Iced Tea Recipes to Beat the Summer Heat

Dehydrated during the summers? Bored of drinking water and fruit juices? Maybe some iced tea is exactly what you need! In the hottest and humid days of summer, sipping a cold glass of iced tea is a heavenly experience especially if it’s homemade. Homemade iced teas are free of preservatives and sugars, yet full of health benefits. Plus, it’s delicious–especially when you give it a flavorful twist. The recipes below are infused with special ingredients for extra benefits. So let’s start brewing!

Healthy & Refreshing Iced Tea Recipes

Mint Iced Tea:

Who doesn’t love a tall glass of mint iced tea on a hot day? Mint leaves add a cool, refreshing and invigorating flavour to the tea. It’s a wonderful alternative to soft drinks.

What you’ll need:

4 cups boiling water
4 green tea bags
1 cup fresh mint leaves, washed
2 tablespoons honey or agave

How to Make It:

Pour the 4 cups of boiling water in a glass or BPA-free plastic pitcher.
Add tea bags and let them steep for 2 to 3 minutes
Add in the mint leaves.
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours.
Add honey or agave to sweeten and stir.
Serve over ice.
Garnish with fresh herbs.

Peach and Mint Iced Tea

Ripe peaches give the tea its tangy and sweet flavours. This refreshing and flavorful drink is the perfect way to cool down on a hot summer day. So make it ahead of time and enjoy a little boost of vitamin C with each glass.

What you’ll need:

5 cups of Boiling water
5 tea bags
2 ripe peaches, cut into ½- inch pieces
1 small bunch fresh mint sprigs
Honey or agave (if desired)

How to Make It:

Pour the water into a heat-resistant pitcher.
Add the tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes.
Remove and discard the bags and allow the tea to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
Add the peaches and mint.
Tea can sit for a few hours to overnight in the refrigerator.
Strain, if desired.
Add honey/agave (if using) and stir.
Pour over ice
Garnish with fresh herbs.

Blueberry-Lemon Iced Tea

The antioxidant-rich fruit gives some additional health benefits and sweetness to your tea. This refreshing drink is perfect for a relaxing summer lunch date with friends.

What you’ll need:

1 pack of fresh frozen blueberries
1/2 a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 cups of water
4-5 tea bags
Honey or agave
A couple of fresh blueberries, mint sprigs, and a few strips of lemon rind to garnish.

How to Make It:

Get a saucepan and bring the frozen blueberries and lemon juice to a boil on medium heat.
Stir well for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Strain this mixture into a bowl and discard the solids.
Rinse the saucepan and bring 5 cups of water to boil.
Add 3 tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes and then remove them. Add honey/agave and the blueberry blend you just made to that.
Pour the mixture into a pitcher,
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours.
Serve over ice.
Garnish with blueberries, mint and lemon rind strips.

Lavender Iced Green Tea:

Lavender is one of the most beloved fragrances in the world. And Its calming properties make its the best choice for a drink to beat the hot summers days. It lends a lovely, subtle flavour to the simple, sugar-free green tea.

What you’ll need:

4 green tea bags
1 ½ tbsp fresh lavender blossoms or ¾ tbsp dried lavender
Lavender sprigs(optional)

How to Make It:

Heat 4 cups of water in a saucepan until it begins to simmer and then removes from the heat.
Add tea bags and lavender, let steep for 5 minutes.
Strain into a heatproof pitcher or bowl and let it cool.
Add honey/agave and stir.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Serve over ice.
Garnish with lavender sprigs if you like.

Lemon and Basil Iced Tea

Lemon provides a refreshing citrus flavour to this sangria-like tea. Sweetened with honey, it will give a dose of antioxidants while adding sweetness to your glass.

What you’ll need:

4 cups of water
4 green tea bags
6 fresh basil leaves
1 lemon (thinly sliced)
Honey or agave

How to Make It:

Get a medium-sized saucepan and pour 4 cups of water in it
Bring to a boil and steep tea, basil, lemon for few minutes
Add honey or agave and stir.
Remove the tea bags and refrigerate your iced tea.
Serve over ice.
Garnish with herbs.

Spiced Iced Tea

The red hue of this spice-filled drink will tap into the vibrancy of the season. Cloves and cinnamon will offer plenty of flavour and health benefits to your drink.

