How To Make Strawberry Tea

Name: How To Make Strawberry Tea
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 Cups Cold Water; 2 Cups Boiling Water; 1 ½ Cups Strawberry Simple Syrup; ½ Cup White Granulated Sugar; 5 Regular Black Tea Bags; Ice (optional); Strawberry Slices (optional garnish)

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With hot summer days on the horizon, what better way to cool down than with a refreshing drink? Today, I'm walking you through how to make strawberry tea. Bursting with the flavor of fresh strawberries, this drink is sure to become your go-to sip for the summer months.

A glass of iced strawberry sweet tea with a sliced strawberry sitting on the rim of the glass as garnish.

I love strawberry recipes, especially in warm months when the fresh fruit is sweet and ripe. My Strawberry Freezer Jam is another great recipe that uses juicy strawberries.

Table of Contents

Why You'll Love This Iced Strawberry Tea Recipe

This Southern Strawberry Sweet Tea recipe combines the best of both worlds: the classic charm of sweet tea with an intense strawberry flavor. With its natural ingredients and absence of artificial colors, you can feel good about indulging your taste buds.

Intense Strawberry Flavor - This recipe utilizes Homemade Strawberry Syrup, providing fresh strawberry flavor with every sip. Unlike store-bought syrups that may contain artificial colors or flavors, this homemade version offers a natural and authentic taste of ripe strawberries, making it a perfect drink for a hot day. My strawberry recipe even includes directions for using frozen strawberries if you don't have any fresh ones.
Refreshing - Perfect for hot summer days, this Strawberry Sweet Tea is a refreshing beverage that can be enjoyed on its own or paired with your favorite summer dishes. Whether you're lounging by the pool, hosting a barbecue, or simply craving a cool drink, this versatile recipe is a fantastic option. Plus, with its endless variations, such as adding different fruits or herbal teas, you can customize it to suit your taste preferences.
Simple Ingredients, Easy Preparation - There's no need for complicated techniques or hard-to-find ingredients—just strawberry syrup, tea bags, sugar, water, and ice cubes. In just a few steps, you can whip up a pitcher of Strawberry Southern Sweet Tea, which will be your new favorite drink.

A tall glass pitcher filled with ice, sliced strawberries and sweet tea. It's sitting on a counter surrounded by fresh strawberries and a glass of strawberry tea.

Substitutions

Green Tea - Instead of traditional black tea bags, use green tea for a lighter, more herbaceous flavor profile. Just be sure to adjust the steeping time according to the type of green tea you're using, as green tea typically requires a shorter steeping time than black tea.
Loose Tea - Instead of tea bags, you can brew your favorite tea to use in this recipe using tea leaves. Please scroll down to the FAQ section for detailed instructions.
Ready-made strawberry syrup - Although making strawberry simple syrup is a great way to use sweet berries in strawberry season. But, if you'd rather not tackle that process, you can purchase a bottle at your local grocery store. Some brands, like Torani, even offer sugar-free strawberry syrup.

Variations

Hot or Iced - This homemade strawberry tea is a great refreshing summer drink when chilled but also delicious hot. Feel free to skip the ice and sip it while it's hot.
Pucker Up - Add lemon juice or lemonade and create a delicious strawberry Arnold Palmer.

What You Need To Make The Strawberry Iced Tea

The ingredients needed to make sweet strawberry tea include strawberry syrup, granulated sugar, tea bags and water.

*Please scroll down to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient amounts.

How To Make This Iced Tea Recipe

Step 1. Place the boiling water and sugar in a large bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place all 5 tea bags in the boiling water. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.

Adding the granulated sugar to the hot water.

Five black tea bags steeping in a bowl of hot water.

Step 2. Carefully squeeze the water out of the tea bags and discard them.

Step 3. Add the strawberry syrup to the bowl and stir well.

Pouring the strawberry simple syrup into the bowl of brewed tea.

The sweet tea mixture being poured into the pitcher of cold water.

Step 4. Add the cold water to a pitcher and follow it with the bowl of brewed tea mixture. Stir well. If serving immediately, add ice to the pitcher and serving glasses and enjoy. Otherwise, transfer the pitcher to the refrigerator to chill and enjoy later.

Storage

Store leftover iced tea in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container or large pitcher.

A glass of strawberry sweet tea garnished with a sliced strawberry sitting in front of a large pitched filled with ice and tea.

Pro Tip

If you allow the tea bags to steep longer than 5 minutes, the tea can taste bitter. Remove the bags from the boiling water promptly to avoid this taste.

If you are making strawberry syrup from scratch, you will need a food processor or blender and a fine mesh strainer to remove the strawberry puree from the syrup.

Since everyone's preferred level of sweetness differs, you can adjust this to your desired tastes.

Notes/FAQs

What is strawberry fruit tea made of?

This recipe is very simple - strawberry syrup, sugar, and water.

Can I make this recipe without sugar?

While sugar helps to sweeten the tea and balance the tartness of the strawberries, you can certainly adjust the amount of sugar to suit your taste preferences or omit it altogether. If desired, you can also experiment with alternative sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or stevia.

Can I use loose tea instead of tea bags in this recipe?

You certainly can. Here is how to make this recipe with loose tea.
Step 1. Start by bringing 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Step 2. Add 5 Tablespoons of loose black tea directly to the hot water. Allow the loose tea to steep for about 5 minutes or until the desired strength is achieved. Remember that loose tea may steep faster than tea bags, so you may need to adjust the steeping time accordingly.
Step 3. Once the tea has steeped, strain it through a tea or fine mesh strainer to remove the loose tea leaves.
Step 4. Add the prepared strawberry simple syrup to the strained tea and mix well to combine.
Step 5. Combine the tea mixture with the remaining cold water in a large pitcher. Stir well to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed.
Step 6. If serving immediately, add ice to the pitcher and to serving glasses to ensure cold tea, or chill in the refrigerator for later.

Can I use store-bought strawberry syrup instead of making my own?

Sure! While homemade strawberry syrup offers an intense strawberry flavor, store-bought syrup works just as well in a pinch. Just be sure to choose a brand with natural ingredients for the best results.

Can I add alcohol to this drink for a boozy twist?

Of course! For a grown-up version of this refreshing beverage, add a splash of vodka, gin, bourbon or rum to each glass before serving. It's the perfect party drink for summer gatherings!