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Delicious on its own or mixed with lemonade in an Arnold Palmer, iced tea is a classic, refreshing beverage for a hot day.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Water: To use a tea kettle, bring 4 cups water to boil. In a large measuring cup or bowl, pour boiling water over tea bags.
- Black tea: I have been drinking PG Tips since 1998 and it’s my absolute favorite, but feel free to use your own favorite black tea.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Allow to steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and cool to room temperature or chill.
- Fill a large pitcher halfway with ice. Add tea, then top with more ice. Serve in glasses with ice and lemon slices on the side for garnish.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 cups of iced tea, enough for 4 (1-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Sweeteners: Add sugar, simple syrup, or your favorite sweetener to taste.
- Garnish: Try wedges of lime instead of lemonade, especially if you’re eating Mexican food.
- Sweet tea: This is best made in a concentrated form and diluted with water. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, then add 6 black teabags and submerge completely. Steep for 5 minutes, then remove tea bags. Stir in ½ cup sugar (or more to taste) and stir until dissolved. Chill overnight. To serve, add 2 quarts cold water and serve with ice and lemon slices.
- Arnold Palmer: Combine equal parts iced tea and lemonade for the ultimate summer beverage.
How to Make Lemonade
Learn how to make Lemonade with just lemons, sugar, water, and ice. It’s so easy to make, you’ll be sipping it all summer long. There are many fancy store-bought lemonade mixes and concentrates out there,…
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Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 4 cups water (see note 1)
- 5 black tea bags (see note 2)
- Ice for serving
- lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Allow to steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and cool to room temperature or chill.
- Fill a large pitcher halfway with ice. Add tea, then top with more ice. Serve in glasses with ice and lemon slices on the side for garnish.
Notes
- Water: To use a tea kettle, bring 4 cups water to boil. In a large measuring cup or bowl, pour boiling water over tea bags.
- Black tea: I have been drinking PG Tips since 1998 and it’s my absolute favorite, but feel free to use your own favorite black tea.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 cups of iced tea, enough for 4 (1-cup) servings.
- Storage: Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Sweeteners: Add sugar, simple syrup, or your favorite sweetener to taste.
- Garnish: Try wedges of lime instead of lemonade, especially if you’re eating Mexican food.
- Sweet tea: This is best made in a concentrated form and diluted with water. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, then add 6 black teabags and submerge completely. Steep for 5 minutes, then remove tea bags. Stir in ½ cup sugar (or more to taste) and stir until dissolved. Chill overnight. To serve, add 2 quarts cold water and serve with ice and lemon slices.
- Arnold Palmer: Combine equal parts iced tea and lemonade for the ultimate summer beverage.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Thanks for the simple / no fail method (measurements) to make ice tea!