Bhojan Daily

Iced Tea is simply brewed tea that’s cooled and served over ice, often with lemon, sugar, or fresh fruit juice for extra flavor. It’s one of the easiest and most refreshing drinks to make at home, especially on hot summer days. This Lemon Iced Tea is light, tangy, and comes together with just a few simple ingredients. Perfect for guests or when you need something cool and refreshing.

About Iced Tea Recipe

At its core, Iced Tea is just tea that’s served cold. What makes it special is how easy it is to customize – add a splash of lemon juice, a bit of sugar, or even some fruit juice to make it your own.

It’s a simple drink, but when chilled just right, it becomes incredibly refreshing. A favorite during hot summer months, it’s enjoyed across the world in countless variations.

At home, I like to keep things simple. My go-to is Lemon Iced Tea – cool, tangy, lightly sweet, and so easy to make.

Just four ingredients: black tea powder (or loose leaves), water, sugar, and fresh lemon juice. That’s it. No fuss, no complicated steps.

I’ve been making this for years. When the heat gets heavy, a glass of chilled iced tea brings instant relief. Sometimes I add a few mint leaves, or infuse it with fruit like mango or peach if they’re in season. One sip, and it quickly lifts the mood.

A Little Backstory

Though iced tea feels like a modern café drink, it’s been around for quite a while. Some early versions were made with green tea and called “iced tea punches.” But the real rise in popularity happened in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair, when it was introduced more widely using black tea.

Today, iced tea is loved not just in the US, but across countries like Japan, Malaysia, Greece, and even here in India—especially fruity versions like peach iced tea or lemon tea sold in cafés and restaurants.

If you enjoy fruity teas, do check out my refreshing Mango Iced Tea as well.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to Make Iced Tea with Lemon

Steep Tea

1. Add 5.25 cups (approximately 1.25 litres) of water to a saucepan.

2. Set the pan over a medium heat and bring the water come to a boil.

3. Turn off the heat once the water comes to a boil. Immediately add 1 to 2 tablespoons of black tea powder, depending on how strong you want your tea to taste.

Alternatively, you can use black tea leaves or green tea leaves.

4. Add ⅓ to ½ cup raw sugar or granulated white sugar. For a less sweet taste, you can add ¼ cup sugar.

Note: Omit the sugar for a delicious unsweetened iced tea recipe.

5. Mix very well. Steep black tea powder in hot water for 4 to 5 minutes for a stronger flavor. For a lighter taste, 2 to 3 minutes is enough.

• If you’re using black tea leaves, steep them for 2 to 3 minutes.
• If using green tea, steep for only 2 minutes to avoid bitterness.

Make Lemon Iced Tea

6. After the tea has steeped in the hot water, then add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the pot. For a stronger lemony taste, you can add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Note: You can also skip the lemon juice altogether and make a simple iced tea.

7. Stir well with a spoon.

8. Then strain the tea into a steel or heat-safe glass jar.

9. Let the lemon tea cool at room temperature. This will take 30 to 60 minutes. Once it has cooled you can store in the refrigerator.

It keeps well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Refrain from keeping the lemon tea outside as it may begin to ferment.

Serving Suggestions & Storage

10. To serve the lemon team, add 4 to 5 ice cubes in a glass – more or less to preference. I also suggest adding 1 to 2 slices of fresh lemon to each glass as well.

If you have refrigerated the lemon tea and serving it cold, then do not add ice cubes.

11. Pour the lemon tea into the glass(es).

12. Garnish with a lemon slice or a sprig of mint leaves.

12. Enjoy the Lemon Iced Tea immediately. You want to drink it before the ice gets a chance to melt and dilute the lemon tea flavor.

Expert Tips

• Tea leaves: You can use either black tea or green tea for this recipe. Steep the leaves to your preferred strength – light or strong.
• Avoid bitterness: Don’t over-steep the tea, especially black tea powder, as it can turn bitter. Around 3 to 5 minutes is usually enough.
• Prevent cloudiness: Let the brewed tea cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Placing hot tea directly into the fridge can make it turn cloudy.
• Fruit variations: Feel free to experiment with fruits like orange, apple, lime, or berries. You can also swap lemon juice with other citrus juices.
• Adjust sweetness: If using different fruits or juices, taste and adjust the amount of sweetener accordingly.
• Sweetener options: Use any sweetener you prefer—white sugar, raw sugar, cane sugar, coconut sugar, jaggery, honey, or agave. If using honey be sure to not add it until the brewed tea has cooled to room temperature. Honey becomes toxic when added to hot beverages and food, according to Ayurveda.
• No lemon? You can skip the lemon juice completely for a basic iced tea version.
• Garnish ideas: Fresh mint or basil leaves add a nice, cooling touch.
• Storage: Keep the ice tea refrigerated. It stays fresh for 3 to 4 days. Avoid leaving it out, as it may ferment.
• Scaling up: This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled to serve a crowd.

FAQs

More Tea Beverage Recipes To Try!

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Iced Tea recipe from the archives was originally published on May 2017.