Southern Sweet Tea
It’s no secret, we Southerner’s like our tea cold and sweet and here’s the secret how to make perfect iced Southern Sweet Tea at home!
The secret isn’t really a secret – it’s simple-syrup. And there’s a few different ways to brew it so, read on and learn how to make the real deal!
Cloudy tea is due to over-steeping. Steep tea bags for 5-minutes and no longer.
Why this recipe works
- Quick and easy – once you brew it, which takes 5-minutes, the rest is a breeze!
- Simple syrup – store it in the fridge and have sweet tea anytime you want
- Perfect for a hot day – put a dash of fresh lemon or a few sprigs of fresh mint to your drink and sit a spell!
Here’s what you’ll need
It doesn’t take much to make this National Drink of the South! This easy sweet iced tea recipe only calls for tea bags, (Luzianne), sugar, water, ice – now how simple is that?
How to make Southern Sweet Tea
Make a simple syrup
Make a simple syrup: combine equal parts of sugar and water in a saucepan (2 cups sugar and 2 cups water); stir and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves (about 1-minute)
How to brew the tea
There’s a couple of different methods in brewing tea, but I’ll just mention a few:
- Stove top: Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil; add in three tea bags; turn heat off and let steep for 5-minutes
- Kettle: Bring a kettle of water to a whistle; place tea bags in a large heat-tolerant pitcher; pour hot water over tea bags; let steep for 5-minutes
- Coffee-Maker: Put three tea bags in the filter area; don’t use a coffee filter; add about 6 cups of water to the coffee maker; turn on “brew”; once water has filled the coffee pot, remove and pour into a pitcher
While its still warm, pour it into a heat-tolerant pitcher and add simple syrup in 1/2 cup increments; add a little, taste, and adjust to your liking.
After adding ice to the pitcher, taste it and see if you want it sweeter; if so, add more simple syrup. Pour over ice and serve!
How to prevent cloudy iced tea?
The most common reason for cloudiness is over-steeping. I steep Luzianne tea bags for 5-minutes and that’s it. A short steep minimizes the tannins, which contribute to cloudiness. If you accidentally over-steep, you can easy correct a cloudy pitcher by adding in a teaspoon or two of baking soda to the warm tea. Baking soda does not change the flavor.
What can I do with leftover simple syrup?
If you’ve got leftovers, place the syrup in a jar and refrigerate. Use later when making homemade lemonade or limeade!
Use this easy Southern Sweet Tea recipe over and over! It’s refreshing any time of year!
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♥ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below! Thank you!
Southern Sweet Tea
Ingredients
- 3 tea bags
- 2 cups sugar
- 8 cups water 2 cups for the simple sugar; 6 cups for brewing the tea
- 1 large lemon, sliced (for garnish) optional
- fresh mint sprigs (for garnish) optional
Instructions
- In a saucepan on medium heat, add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar; cook and stir until sugar has dissolved; remove from heat and set aside2 cups sugar
- Brew the Tea: (see How to Brew Tea in recipe notes)Bring 6 cups of water to boil and add tea bags; allow to steep for about 5 minutes ORPlace tea bags in coffee maker with no coffee filter; run 6 cups water through the coffee maker3 tea bags, 8 cups water
- In a large heat-tolerant pitcher, add the hot tea; pour in simple syrup in ½ cup increments until the tea is sweet enough for you!
- Add a few handfuls of ice to the pitcher
- Put more ice in glasses and pour tea over ice, garnish with lemon slices and fresh mint sprigs1 large lemon, sliced (for garnish), fresh mint sprigs (for garnish)
Notes
- Glass pitchers work best; plastic pitchers may melt (do not ask how I know this)
-
- Stove top: Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil; add in three tea bags; turn heat off and let steep
- Kettle: Bring a kettle of water to a whistle; place the tea bags in a large heat-tolerant pitcher; pour hot water over tea bags; let steep
- Coffee-Maker: Put three tea bags in the filter area; don’t use a coffee filter; add about 6 cups of water to the coffee maker; turn on “brew”; once tea has filled the coffee pot, remove from coffee maker pour sweet tea into a pitcher
- The most common reason for cloudy tea is over-steeping. I steep Luzianne tea bags for 5 minutes and that’s it. A short steep minimizes the tannins, which contribute to cloudiness.
- If you accidentally over-steep your tea bags, you can easy correct a pitcher of cloudy tea by adding in a teaspoon or two of baking soda to the warm tea. Baking soda does not change the flavor.
What size tea bags do you use and do you only use Luzianne tea as your personal preference ? Thank you for your time and an awesome recipe !!! 🙂 💙🙏💙~~. ♥️🇺🇸♥️
I use standard size tea bags (about 2 1/2 inches by 3 inches) and yes, I only use Luzianne!
Wow, I love some good sweet tea! I never knew you could put baking soda in it to correct the cloudiness. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you, Debi! Yes, baking soda will eliminate cloudiness if you put it in the tea when it’s warm! Crazy food science stuff, huh?
Does the tea need to be refrigerated to get cold before drinking or is it strong enough to pour over ice right away (the ice watering it down a little bit)?
Good question, Sarah! It is strong enough to pour over ice immediately.