Xanthan Gum Free Southern Sweet Iced Tea
Sweet, refreshing, and deeply Southern, this classic iced tea is the kind of drink that disappears fast on a hot afternoon. Brewed with black tea bags and sweetened with plain granulated sugar, it's about as clean and straightforward as a recipe gets — no thickeners, stabilizers, or additives anywhere in sight. The trick to getting that smooth, never-bitter flavor is pulling the tea bags without squeezing them, which keeps the tannins in check and the taste perfectly balanced. Dissolving the sugar into the hot concentrate before adding cold water ensures every sip is evenly sweet from top to bottom. A tall glass over ice with a lemon slice and a sprig of fresh mint takes it from simple to genuinely stunning. It's the kind of pitcher drink you'll want to keep in the fridge all week.
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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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