Iced green tea is a refreshing drink perfect for cooling off on hot days. Follow these step-by-step instructions to make the perfect glass at home with just 4 ingredients.
Iced Green Tea
Iced green tea is a chilled drink that can be made with any kind of green tea. It can be had with or without sugar.
Green tea naturally contains caffeine.
The trick to making green tea that isn’t too bitter is to steep it at the right temperature for no more than 3 minutes.
Iced green tea is made by brewing green tea in hot water, then cooling it down and serving it over ice.
Cold brewed iced green tea uses a different method of steeping the tea bags in the fridge ahead of time for 6-8 hours.
RELATED: 30 Refreshing Iced Tea Recipes
Recipe Highlights
- Iced green tea is a refreshing cold beverage made with just 4 ingredients: green tea, sugar, water, and ice.
- The recipe makes a 16 ounce (2 cups) serving but can easily be increased to make a pitcher.
- An easy drink to make, customize this basic recipe by adding fresh fruit or flavored syrups to take it to the next level for summer parties and picnics.
RELATED: How to Properly Brew Green Tea
Ingredient Notes
- Green tea
Any green tea works for this drink. Use tea bags or tea sachets for easy clean up. You can also use loose green tea but it’ll be need to be strained after brewing. - Sugar
Granulated white sugar is used for this recipe but you can use any sweetener you like. - Water
Good quality water is important when making iced tea, so use filtered water when you can. - Ice
Filtered water also makes a better tasting ice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to see the recipe.
- Put tea bags and hot water into a teapot. Cover and steep.
Boil water on the stovetop or use an electric kettle with a temperature setting. For best results, prepare the tea ahead of time and cool in the refrigerator. - Remove tea bags and stir in sugar.
- Add cold water. Chill tea in the refrigerator.
- Pour tea into a cup with ice.
Recipe Notes
Don’t oversteep the tea.
Set a timer and brew the tea for no more than 3 minutes. The longer you steep green tea, the more astringent and bitter it’ll get.
Use tea bags, tea sachets, or loose tea.
Tea bags or sachets make for quick and easy cleanup, but you can also use loose tea. Use 1 tablespoon of loose green tea instead of 2 tea bags for each 16 ounce (2 cups) serving.
Make the tea ahead of time.
The iced green tea can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
RELATED: Lavender Iced Tea
Tea Sommelier’s Tips
- It’s important to steep tea using the correct water temperature to prevent the green tea from getting bitter. Using an electric kettle with a temperature setting will be the most accurate.
- Add fruit or fresh mint for a twist on iced green tea.
- Turn this drink into a flavored iced tea by sweetening it with a syrup, like ginger, hibiscus, or rose.
- Adding lemonade will sweeten and give the drink a tart lemon flavor.
- Top with a cold foam for a drink that’s sweet, fruity, and decadent.
RELATED: Starbucks Iced Green Tea Copycat
Questions You May Have
Yes! Green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, which is naturally caffeinated.
Green tea is packed with antioxidants, which have been found to help fight inflammation and prevent cell damage.
The best way to sweeten iced green tea is with simple syrups (liquid sugar). They’re the easiest to mix into iced drinks unlike sugar, which will sink to the bottom of the cup.
Tea becomes bitter when it’s brewed for too long or made using water that’s too hot. Be sure to keep track of the steep time and not use boiling hot water.
Related
- Raspberry Iced Tea
- Lemon Iced Tea
- Strawberry Iced Tea
- Peach Iced Tea
- Lavender Iced Tea
- Starbucks Iced Green Tea Copycat
- Starbucks Iced Green Tea Lemonade Copycat
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Iced Green Tea
INGREDIENTS
- 2 green tea bags (or 1 tablespoon loose tea)
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 cup ice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put tea bags and ½ cup of hot water into a teapot.Boil water on the stovetop or use an electric kettle with a temperature setting. Set water temperature to 175°F.
- Cover and steep for 3 minutes. Discard tea bags.Steeping for longer will make the tea bitter.
- Stir in sugar until it dissolves. Add ½ cup of cold water.Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to cool.
- Pour cooled down tea into a cup with ice.
NOTES
- Set a timer and brew the tea for no more than 3 minutes. The longer you steep green tea, the more astringent and bitter it’ll get.
- Any green tea works for this drink. Use tea bags or tea sachets for easy clean up. You can also use loose green tea but it’ll be need to be strained after brewing.
- The iced green tea can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Granulated white sugar is used for this recipe but you can use any sweetener you like.
- Add fruit or fresh mint for a twist on iced green tea.
- Turn this drink into a flavored iced tea by sweetening it with a syrup, like ginger, hibiscus, or rose.
- Adding lemonade will sweeten and give the drink a tart lemon flavor.
- Top with a cold foam for a drink that’s sweet, fruity, and decadent.