Summertime - Sweet Iced Tea Recipe

Is it summer yet? I can't tell.

We finally have a nice sunny day in Kansas City! This is a big change from the snow we got last Thursday.

I am SO ready for summer!

To get in the summer mood, here is my recipe for the best sweet iced tea ever! (You can also make this recipe unsweetened if you don't like sweet tea)


I make 2 pitchers of sweet tea at a time. We go through about 1 pitcher a day around here, and I don't like to make tea every single day.


I begin by boiling my water. I never have time to stand around the kitchen waiting for the water to boil so I use my tea kettle. It lets me know when the water is hot so I don't go off and forget that I am boiling water.

Yes, I have forgotten my boiling water several times. I come back in the kitchen to find all my water boiled away :(

The whistling tea kettle has saved me from this problem.


I use a full tea kettle of water (8 cups) for 2 pitchers of tea.
If you are only making 1 pitcher of tea, fill the kettle half full, or about 4 cups of water.

While the water is heating, get your pitchers out

Add 1/4 teaspoon of Baking soda to each empty pitcher. You won't taste the baking soda, and it helps cut that strong bitter aftertaste that tea often has.

Drop in about 10-12 small teabags into each pitcher. I use Luzianne, but Lipton works good too.

Find something to do for 10 minutes while the water in the kettle finishes heating up.

After the water is hot, add about 4 cups of boiling water to each pitcher. Just pour it right over the teabags and the baking soda.

Put a lid on the pitcher(s) and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, take the tea bags out. Don't squish them, just scoop them out with a big spoon and throw them away.

Next, add sugar. (You can skip the sugar if you don't want sweet tea)
I use about a cup and a half of sugar in each pitcher. Nicely sweet, but not TOO sweet.

Stir to get the sugar mixed in

Now add water almost to the top of the pitcher and stir.

Pour youself a nice glass of sweet tea and enjoy!

Note: I poured that glass of tea with ice just to take this picture for you. Then I poured the entire glass and the ice back into the pitcher. I'm on a diet, so I can't have it. Bummer!

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!!!!!