I love making this naturally sweet tea and keeping a bottle in the fridge year round. It’s made with fresh-squeezed fruit juices and fresh mint, and everyone who tries this tea asks for the recipe!
I sweeten our iced tea with organic unprocessed agave nectar, a mild-flavored, all-natural sweetener that is harvested from wild agave plants. It has a low glycemic index, but is 1.4 times sweeter than refined sugar.
This citrus tea is one of my family’s favorite cool drinks, along with our old-fashioned homemade lemonade, red currant honey iced tea and iced coffee.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Refreshing Taste: You’ll love the sweet, tangy, and minty flavors of this delicious, thirst-quenching tea!
Quality Ingredients: Most store-bought sweetened iced teas are full of high fructose corn syrup, and the ‘light’ versions are loaded with artificial sweeteners. Instead, make your own cool, delicious sweetened tea with natural ingredients and enjoy a superior product.
Save Money: Making your own sweet citrus tea is much less expensive than buying bottled or canned teas. Plus, you’ll keep unnecessary bottles out of landfill.
Ingredients Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this mint citrus flavored tea recipe:
2 quarts cold water (2 quarts = 8 cups) – Spring water or filtered water will give your ice tea the purest flavor
6 tea bags of your choice – You can use your favorite black tea for a more traditional flavor, oolong tea for a smooth taste, hibiscus for a more tart, fruity flavor, herbal tea, green tea, or whatever type you like best.
1 large handful fresh mint leaves, washed – If it’s not mint season, you can often find fresh mint at Asian or international grocery stores
3 – 4 tablespoons agave nectar – Look for organic, raw or unprocessed agave nectar if possible. You can also substitute honey if you prefer.
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice – You’ll get about 2 to 3 tablespoons of juice from one regular lemon. Feel free to adjust this amount to suit your tastebuds!
The juice of one large orange – You’ll get about 4 to 5 tablespoons of juice from a large orange.
Additional fresh mint sprigs and lemon slices or wedges for garnish
Equipment Needed
You probably have these kitchen tools on hand:
- Large saucepan or pot
- Wire mesh strainer
- Lidded 2 quart pitcher or container
Step by Step Instructions
Note: If the tea bags have tags, remove them. If they have strings, tie them all together to make removing the tea bags easier.
STEP ONE: In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a full rolling boil.
STEP TWO: Remove from the heat and add the tea bags and fresh mint. Allow to steep for 30 minutes.
STEP THREE: Strain the mixture and add the agave nectar, lemon and orange juices; stir until combined.
STEP FOUR: Cool to room temperature, pour in an airtight container and refrigerate.
STEP FIVE: Serve the tea over ice and garnish with mint sprigs and lemon if you wish
How to Store Iced Agave Tea
Store the citrus tea in an airtight container. The tea will keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
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Iced Naturally Sweet Tea
Equipment
- large saucepan
- wire mesh strainer
- 2 quart pitcher
Ingredients
- 2 quarts cold water
- 6 tea bags
- 1 large handful fresh mint leaves washed
- 4 tablespoons agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- the juice of one large orange
- mint sprigs and lemon slices or wedges
Instructions
- Note: If the tea bags have tags, remove them; if they have strings, tie them all together to make removing the tea bags easier.
- Heat the water to a full rolling boil in a large saucepan.
- Remove from the heat and add the tea bags and fresh mint. Allow to steep for 30 minutes.
- Strain the mixture into a lidded pitcher and add the agave nectar, lemon and orange juices; stir until combined. Cool to room temperature, put the lid on the pitcher, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve the tea over ice and garnish with mint sprigs and lemon wedges or slices.
Notes
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally posted on July 22, 2009. It has been updated with new photos and information.
Eliza Cross is the creator of Happy Simple Living, where she shares ideas to help busy people simplify cooking, gardening, holidays, home, and money. She is also the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon.
Hi,
Might I suggest trying Zevia. Zevia is the first All Natural, 0 Calorie, Stevia sweetened soda in the world! No Aspartame & No Splenda! Six delicious flavors including Cola, Orange, Twist, Ginger Root Beet, Ginger Ale and Black Cherry. I think Zevia might fit in very well with your sound advice for reader to stop using artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup. If yo uwould like to try and potentially review zevia please email l me at ian at zevia dot com and I will gladly send you samples.
-Ian
It’s refreshing. I like the sweet tea when I feel thirst during summer season. Tea is magical to me. I really appreciate what I have now because of tea.
hi there,
for an even more minty splash use mint tea bags and also make ice cubes from the tea so as not to loose any flavour as ice melts in your tall refreshing glass of iced tea. make a mint party out of it all by serving lamb with mint,mint in a salad, mint ice cream and mint filled cookies. ok so i’ve gone over the top with the mint but you get the idea….