While my mom had her catering business, we served water and sweet tea to our customers. In fact, I was pouring sweet tea for our customers as soon as I was strong enough to handle the pitcher without spilling it all over the customer’s lap. I was thrilled when I found a similar sweet tea recipe from an Amish family cookbook that originated from the Amish community we grew up in. Although I did reduce the amount of sugar (the Amish love their drinks plenty sweet), this sweet tea was a winner for my family and now my go-to for picnics and hosting events where I need to bring a drink to share.
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Iced Sweet Tea with Lemon
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 12-16 regular black tea bags *see note
- 1 cup sugar *see note
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
To add later:
- Ice
- Additional water
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Add 12-16 tea bags (can add up to 16 for a stronger tea) and allow to steep for 20 minutes.
- Remove the tea bags and discard. Whisk in sugar and lemon juice, stirring well to dissolve the sugar into the tea.
- Fill a gallon pitcher 1/3 full of ice, then pour the iced tea concentrate into the pitcher. Add water until the pitcher is roughly 3/4 full. Can add water to taste until the tea is diluted to your preference. *see notes on adding more tea or sugar below. Chill for several hours, then serve with additional ice and fresh lemon slices. Enjoy!
Notes
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Ingredients needed for this sweet tea with lemon: water, lemon juice, black tea bags (I prefer Lipton tea), sugar and fresh lemon (optional).
Is a lemon necessary?
Although freshly squeezed lemon juice tastes the best in this iced tea, we grew up using bottled lemon juice and now I use the fresh lemon solely as garnish for the tea. If serving the iced tea in a pretty glass drink dispenser, I would definitely recommend adding some lemon slices for visual appeal.
Step 1: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Add 12-16 tea bags (can add up to 16 for a stronger tea) and allow to steep for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Remove the tea bags and discard. Whisk in sugar and lemon juice, stirring well to dissolve the sugar into the tea.
Final touches: Fill a gallon pitcher 1/3 full of ice, then pour the iced tea concentrate into the pitcher. Add water until the pitcher is roughly 3/4 full. Can also add water until the tea is diluted to your preference. Chill for several hours, then serve with additional ice and fresh lemon slices. Enjoy!
Can more tea and sugar be added if the tea is too weak or not sweetened enough?
Yes, if you add too much ice and water and find the tea too weak for your liking, you can easily steep more tea to add to the iced tea. If the tea only needs more sugar, I suggest stirring it into hot water to make a syrup before adding it to the iced tea. This helps the sugar to dissolve without settling onto the bottom of the pitcher if the tea is already cold.
Storage tips:
Iced tea keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or more. You can also freeze the concentrate to thaw and mix with water and ice for a quick drink to serve later.
Additional drink recipes you may enjoy:
- Amish iced mint tea
- Non-alcoholic strawberry rhubarb spritzer
- Blended watermelon lemonade
- Strawberry mint lemonade
- Caramel iced coffee concentrate
- Frozen hot chocolate
- Mocha Frappuccino
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you feel the love and peace of Jesus with you today. Feel free to pin or print this recipe using the icons in the recipe card, but please leave a comment and recipe rating in exchange. Thank you for your support! -Marilyn Stoltzfus Peight.
