Sesame Free Pineapple Ginger Iced Tea

Total time1 hr 20 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time10 min

4.8

(23)

Bright, tropical, and just a little spicy, this iced tea is the kind of drink that makes you feel like you're somewhere warm even when you're standing in your own kitchen. Fresh ginger is simmered directly in the water before the tea bags ever hit the pot, which means every sip carries a deep, aromatic heat that dried or powdered ginger simply can't replicate. Real pineapple juice — pressed from fresh fruit and strained smooth — brings a natural sweetness that pairs beautifully with the black tea base, while a squeeze of lime keeps everything bright and balanced. Maple syrup does the sweetening here, dissolving effortlessly into the hot tea and adding just a hint of warmth without tipping the drink into dessert territory. The whole thing comes together in one saucepan and a pitcher, with no specialty equipment or hard-to-find ingredients involved. For anyone navigating hidden sesame in packaged beverages or flavored drink mixes, making this from scratch means you know exactly what's in your glass. Serve it over a tall pile of ice with a wedge of pineapple on the rim and it looks every bit as good as it tastes.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the tea base

4 cups water
4 black tea bags
1 oz fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced (about a 2-inch piece)
3 tbsp maple syrup, plus more to taste
1 ½ cups fresh pineapple juice (from about ½ medium pineapple, juiced or blended and strained)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

For serving

2 cups ice cubes
fresh pineapple wedges, for garnish (optional)
fresh mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1
Combine the water and sliced ginger in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes, until the tea is deep amber and fragrant.
2
Remove and discard the tea bags. Stir in the maple syrup until fully dissolved. Let the ginger continue to steep in the hot tea for another 5 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, pressing the ginger slices to extract their flavor; discard the solids.

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