This quick and easy recipe for Sweet Lemon Iced Tea will be a summer favorite – It’s so refreshing and full of fruity flavor!
It’s that time of year again – Time to enjoy warm, sunny days outside. There’s nothing better than a relaxing day at a sunlit beach or laying by the pool taking sips of a tall glass of Sweet Lemon Iced Tea.
Why this recipe works:
- The hot brew of the tea helps to give a robust quality.
- The fresh lemon juice gives a fresh vibrant flavor you just can’t get with store-bought.
I adore iced tea. Back home in New Jersey, I drank it all year round. They don’t sell mixes here in England and although I find the occasional bottle of ready-made in the grocery stores, it’s really hard to come by.
After so many summers of craving iced tea, I decided to try my hand at making my own, and ever since, I make it all the time.
You can never have too many iced tea recipes right? If you love iced tea, you can also check out my recipe for Sweet Peach Iced Tea – It’s delicious!
This Fresh homemade iced tea recipe is so easy to make, the only tedious part is getting all the juice out of those lemons but, please use fresh juice – it is so worth it in the end!
How To Make Lemon Iced Tea
Boil 4 cups of water then add to a large heat-proof pitcher.
To the hot water add the baking soda and sugar. Mix well until the sugar dissolves.
To the hot water add the tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes. The longer you steep the stronger the taste.
Remove all of the tea bags. Add the lemon juice.
Top off the rest of the pitcher with cold water. Place in the refrigerator until chilled.
When ready to serve, add lemon slices and ice to the glasses then pour the tea.
Enjoy every last sip!
Top Tips For Perfect Iced Tea:
- To avoid potential dangers, if you’re not sure if your pitcher is heatproof, prepare the tea in a saucepan and transfer once cooled.
- Make it to your taste: Iced tea recipes are easily adaptable. You can brew it strong or light or make it unsweetened or sweetened. Once get the basics, you can make it according to your taste.
- Don’t skip on steep time: Iced tea gets diluted so you really want to extract the maximum amount of flavor from your tea. Steeping long enough to get the most flavor is vital to a quality brew.
- Control the sweetness according to taste: Try adding the sugar in stages and taste as you go to adapt the recipe to your taste.
- To keep the tea from being watered down, add the ice to your glass instead of the pitcher.
- To keep the fruit from breaking down, add the sliced lemons to the glasses instead of the pitcher.
Flavor tips and variations:
- Tea blends – This recipe calls for plain black tea bags, but you can use whatever blend you like. For instance, fruit-infused black teas tend to make great iced tea.
- Using Green Tea – If you are using green tea, the hot brew method is particularly important as it can get bitter if you steep it cold.
- I have made this recipe using other citrus fruits like orange, tangerines, and limes. All of the flavors have been delicious so don’t be afraid to play around and create your own!
FAQs
Why is Baking Soda used in iced tea recipes? Baking soda neutralizes the bitterness of the tea and gives it a much smoother taste.
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Let's Make Sweet Lemon Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 4 cups Water
- ¾ - 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 10 tea bags black tea
- The juice of 6 fresh lemons
- 4 lemons sliced
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
- In a large, heat-proof pitcher/jug, combine the boiling water, baking soda & sugar mix well to dissolve the sugar. Add the tea bags and let steep for 10 minutes (the longer you steep the stronger the taste).
- Remove the tea bags.
- Add the lemon juice and fill the rest of the pitcher/jug with cold water.
- Refrigerate until chilled.
- Add lemon slices and ice to a the glasses and pour the tea over the ice and lemon slices to serve.
Tips + Notes
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes: This post was originally published in August of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in June of 2018.
E says
nice recipe, but for a quart of tea six lemons was too much for my taste. i just want a hint of lemon so i will reduce the recipe to two small lemons or one large lemon. also, i did not add sugar. the lemon was all the sweetness i needed.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you so much for giving it a try! I am glad you were able to adapt it to your preferences.
Vivien says
I love this recipe and make it all the time! I use fewer lemons since my husband prefers it that way. No biggie, but for some reason I can’t seem to not make this recipe cloudy! I’ve tried straining it but it’s still cloudy. Anyways, it’s delicious! I make it with earl gray sometimes too and we just love it on a hot summer day <3
Erren's Kitchen says
It’s great to hear that you love the recipe! Using fewer lemons to suit your husband’s taste is a great adjustment. As for the cloudiness, that can sometimes happen with iced tea, especially when it’s chilled too quickly or if there are natural oils from the lemons in the mix. Straining should help, but you might also want to try a few other tricks:
Cool Gradually: Let the tea cool to room temperature before refrigerating it. Rapid cooling can sometimes cause cloudiness.
Use Filtered Water: If you’re not already, try using filtered water, as minerals in tap water can contribute to cloudiness.
Strain the Lemon Juice: Strain the lemon juice before adding it to the tea to remove any pulp or oils that might make it cloudy.
Your idea of making it with Earl Grey sounds amazing, especially with its hint of bergamot—it must be so refreshing on a hot summer day! Thank you so much for your feedback, Vivien!
Beth says
I used the volumes as written in the recipe and since it says it makes 8 servings, I added enough water to make 2 qts – (1 serving equaling 8 oz}. I liked this concentration which is basically also known as 1/2 gal. After reading the comments, and responses, I get that the recipe is supposed to be to taste and that the amount of juice that 6 lemons creates can vary, but it is very unhelpful to write at one point that a “gallon pitcher” is used, and then also tell people to use a “2.5 to 3 quart vessel ” (which is not a gallon, but is 1/2 to 3/4.”More thoughtful guidance such as saying, “The strength can be adjusted to one’s liking, but here is a good starting point and here it is . . . would help a wider audience and less experienced cooks be set up for success which is a good goal to have. Thanks for the recipe, but respectully, please tighten up your guidance.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you for your detailed feedback. The recipe makes approximately 8 servings, with each serving being about 8 ounces. While I suggest using a 2.5-3 quart pitcher, the amount of water and the strength of the tea needs to be adjusted to taste. The juice from 6 lemons can vary, so I recommend starting with 2 quarts of water and adjusting from there based on your preference. I will update the guidance to be clearer and more helpful for everyone. Thanks again for your input!
Doug Fraser says
Not saying how big the pitcher is makes no sense. You might as well be honest and say “add water until desired strength is reached”. I would hate to see your recipes for cocktails.
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Doug. A 2.5 to 3-quart pitcher is perfect for this recipe. It is in the recipe notes. Have a wonderful day!
Doug Fraser says
ok – it does say 2.5-3 quart but in a previous response you had also said 1 gallon (4 quarts) so you haven’t given a clear value that you recommend which was the basis of my comment.
Erren's Kitchen says
I appreciate your feedback. While I used a 1-gallon (4-quart) pitcher for this recipe, I recommend at least a 2.5-3 quart pitcher to ensure there’s enough room for mixing and serving without spilling (hence the notes). The strength of the tea needs to be adjusted based on personal preference, so using a larger pitcher if you prefer a more diluted taste would be best. I am sorry it is not super clear for this recipe, but it is difficult to put an exact size when I do not know the personal taste preferences of everyone that will be making it.
Myriame says
hi I was wondering what size pitcher you used. or how much water I should add
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Myriame! I used a gallon pitcher, but it can be adjusted to whatever size you have by adding the sugar and water a little at a time to suit your preferences and taste. Hope you like it! 🤩
Sabrina says
I made a concentrate and I added the baking after the tea steeped while it was still hot. It fizzed a lot. Is the tea ruined or still ok?
Erren Hart says
It’s fine. It should fizz.
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you so much, Sonia!