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There’s nothing quite like sipping on a cold glass of Homemade Iced Tea when the weather starts to heat up. With a touch of lemon, this chilled green or black tea is sweet and refreshing — a perfect pick-me-up during the warmer months.

This Homemade Iced Tea made with only 10 minutes of prep using green or black tea, sugar, and water is sweet and refreshing — a perfect summer drink. | aheadofthyme.com

With only ten minutes of prep (and some time to chill), you can make this flavorful iced tea from scratch to quench your thirst and save you from the heat. An ideal beverage for all of summer’s occasions, you’ll want to keep this iced tea recipe on hand to make again and again.

Why You'll Love this Homemade Iced Tea Recipe

Perfect summer beverage. Sweet tea is the ideal beverage for cooling off on hot summer days! Serve it at cookouts, sporting events, picnics, and afternoons at home under the hot sun.
Only three ingredients. You only need three simple ingredients (ones you might even already have on hand) to make the perfect homemade iced tea from scratch — plus water and ice. No artificial ingredients or preservatives here! Just tea, sugar, and lemon for garnishing.
Easy to customize. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to homemade iced tea. Some like it stronger, some like it weaker, some like it sweeter or with just a hint of sweetness. This recipe is easy to tweak to suit your tastes — check out the Recipe Variations below!

Ingredient Notes

To make this refreshing Homemade Iced Tea, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

water - use filtered or purified water for the best results.
tea - you can use black tea or green tea in this recipe — whichever you prefer! Also, feel free to use either loose-leaf tea or tea bags.
sugar - you can swap the sugar for honey or use your favorite sugar alternative, just be aware that whatever you choose will affect the overall taste of the iced tea.
lemon - fresh lemon slices are optional to garnish this homemade sweet tea. You can also garnish with a few sprigs of mint.
ice

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, medium saucepan, and a pitcher.

How to Make the Best Homemade Iced Tea

Steep the tea. Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add tea (or tea bags) and let it steep according to package directions (approximately 5 minutes).
Strain. Once brewed, strain out the tea leaves or remove the tea bags.
Add sugar. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.

Add water. Transfer the tea into a large pitcher and add cold water to your desired taste.

Chill. Refrigerate until the iced tea cools completely, about 30 minutes.
Serve. Serve with lemon slices and ice.

Recipe Variations

Adjust the sweetness. Adjust the sweetness of your iced tea by starting with a small amount of sugar (or other sweeteners such as honey, agave syrup, or a sugar substitute) and adjust until you reach your desired level of sweetness.
Make it stronger. Do you like your black tea strong? The trick to making stronger tea is to add more leaves (or bags), but don’t steep it longer or it will become bitter. Add an extra bag or two (or as many as you’d like) to the same amount of water and steep it as directed for a more intense black tea flavor.
Add flavored syrups. Change up the flavor by adding in flavored syrups such as vanilla, caramel, raspberry, or mint. Add them directly to the brewed tea and stir.
Make it fruity. Add a burst of fruit flavor by stirring in some fresh fruit slices such as lemon, lime, orange, berries, or peaches. See our Peach Iced Tea recipe.
Infuse with herbs. Infuse your iced tea with fresh herbs like mint, basil, or lavender. Simply steep the herbs with the tea.
Add ginger. Similarly, you can add in a boost of flavor with a slice of ginger. Add it to the tea while it steeps.

How to Serve

Homemade Iced Tea is a perfect drink to serve whenever you are craving an ice cold drink. It also pairs well with almost anything you are eating. Some recipe ideas include:

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Add fun flavor twists. Because this delicious homemade iced tea has such a simple flavor, you can experiment with all kinds of flavor boosters. Add fresh berries, squeeze a whole lemon into the tea, or add carbonation for a different sensation. See our Recipe Variations above for ideas.
Don't oversteep. Different types of tea require different steeping times. Follow the instructions in the recipe or on the tea packaging to ensure that you steep the tea for the recommended amount of time. Oversteeping can result in a bitter taste.
Don’t water it down. Here’s a simple way to keep your homemade iced tea cold without watering it down: make tea ice cubes! Pour some of the tea into ice cube molds and freeze to make ice cubes that won’t dilute your drink.
Chill before serving. Allow your brewed tea to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate it until it is thoroughly chilled. This helps the flavors to develop and ensures a refreshing and cool beverage.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Add a lid to your pitcher of iced tea (or seal with plastic cling wrap) and store in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours (or up to 24 hours if refrigerated immediately). I recommend only making enough to drink in the same day or freeze for later.

How to Freeze

If you can’t drink all your homemade iced tea in one day, freeze the leftovers by pouring it into an ice cube tray and freezing uncovered until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the ice cubes in a pitcher and store in the fridge until melted.

More Drink Recipes

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