Southern Peach Iced Sweet Tea
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Southern Peach Iced Sweet Tea
Craving something refreshing? This Southern Peach Iced Tea is the perfect blend of sweet peaches, bold black tea, and cool minty ice cubes—like sunshine in a glass! Vegan + Different Sweetener Options.
One of my all-time favorite twists on my OG Traditional Southern Iced Sweet Tea recipe has to be this Southern Peach Iced Tea. Y’all, peaches are just the heart and soul of Southern flavors, and this iced tea is a true Southern classic!
This sweet tea is perfectly sweet without being overly sugary. It's great for BBQs or any spring + summer gatherings, easy to make and is a hit with both adults and kids! It's a total WIN WIN! If you're looking for more refreshing drinks, try my Pink Lemonade, Southern Strawberry Iced Sweet Tea or this Loaded Hibiscus Mocktail!
Jump to:
- What Is Southern Sweet Tea?
- Why You Will LOVE This Southern Iced Sweet Tea Recipe
- Why Is Sweet Tea A Southern Thing?
- How to Make Peach Iced Tea
- Ingredients for Southern Peach Iced Tea
- Why Add Baking Soda to Sweet Tea?
- Why So Much Sugar? How Much Is Needed?
- Best Sweet Tea Store-bought Brand?
- Garnish Ideas for Peach Iced Tea
- Can I Add Alcohol?
- My Sweet Tea Is Too Sweet, Can I Fix It?
- Southern Peach Iced Tea Recipe Q + A's
- More Peach Recipes to Try!
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Southern Peach Iced Sweet Tea
What Is Southern Sweet Tea?
Much like Lemonade (for many people), this sweet tea is the epitome of a Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter—– an all-around MUST HAVE in the South. Yes, ya’ll—it’s that serious!
Sweet tea is a beloved Southern classic made by brewing black tea and sweetening it with sugar while it's still hot. It's served cold and often flavored with fruits like lemon, strawberries or, in this case peach.
Why You Will LOVE This Southern Iced Sweet Tea Recipe
- Classic Southern charm in every authentic, sweet sip.
- Perfectly balanced --- Not overly sweet, just right for sipping on a hot day.
- It’s super easy to make.
- Perfect for sipping on lazy afternoons or at backyard BBQs.
- A crowd-pleaser for kids + adults alike.
- Plus it literally goes with everything!
Why Is Sweet Tea A Southern Thing?
Considered a staple in Southern cuisine, sweet tea's "birthplace" is believed to have come about in St. Louis. It was here, at the World's Fair in 1904, that the oh-so-sweet southern-style sweet tea was born. And it is no surprise that Southerners grasped ahold of this sweet delicacy and mastered the recipe to transform it into a household staple.
How to Make Peach Iced Tea
For those who aren’t familiar, sweet tea is not just sugar and water with a tea bag. I know, CRAZY!
There’s a specific process: Steep the tea (the longer, the stronger the flavor). Mix in sugar (or your favorite sweetener) until it completely dissolves. Pour into a pitcher, add lemons for extra flavor, and chill completely before serving over ice. Sweet tea is always best served cold, so adding crushed ice to the pitcher or chilling it beforehand is a must!
Ingredients for Southern Peach Iced Tea
I love making herb ice cubes, and a favorite of mine is Orange Thyme Ice Cubes. They add the perfect touch of freshness without watering down the tea.
SWEET TEA:
- Water. For boiling + adding to the tea.
- Black tea bags. You can use 6-7 for less black tea strength.
- Lemon juice. Adds a hint of tanginess to drink.
- Brown sugar. You could also sweeten this iced tea with natural sweeteners like Agave syrup or maple.
- Baking soda. This is optional, but adds freshness. Learn more in this post.
- Medium peaches. Sliced with skin on. (You can also use 1 (15 oz.) can organic peaches as a substitute)
GARNISH:
- Lemons slices or halved
- Peaches slices
- Fresh rosemary sprigs or mint leaves
- Crushed or whole ice cubes (You can check out my Orange Thyme Ice Cubes for a nice spruce up!)
SHOP MY FAVORITE TOOLS FOR DRINKS, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS PEACH ICED TEA RECIPE!
Here, I’ve curated a list of drinkware and mocktail essentials that I use to achieve my favorite drinking experiences, especially with this Peach Iced Sweet Tea recipe. Everything from my fave glassware, blenders, ice cube trays, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
Why Add Baking Soda to Sweet Tea?
OK, so I know that this must be a shocker, but yes—you do add baking soda to sweet tea. Why? Whelp, although it seems super weird to do so, adding baking soda to your sweet tea prevents it from getting cloudy and bitter. If you’ve ever tried leaving your leftover sweet tea in the refrigerator for a few days, only to find out that after a day or so, it’s bitter and not as enjoyable—-then know that adding a small amount of baking soda does the trick!
In addition, just know that baking soda has health benefits as well, so it won’t harm you! For one, baking soda is great for helping with indigestion and acid reflux. Also, it’s great for keeping your mouth healthy among other benefits.
Why So Much Sugar? How Much Is Needed?
Yes, the major question here is—-what about all of that sugar? --- And how much do I need to add for optimal sweetness? Firstly, I’ll start by saying, there are plenty of sugar substitutes that can work for this recipe without compromising taste!
