Gallon Sweet Tea Recipe
Make Gallon Sweet Tea Recipe in just 3h . 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
Sweetening
Finish & Serve
Method
Brew the Tea
- 1
Heat water and steep
Bring 1 gallon of water to a near boil (about 200–210°F / 93–99°C). Remove from heat and add 8 black tea bags, spacing them so they can steep evenly. Cover the pot or container and steep for 8 minutes for a bright, balanced flavor; steep up to 10 minutes for a stronger brew. Avoid steeping longer than 12 minutes to prevent excessive bitterness.
- 2
Remove tea bags
After steeping, remove the tea bags. If you prefer less bitterness, gently press each bag against the side of the pot with a spoon for a second or two to extract flavor, but do not squeeze vigorously.
Sweeten While Hot
- 3
Dissolve sugar
While the brewed tea is still hot, add 1 cup granulated sugar and stir until completely dissolved. This ensures the sugar integrates fully; if the tea cools too much, heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then cool again.
Cool, Dilute & Chill
- 4
Top up with cold water
Transfer the sweetened hot tea to a heatproof gallon container or pitcher. Add about 3 cups cold water to bring the liquid closer to room temperature and to make one full gallon if evaporation occurred while heating. Stir to combine.
- 5
Cool quickly and chill
Let the tea cool to room temperature on the counter (30–45 minutes), then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (at least 2 hours). To cool faster, place the covered pitcher in an ice bath, or add ice directly as described below.
Serve
- 6
Serve over ice
Fill glasses with ice (about 1 cup ice per 8–12 oz glass). Pour the chilled sweet tea over the ice. Garnish with lemon slices if desired. Taste and adjust sweetness by stirring in a little simple syrup or sugar dissolved in warm water if necessary.
- 7
Storage
Keep any unused tea covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the tea concentrates while refrigerated, stir or top with cold water before serving.