Vegetarian Ginger Lemon Iced Tea

Total time50 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

4.7

(24)

Fresh ginger, bright lemon, and a touch of maple syrup make this iced tea feel like something you'd pay way too much for at a trendy café — except you made it at home in under an hour. The process starts by simmering sliced ginger directly in water, which coaxes out a warm, slightly spicy depth that plain cold-brew tea just can't match. Black tea bags steep right into that fragrant ginger base, so every sip carries layers of flavor rather than a flat, one-note sweetness. Maple syrup steps in as the sweetener here, dissolving smoothly and adding a subtle richness that granulated sugar simply doesn't bring. A generous pour of fresh lemon juice at the end brightens everything up and keeps the drink feeling crisp and refreshing rather than heavy. Served over ice with optional lemon slices and mint, it's genuinely stunning in a glass and just as easy to batch ahead for a crowd. Whether you're hosting a summer gathering or just want something more interesting than store-bought, this one delivers every single time.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the tea

6 cup water
4 black tea bags
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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