![A glass of southern sweet tea with a slice of lemon and mint.](https://thecaglediaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sweet-Tea-Featured-Image-150x150.jpg)
Discover the secret to making the perfect glass of sweet tea with this authentic recipe, starting from scratch with just a few simple ingredients. Impress your friends and family with this delicious and refreshing Southern drink.
![A tall glass of sweet ice tea.](https://thecaglediaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sweet-Tea-Hero-1.jpg)
This southern drink is enjoyed year round, in restaurants and such. A gallon of tea is a very popular drink in the summer time though.
I had a hard time converting to the iced tea thing, I'm British as you know and I like my tea hot, minus the sugar and with a dash of milk. The way I got around it was to think of this drink as a soft drink rather.
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🧅 Ingredients
![Overhead shot of ingredients laid out showing what you'll need to make southern sweet tea.](https://thecaglediaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sweet-Tea-Recipe-Ingredients.jpg)
- Luzianne Family Size Tea Bags
- Water
- Granulated Sugar
- Sprig of Mint and lemon slices (optional)
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.
🥣 Instructions
This is an overview of the recipe steps. For more detailed instructions visit the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
![A collage of four images showing how to make sweet tea.](https://thecaglediaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sweet-Tea-Recipe-Steps-1-4.jpg)
- Step 1: Add water to your pot and bring to a boil.
- Step 2: Turn off the heat and add the tea bags. Give a stir around.
- Step 3: Place the lid on and allow to steep for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Step 4: Add the sugar to a gallon jug then pour the warm tea over.
![A collage of two images showing how to make sweet tea.](https://thecaglediaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sweet-Tea-Recipe-Steps-5-6.jpg)
- Step 5: Give a good stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Step 6: Add cold water to fill the remainder of the gallon pitcher.
- Step 7: Chill in the refrigerator and serve over ice with some lemon and mint (optional).
Hint: Don't boil the water with the tea bags in there. Tea leaves will give off a bitter flavor if they're boiled.
🔄 Substitutions and Variations
- Hard Sweet Tea - spice up your drink by adding your favorite liquor. Vodka is a good one.
- Tea - Black tea bags is what's needed to make sweet tea. Luzianne is a favorite, or Tetley. Lipton is another popular tea with southerners. It boils down to your preferred taste.
- Sweetness - This is another preference thing. Some like it very sweet, where others may even prefer it unsweetened. I think 1 cup of sugar makes it just sweet enough.
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🔌 Equipment
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
You only need a pot for boiling water (or you could use a kettle) and a gallon pitcher.
I have a couple of affiliate links in the recipe card below.
📘 More Southern Recipes
🧊 Storage
Store the sweet tea in the refrigerator in a pitcher and pour over ice as needed.
💡 Tips
Expert Tip: Don't add ice to the pitcher or it will melt and water down the tea. It's best to pour the tea over ice as you need it.
![Tall glasses of sweet tea on ice with lemon and mint.](https://thecaglediaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Sweet-Tea-Hero-3.jpg)
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Refreshing Southern Sweet Tea
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ea Tea Bag Family Size
- 1 gallon Water
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Fresh Mint optional
- 1 Lemon optional
Instructions
- Add water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat then add the tea bags. Cover with a lid and allow to steep for 30-60 minutes.
- Pour into a gallon jug with the sugar and stir well until the sugar is dissolved.
- Top up with the remaining water and refrigerate.
- Serve over ice with mint and lemon (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
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