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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Decided to go all in and make up some Arnold Palmers with this sweet tea recipe. Soooooo good! Thanks!
This is the best sweet tea recipe! Love serving mine with lemon and mint too.
This looks very refreshing and pretty! Wondering if I can use green tea?
In the South–each person’s Iced Tea is the Best !! Usually the eldest has the BEST !!
For some extra touches..get an old fashioned ice tray from the Dollar General. Make tea as you normally make tea.
Fill your tray ( trays ) freeze and pop out into a big zip bag. Keep in freezer. Add to your tea glass–never will your tea dilute
on a hot day–or any day. You can also put a piece of lemon, a cherry, pour teaon top in ice tray and freeze.
This can also be done for Iced Coffee. fans. Make coffee cubes.
We’ve been making iced tea this way forever (I’m from NJ so I guess maybe ours is”Northern Sweet Tea”)
We don’t seem to get iced tea much in the UK, but we got some hot weather this summer & your recipe for iced tea has been going down very nicely here . Thank you, l knew it was refreshing but l had no idea it was so easy to make
I live in Leesburg Florida and I always keep sweet tea in the fridge. IMO most restaurants make tea too sweet so I order half and half. My recipe is easy and sweet enough without being like syrup. I make a 1 gallon recipe. Fill a gallon jug with water. Next pour a quart of the water in a 2 qt pot then turn stove on to med high and add 1 gallon size tea bag along with 1 family size tea bag. Bring to boil then turn off stove and cover pot for 15 minutes. Next take off the pot cover and turn it upside down then put the used tea bags in the lid and mash out some tea and pour into the tea pot. With the lid still in hand put bags into trash. Next put 2/3 cup of sugar along with a scant 1/4 cup of splenda (just enough to save a few calories without making the tea taste weird). Stir in the sugars they melt much faster when the tea is hot. Put a funnel in the big jug and pour in the tea. Let the tea jug sit on the counter until it cools to room temp. 8oz serving = 38 cal
Forgot how much I enjoyed fresh brewed tea. Served it with a lemon slice. So refreshing!
I have been making iced sweet tea this summer, using two English Breakfast tea bags steeped in a half-gallon Mason jar and sweetened with stevia. All my life, I have been drinking my iced tea unsweetened! This, however, is delicious…and so good for those who are cutting out sugar. Sometimes, I do add a little lemon or a few fresh mint leaves……….!
When I drove long haul and delivering in the South I always had sweet when I stopped at a TRUCK STOP for my dinner, especially “RASPBERRY” OMG…IN HEAVEN.. My regular education was in the Medical Field though.
I’m guessing the pitcher is 2 qts or is it larger? Looking forward to trying this.
Yes that should be good!