OTHER SWEETENER OPTIONS
- Organic cane sugar
- Stevia
- Monk fruit sugar
- Maple syrup (Just keep in mind the overall taste will change)
- Agave
- Raw honey
Overall, I start out with 1 cup of sweetener and then add additional to taste depending on how "fresh" tasting the sweet tea is after adding the steeped black tea mixture ----usually no more than an additional ½ cup.
Best Sweet Tea Store-bought Brand?
When searching for a big box of Lipton tea bags, I did notice that there were a ton of options available these days when it comes to flavor. They even have the Southern Sweet Tea mix, which makes things a lot easier for those who may not want to make it from scratch or just need a quick fix without the time.
But if you're looking for ready-made sweet teas that are the best, I've found that Milo's Sweet Tea is a great option that has been around for a long time. In addition, Sweet Leaf teas are really great as well.
Garnish Ideas for Peach Iced Tea
To put a finishing touch on your peach iced tea, I recommend adding sliced peaches, lemon slices, or fresh mint leaves to your glass(es) when serving.
Can I Add Alcohol?
If you’d like to make this iced tea into a boozy cocktail-like sweet tea, go for it! You can add a shot of liquor, like tequila, bourbon, rum or vodka in each glass of ice. Then pour and serve! Or you can add it completely to the entire pitcher if desired. Just remember to balance the alcohol amount to achieve the desired taste + potency.
My Sweet Tea Is Too Sweet, Can I Fix It?
No sweat! If its too sweet, just toss in more water or lemon juice. When you pour it over ice, it tends to thin out quicker. Also, remember, it tastes way sweeter when it's warm compared to when it's ice-cold. So, before you go adding more water, give it a chill over some ice and see if it hits the spot. You might find it's just right!
Southern Peach Iced Tea Recipe Q + A's
Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator, tightly covered in your pitcher or in a sealed mason jar (for smaller leftover amounts). Best if consumed within a few days.
Of course! You can always drink this peach iced tea hot as an actual tea whenever you choose to. Just warm things up in a saucepan over the stove top when serving for greater ease. If not, you can always keep things chilled as per the instructions of this recipe.
Absolutely! You can always switch things up with this peach iced tea by adding additional ingredients for a nice twist of flavor such as: green tea, lemonade, raspberry, strawberry, fruit juice, etc.
Yes! Traditionally, sweet tea is made with brown sugar, however, you can always use organic cane sugar, allulose, and stevia, instead of brown sugar.
More Peach Recipes to Try!
If you love this Peach Iced Tea recipe, then here are a few other peach-infused recipes to try ASAP:
- Vegan Southern Peach Cobbler
- Frozen Peach and Lime Margarita Mocktails
- Southern Peach Cobbler Cheesecake
- Cinnamon Maple Peach Bread
- Caramelized Peach Cinnamon Homemade Breakfast Granola
- Peachy Ginger Beer Mocktail
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this Southern Peach Iced Tea recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. And don't forget to tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea! I love hearing from you!
Southern Peach Iced Sweet Tea
Ingredients
PEACH SWEET TEA:
- 2 quarts filtered water, divided
- 8 organic black tea bags (You can use 8 tsps of loose tea, if desired)
- 1 cup organic brown sugar (See Notes!)
- 1 lemon, freshly-squeezed
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2-3 medium peaches, sliced (You can also use 1 (15 oz.) can organic peaches as a substitute)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (You can purchase my Dessert Lover Blend for authentic flavor)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda (See Notes!)
GARNISH:
- Lemons slices or halved
- Peaches slices
- Fresh rosemary sprigs or mint leaves
- Crushed or whole ice cubes (You can check out my Orange Thyme Ice Cubes for a nice spruce up!)
Instructions
BREW THE PEACH BLACK TEA:
- Start by adding 1 quart of water to a large pot over high heat and bringing it to a boil. Add your tea bags to the boiling water along with the peach slices and let it continue to boil for another 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and let tea bags continue to steep for 15-20 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon until dissolved. NOTE: The longer that the tea bags steep, the stronger the flavor. You can let them steep up to 30 minutes before it begins to get bitter. Discard the tea bags and peach slices.
- Let the mixture cool completely, about 1 hour or so.
ASSEMBLE + CHILL:
- In a pitcher, add steeped tea mixture, lemon juice, baking soda, remaining water, stirring together until combined. Next, refrigerate immediately to keep it cold, about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Once the peach sweet tea has chilled considerably, serve by pouring sweet tea into prepared glass(es) filled with ice and adding peach slices, lemon slices or halves, if desired.
- Sip and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator, tightly covered in your pitcher or in a sealed mason jar (for smaller leftover amounts). Best if consumed within a few days.
- SWEETENER: You can always use pure cane sugar, allulose, stevia, or honey instead of brown sugar.
- BAKING SODA: Adding baking soda to your sweet tea prevents it from getting cloudy and bitter. If you've ever tried leaving your leftover sweet tea in the refrigerator for a few days, only to find out that after a day or so, it's bitter and not as enjoyable----then know that adding a small amount of baking soda does the trick!
- PEACHES: I like to use freshly sliced peaches, however, if you don't have any---feel free to use 1 (15 oz.) can of sliced peaches for out of season enjoyment.
Nutrition
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Perfect timing I just bought peaches! This looks so easy and something everyone would go crazy for a must try!
mint ice cubes?! perfect use for my overflowing mint plant, thanks for sharing!
I live in the south and made this for a get together and everyone LOVED it! Loved the peaches, loved it all. Great recipe.