Iced Tea Recipe (Lemon Iced Tea)

Iced Tea Recipe made with fresh homemade lemon iced tea is very refreshing and perfect for hot summer days. Making cafe style iced tea requires few easy steps and the end result is to worth it. You can make different flavour iced tea like mango iced tea. Learn how to make lemon iced tea at home with step by step pictures and video.

Iced Tea

Iced Lemon Tea is my favourite. Ice cold, delicious and very refreshing tea, just taste wonderful. You can make a big batch of this tea and keep it in fridge so you can consume it whenever you need. The important thing you have to remember is to use plenty of ice cubes in the tea.

About Iced Tea (Lemon Iced Tea)

Refreshing iced tea is available in different flavours in cafes throughout the world. Most of the iced tea available in stores and super markets is made with lemon, mangoes and other seasonal fruits like peach, nectarine and oranges. Iced lemon tea is preferred during summer and hot lemon tea is preferred during winter.

Iced tea can be prepared from freshly brewed black tea or green tea. You can use any tea as you like. You can use black tea, assam tea, green tea or any tea as you prefer.

During hot summer days, I make a big batch of this homemade lemon iced tea and store in fridge so I can consume it throughout the day. Iced tea is made with brewed black tea sweetened with sugar and lemon juice. This tea is poured over a cup of ice cubes and enjoyed during summer.

Iced tea is not only easy to make but is refreshing for the body as well. This cool drink cools the body from scorching summer days. You can make it in many different flavours like my mango iced tea and peach tea.

Similar Recipes,

Mango Iced Tea

Ginger Cardamom Chai

Masala Chai

Mint tea

Pomegranate Tea

Watch Me Make Iced Tea Video

Lemon Iced Tea Ingredients

Tea Powder - For making iced tea, you need black tea powder or any loose tea leaves. You can add as much tea powder as possible to make your tea as strong as you like.

Sugar - Iced tea is sweetened with any sweetener of choice. You can add refined sugar, brown sugar, honey or agave.

Lemon - freshly squeezed lemon juice is preferred for their refreshing taste. You might need to add more or less lemon as per your taste.

What Kind of Tea is used in Iced Tea

Tea is the second most consumed beverage all across the world. Each part of the world make their tea differently. In India we prepare it with milk and many parts of the world have their tea with water.

During summer most people prefer to have their tea over ice for refreshing drink. Iced tea can be prepared from freshly brewed black tea or green tea. You can use any tea as you like. You can use black tea, assam tea, green tea or any tea as you prefer.

Tea Powder - This is what I prefer to make my iced tea with. Using tea powder provides the perfect colour and flavour to the brewed tea.

Loose tea leaves - Tea powder and tea leaves provides the same flavour. but tea brewed with tea powder is more strong tasting that loose tea.

Green Tea - making iced tea with green tea is a healthier option. Adding sweetener and lemon to green tea makes it less bitter and more delicious.

Flavoured Tea - you can easily find different flavoured tea bags in the market. Fruit tea bags like peach tea, strawberry tea, berry tea is most used fruit teas in iced tea. Ginger iced tea helps in digestion, Chamomile tea to get better sleep and peppermint iced tea calms our body.

Kashmiri Kehwa - Sometimes I make iced tea with my new obsession Kehwa tea. It has rose petals, saffron, whole spices added which makes the iced tea smells so good.

Sweetener for Iced tea

Iced tea is sweetened with any sweetener of choice. You can add refined sugar, brown sugar, honey or agave. Refined sugar and brown sugar provides the best taste to iced tea. While honey, maple syrup and agave is a healthy alternative.

Simple Syrup for Iced tea

Simple syrup is a liquid sweetener made by cooking equal parts sugar and water until the mixture is slightly thickened. This syrup is cooled and stored in fridge which can be used to sweeten beverages like lemon soda, iced tea, cocktails and mocktails.

Usually at home, iced tea is made by mixing lemon juice, sugar, brewed tea in a serving cup and topped with ice cubes. But in restaurants and street stalls they use simple syrup instead of sugar. Simple syrup is made by boiling sugar and water. This dissolves faster than sugar in the lemon soda which makes it more enjoyable. I have shared recipe below for making simple syrup. 

How to Make Simple Syrup for Drinks

• 1 cup Sugar 
• 1 cup Water

Take sugar and water in a sauce pan. Place the sauce pan on heat and cook on medium heat stirring often. As you stir the sugar will melt and starts to boil. Once it reaches a boiling stage. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool. Store in a clean bottle. 

You can keep the simple syrup in fridge and enjoy it whenever you need it. You can store this upto 3 months or more when properly refrigerated.

