30 Refreshing Iced Tea Recipes

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.

Iced Tea at Home

Ice cold, thirst quenching, and so much healthier than soda, iced tea is the perfect summer drink.

Any tea that can be brewed hot can be made iced.

There are 3 ways to make iced tea:

Cold brew
Cold brewing is the absolute best way to make iced tea. It’s also the easiest method but it takes a few hours. 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 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.

Tea Sommelier’s Tips

Top iced tea with cold foam
To make your iced tea creamy and frothy, add cold foam! It’s super easy to make at home using my recipe.

Use simple syrup to sweeten instead of sugar.
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.

Use filtered water.
The best tasting tea is made with the best tasting water. Use filtered water if you can instead of tap water.

Store iced tea in the refrigerator.
Iced tea can be made and kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Cloudy tea can be fixed.
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.

RELATED: 14 Delicious Iced Coffee Recipes

30 Refreshing Iced Tea Recipes

1. Cold Brew Tea

The secret to the best iced tea is to cold brew it. It’s delicious, smooth, and refined.

The cold brew process is simple, but requires time.

To make a cold brew tea, place your tea leaves inside a pitcher with cool or room temperature water and chill for at least 12 hours.

Once time is up, strain out the leaves and enjoy a perfectly refreshing brew that’s free of bitter tannins.

Get step-by-step directions on how to cold brew tea at home.

2. Iced Black Tea

A brisk iced black tea is the perfect warm weather drink.

The key to making one that’s balanced instead of bitter is steeping it at the correct temperature for no more than 5 minutes.

This recipe works for any type of black tea, like Assam or English breakfast, and can be enjoyed plain, sweetened, or with milk.

It’s a great drink to serve at summer barbecues and potlucks or to bring on a picnic.

3. Ice Chilled Iced Tea

If you need to get a drink together quickly, try the ice-chill method.

Instead of cooling the tea in the refrigerator, you cool it down by adding a lot of ice.

This quick recipe uses tea sachets for easy cleanup and comes together in less than 10 minutes.

4. Bubble Tea

Making bubble tea at home is easier than you think!

Not only can this recipe be prepared in less than 30 minutes, but making it at home means you’ll always get perfectly chewy tapioca balls.

Unlike at stores, where the drinks are made with super sweet powders, this recipe is made with real tea and it’s topped with a decadent cold foam.

See all my tips for making the best bubble tea!

5. Matcha Bubble Tea

No whisk is needed to make matcha bubble tea.

Instead, you can use any airtight containers, such as a cocktail shaker (or even a thermos), to dissolve the matcha powder.

The bubbles are cooked in a brown sugar syrup that adds a light sweetness and the milk and matcha mixture are layered on top to make a super pretty drink.

For the strongest green tea flavor, look for the brightest matcha you can find.

6. Thai Iced Tea

Thai iced tea is surprisingly simple to recreate at home.

To get its signature orange color and authentic flavor, you’ll need to use a Thai tea mix, which is can be purchased online.

My recipe uses additional black tea leaves for a stronger tea taste and brown sugar for a richer flavor.

It’s delicious and decadent, perfect for accompanying spicy food.

7. Iced Matcha Latte

This iced matcha latte is ready in just 5 minutes.

Oat milk is first mixed with honey to help make the beautiful layered look.

It’s nice and sweet, but the matcha flavor still shines through.

The drink comes together in a cocktail shaker or a jar with a lid, so you won’t need to get a matcha whisk.

You’ll be surprised by how simple and tasty it is!

8. Iced Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Latte

The vibrant blue color of this popular trendy drink comes from butterfly pea flower tea, an herbal, caffeine-free tea.

It has a woody, vegetable flavor.

This sweet and creamy latte combines the tea with condensed milk, vanilla, and half & half.

That last ingredient is the key to creating the pretty swirls.

9. Lemon Iced Tea

A bold, refreshing lemon iced tea is a summer essential.

