Artificial Food Coloring Free Ginger Lemon Iced Tea

Total time50 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

Artificial Food Coloring Free Ginger Lemon Iced Tea

Bottled and canned iced teas are notorious for sneaking in synthetic dyes — sometimes to deepen that amber color, sometimes just to make the drink look more "tea-like" on a shelf. This homemade version skips all of that entirely, getting its gorgeous golden hue naturally from simmered fresh ginger and steeped black tea. The flavor is bright and layered: warming spice from the ginger, a clean citrus lift from fresh lemon juice, and just enough sweetness from maple syrup to round everything out without tipping into sugary territory. Everything in this recipe is exactly what it looks like — real ingredients, no mystery additives, no label-reading required. It comes together in a pitcher and chills until you're ready to serve, making it a genuinely refreshing option for anyone who wants a beautiful drink without the artificial stuff. Poured over ice with a few lemon slices and a sprig of mint, it looks like something you'd order at a nice café — except you made it yourself, and you know exactly what's in it.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the tea

6 cup water
4 black tea bags
Lipton Black Tea, 8 oz Twinings of London Black Tea English Breakfast - 20 Count Twinings of London Black Tea English Breakfast Decaffeinated - 20 Count PG Tips Black Tea - 40 Count Stash Black Tea English Breakfast - 20 Count
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1 oz fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece), peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

For serving

ice, for serving
lemon slices, for serving (optional)
fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1
Combine 4 cups water and the sliced ginger in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the water is fragrant and lightly golden.
2
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the tea bags and steep for 4 minutes, then remove and discard the tea bags.

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