Tree Nut Free Southern Sweet Iced Tea
Few drinks capture the spirit of a long, lazy afternoon quite like a tall glass of sweet iced tea, and this classic Southern version delivers that perfect balance of bold, smooth black tea and just-right sweetness. The method is simple but intentional — steeping the bags without squeezing them keeps any bitterness at bay, and dissolving the sugar while the tea is still hot means every sip is evenly sweet from top to bottom. With only three core ingredients, there's nothing hiding in this recipe that could cause concern for anyone avoiding tree nuts, making it a genuinely worry-free crowd-pleaser. Packaged beverages and flavored teas can sometimes carry unexpected additives or shared-facility warnings, so brewing your own from scratch puts you completely in control. Serve it over a mountain of ice with a lemon slice and a sprig of fresh mint for that picture-perfect Southern touch. It's the kind of drink that disappears fast at gatherings, so you might want to make a double batch.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 8 cup water
- 6 black tea bags (family-size or regular)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
For serving
- ice, for serving
- lemon slices, for serving (optional)
- fresh mint sprigs, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Bring 4 cups of water to a full boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the tea bags, and steep for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the tea bags without squeezing them — squeezing releases bitter tannins.
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