Try these four fresh and healthy iced tea recipes to keep you hydrated this summer. All sorts of flavor without any refined ingredients!
Iced tea has always been one of my favorite drinks. Even as a kid, I would choose iced tea over soda or juice.
Maybe it was because it's what my dad ordered all the time and what we always had available in the fridge, but it holds such positive memories for me from my childhood.
As a kid, I loved all the different flavors of iced teas, though I can bet you I probably added way too much sugar into my iced tea recipes.
As an adult -- especially one who follows a clean lifestyle as much as possible -- I try to avoid adding extra sweeteners to my food, choosing instead to add fresh fruit or herbs.
So, today, I wanted to share four brand new ways to enjoy iced tea without all the refined sugar and preservatives that come in pre-made, bottled iced teas. This same concept I use for other tasty sweet drinks, like my Healthy Mint Lemonade | 4 Simple Ingredients.
I hear from a lot of people that they struggle with drinking plain ol' water each day, so they wind up not meeting their daily water requirements.
One tasty way to increase the amount of water you're drinking is to make healthy iced tea recipes -- this allows you some more flavor, but also keeps you hydrated. You can also choose if you want the added caffeine, or not.
How To Make Ice Tea
There are tons of different ways to make iced tea, from using cold brew tea bags, loose leaf tea, setting it out in the sun for sun tea, and pouring hot water over the tea bags, among others. I prefer using the hot water method because it is quick and efficient. That being said, there's no wrong way to make iced tea using the recipes I've shared below.
For storage, I like keeping my iced teas in 1 quart mason jars in the fridge - not only are they pretty, but they're easy to grab and perfect for both the hot water and then the cold drink. Remember not to store the teas for too long with the tea bags in the water -- the longer the tea bag is in the water after it has steeped, the stronger the flavor your tea will have, eventually turning into an overly bitter flavor.
After I let the teas steep in the hot water, I remove and discard the tea bags, but keep the fresh fruit and herbs in the mason jars. This works great with fresh fruit, but the herbs do need to be removed within a few hours, or they start to deteriorate.
Lemon Basil Iced Tea
I've found a new flavor combination I absolutely LOVE and it's lemon basil. The combination of the tart lemon and sweet basil is so yummy and goes great in this iced tea. This is my favorite ice tea recipe right now and is perfect for summer.
Blackberry Mint Iced Tea
Hard to go wrong with fresh summer blackberries and mint leaves, especially when they're combined with green tea and enjoyed on a hot summer day. #love
Iced Peach Ginger Tea
Peach and ginger go very well together and create a tart, spicy iced tea recipe. This is also a great use of those fresh summer peaches you have on hand.
Coconut Lime Iced Tea
Have you ever tried making your own iced tea with coconut water? Since coconut water is naturally sweet, adding some fresh lime slices is the perfect addition to balance out the flavor. Add in a tea bag or two and you've got a great iced tea recipe.
Four different ways to stay hydrated this summer. Which one will you choose first?
4 Healthy Iced Tea Recipes For Summer
Equipment
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
Lemon Basil Iced Tea
- ½ lemon, thinly sliced
- 6 fresh basil leaves
- 2 green tea bags
- 3 cups hot water
- raw honey, optional
Coconut Lime Iced Tea
- 2 black tea bags
- ½ lime, thinly sliced
- 3 cups coconut water, heated
- raw honey, optional
Iced Peach Ginger Tea
- 1 peach, pitted and sliced
- 2 green tea bags
- 4 ginger coins
- 3 cups hot water
- raw honey, optional
Blackberry Mint Ice Tea
- ½ cup fresh blackberries
- 6 leaves fresh mint
- 2 bags green tea
- 3 cups hot water
- raw honey, optional
Instructions
Lemon Basil Iced Tea
- Add the lemon slices, fresh basil leaves, and green tea bags to a 1 quart mason jar or pitcher.
- Pour hot water into the mason jar, and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Then, remove the tea bags.
- Place into the fridge to completely chill for 3-4 hours for the flavors to release.
Coconut Lime Iced Tea
- Add the black tea bags and sliced lime to a 1 quart mason jar or pitcher.
- Pour heated coconut water into the mason jar, and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Then, remove the tea bags.
- Place into the fridge to completely chill for 3-4 hours for the flavors to release.
Iced Peach Ginger Tea
- Add the sliced peach and green tea bags to a 1 quart mason jar or pitcher.
- Skewer the sliced ginger coins on a toothpick, if desired, to make them easier to remove later, and then add them to the jar.
- Pour the hot water into the mason jar, and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Then, remove the tea bags.
- Place into the fridge to completely chill for 3-4 hours for the flavors to release.
Blackberry Mint Ice Tea
- Add the fresh blackberries, mint leaves, and green tea bags to a 1 quart mason jar or pitcher.
- Pour the hot water into the mason jar, and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Then, remove the tea bags.
- Place into the fridge to completely chill for 3-4 hours for the flavors to release.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
A B
Would be nice if we could get this as health/smart drinks or beverages in d market for a healthy lifestyle for everyone. A nice venture / business one can start .
Callan
I usually brew the tea at night, and then let it chill overnight. Do you think its OK to leave the fruit and mint leaves in while chilling overnight?
Thank you!
Ayleen Santana
Hi! How long I can store it in the fridge?
Costa
Hey! Thanks for the recipe, I love the ice tea. Do you have any idea of how long I can store it in the fridge?
Adriana
Quick question to anyone who has made the peach+ginger ice tea:
Would the peach become soggy as it sits long in tea? Green tea can be so bitter, (how) can this be avoided?
Thanks for your tips!!
MJ
One trick to remove bitterness is to add a pinch of baking soda before chilling.
Charita Evans El
I made the peach and it turned out beautifully....I left one Jar for 3 to 4 hrs and the other overnight...I just strained it and they both were wonderful. I will say I tasted more of the ginger in the one that sat overnight. I did add a little raw honey for sweetner
Cole
4 ways to enjoy my regular iced tea is not bad. I tried the blackberry mint iced tea this morning and it’s good; very refreshing. A perfect drink this hot summer season. I added two cubes of ice and I enjoyed it a lot while reading a book.
Thomas
Awesome! One of my favorite Iced Tea, nice to see your recipe, easy to follow, will make this for family this weekend. Thanks you!
jACK
i love ice and really thanks to you for sharing this article
Vicky Frousakis
These are delicious ..
How long do they keep in fridge?
Receita
This is very refreshing
Herbal ice tea
Ice tea is really good for health as it have many flavors which are naturally and makes the body cells active and work efficiently. Herbal ice tea should be taken with honey as combination of honey and lemon helps in reducing the weight efficiently.
healthy Iced tea
AAny beverage suits your body when the vendor is a well known practitioner, try our healthy iced tea , iam sure you would want more.
Hazel Rivera
This is just what i was looking for. Thanks for sharing
Anchal
Nice article and thank you for sharing various of recipes of tea.
Isadora Guidoni
I love iced tea! Super curious bout that recipe with ginger, seems to be really refreshing!