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    Home » Most Recently Added » Drinks

    Honey Iced Tea Recipe

    Published: Aug 8, 2023 · Updated: Aug 8, 2023 by kateschat · This post may contain affiliate links · 17 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Flavored herbal tea sweetened with honey in jars.

    Marius says I make THE BEST Iced Tea. And since he’s the Man of The House, what he says is Law, and therefore, he’s gotta be right, right? 😉 Think "homemade Snapple" and you’ve got yourself a good idea of what this will be like. Except it’s all real food and we can pronounce every ingredient!

    Two mason jars of various herbal iced tea sweetened with honey.

    Nothing beats some sweet tea in a jar on a super hot day. You can have the jar in the fridge to bring outside when there's a short break in chores. Keep everyone hydrated so they can get everything done! It's also perfect for picnics, potlucks, or any sort of gathering.

    Why You Need This Recipe

    • Adjust the sweetness to your liking. No more super-sweet store bought drinks.
    • Choose to make it with caffeine or not!
    • Ready in 15 minutes if you use tap water and ice it down quick, so you don't even have to plan ahead.

    Key Ingredients

    Tea - I've made this with black, green, herbal, you name it. You can use tea bags or loose tea, flavoured tea or plain.

    Honey - The absolute perfect natural sweetener. If you keep bees, use their honey. Buy local. Or buy a local honey at the market or store. Anything works here (just keep in mind if you are serving to super young kids you will want to use sugar instead).

    Lemon juice - Cuts the sweetness and gives it just the right taste.

    Salt - Did you know that salt truly balances things? That's why it's in drinks, baking, everything. It's not just for dinner!

    How to Make Honey Iced Tea

    A tea bag in each of two large mason jars.

    Step 1: Add the tea bags, honey, salt, and lemon juice to a 2 quart jar or pitcher.

    Three tea bags with lemon juice and honey in a large jar.

    Step 2: Fill with hot tap water to the 1 quart line. Let steep for 15 minutes or so.

    Hot tap water going into a half gallon mason jar.

    Step 3: Remove the tea bags. Now you can add ice and serve or fill up to the 2 quart line and chill in the fridge for later.

    Brewing Methods

    OK, so over the years I've changed things up a bit. It all depends on how much time you have and how quickly you want a finished glass in your hand!

    Cold Brew: Add all ingredients to the jar and fill to 2 quarts with cool water. Stick in the fridge until tomorrow. I can do up to 24 hours with this method, but obviously this is the one if you don't need a drink now. It's perfect for starting a new jar when the current one is just about empty.

    Over Ice: Use hot tap water to the 1 quart line and let steep. Remove the tea bags and stir in ice to melt, then top off with cold water once the ice is no longer melting. This is the best way for serving immediately.

    Regular: This is my most typical method. Just follow the recipe card and steep over hot water, then add cold water and chill. So this isn't super cold right away, but it works great for making it in the morning to enjoy that evening.

    Pink herbal iced tea in mason jars with lemons on the rims.

    Variations

    Some favourite combos of ours are Peach+Black Tea, Wild Raspberry Hibiscus+Mint, Blueberry+Green Tea…the combos are endless, browse the tea aisle and have fun with it.

    And I’m just saying if you felt so inclined… Some spiced rum would not be bad.

    I like to use Adagio Tea bags as I think the flavour is exceptional. I'm not affiliated with them and they didn't make this coupon FOR us - but if you go to their site I've seen a popup for a $5 coupon if you shop their site. But be aware that you have to entire your email the first time it pops up or else you won't get it again. But I know it gives some people some trouble so just fair warning that it may or may not work.

    Pouring herbal iced tea from a large mason jar to pint jars.

    I absolutely LOVE using jars for everything. They are super versatile! But if you've ever tried to pour from a jar, you know it can be a bit messy. I get asked on Instagram all. the. time. what my lids are and they are Masontops Pour Tops. I really like picking up things such as this that are affordable and make use of what I already have! And then they wait in the drawer if I need the jar for something else.

    FAQs

    Can I use loose tea?

    Definitely! Use an infuser or tea bags you can fill yourself to make sure you can easily fish it all out. You may need to play with the amounts depending on how coarse the tea blend is. 1 tablespoon will be about three tea bags.

    Am I ok to use hot tap water?

    Personal preference - only you know if you are comfortable drinking hot tap water. It depends on where you live, the age of the pipes and all that. If you aren't comfortable with that then go ahead and boil water in a kettle.

    Woman's hand showing a teaspoon of salt.

    Final Thoughts

    Lower or raise the honey. Use a different sweetener. Use different tea. Remember this is a formula! Not an exact recipe. Make it your own! Think back to either jarred drinks you've had in the past and enjoyed or new combos you might like and go for it.

