Iced Tea Recipe
Make Iced Tea Recipe in just 1h . Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Tea Base
Sweetener (optional)
Ice & Serving
Method
Tea Base
- 1
- 2
Steep tea
Place 6 black tea bags (or 6 teaspoons of loose-leaf tea in an infuser) into a heatproof pitcher. Pour the boiling water over the tea, cover the pitcher, and steep for 5 minutes for standard strength or up to 7 minutes for a stronger brew. Avoid steeping more than 7 minutes to prevent bitterness.
- 3
Remove tea
Remove and discard the tea bags (or remove the infuser). Gently squeeze each tea bag against the pitcher rim with a spoon to capture flavor, if desired.
Sweetener (optional)
- 4
Make simple syrup
If you want sweetened iced tea, combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves and the syrup is clear. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, dissolve sugar directly into the hot brewed tea, stirring until dissolved.)
- 5
Add sweetener
Stir 1 cup of the warm simple syrup into the hot brewed tea. Taste and adjust: add more syrup for sweeter tea or omit syrup entirely for unsweetened tea.
Ice & Serving
- 6
Cool quickly
Let the brewed tea come down to warm room temperature (15–20 minutes) then place the pitcher in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill. For faster cooling, pour the warm tea into a heatproof bowl and place an ice bath under the bowl, stirring occasionally until cool.
- 7
Dilute if needed
If the tea is very strong after chilling, add up to 4 cups cold water to taste to reach desired strength and volume. Stir to combine.
- 8
Serve
Fill tall glasses with 1 cup of ice each. Pour iced tea over the ice. Garnish each glass with a lemon slice and a mint sprig if using. Serve immediately.