and then fill the pitcher with water then add lemon wedges and mint (if you would like for garnish and flavor).
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add ice to glasses and serve.
We personally throw tea bags directly into boiling hot water and allow them to brew, releasing the essence of the black tea. Once the color of the tea reaches a deep auburn, we remove the teabags, add the sugar and allow it to come to room temperature before mixing with water.
Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
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Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 5-6 black tea bags depending on how strong you want your tea
- 2/3- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar depending on how sweet you want it
- Optional: lemon and mint
- Ice
Instructions
- Add water to a medium sized pot and boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, turn off heat and add tea bags. Steep for 10-25 minutes (depending on strength you prefer).
- Stir in sugar in increments until it completely dissolves into the hot tea.
- Remove tea bags from pot then pour tea into a large pitcher.
- Add enough water to fill the pitcher then add lemon wedges and mint (if you would like for garnish and flavor).
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add ice to glasses and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Use Good Quality Tea Bags: Trust me, the better the tea, the better the flavor. Go for a quality brand that you love like Luzianne. I usually stick with classic black tea for that authentic Southern taste.
- Don’t Rush the Steep: Let those tea bags steep for a good 10-25 minutes. The longer you steep, the stronger the flavor. Just be careful not to overdo it or the tea might get bitter.
- Dissolve the Sugar While It’s Hot: Stir in your sugar while the tea is still hot so it dissolves completely. This is key to getting that smooth, sweet flavor without any graininess.
- Adjust Sweetness to Your Taste: Start with a little sugar and add more as you go. Everyone’s got their own sweet spot, and this way, you can make sure it’s just right for you.
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P E R F E C T! Enjoying your tea recipe while watching the playoffs. Used to have an electric iced tea maker but no counter space plus spouse melted and distorted lid and/or plastic pitcher in the dishwasher. I can stop buying bottled sweet tea. Thank you!
Yay so happy that you like it, Carol!
Been using your recipe for a few years now. I used to think I didn’t like tea. Turns out it wasn’t prepared to my liking until I found your guide.
Wonderful!! Happy to hear that you enjoy the Sweet Tea!
Is this using family size tea bags?
You want to use regular sized tea bags.
Sweet teas are the best but most people don’t consume it as they contain high amount of sugar and they also they are not brewed, but it is good for other who like and prefer it.
Really good! I’m trying to keep my sugar intake low right now so I used monk fruit sweetener and it worked like a charm!
I grew up in the South and this recipe is spot on! Thank you for the blast from the past! 🙂