This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. For more information, please read our Disclosure Policy.
The secret to southern sweet tea is simple. This southern sweet tea recipe will teach you how to make that perfect glass of sweet tea, every single time.
Jump to Recipe
Table of Contents
Every home cook in the south has a southern sweet tea recipe. Sweet tea is just a way of life around here. Always served ice cold, sweet tea is like a good cup of coffee.
In every true southern fridge sits a pitcher of sweet tea ready to be served. Today I’m sharing my southern sweet tea recipe for that perfect glass of sweet tea, every single time.
While sweet tea is not the only tea that I drink, growing up in the South sweet tea is a beverage that can be found as a beverage option at most restaurants. Sitting on the front porch, sipping a tall cold glass of sweet tea is just what we do around here to relax after a long day.
With every meal and served at every restaurant, sweet tea is more than just a southern staple its a part of our life down here.
Secret Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Some may think that Sweet Tea has some sort of “secret ingredient”. But this simply isn’t true.
There is only one rule to really good sweet tea and that is the sweeter the better.
The brand of tea bags doesn’t matter that much, although many in the south will swear by Luzianne. So long as it is black tea, the brand doesn’t matter all that much. I typically will just pick a store brand to save a few pennies.
But please note that instant tea is no good here. I prefer to use single tea bags versus family size, but really any size will do.
What do you serve Sweet Tea in?
I picked up this gallon glass dispenser, I thought it was absolutely perfect for holding my tea in the fridge and oh so easy to refill my glass when I’m running low.
Mason Jars have been my jam for a while. We switched from drinking out of normal glasses to only using wide mouth mason jars as our beverage vessel. Sweet Tea and Mason Jars are a perfect Southern pair.
Taking your Sweet Tea To-Go?
If you are taking your tea on the go, you can’t go wrong with an RTIC tumbler. I’m obsessed with mine. It keeps your sweet tea perfectly cold. It amazes me that I can take this tumbler with me when I run errands and my beverage is still be cold when I return to my car on a hot summer afternoon.
Next to a mason jar, my RTIC Tumbler is my second favorite way to enjoy a gold glass of sweet tea.
Lemon or No lemon
That is the question. Many people like the taste of fresh squeezed lemon in their sweet tea, many people do not. It is all a matter of personal preference.
For me, personally I do not like lemon in my tea. I like my sweet tea plain and simple just like the recipe.
But if you like the flavor of lemon, I encourage you to add a slice or squeeze of lemon into a glass of freshly poured southern sweet tea.
Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
https://thedomesticdiva.org
The secret to southern sweet tea is simple. This southern sweet tea recipe will teach you how to make that perfect glass of sweet tea, every single time.
Remove tea bags and squeeze out excess tea from the bag before discarding.
With a slotted spoon, stir the tea until the sugar on the bottom is completely dissolved.
Refrigerate overnight because sweet tea always tastes its best on the second day. Serve in a mason jar filled with ice.
Notes
Sweet Tea is at it’s best for about 2-3 days after making. If you notice that the tea has become cloudy, it is no longer good and it’s time to make a fresh batch.
If you plan to serve this sweet tea recipe cold from the fridge WITHOUT ice, then reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. As the tea sits in the fridge it becomes sweeter. The recipe as it is written is to be served in a glass filled with ice.
When you read articles about the benefits of drinking water, none of them tell you that it will ruin the life that you know.
Find out more
Better Than Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Recipe
How to make a Caramel Macchiato at home better than Starbucks. Easy coffee recipe of rich coffee, steamed milk, and homemade vanilla syrup.
Get this Recipe
Matcha has many amazing health benefits. This matcha latte recipe can be made ahead of time in a mason jar to make your morning routine a little easier.
Adding a little baking soda to your tea will clear away any cloudiness left from the mixing process, and it's also thought to cut down on any lingering bitter tastes from the steeping tea bags, leaving your tea clarified and smooth and providing your get-together with one fantastic pitcher of tea.
Still, there's a balance to the flavor—the tea is brewed long and strong, so it gets an astringency that can only be countered by lots of the sweet stuff. Southerners, of course, have a taste for sugar that is demonstrably stronger than what you find up North.
For 1 gallon, boil 1 quart water (32 ounces or 4 cups). Remove from heat and pour over 1 Luzianne Gallon Size Iced Tea bag (or 4 Family Size or 16 Individual Cup Iced Tea bags). Brew 3-5 minutes and sweeten to taste. Add 3 quarts cold water, stir and chill.
To make a gallon sized tea, use 2 cups of water to boil, add 2 cups of sugar and ⅛ teaspoon of baking soda after it has been removed from heat, use 4 family sized tea bags when steeping, and add 14 cups of cold water at the end.
Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64-ounce, heat-proof glass pitcher. Pour in boiling water and add tea bags. Cover and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
There's the pure, clean flavor of refined white sugar, but there are also brown sugars like Demerara and Turbinado that offer varying degrees of rich molasses flavor. Brown sugars might be too overpowering for delicate green iced tea, but they're great with strong, spicy black tea recipes.
White sugar is the most common sweetener used in tea or coffee. You can get white sugar in regular granulated form, or finer ground as icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. Powdered sugar isn't typically used for simple beverage sweetening.
Which States Have Sweet Tea? It's believed that the states in which sweet tea is most popular and most widely consumed are Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.
Though moderate intake is healthy for most people, drinking too much could lead to negative side effects, such as anxiety, headaches, digestive issues, and disrupted sleep patterns. Most people can drink 3–4 cups (710–950 ml) of tea daily without adverse effects, but some may experience side effects at lower doses.
Higher proof whiskeys—like a bottled in bond expression or even barrel proof—will be more assertive and cut through the other ingredients. Similarly, a high-rye bourbon will present more spice, which contrasts nicely with the sugar and tea, while a wheated bourbon is going to provide further sweetness.
Like sunshine on a cloudy day, this pantry staple magically neutralizes the tannins, creating a crystal clear liquid. Some say that baking soda also gives tea a smoother taste due to the lack of tannins, which can be bitter.
Adding a pinch of baking soda to brewed coffee can help neutralize some of the acidity, making it gentler on the stomach. This can be particularly useful for people suffering from acid reflux or a sensitive stomach.
Baking soda, which neutralizes the acid in the tea leaves and transforms the otherwise pale green tea into a deep burgundy color. Aeration, which oxidizes the tea (similar to how chopped fruit changes color once introduced to oxygen).
When the baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is mixed into the hot sugar, another chemical reaction occurs. The baking soda breaks up, or decomposes, into sodium carbonate, water, and carbon dioxide. The water vapor and carbon dioxide gases get trapped in the sugary mixture, leaving behind these bubbles.
Address: 787 Elvis Divide, Port Brice, OH 24507-6802
Phone: +9779049645255
Job: Senior Healthcare Specialist
Hobby: Cycling, Model building, Kitesurfing, Origami, Lapidary, Dance, Basketball
Introduction: My name is Sen. Emmett Berge, I am a funny, vast, charming, courageous, enthusiastic, jolly, famous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
