Easiest Southern Iced Tea Recipe (3 Methods)

This Iced Tea recipe is the perfect one you’re looking for to get that Southern sweet tea fix! All the Southern flavors you’re looking for are right here in this post.

I’ll also be sharing two other ways of making this delicious, iced tea too – the perfect cold brew method for making iced tea and a Sun tea recipe.

With a video and step-by-step image, you’re going to become a pro at making this incredibly tasty, iced tea in no time!

What is Iced Tea?

Iced tea is essentially a form of cold tea. It is any tea that is made and then chilled or cooled. It’s usually sweetened, though it’s not necessary.

You can also use different types of sweeteners to sweeten your iced tea such as regular sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or even agave syrup.

As you can tell from my Strawberry Iced tea, Sorrel, Ginger iced tea posts, I love iced tea. I don’t drink enough water, so I use tea as an alternative to getting some flavored water in my system.

If you have trouble drinking water throughout the day like me, trust me you’re going to absolutely love iced tea!

Where and How did Iced Tea Originate in the United States?

Iced tea has an interesting backstory! The first tea plantations were set up in the United States in North Carolina. That’s when tea was first introduced here.

The first Southern iced tea recipe, aka sweet tea, can be traced back to a cookbook by Marion Tyree called Housekeeping in Old Virginia. It was published way back in 1879!

Interestingly, that recipe called for green tea instead of black tea that we’re now used to. This is what Americans of the time drank till World War II, but then green tea importation was cut off.

The US had to then switch to importing tea from India and that’s when black tea came along here, and the iced tea recipe evolved to what we know it to be now.

What is Southern Iced Tea?

Southern iced tea is the quintessential sweet tea that we have all at least tried once in our life and absolutely loved!

If you haven’t tried Southern iced tea and are wondering what it is, it’s a black tea that is brewed and chilled. It’s usually sweetened and can sometimes be very sweet, hence why it’s usually diluted in a large glass full of ice cubes.

It’s the absolutely perfect way to beat the heat and consume a ton of water during the hot summery months by making water taste delicious

Southern iced tea, or sweet tea as it’s sometimes called, is synonymous with cookouts, pool parties, patio parties, and all kinds of summer entertaining.

What Makes This Southern Iced Recipe Tea So Special?

This recipe is the perfect way to get that delicious Southern iced tea flavor! If you’re a fan of sweet tea but don’t know how to make it, this post will teach you everything you need to know to make the perfect iced tea!

What’s best is that I’ve included three different ways of making it! You can go with the traditional hot brew method or try the cold brew method!

I’ve also added the recipe for how to make Sun tea! Regardless of the method you use to make it, this recipe is incredible and will give you the perfect flavor every single time.

What You Need to Make Iced Tea

Water – You will need boiling water and chilled water. Since this recipe only calls for a few ingredients the better the ingredients, the better the flavor! I recommend using filtered tap water or spring water, if possible.

Loose black tea – Don’t use Lipton to make Southern tea, it’s not strong enough. Try to use Indian black tea, it is strong and perfect when cold-brewed or used with boiling water. Indian tea also has a hint of sweetness. I truly believe the type of black tea you use is what makes or breaks iced tea.

Sugar – I have used raw sugar. Hence the color of the tea shown in the images and the video is a little darker than your usual sweet tea.

Lemon or lime juice – You can omit the lemon juice, but it makes this tea super refreshing.

What Type of Tea Should I Use?

My favorite is Assam tea; it is strong and flavorful. Iced tea made with Assam black tea gains more body by the day.

The three brands I go for are Society, Tapal Danedar, and Red Label. These brands are great for making Karak chai (Indian strong tea) and cold brew iced tea.

Like I said above, I wouldn’t recommend going with Lipton for this recipe since it just doesn’t have a strong enough flavor to get the real iced tea taste!

I also recommend using loose leaf tea for this recipe instead of teabags. It really makes a huge difference!

But if you’re in a pinch and don’t have loose-tea leaf around but really want to try this recipe, then I’ve mentioned how many tea bags to use in the recipe below!

How to Make the Perfect Southern Iced Tea at Home

It’s incredibly simple to make the perfect Southern iced tea at home! Here’s how:

In a bowl, add the sugar, tea, and 3 cups of boiling water and mix it all well together. Cover the bowl and let it steep for 6 minutes.

Strain the mixture. Discard the black tea leaves and pour the tea into the pitcher.

