This refreshing sweet peach tea recipe is brought to you by a true southern belle, y'all! Fresh brewed tea is infused with fresh peach flavor from a homemade syrup, then garnished with fresh peach slices and mint for the perfect summer drink made with simple ingredients.
What is summer without fresh peaches and sweet tea? If the house wine of the south isn't on your summer beverage list, let me convert you into a true believer of the ways of sweet iced tea, honey. Once considered a high class glass of luxury, sweet tea is a summer favorite of many, if not all, of us here.
As a GRITS (that's Girl Raised in the South) living in the Virginia Countryside, my home keeps a pitcher of sweet tea year-round in the fridge.
And on hot summer days, that sweet tea is flavored with whatever is in season and will help me stay cool because dear Lord these heat waves are a menace! Fortunately, it's peach season and sweet, ripe peaches make for the perfect southern peach iced tea.
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Perfect Peach Iced Tea -a Refreshing Southern Staple
One of the very first recipes I brought onto STAT was the classic Southern Sweet Tea. Of course, I have to bring you more of what drinks the southern states have to offer!
Ever since iced black tea was introduced to the masses at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 and sweetened tea over ice became a go-to for southerners during Prohibition in the 1920's, it's been a must-have for any decent southern girl's recipe book. It's even been considered 'law' in Georgia to serve sweet tea! (Which is a joke, by the way. It was a proposed bill that did not get voted on).
For our iced peach tea recipe, we're using fresh fruit and my easy sweet tea recipe to craft the perfect drink with just the right amount of sugar and plenty of peachy flavor.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Black Tea Bags - the only correct answers here are Luzianne and Lipton brand. I will get yelled at by somebody's mama if I tell you otherwise. Possibly my godmama.
- Boiling Water
- Baking Soda - this is to cut the tannins if you accidently let the tea steep too long. Hey, it happens to the best of us!
Fresh Peach Simple Syrup
- Fresh Ripe Peaches - this recipe is great if you have leftover peaches that are getting a little older. You don't need a lot of peaches, but you will need a few.
- More Water
- Granulated Cane Sugar - You don't want anything that'll alter the flavor, we just want sweetness to amplify the peaches.
- Lemon Juice - acidity stops this from being too sweet and gives the syrup a little complexity.
How to Make Iced Peach Sweet Tea
Homemade Peach Syrup
Step 1 | Chop the peaches and remove the pits. Removing the skin is optional. I love the skin, it makes the peach syrup a beautiful peachy color and adds flavor. Add the peaches to a saucepan with water and sugar, then let that simmer on the stove on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
Step 2 | Let that simmer on the stove on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the syrup is pinky in color and the peaches are cooked and slumpy.
Step 3 | Once the peaches have slumped down and the syrup is pinky in color, strain them through a fine mesh sieve into a heat-safe airtight container to cool (or use right into the sweet tea!)
Make Southern Sweet Tea + Put it Together
Step 1 | Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once the water is at a rolling bowl, turn off the burner and remove from the heat. Place your family-sized tea bags into the water to steep for 10-15 minutes. Remove tea bags and add in a pinch of baking soda.
Step 2 | While the tea is still hot, add in the peach syrup. Give a taste. Does it need some more sweetness? A little lemon juice to cut the sweetness? Some baking soda to get rid of those bitter tannins? It's all up to your personal taste.
Step 3 | Add some ice to a large pitcher and pour the hot tea over it. Refrigerate until cold and pour the tea over ice in individual glasses (or mason jars if you wanna get cute!)
Variations and Pro Tips
- Add some peach liqueur and/or bourbon into your drink to make it a tasty southern sweet tea bourbon cocktail.
- Make Zaxby's handcrafted peach sweet tea by topping the tea with pureed peaches instead of making a syrup. Make sure to make classic sweet tea first (with the sugar!) since we aren't using a simple syrup to sweeten the drink here. This is a great way to make peach tea with canned peaches, too!
- Do not squeeze the tea bags!!! I had to teach my husband this: the fine art of tea making still applies to sweet tea. The more you mess with the tea leaves, the more tannins come out and the more bitter your tea will be. Yes, I have baking soda in the recipe in case you mess up and forget, but still.
Storage Instructions
Keep the tea in a pitcher with a lid in the fridge for up to a week.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Large Pot
More Peach Recipes
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Southern Peach Sweet Tea
Ingredients
Peach Simple Syrup
- 3 fresh peaches, chopped
- 3 cups cane sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Black Tea
- 4 black tea bags, family size; Lipton or Luzianne brands preferred
- 8 cups water
- 1 pinch baking soda
- peach slices, for garnish
- mint sprigs, for garnish
Instructions
Make the Peach Simple Syrup
- Put the chopped peaches, water, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and let simmer for 15 minutes. (While this is going, start boiling the water for the tea).3 fresh peaches, 3 cups cane sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 3 cups water
- Strain the syrup through a mesh strainer into a heat-safe container. Discard the chopped peaches.
Make the Tea
- Bring the water to a rolling boil on high heat in a large pot.8 cups water
- Once at a rolling boil, turn the heat off and add the tea bags, keeping the strings over the sides to remove them easily. Let steep for 15 minutes before removing the tea bags.4 black tea bags
Make the Peach Sweet Tea
- Pour half of the simple syrup into the tea, stir, and give it a taste (some people like it more sweet and some don't). Add all of the syrup, if needed. Add the baking soda if the tea tastes bitter or sour, which can happen if you over-steep the tea.1 pinch baking soda
- Pour the tea into a heat-safe pitcher and cool in the fridge OR pour the tea into individual glasses over ice and serve with sprigs of mint and slices of fresh peaches.peach slices, mint sprigs
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