High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Cranberry Orange Iced Tea
This refreshing pitcher drink is everything you want on a warm afternoon — tart, lightly sweet, and beautifully ruby-red with a bright citrus edge. The secret to keeping it free from high fructose corn syrup is being intentional about every sweetener and juice that goes in. Maple syrup steps in as the sweetener here, dissolving smoothly into the hot tea and adding a subtle depth that plain sugar just can't match. The cranberry juice needs to be the real deal — 100% pure, unsweetened, with no apple juice or added sweeteners hiding in the ingredient list, which is easier to find than you'd think once you know what to look for. Steeping black tea with fresh orange zest strips is a small step that pays off big, infusing the whole batch with a natural citrus fragrance that bottled flavoring could never replicate. Once it's chilled and poured over ice, it looks stunning with an orange slice on the rim and a sprig of mint tucked in — the kind of drink that makes guests think you worked much harder than you did.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the tea
- 6 cup water
- 4 black tea bags
- 3 strips orange zest (each about 3 inches long), peeled with a vegetable peeler
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 cup pure unsweetened cranberry juice (100% cranberry, no added sweeteners or apple juice)
For serving
- ice cubes, for serving
- orange slices, for serving (optional)
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the tea bags and orange zest strips, and steep for 5 minutes, until the tea is deep amber and fragrant.
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