Blueberry Iced Tea

Beat the summer heat with this refreshing blueberry iced tea—a fun idea and easy way to cool down! Made with brewed black tea, lemon juice, homemade blueberry syrup, and a touch of sweet tea magic, it's like a marriage of blueberry lemonade and your favorite iced tea.

Course Drinks

Cuisine North American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings

Calories 156kcal

Author Colleen Milne

Ingredients

6 black tea bags
6 cups water
1 cup blueberry simple syrup
1 lemon juice of (about 4 tablespoons)
mint leaves optional, for garnish

Instructions

In a saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.
Remove from heat and add the teabags. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.
Remove the teabags and pour the brewed tea into a pitcher.
Stir in the blueberry syrup and lemon juice.
Refrigerate until chilled. Serve over ice with lemon slices and mint leaves.

Notes

- Don't over-steep your tea. Promptly remove the tea bags from the water after five minutes. Steeping black tea any longer than that can make it taste bitter and more acidic.

- Let your tea chill fully. Since this blueberry tea is made with hot water, it takes hours to thoroughly chill in the fridge. Your patience will pay off with a crisp, cold glass of refreshing iced tea!

- Customize it. Add a little more black tea for a stronger flavor and extra caffeine boost. Or opt for a different tea altogether to make white or green iced teas. Add more lemon juice and even some lemon zest for extra tartness, or use more blueberry syrup to make it sweeter.

- Cold brew. For this recipe, I use hot water to steep the tea. However, you can use the cold brew method also. To do this, use cold water (don't boil it) and steep the tea for 6 to 12 hours in the fridge before stirring in the blueberry syrup and lemon juice.

- Caffeine free. Use herbal teas to make a caffeine free iced tea. Choose your favorite flavor. Peach or lemon herbal tea are my favorites for non-caffeinated homemade iced tea.

- Scale up or down. Use the serving feature in the recipe card to make more or fewer servings. Cut the recipe in half for a one-quart pitcher, or double it to make about a gallon of iced tea for a large crowd.

- Make blueberry iced tea cocktails! Stir a shot of plain, lemon, or blueberry vodka into each glass of blueberry iced tea for an adults-only beverage perfect for summer happy hours!

- Storage. Since blueberry iced tea is made with fresh fruit juices, it can only be kept in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. I doubt it will even last that long, though!

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