Homemade Sweet Tea Recipe

homemade sweat tea in a glass in front of a pitcher of sweet tea

4.92 from 12 votes

Homemade sweet tea is the ultimate refreshing summer drink! I'll show you how to make perfectly sweetened iced tea so you can enjoy this Southern classic anytime.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Becky Hardin

Ingredients

For the Simple Syrup:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar granulated, super-fine, organic, coconut or brown

For the Iced Tea:

7-8 cups water
2-3 family-size cold brew tea bags

Instructions

For the Simple Syrup:

In a small saucepan set over medium heat, bring water to a boil. Add sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour the simple syrup into a heat-resistant, airtight jar to cool completely (and store).
1 cup water, 1 cup sugar

For the Iced Tea:

In a ½ gallon pitcher, pour 8 cups of water over 2 family-size cold brew tea bags. Allow the tea to infuse the water for at least 5 minutes, and up to 15 minutes. Discard the tea bags.
7-8 cups water, 2-3 family-size cold brew tea bags

For Serving Sweet Tea:

Pour sweet tea into glasses and allow each person to sweeten their own tea with the simple syrup. Stir and add ice.
Garnish with lemon slices, orange slices, raspberries and/or mint leaves if desired.

Video

Notes

To make a gallon of iced tea, double the recipe using the same ratios (use 4-5 family-sized tea bags).
I let the tea brew between 5-15 minutes, depending on how patient I feel. The longer you let tea brew, the deeper and more flavorful it will become–though past 25 minutes it can start to taste bitter.
I like to garnish my iced tea with fresh mint and citrus slices, but that’s optional!

Storage: Keep simple syrup refrigerated, in an airtight jar, up to 1 month. Store iced tea in the refrigerator up to 48 hours.

Nutrition