How to Make Iced Tea: Hot Brew, Cold Brew & Sweet Tea

To make iced tea, brew hot tea at about double the usual strength, strain it, then chill it and pour it over ice, or skip the heat and cold brew the leaves in the refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours. Both methods give you a refreshing glass of tea at home, and each has its own advantage: hot brewing is fast, and cold brewing is smooth and forgiving.

This guide covers hot-brew, cold-brew and Southern-style sweet tea, plus the fixes for the most common problems, including cloudy tea and bitterness.

Choose your tea

Almost any tea can become iced tea. The best choice depends on the flavor you want.

For the amounts, use the ratios in our guide to how much tea per cup, then adjust for the method below.

Method 1: Hot-brew iced tea

Hot brewing is the quickest way to make iced tea.

What you need

• 2 teaspoons of loose tea per 8 oz (240 ml) of hot water, or 2 tea bags (double strength)
• Just-boiled water for black and herbal tea; cooler water for green and white tea
• A pitcher
• Cold water and ice

Steps

1. Brew strong. Steep the tea in hot water at about double the usual strength. Use the normal steeping time: roughly 3 to 5 minutes for black tea, 2 to 3 for green. Longer steeping makes bitter tea, not stronger tea.
2. Strain. Remove the leaves or bags. Do not squeeze tea bags, which releases bitter tannins.
3. Sweeten if you like. Stir in sugar while the tea is hot so it dissolves.
4. Dilute. Add an equal volume of cold water. If you brewed 4 cups of concentrate, add 4 cups of cold water.
5. Chill. Refrigerate until cold, or pour over a glass full of ice.

For a printable recipe, a typical pitcher of tea uses 6 teaspoons of loose leaf (or about 6 tea bags) with 4 cups of hot water, plus 4 cups of cold water.

Method 2: Cold brew iced tea

Cold brewing extracts flavor slowly with cold water, so it avoids much of the bitterness and astringency that hot water can pull out.

Steps

1. Add about 1 to 1½ teaspoons of loose tea per 8 oz of cold water to a jar or pitcher, or use 1 tea bag per cup.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours. Delicate teas such as green and white need less time (about 6 to 8 hours). Black tea can go closer to 12.
3. Strain and serve over ice.

Cold-brewed tea tastes clean and mild and is less likely to turn cloudy. It is also very easy: you can set it up in the evening and have it ready the next day. Many cold brew drinkers like it with green tea, white tea, fruit blends and mild black teas. Read our guide to the best tea infusers if you want a large infuser for a pitcher.

Safety note

Because cold brew is not heated, keep it refrigerated the whole time and drink it within a few days. Use clean containers.

Method 3: Southern-style sweet tea

Sweet tea is a classic American tradition, especially in the South. It is hot-brewed black tea sweetened while hot.

1. Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil and remove it from the heat.
2. Add 4 to 6 black tea bags (or about 3 tablespoons of loose tea) and steep for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the tea and pour the hot tea into a pitcher containing about ½ to 1 cup of sugar. Stir until dissolved.
4. Add cold water to bring the volume to about 1 gallon, or 3.8 liters.
5. Chill and serve over ice.

Some recipes add a small pinch of baking soda to smooth the taste. This is optional and uses a very small amount, about one-eighth of a teaspoon.

Flavored iced teas

Once you master the base, flavor it:

• Lemon or lime: add slices or a squeeze of juice.
• Mint: muddle fresh mint leaves in the glass, or steep with the tea.
• Peach or berry: add fruit slices to the pitcher.
• Ginger: simmer fresh ginger slices briefly, then add to the tea.
• Honey simple syrup: dissolve honey in warm water for easier mixing than honey in cold tea.

Add fruit after brewing, not before, so the tea does not turn bitter.

How to avoid cloudy iced tea

Cloudy tea looks unappealing but is generally harmless. It occurs when tannins and other compounds in the tea clump together as the tea cools, especially if you chill very strong tea very quickly, or if your water has high mineral content.

To prevent it:

• Let hot tea cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
• Use filtered or soft water.
• Brew with cold water (cold brew rarely clouds).
• If it happens, stir in a small splash of boiling water to clear it.

Fixing bitter iced tea

If a batch is already bitter, a pinch of sugar, a little lemon, or dilution with water can help.

Batch sizes and storing iced tea

Store iced tea covered in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days. Drink it sooner if you added fruit, milk or fresh herbs. Do not leave it at room temperature for long periods.

Iced tea with caffeine and without

Black and green iced teas contain caffeine. Herbal and fruit blends, such as hibiscus or peppermint, are usually caffeine-free. If you are avoiding caffeine, see our list of caffeine-free teas. Our guide on caffeine in tea vs coffee explains how much to expect from different teas.

Quick recipes

Classic lemon iced tea

• 4 cups hot water, 4 black tea bags, 4 cups cold water, lemon, sugar to taste.

Cold-brew green tea with mint

• 4 cups cold water, 4 teaspoons green tea, a handful of mint leaves. Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.

Hibiscus iced tea

• 4 cups hot water, 3 tablespoons dried hibiscus, steep 5 minutes, strain, sweeten and dilute.

For broader context about tea types and how they behave, our complete guide to tea is a good next read, and how to brew loose leaf tea covers the hot-brew basics in detail.

Iced tea for a crowd

For parties, a drink dispenser or large pitcher makes service easy. A simple plan for 16 servings (about 1 gallon plus ice) is to brew two quarts of double-strength tea, using about 12 to 16 teaspoons of loose leaf or 12 to 16 tea bags, steeping for the usual time. Strain, add sugar to the hot tea if you want it sweet, then top up with cold water. Keep the dispenser in the shade, add ice in the glasses rather than the dispenser so the tea does not dilute, and set out lemon wedges, mint and a pitcher of simple syrup so guests can adjust sweetness.

Make a simple syrup for cold drinks

Sugar dissolves poorly in cold tea. A simple syrup solves that. Combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan, heat until the sugar dissolves, and cool. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a couple of weeks. Add it a spoonful at a time. You can infuse the syrup with mint, ginger, vanilla or citrus peel while it warms for extra flavor.

Ice that does not water down the tea

If your iced tea turns watery, freeze some of the tea in an ice cube tray. Tea ice cubes keep the drink cold without dilution. You can also freeze fruit or mint in the cubes for a visual touch.

Matching teas to iced styles

If you want to enjoy iced tea with less caffeine, check our caffeine-free tea list, and for a general introduction to types, see the complete guide to tea.

Want the bigger picture? Read our complete guide to tea or explore more in Brewing Guides.