It’s important to use the right ratio of lemon juice and sugar to make a balanced drink that’s sweet, yet tart.

This recipe uses a black tea concentrate that cools down quickly so you don’t have to wait too long before enjoying a cold, brisk sip.

It’s delicious as is, but can also be customized for a special occasion.

Get all my tips in the recipe.

10. Iced Green Tea

The perfect glass of iced green tea is cool and energizing.

This recipe has lots of tips on how to make green tea that’s not too bitter and ideas on how to take it to the next level.

You can enjoy it with or without sugar, and even flavor it with a syrup like ginger, mint, or rose.

Iced green tea can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

11. Iced Earl Grey Tea Latte

Earl Grey tea is delicious on its own and even better topped with a creamy froth, like in this iced tea latte.

The fragrant citrus flavor of bergamot, the fruit that gives Earl Grey its distinct aroma, pairs surprisingly well with the salted cream topping.

To get a light, pourable texture, make sure to whip the cream until it just starts to thicken.

That way it’ll slide down the cup and mix with the tea as you drink it.

12. Arnold Palmer Drink

Arnold Palmers are a popular summer drink for good reason.

It’s so tasty and refreshing!

My version is completely homemade and has the best flavor.

It uses half cold brew iced tea, which is milder and less astringent, and a from scratch lemonade that’s not too sweet or too sour.

To get the gorgeous layered effect, make sure to add the lemonade first, followed by ice, then the tea.

13. Starbucks Iced Chai Latte

All you need are 3 ingredients to replicate a Starbucks iced chai latte at home.

This copycat recipe tastes exactly like the one you get at stores because it uses a chai concentrate that’s almost the same as the one used at Starbucks.

Simply combine the chai mixture with any milk of your choice.

14. Iced Chai Latte from Scratch

In my opinion, the best iced chai latte is the one you make from scratch at home.

This recipe includes a homemade chai spice blend that took a lot of trial and error to create.

But the effort was worth it because the variety of spices (which includes cloves, star anise, cinnamon and more) is beautifully balanced.

The chai concentrate that’s used here can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days so you can have a cup whenever you’d like.

15. Strawberry Iced Tea

This sweet and fruity strawberry iced tea is nice and cooling on a hot day.

The recipe features a green tea that’s cooled down and mixed with homemade or store-bought strawberry syrup.

My secret to making a green tea that’s not bitter is steeping the leaves for no more than 3 minutes.

Once you get it right, you’ll be making iced green tea like this all the time.

16. Peach Iced Tea

Make sure you save this recipe for peach season!

It uses fresh peaches to make a from-scratch syrup that, unlike peach tea bags, is full of actual fruit flavor.

The tea itself is a combination of Earl Grey and English breakfast, which complements the peach nicely.

Garnish each glass with thinly sliced peaches to make this drink party-ready.

17. Raspberry Iced Tea

This big-batch raspberry iced tea makes a full quart and only requires 5 ingredients.

A homemade raspberry syrup gives it a bold fruity flavor.

The black tea is properly brewed so it’s not too bitter or weak.

It’s a pretty and cool beverage to serve at baby and bridals showers, especially in the spring and summer.

18. Lavender Iced Tea

Lightly sweetened and subtly floral, lavender iced tea is a unique drink to serve at parties or enjoy yourself on a hot day.

Any black tea can be used, except Earl Grey, since the citrus flavor doesn’t pair well with lavender.

Be sure to buy food-grade buds, which are safe for drinking, and to steep the leaves at the proper temperature for the right amount of time.

The resulting glass of iced tea is super refreshing!

19. Sweet Tea

As its name suggests, sweet tea is tea that’s sweetened with sugar (and that’s it!).

My recipe for the Southern-style iced tea is made using a family-sized tea bag that makes 4 quarts at a time.

The bag is steeped in simmering, rather than boiling, water to cool down quickly.

Adding the sugar while the tea ensures that it dissolves in thoroughly so the tea is perfectly sweetened.

