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Iced green tea is crisp, refreshing, and ready in 5 minutes with tea bags, ice, and lemon. Here’s how to brew it so it’s fresh and delicious: not watery or bitter!
There’s always room for more healthy drinks in my repertoire, and here’s one I found that’s quick and refreshing: iced green tea! This tasty drink has virtually no calories but is ultra satisfying, pairing the herbaceous, grassy flavor of green tea with a hint of lemon and jingling ice cubes.
I love ordering this one at Starbucks and it’s hydrating in any season: great for summer and in the colder months where you want to mix up your hot tea routine!
What Is Iced Green Tea?
Iced green tea is a beverage made with green tea bags or loose leaf tea, served over ice. It’s distinct from an iced green tea latte, a green drink made with matcha (green tea powder) and milk.
Without sweetener, an iced green tea has only 2 calories! It’s a great healthy drink idea: I love brewing it to replace our afternoon iced coffee habit. There are different ways to make this drink, but I like it like the iced green tea at Starbucks: simply tea and ice with no sweetener.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s all you need here:
- Green tea bags: Sencha is my everyday pick. Jasmine green tea is nice if you want a floral flavor; genmaicha tastes a little nuttier. (Again, it’s not matcha: that’s a different drink entirely.)
- Water and ice: This brews and chills the tea.
- Lemon wedge: Just a hint of bright lemon balances out the grassiness of the tea and keeps it from tasting flat.
How To Make Iced Green Tea
It takes just 5 minutes to make iced green tea: plus the time to boil water! Green tea has a very mild flavor that can become diluted by the ice cubes. So here, you’ll want to use two bags for one serving. It also benefits from a longer steep time: use 5 minutes instead of 2 minutes. Here’s what to do:
- Steep 5 minutes: Place two tea bags in a canning jar or glass with ¾ cup boiling water. Allow to steep 5 minutes.
- Add ice and lemon: Add 1 ½ cups ice and squeeze in a lemon wedge. Enjoy!
How To Sweeten Iced Green Tea With Honey
You can also sweeten this iced green tea. I though I’d like it with a little sweetener, but this one tastes great plain. In fact, the flavor is more refreshing and pure without added sugar. But if you want to add some sweetener, feel free! Here are some notes:
- The drink tastes great with no sweetener: I prefer the pure tea flavor without it.
- Start with 1 teaspoon honey, maple syrup, or simple syrup, then stir in more to taste.
- Get fancy with flavored syrups. Try mint syrup or ginger syrup to add additional nuance to the flavor.
Cold Brew Iced Green Tea (No Kettle Required)
You can also skip the boiling water altogether. Cold brewing pulls out sweetness and tastes rounder.
Combine 6 green tea bags with 4 cups cold water in a jar, cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours. Remove the bags and pour over ice. It’s the same principle as my Cold Brew Tea and Cold Brew Coffee!
How To Make A Pitcher And Store It
To scale up, you can use 8 tea bags to 3 cups hot water, steep 5 minutes, then pour over a full pitcher of ice.
It keeps in a sealed pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure to stir before pouring.
Dietary Notes
This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, bags are what I use. Loose leaf gives a slightly rounder flavor; use 1 tablespoon in an infuser in place of the two bags.
Five minutes, versus the 2 to 3 minutes you’d use for hot tea. Because ice dilutes the glass by roughly half, you’re brewing a concentrate on purpose.
It makes a lighter, grassier tea than black tea: less intense than classic iced tea or sweet tea. It just needs the stronger brew ratio to survive the ice.
Lemon and mint are best. Ginger, honey, and peach are other great flavor combos.
Iced Green Tea
Iced green tea is crisp, refreshing, and ready in 5 minutes with tea bags, ice, and lemon. Here’s how to brew it so it’s fresh and delicious: not watery or bitter!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Tea
- Cuisine: Tea
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 green tea bags (or 1 tablespoon loose leaf tea)
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 1 ½ cups ice
- 1 lemon wedge
Instructions
- Place the tea bags (or loose leaf tea in a tea infuser) in a glass jar or large glass with the boiling water. Allow to steep 5 minutes.
- Add the ice and squeeze in the lemon wedge. If desired, add 1 teaspoon or more simple syrup or honey to sweeten (we prefer it unsweetened!).
Why not use matcha? I want to use Matcha green tea.
It would be a totally different flavor! You could just use extra water instead of milk here: https://www.acouplecooks.com/iced-matcha-latte/
Let us know if you have any questions!