Kick back and relax with these cool, refreshing iced teas. 30 delicious recipes you can make at home from cold brewed iced tea to iced matcha lattes. All made from scratch with step-by-step directions.
CONTENTS
Iced Tea at Home
Ice cold, thirst quenching, and so much healthier than soda, iced tea is the perfect summer drink.
With my recipes, you’ll get expert tips and step-by-step instructions on how to make iced tea at home from classic bubble tea to iced matcha lattes. These recipes not only taste delicious but will save you loads of $$$.
RELATED: 14 Delicious Iced Coffee Recipes
Iced Tea Options
- Cold brew
Cold brewing is the absolute best way to make iced tea. It’s delicious, smooth, and refined. It’s also the easiest method but it takes a few hours to make. Tea and water are combined and left to steep in the refrigerator. Takes about 6-12 hours to make, depending on the tea. - Hot brew
This method is quicker than making cold brew but it can make your iced tea cloudy and bitter if made incorrectly. Tea is brewed using hot water then cooled down. Takes about 1-2 hours to make. - Ice chill
This is the quickest way to make iced tea but you need a ton of ice. This can make make your iced tea cloudy and bitter if made incorrectly. Hot tea is made then cooled down quickly using ice. Takes less than 10 minutes to make.
Milk and Cream Options
- Cold foam
Instead of pouring in milk into your iced tea, top your drink with cold foam! It’s super easy to make at home. Take cold milk or half & half, and put it in a French press and move the plunger up and down 40 times. Yup, it really works! - Cream froth
This is a decadent topping and tastes great with matcha or black tea. Cream froth is basically lightly whipped cream. Whisk together heavy cream and sweetener, using a handheld milk frother (my trick to making whipped cream fast and easy) until it thickens. Use flavored syrups to make the cream froth even tastier. - Sweetened condensed milk
This is my shortcut to making iced lattes quick since sweetened condensed milk is sugar and milk in one. It’s also a canned pantry item so it’s great if you run out of milk and want to add something creamy to your coffee or tea. - Half & half
Half & half is half heavy cream and half milk. It makes for a creamier milk option. - Milk
Any kind of milk that you like can be used in iced tea.
Tea Sommelier’s Tips
- It’s best to use simple syrup (liquid sugar) in iced tea, since it incorporates into the cold beverage the easiest. Simple syrup is easy to make at home. Just mix sugar and hot water in equal parts until the sugar dissolves.
- Any tea can be made iced from black tea to green.
- Don’t use tap water to make iced tea. The best tasting tea is made with the best tasting water. Use filtered water if you can.
- Iced tea can be made and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Iced tea will get cloudy when too many tannins (astringent compounds) that are naturally in tea leaves, are released into the water. This happens when water is too hot during the tea brewing process. If you do get cloudy tea, just add some hot water into the iced tea to clear it up.
30 Iced Tea Recipes
Cold Brew Tea
The secret to the best iced tea is to cold brew it. Step-by-step directions on how to cold brew tea at home that’s amazingly simple and easy.
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Quick & Easy Iced Tea
Quick and easy iced tea in less than 10 minutes using the ice chill method.
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Bubble Tea
Decadent, delicious bubble tea drink made with tapioca balls, brown sugar, and milk tea.
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Thai Iced Tea
Tastes authentic and so good! It’s sweet and refreshing, it’s easy to make this Thai iced tea at home!
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Iced Matcha Latte
This layered iced matcha latte is surprisingly easy to make less than 5 minutes!
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Iced Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Latte
A pretty blue herbal tea latte made with butterfly pea flowers. Add a splash of milky goodness to get a gorgeous creamy swirl.
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Cold Brew Butterfly Pea Flower Iced Tea
Butterfly pea flower tea is an herbal tea that naturally turns blue when steeped in water. See the trick to turning this tea from blue to purple.
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Earl Grey Iced Tea with Cream Froth
Iced Earl Grey tea with a decadent creamy foam that’s super easy to make.
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Arnold Palmer Drink (Iced Tea and Lemonade)
See the trick to layering this Arnold Palmer drink (half lemonade and half iced tea).
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Iced Chai Latte
Made from scratch, this iced chai latte is sweet and spicy, and one you’ll make over and over again.
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Iced Milk Tea
An iced version of a milk tea. It’s a sweet, full-bodied iced tea made with black tea, sweetened condensed milk, and half & half.
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Iced Matcha (Cold Brew Matcha)
Super easy to make, this iced matcha green tea is perfect for all matcha purists.
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Peach Iced Tea
Made from scratch, this peach iced tea is made with Earl Grey and English breakfast tea.
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Cold Brew Jasmine Iced Tea
Jasmine tea is one the most famous teas in the world. It’s great cold brewed, which bring out jasmine tea’s signature floral notes.
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Matcha Dalgona Coffee
A super fluffy iced latte layered with matcha and dalgona coffee, a whipped instant coffee.
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Matcha Lemonade
A layered matcha drink that’s a green version of the classic half tea, half lemonade summer beverage.
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Butterfly Pea Flower Matcha Lemonade
A color-changing layered matcha lemonade made with butterfly pea flowers that turns the drink from blue to purple.
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Iced Brown Sugar Tea Latte
A layered iced tea latte with black tea, milk, and brown sugar. It’s sweet, refreshing, and so easy to make.
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Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea
A bright red drink that’s a little tart but completely refreshing. It’s good for you too!
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Cold Brew Peppermint Iced Tea
Naturally containing a lot of menthol so it’s cooling and energizing, peppermint tea is best when cold brewed.
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Cold Brew Barley Iced Tea
Barley tea is a staple in Korea and it’s brewed all year-round, prepared hot and cold. In the summer, I drink this more than water.
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Iced Matcha Rose Latte
Infused with rose water and colored with hibiscus tea, this Iced Matcha Rose Latte is easy to make and almost too pretty to drink.
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Iced Tea with Lemon Verbena Honey Syrup
A refreshing cold brewed iced tea perfect for hot summer days made sweet with lemon verbena honey simple syrup.
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Related
30 Refreshing Iced Tea Recipes + How to Make the Best Iced Tea
Step-by-step instructions on how to make the best iced tea — cold brew it!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon loose black tea or 2 tea sachets or tea bags
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put tea and water in a pitcher or glass container. Cover pitcher and put in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.Use cool or room temperature filtered water. No need to boil any water to make cold brew tea. Use filtered water for the best tasting cold brewed tea.
- Strain out tea leaves.Use a mesh strainer if using loose tea or just take out the tea sachets or tea bags.
NOTES
Cold Brewing Guide
- TEA: 1 ½ teaspoons loose black tea or 1 tea sachet or 1 tea bag
- WATER: 1 cup (8 oz.)
- WATER TEMPERATURE: Cold water
- STEEP TIME: 12 hours in the refrigerator
Tips
- Ice is optional since the tea is already chilled, but add ice to keep it colder for longer.
- Instead using a strainer, the easiest way to cold brew tea is in a cold brew maker since you can just take out the infuser instead of straining the tea into another container.
- Make and store your tea in glass containers. Plastic tends to stain and leave behind odors.
- Keep cold brewed tea in constant rotation by starting a new brew 1-2 days after starting the first.
- Cold brewed tea can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
NUTRITION
Calories: 1 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Sodium: 12mg | Calcium: 7mg
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This looks so refreshing for the end of summer! Can’t wait to have it by the lake this weekend.
These all look refreshingly delicious! Thanks ever so much for including my recipe.
Hi Bintu, love your Instant Pot recipes!
This is perfect for hot summers….and it is more healthy with beautiful & amazing….Thanks for sharing…keep shared your new fabulous recipes….!