Iced tea is so easy and versatile to make, you can make it as per your liking. You can also buy readymade iced tea or lemon tea mix in super markets these days. Brands like Lipton sells iced tea in ready to drink package and also available in powder form.

All you have to do is mix ice water with the Lipton iced tea mix and enjoy. But in my opinion you get best flavour of tea when it is made fresh at home. In this recipe I have shared homemade iced tea recipe and a popsicle version of iced tea along with iced green tea.

Made a batch of iced tea and don't know what to do with it. Try this super refreshing iced tea popsicles for this hot summer days. This popsicle tea is a great way to cool your body and is so easy to make as well.

Just pour prepared lemon iced tea into popsicle mould and freeze. You can keep store this popsicle for many months in freezer. I love making popsicles during this hot weather. My mom is a fan of my popsicles so I try to make it often.

How to Make Iced Tea (Stepwise Pictures)

Make Black Tea

1)Take water in sauce pan. Bring it to a boil. Once it reaches to a full boil. Take it off the heat.

2)Add in black tea powder. Mix well and allow it to steep for 10 to 15 minutes covered.

Pro Tip: Instead of black tea powder, you can use green tea or any tea as you like.

3)Now the tea has been steeped. The colour has turned dark and the tea has now cooled also.

Mixing Tea Lemon Decoction

4)Take sugar in a bowl or jug. You can add more or less sugar to your liking.

5)Place a sieve over the jug, pour the cooled tea mixture into the sugar.

6)Mix it really well. You can taste at this point and add sugar if you want. Since this tea will be poured over a cup of ice cubes, you want this mixture to be on the sweeter side.

7)Add in lemon juice and mix well. This is freshly squeezed lemon juice. Depending on the variety of lemon or lime you use, quantity to add will vary.

8)Mix this really well. This is your tea decoction.

Make Iced Lemon Tea

9)Take your serving glass, fill them with lots of ice cubes. Obviously this is iced tea so you need to fill the glass with lots of ice cubes.

10)Pour the prepared lemon tea decoction over the ice cubes. You can add more cold water if you want.

11)I like to have my iced tea strong. So you can add more or less to your liking.

12)Place a slice of lemon on top and enjoy immediately.

13)Serve.

Variations

Iced Green Tea Recipe

Green Tea Iced Tea is a refreshing green tea drink which taste so delicious and cooling. This green tea iced tea has chia seeds added. Chia seeds has as much calcium as a glass of milk, more Omega-3s than a serving of walnuts, as many antioxidants as blueberries. It is one of the highly nutritious seed.

Ingredients

• 2 green tea bags or 2 tsp green tea leaves
• 2 cups water
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp chia seeds

How to make it

1)Take water in a sauce pan and bring it to a full boil.

2)Take 2 green tea bags. Instead of green tea bags, you can use 2 tsp of green tea leaves.

3)Add the tea bags into the hot water and take it off the heat. Allow the tea bag to steep for at least 15 minutes.

4)Strain the tea in a jug and allow it to cool completely.

5)Add in sugar to taste. Instead of sugar you can use honey or agave.

6)Add in lemon juice to taste.

7)I took 1 tsp of chia seeds in a bowl and poured 3 tbsp of water and let it soak for 10 minutes.

For little different take on the drink. I added some soaked chia seeds in a serving cup.

8)Pour the iced green tea mixture over the chia seeds and mix well.

9)Serve cold.

2)Iced Tea Popsicles

For making iced tea popsicles, just pour prepared lemon iced tea into popsicle mould and freeze. You can keep store this popsicle for many months in freezer. I love making popsicles during this hot weather. My mom is a fan of my popsicles so I try to make it often.

How to make it

1)Take water in a sauce pan and bring it to full boil. Add tea powder and mix well. Cover and allow the tea steep for 10 minutes. Strain the tea using a fine mesh strainer in a bowl. Add sugar and lemon juice to taste and mix well.

Pour this tea into popsicle moulds. Don't over fill because the popsicle will expand as it freezes.

2)Popsicle mould filled with lemon tea.

3)Cover with the lid and place the popsicle carefully into the freezer and freeze overnight.

4)Once frozen, take the popsicle from the freezer. Run it under tap water and slowly release from the popsicle mould. Serve.

Expert Tips

• You can make a big batch of this tea mixture and store in fridge and consume when needed.
• You can add more or less sugar as you like. Instead of sugar, you can use honey, brown sugar or agave.
• Adjust lemon juice as per your taste.
• This drink is best served with lots of ice cubes.

How to Make Different Flavours Iced Tea

Add 2 tbsp of any of your fruit puree in a serving glass before filling it with this iced tea. Some of the most popular flavours are mango puree, peach puree, pineapple puree, strawberry puree. 

More Tea Recipes to Try

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