Go Back
–+ servings
overhead view of multiple glasses of iced peach sweet tea on a silver platter
Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Peach Iced Tea Recipe

My Southern peach iced tea starts with a fresh peach syrup stirred into strong-brewed black tea while it's still hot. Twenty minutes to make and that pitcher is gone by supper, it's that good!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Southern
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 289kcal
Author: Eden Westbrook

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 tsp 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

Notes

Storage Tips

  • The tea: Keep in a covered pitcher in the fridge for up to a week. Garnish per glass, not in the pitcher.
  • The peach syrup: Keep the syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It's good on pancakes, in lemonade, over ice cream, in a bourbon smash. 
  • Freezing the syrup: Pour into an ice cube tray, freeze, then bag the cubes. Keeps up to 3 months and one cube sweetens a single serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 8ounces | Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 0.003g | Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 0.001g | Sugar: 75g | Vitamin A: 0.04IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.04mg