20. Starbucks Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade

It only takes 5 minutes to recreate this popular Starbucks drink at home.

The cold beverage is a version of the iced Passion Tango Tea that’s mixed with sweet lemonade.

To replicate it, I first make a tea concentrate from Tazo Passion Tea bags.

The tea is then shaken with store-bought lemonade and ice in a cocktail shaker to get cold and foamy (just like at Starbucks!).

21. Matcha Lemonade

This twist on an Arnold Palmer swaps regular iced tea for matcha.

The sweetness of the lemonade is an ideal complement to the earthy, slight bitterness of green tea powder.

A cocktail shaker is the key to making matcha at home without a whisk. It’s also used to mix up the from scratch lemonade.

Together, the combination of flavors is so refreshing!

22. Starbucks Iced Black Tea Lemonade

Starbucks Iced Black Tea Lemonade is the brand’s version of an Arnold Palmer.

It’s made with only 4 ingredients and takes 5 minutes to recreate at home.

All you need are Tazo Awake English breakfast tea bags to make a quick black tea concentrate that’s then shaken with lemonade and ice.

Save yourself money by making this popular summer drink at home.

23. Iced Brown Sugar Tea Latte

Sweet and refreshing, this layered tea latte features creamy black tea sweetened with brown sugar.

Any black tea, or even oolong, can be used.

The brown sugar syrup is placed in the cup first, followed by the milk, then tea to create the pretty layered effect.

It’s just that easy to make!

24. Rose Iced Tea

This rose iced tea uses real edible flower buds to get its floral aroma.

The dried rose buds are steeped with an English breakfast tea, but not for too long or else  the drink will be bitter.

You can easily double this recipe since it’s a good one to serve at parties.

It’s perfectly sweet and very refreshing!

25. Brown Sugar Bubble Tea

It’s not hard to make a brown sugar bubble tea just like the boba shops do.

Using store-bought tapioca balls is the easiest way to make bubble tea at home, but I like to serve them warm.

In this recipe, the boba is cooked in brown sugar and the syrup is used to sweeten the tea.

Top with milk for a rich and creamy drink.

26. Starbucks Iced London Fog Tea Latte

If you love the Iced London Fog Tea Latte at Starbucks and want to recreate it at home, just follow recipe.

It uses the exact same Earl Grey tea that Starbucks does, which includes lavender.

The drink is sweetened with vanilla syrup, which you can make yourself or purchase directly at stores.

Now you can enjoy the drink whenever you want!

27. Strawberry Matcha Latte Bubble Tea

Strawberry and matcha are absolutely delightful together in this pretty layered copycat bubble tea inspired by the Boba Guys.

The trick to creating perfectly district layers is making sure the sweetest parts go into the cup first.

Enjoy while the tapioca pearls are still warm and you’ll see why homemade bubble tea is so much better than store-bought.

28. Cold Brew Green Tea

Tired of bitter green tea?

To make one that’s smooth and crisp, I recommend using the cold brew method.

While it takes 6 hours to fully extract the flavor, you won’t have to worry about bitter tannins.

This cold brew green tea is lightly sweetened with simply syrup and brightened with mint.

It’s lovely to sip on during warm days.

29. Cold Brew Yerba Mate

Yerba mate is a caffeinated drink made from leaves of the Argentinian tree by the same name.

When brewed in hot water, the earthy flavor can be quite strong, which is why I prefer the cold brew method.

The resulting tea is delicious with a few slices of muddled lime and sugar.

Yerba mate has a strong kick of caffeine so be prepared for and energy boost.

30. Starbucks Iced Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte 

This copycat recipe for Starbucks Iced Royal English Breakfast Tea tastes exactly like what you buy at stores.

It’s ready in only a few minutes using English breakfast tea bags and 2 types of sugar in place of liquid cane sugar.

Shaking it in a cocktail shaker (or a lidded jar) like the baristas do helps you get the nice foamy layer on top.

Want to save these recipes for later? Pin it now to your Pinterest board!

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