The Most Refreshing Strawberry Iced Tea!
Strawberry Iced Tea is one of my go-to summer drinks. It’s absolutely refreshing and incredibly easy to make. All you have to do is brew tea, sweeten and flavor it with strawberry syrup, and serve over ice. That’s it!
Of course, I opt for homemade strawberry syrup. I love that it’s naturally flavored from the juice of real strawberries.
If you’re like me with an abundance of strawberries during peak season, this is a great way to use them (in addition to strawberry shortcake–I love that stuff).
Whether you need a non-alcoholic pitcher drink for a bridal or baby shower, Sunday brunch, summer party, or just want a cold drink on a hot day, this is a great recipe.
Just keep some tea bags on hand, and grab a pint of strawberries.
Why You’ll Love this Iced Tea
Make it by the glass or pitcher. It’s just as easy to make a large batch of strawberry iced tea for a group as it is a single serving. Or do what I do. Keep a pitcher of tea and a batch of strawberry syrup in the fridge, at-the-ready, then assemble a refreshing drink when the craving hits.
Flavored with real strawberries. Sure, you can make this recipe with store-bought strawberry syrup, but why, when it’s so easy to make homemade strawberry syrup with real, juicy strawberries.
Switch up the type of tea. While traditional sweet tea recipes feature black tea, which is caffeinated, nothing says you can’t sub in another type.
Iced strawberry green tea is a great alternative, and my personal favorite is iced strawberry passion tea. For a completely caffeine-free drink, use herbal tea.
How to Make Strawberry Iced Tea
This recipe makes 2 quarts of iced tea. (about 8 servings). I also provide instructions for making a single serving.
Ingredients
Black Tea Bags – There’s no need to use a pricey tea for this flavored iced tea. Black orange pekoe tea bags like Lipton or Luzianne are perfectly delicious. They’re easy to grab from the grocery store and keep on-hand for the summer iced tea season.
If you’re making a pitcher of tea, use either family size iced tea bags or regular tea bags. (Each family size bag is the same as four regular bags.)
Strawberries – Ripe, fresh strawberries make the most flavorful strawberry syrup.
You can also use frozen strawberries, but it will add a few more minutes to the cook time. Get frozen sliced berries (not whole), if possible.
If you want the fruit pulp mixed in the tea, make strawberry puree instead.
Sugar – White granulated sugar is needed to make the strawberry syrup. I don’t suggest substituting it with another type since it may change the flavor.
Filtered Water – Crisp, filtered water is best for drinks and ice. A Brita water pitcher is a great way to get out the impurities, especially if you make a lot of tea and coffee drinks at home.
Ice and Strawberry Garnish – You’ll need ice when you’re ready to enjoy a glass of strawberry iced tea or serve it to your guests. To add some fruity summer vibes, I like to garnish each drink with fresh strawberries and a sprig of mint.
Lemon (optional) – If you want to balance the sweet with some tang, squeeze in some fresh lemon juice.
Instructions
- Prepare strawberry syrup. Wash, remove stems and cut strawberries into quarters. Bring strawberries and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and boil for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain out the strawberry pulp. Stir sugar into the strained strawberry juice, then return it to the saucepan and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, strain once more and set aside to cool. Here’s my detailed strawberry syrup recipe with guided pictures.
- Brew tea concentrate. Boil half the water and pour over tea bags in a heat-proof container. Steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and pour tea into a pitcher. Add remaining cold water.
- Make pitcher of strawberry iced tea. Once the strawberry syrup has cooled, stir it into the tea. Cool in the refrigerator. Alternatively, serve pitcher of tea with syrup on the side so your guests can flavor and sweeten their glass of iced tea individually to their liking.
- To serve – Add ice to a glass and fill with iced tea. Garnish with fresh strawberries or mint sprigs, if desired. Optionally, squeeze in fresh lemon.
Detailed recipe and instructions are in recipe card at bottom of post.
Serve tea with ice added to glasses, not the pitcher. Don’t let melted ice, water down your pitcher of tea. Ice floating around in a pitcher of tea sure does make a refreshing presentation, but unless you’re serving it all immediately, it’s best to just put the ice in cups.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead – Make both the syrup and tea in advance so they have plenty of time to chill in the fridge.
Chill it Fast – If you didn’t plan enough in advance and need to cool the tea or homemade syrup fast, just set jars of each in an ice bath.
Stronger Tea – If you want stronger tea, use additional tea bags or add less cold water. Whatever you do, do not steep it past 5 minutes.
Often, I see people say to steep it for 10-15 minutes. NO! Don’t do that. It just makes the tea bitter.
Check out all my tips for making black tea properly.
Green Iced Tea – Do not bring water to a full boil if you make this recipe with green tea in place of black. Use a kettle with temperature settings, or boil the water and let it sit for a minute before pouring over green tea bags.
How to Make a Single Serving of Strawberry Iced Tea
Don’t need a pitcher full of iced tea? Here’s how to make a single serving.
- Steep 2 regular size tea bags in 1 cup of boiling water for 5 minutes.
- Discard the tea bags and add 1 cup of cold water to the tea.
- Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of strawberry syrup and fill glass with ice.
To make super cold iced tea, super fast, use a drink shaker. Here’s how: Put hot tea, 3/4 cup of cold water, syrup and a handful of ice in a shaker. Shake it about 10 times, then strain the tea into a glass of fresh ice.
More Refreshing Iced Tea Recipes
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Homemade Strawberry Iced Tea
Fresh strawberries and sweet tea come together to make the most refreshing summertime drink: Strawberry Iced Tea. Made with freshly brewed tea and the fruitiest homemade strawberry syrup, this iced tea can be prepared by the pitcher for parties or as an individual serving.
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Syrup
- 1 pint strawberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
For the Strawberry Iced Tea
- 2 tea bags, family size (or 8 regular tea bags)
- 4 cups water, divided
- 1 1/2 cups strawberry syrup
- ice, to fill glasses
- sliced lemon and strawberries, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare strawberry syrup. Wash, remove stems and cut strawberries into quarters. Bring strawberries and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and boil for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain out the strawberry pulp. Stir sugar into the strained strawberry juice, then return it to the saucepan and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, strain once more and set aside to cool. Here's my detailed strawberry syrup recipe with guided pictures.
- Brew tea concentrate. Boil half the water and pour over tea bags in a heat-proof container. Steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and pour tea into a pitcher. Add remaining cold water.
- Make pitcher of strawberry iced tea. Once the strawberry syrup has cooled, stir it into the tea.
- To serve - Add ice to a glass and fill with iced tea. Garnish with fresh strawberries or mint sprigs, if desired. Optionally, squeeze in fresh lemon.
Notes
Make Ahead - Make both the syrup and tea in advance so they have plenty of time to chill in the fridge.
Chill it Fast - If you didn't plan enough in advance and need to cool the tea or homemade syrup fast, just set jars of each in an ice bath.
Stronger Tea - If you want stronger tea, use additional tea bags or add less cold water. Whatever you do, do not steep it past 5 minutes. Doing so makes the tea bitter.
To Make Green Iced Tea - Do not bring water to a full boil if you make this recipe with green tea instead of black. Use a kettle with temperature settings, or boil the water and let it sit for a minute before pouring over green tea bags.
To Make a Single Serving of Strawberry Iced Tea - Steep 2 regular size tea bags in 1 cup of boiling water for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags and add 1 cup of cold water to the tea. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of strawberry syrup. Let chill in refrigerator for a few minutes, then pour over ice to drink.
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