There are hundreds of inspiring blends of herbal tea these days to make iced tea options really exciting. We absolutely do NOT need to reach for the sugar packed, fake flavoured, single use plastic store options, when it’s a simple 3 minute prep for a litre or two for the next day.
I offered my husband a herbal tea last night out of habit, and when he said “Nah… too hot!” It occurred to me then that I thought the same. So, just as we did last summer, I brewed a super strong (3 heaped teaspoons) cup of tea for 10 minutes, then poured it over a handful of ice from the best ice cube tray in the world into a large one litre carafe. Added the volume again in plain, filtered water, a few mint leaves, and voila: A delicious, refreshing and therapeutic drink on a hot night.
I made another batch with a different couple of flavours of Rooibos and Red Ginseng before bed, and we all enjoyed it today, too.
You can leave it as simple as that, or add…
- a pinch of green stevia leaf powder (optional. I don’t feel I need it, but if you’re newly coming off sugary iced teas, then it’s a great baby step. The pure green powder is available from health shops online, and it’s the unprocessed natural stevia, rather than the weirdo chemically white looking ones.) – Best to add to boiling water so it dissolves
- a handful of mint leaves
- a few lime wheels or wedges to serve (lime gets bitter left too long, so if not serving on that day, add only to serve)
You could also use a little dash of maple, honey or rice malt syrup – at least you’ll have control of how much sweetness is going in, not a whopping 30-40% that goes into commercial iced teas along with all the fake weirdness.
Voila. Enjoy the endless combinations you can make. Add different herbs, lemon grass stalks, kaffir lime, ginger discs… The list goes on!
Why not make your iced tea therapeutic, instead of a sugar bomb? SO much cheaper too! You can buy a whole packet of loose leaf organic herbal tea to make 10 x 1 litre carafes of iced tea, for the same price as 3 processed sugar bomb iced teas in single use plastic bottles… No contest!
Let me know what you make and your favourite flavours and tag me on instagram @lowtoxlife if you pop a pic up.
Real Food. Happy Bodies. Happy Planet.
Super Simple Sugar Free Iced Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 herbal tea bags your choice or 3 heaped teaspoons of loose herbs I LOVE licorice and fennel teas, but balanced that with a fruity tea for the husband, who’s not so keen. We were both happy!
- 1 cup boiling water
- Ice if you’re wanting to drink immediately
Instructions
- Steep the tea leaves / bags in the mug of boiling water for at least 5 minutes, with 20 mins being ideal, with the stevia if using.
- Then pour into a carafe and add water to top, any optionals, and refrigerate overnight.
- To serve immediately, add a handful of ice cubes before you pour the hot water into the carafe.
Comments 8
Love this, thanks Alexx. We have been making iced teas for a few months just by adding the tea bags or loose tea. Hadn’t tried adding these alternatives which I know my husband would like. Thank you 🙂
Author
Yay. Enjoy Kate! x
Love iced teas but admit I’m a real sweet tooth and finding kicking the sugar habit very hard. Is honey or coconut sugar a better alternative? I have some fancy Twining’s rooibos Christmas tea that would make a lovely spicy iced tea, thanks for the ideas
Author
Both are definitely a good option, with maple syrup actually being the most sustainable of the lot in natural sugars land… Just start with a couple of tablespoons in your litre carafe, and wittle down a little over time x
HI there,
My son absolutely loves the Peach Ice Tea that you refer to as sugar bombs! I would love to make him an alternative! Can you suggest something that I could possibly use!
Thanks in advance
Kyra
Author
Hi Kyra,
I’d start by having a chat about sugar content that you’ve discovered and googling artificial flavours and how they’re made – kids often respond to it when it’s a ‘discovery project’, and then pouring out in equivalent spoonfuls how much sugar is in the average iced tea (10-12tsp from memory) Then, I’d suggest you let him choose a yummy sounding herbal tea, a cool drink bottle, and then do exactly as above, with a squeeze of lime (don’t leave in the squeezed wedge, it will be too bitter after a while) and a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup or honey or rice malt syrup thinned in the hot tea while it’s brewing and before you add water and ice. Then you can drop back sweetness over time, but at least it’s better than artificial flavours and huge amounts of refined sugar. Check back in! x
Love it! Thank you for the simple sugar free ice tea recipe
You must abstain from sugary beverages altogether because our food intake already makes available sufficient sugar that our brain needs, try sugar free iced tea.