To the pitcher, add the chilled water and lemon juice. Mix and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Note that I’ve mentioned both boiling hot water and chilled water for this recipe. This is because I mix them together and use that water since it’s at the perfect temperature to cut down the acidity from black tea.

Bonus: Two More Ways to Make Iced Tea

Cold Brew Method:

Add all the ingredients except lemon juice to a pitcher, mix well and refrigerate from 9 to 12 hours.

 Use room temperature water when using this method. Strain out the tea leaves, pour the tea back in the pitcher, and add lemon juice.

This tea can stay in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Sun Tea Method 

This way of making tea is not popular nowadays. However, it is the method used in the old golden days.

Many warn from steeping the tea in the sun because of the accumulation of bacteria. If you want to follow this method, add room temperature water to the pitcher (better be a glass pitcher) and add loose-leaf tea.

Cover the pitcher and place it where sunlight is, preferable out in your yard or near the window.

Let the tea steep for 3 hours and then refrigerate for 4 hours. Strain out the tea leaves, then add sugar and lime juice to the pitcher and mix. The tea will taste mellow, and you can keep it in the fridge for up to two days only.

If you love cold-brewed tea, you will love my Vietnamese Cold Brewed Iced Coffee

Want Varying Levels of Sweetness to Your Iced Tea? Try Adding Simple Syrup!

If you feel that the amount of sugar in this recipe is too much for you, there’s a reason why! This sweet tea is always served with a glass full of ice cubes which dilute the tea and hence the sweetness.

What you get in the end is the perfect glass of iced tea with a perfectly balanced sweetness level.

But if you feel different people in your family prefer different levels of sweetness in their tea, you can skip adding the sugar and instead use simple syrup!

Adding simple syrup will allow everyone to adjust the sweetness according to their preference.

How to Make Simple Syrup for Sweet Tea

• To make simple syrup, in a pan, add 1 cup water and 1 ¼ cup sugar.
• Mix until the sugar dissolves.
• Let the mixture come to a boil. Let the mixture boil on medium-low for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Allow the syrup to come to room temperature and then refrigerate.
• The syrup can be stored in a jar in the fridge for up to a month.
• If you add flavors like lemon, vanilla, or mint to the syrup, it will last for up to two weeks in the fridge.
• Pour the iced tea in a glass full of ice, pour as much syrup you prefer, and mix.

How to Serve Iced Tea

• To enjoy your iced tea, serve it with a glass full of ice.
• You can also add slices of lemon for a more refreshing flavor.
• I like to add mint leaves to my iced tea. First, wash the mint leaves and then lightly pound the leaves to release the oils. I add the mint leaves first, then the ice cubes, and then slices of lemon, and finally pour the tea into the glass.

Tips to Make the Best Iced Tea

• You can make this tea without sugar, instead, use simple syrup (recipe in the post), and pour as much as you wish in your glass.
• In the post above I have written about, how to make cold-brewed tea for less acidity and sweeter taste.
• The Sun tea method is mentioned in the post.
• The best brands of black tea are mentioned under the title “What Type of Tea Should I Use?” above.
• You can use raw sugar instead of white. Brown sugar will add a caramel-like flavor to your iced tea.

How to Store Iced Tea

How long you can store this iced tea in the fridge depends on the method you use to make the tea.

If you’re using the hot brew method to make this delicious, iced tea, you can store the tea in the refrigerator for up to one week.

For the cold brew method, you can store the tea in the fridge for up to 4 days. And if you’re making this iced tea using the sun tea method, you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Is Drinking Iced Tea Good for You?

Yes! Black tea is packed with antioxidants that help remove free radicals from the body and decrease cell damage as well. In this way, it helps decrease the risk of chronic diseases.

Flavonoids in this type of tea also help boost heart health. The health benefits for iced tea are truly innumerable, but if you’re drinking this recipe regularly you might want to lower the sugar level.

That’s why I’ve included a simple syrup recipe in this post as well above so you can adjust the sweetness of your iced tea according to your preference.

Enjoy it nice and sweet when you want to treat yourself and lower the sweetness if you’re having it every single day!

Other Recipes You’ll Love

Strawberry Iced Tea: Looking for a natural berry-flavored Iced Tea? This recipe gives you the tastiest Strawberry Iced Tea you’ve ever had!

Ginger Iced Tea: This perfect Iced Coffee is not only delicious but incredibly healthy for you! Definitely give it a go!

Vietnamese Cold Brewed Iced Coffee: Want some delicious Iced Coffee instead of Iced Tea? This Vietnamese cold-brewed coffee is going to become your next favorite! You have got to try it out!

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