Fresh Brewed Iced Tea

Freshly brewed black tea served ice cold with a smooth, clean flavor — unsweetened, lightly sweetened, or Southern-style sweet.

Course Beverages

Cuisine American

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 5

Cooling Time 1

Total Time 1 8

Servings servings

Calories 64kcal

Bring 4 cups of water almost to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
If making sweetened tea, stir in ½ cup sugar for lightly sweetened tea or 1 cup sugar for sweet tea until completely dissolved.
Add the tea bags to the hot water and steep for 30 to 60 minutes.
Pour the brewed tea into a large pitcher and add the remaining 4 cups of cold water. If you prefer a stronger tea, leave the tea bags in the pitcher and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before removing them.
Remove the tea bags, gently squeezing them to extract the remaining tea.
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, then serve over ice.

Use your favorite brand of black tea bags. The flavor of the finished iced tea will reflect the tea you choose.
If your tap water has a strong chlorine or mineral taste, use spring water for the best flavor.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition information is calculated using the lightly sweetened version made with ½ cup of sugar. Unsweetened tea and sweet tea will have different nutritional values.