What you’ll need:

10 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp lemon juice
8 herbal tea bags
½ cup honey/ agave

How to Make It:

Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a pan.
Add cloves, cinnamon sticks.
Remove from heat; cover and steep for 10 minutes.
Discard the cinnamon sticks and cloves.
Add freshly squeezed lemon juice to it.
Add honey/agave and stir.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Serve over ice,
Garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Strawberry Hibiscus Tea

Hibiscus Strawberry Iced Tea Cooler is the perfect drink for rehydrating during the summer days. This slightly tart, deep-red hued hibiscus complements the fruitiness of strawberry.

What you’ll need:

5 cups of water
½ cup dried hibiscus flowers
2-3 tsp honey
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/4 cup fresh mint
Strawberries, lime wedges, Fresh Mint for garnishing

How to Make It:

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil.
Add the hibiscus flowers to the boiling water.
Remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes.
Strain the flowers and discard.
Add honey or agave and stir.
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours.
Put 1 cup chopped strawberries and ¼ cup fresh mint in a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth.
Once the tea has fully cooled, pour it into a glass pitcher and add in the strawberry purée.
stir everything together to combine.
Serve over ice.
Garnish with a sprig of mint and fresh strawberries.

Matcha and Rose Watermelon Tea

Summer is the season of roses. And rose coupled with matcha is a match made in heaven with the added sweetness of the watermelon. All three combined makes a beautifully layered drink with anti-oxidant properties.

What you’ll need:

1 cup cubed watermelon
2 teaspoon rose water
4 cups of cold water
2 teaspoon matcha
A wedge of watermelon

How to Make It:

Put 1 cup cubed watermelon in a blender.
Add 2 teaspoon of rose water. Blend until smooth. Pour it into a pitcher or bowl.
Rinse the blender and add 4 cups of cold water and 2 teaspoon matcha to it and blend until its frothy.
Pour the matcha over the watermelon mixture and stir.
Serve over ice.
Garnish with a wedge of watermelon.

Pomegranate and Lime Iced Tea

This fruity and refreshing beverage is more sophisticated than your average cup of iced tea. With the sweetness of honey and the delicious tartness of the pomegranate and lime, it’s an antioxidant and vitamin C powerhouse.

What you’ll need:

4 cups of boiling water
4 tea bags
1 cup of pomegranate juice
2 limes (finely sliced)
Honey or agave

How to Make It:

Steep the tea bags for ten minutes in boiling water. Remove and discard them
Once the tea cools down to room temperature, mix in pomegranate juice and lime.
Cover and Refrigerate to 1 hour.
Add honey/agave and stir.
Serve over ice
Garnish with herbs.

Raspberry Iced Tea

There’s nothing more refreshing than a cold iced tea made with fresh raspberries on a hot summer day. Raspberry iced tea is a perfectly sweet and delicious drink to quench your thirst with its pretty pink colour.

What you’ll need:

4 cups of water
4 tea bags
3 to 4 cups of raspberries
Honey/ agave
Mint sprigs

How to Make It:

Take four cups of water and pour into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from the flame.
Add in tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes and discard them.
Add four cups of water to another saucepan and mix in the strawberries.
Bring it to a boil on a low flame and remove.
Let it simmer for a few minutes.
Strain and remove the pulp.
Mix the raspberry blend with the tea mix you just made.
Add honey/ agave to taste and stir.
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours.
Serve over ice.
Garnish with mint sprigs.

Ginger-Lime Iced Tea:

It wouldn’t be summer without a cold, refreshing glass of lemon ginger sweet iced tea! This recipe is made with fresh lemon which is great at helping to flush out the toxins, and ginger for its anti-inflammatory properties and most amazing flavour. It’s a perfect sip for a hot day!

What you’ll need:

5 cups boiling water
4 tea bags
1 tablespoon fresh finely grated ginger
1 lime, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons honey or agave

How to Make It:

In a medium saucepan, add 5 cups of water and bring it to boil.
Add in tea bags, grated ginger and lime slices. Simmer for additional 5 minutes before discarding tea bags.
Remove from heat and allow the tea to come to room temperature.
Strain using a fine-mesh strainer
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours.
Add honey/agave (if using) stir
Serve over ice.
Garnish with fresh herbs.

Conclusion:

We hope you enjoyed this article on iced tea recipes. Make sure to consult your nutritionist before if you have any medical conditions. Stay hydrated with these drinks and watch your mood and health getting better instantly. These are the perfect drinks for the dog days of summer. So pick your recipe, kick back and enjoy!