    Because of the honey, lemon and sea salt, this is an excellent electrolyte replacement drink. When Marius worked out in the field away from home he would bring 1-2 quarts most hot days to keep himself properly hydrated while working outside.

    Classic Homemade Beverages

    • Half gallon jar of lemonade with two filled pint jars.
      Easy 5 Minute Honey Sweetened Lemonade
    • Mug of tea made with homemade chai syrup.
      Simple Concentrated Chai Syrup Recipe
    • Two pint jars of blueberry iced tea next to a gallon jar.
      Blueberry Iced Tea Recipe
    • homemade baileys, irish coffee creamer, maple syrup sweetened
      Maple Syrup Sweetened Irish Coffee Creamer (Home-made Baileys!)

    Hey friends, don't forget to follow me over on Instagram, cause if you like me here, I post there a LOT! I'm also on YouTube with tutorials and Facebook for all sorts of things.

    If you like this recipe, I’d love if you reviewed it so others can find it easier. Sharing this recipe on Facebook or Pinterest is another way you can help us out at no cost to you. Thanks, xo Kate

    Pint mason jars filled with herbal iced tea and lemon on the rims.

    Kate's Honey Iced Tea

    Kate Schat
    Bored with plain iced tea? Pump up the flavour (think glass jarred flavoured tea...) and enjoy honey-sweetened iced tea all summer long!
    4.84 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 33 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1-2 fruity tea bags Celestial Seasonings Peach Passion is our fave
    • 1 black tea bag or green or mint tea
    • 1 quart boiling water
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • ¼ cup honey or sugar no honey for babies!!
    • 2 fat pinches sea salt

    Instructions
     

    • In a 2 quart canning jar or other heat proof container, place tea bags, salt, lemon juice, and honey.
    • Add hot tap water to the 1 quart mark.
    • Give the tea a little stir and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
    • Remove the tea bags.
    • Fill the remainder of the jar with cold water and pop in the fridge until chilled through.

    Notes

    • If using loose leaf tea, 1 teaspoon equals on tea bag on average. If it's coarse/bulky loose leaf, double the amount used. (Like hibiscus is bulky vs. my black tea is a more fine chop.)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 33kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 0.04gFat: 0.01gSaturated Fat: 0.001gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.001gSodium: 97mgPotassium: 9mgFiber: 0.03gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 0.2IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.05mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Shannon

      May 30, 2019 at 8:17 am

      This tea is an absolute delight!! Our whole family really enjoys it and it is an extra bonus for helping after working in the heat.

      Reply
    2. Iva

      July 04, 2019 at 1:04 pm

      I learned of this recipe through Stacy at Humorous Homemaking. I'm going to try it out this 4th of July!

      Reply
    3. investigationstoronto.com

      July 09, 2019 at 10:00 pm

      Blogging is definately not my day job. Im trying to promote my
      business by wanting to reveal it. But crap is it ever
      difficult. I really do admire your posts, and I put to comment to just
      offer you kuddos on wonderful information and content.

      Reply
    4. Kim

      February 01, 2020 at 4:58 pm

      I love this recipe, and I have found that my favorite combo is one green tea bag, one peppermint herbal bag, and one fruity herbal tea (usually hibiscus.)

      Reply
      • katehosie

        February 06, 2020 at 12:42 pm

        That sounds so good!

        Reply
    5. Melinda

      November 26, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      Thank you for sharing this! Such a yummy tea.

      Reply
    6. Tineke

      November 26, 2020 at 1:44 pm

      This is the best iced tea, love that there’s no refined sugar in it!

      Reply
      • April

        November 26, 2020 at 3:00 pm

        This tea is delicious! I make it at least once a week. Our favorite is raspberry zinger herbal tea mixed with black tea.

        Reply
    7. Kayla

      November 26, 2020 at 5:18 pm

      Made this for my husband using only black tea. He absolutely raved about it. This is on rotation in our house.

      Reply
    8. Dayle

      November 26, 2020 at 5:28 pm

      This tea was so refreshing in the heat of the summer after working hard in the garden!

      Reply
    9. Shannon Gardner

      November 26, 2020 at 5:39 pm

      This tea is really fantastic! It tastes like peach Snapple which I love but don’t drink anymore due to bad ingredients. This tea is absolutely delicious and the electrolytes in it are a wonderful asset in the hot summers we have. I make this for my guys and make them drink it after any outside work, they recover so much better, the bonus is they really enjoy drinking it. I am so grateful that Humorous Homemaker recommended it!

      Reply
    10. Catlin

      November 26, 2020 at 5:42 pm

      This is the best iced tea! Kate gives you a good recipe that is so versatile, I have tried a few different variations and each one is so delicious as long as you follow her formula you can’t lose 🙂

      Reply
    11. Chelsey Beringer

      November 26, 2020 at 7:21 pm

      Love this recipe and the endless options. Each time I make it a bit different and it’s always good!

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 20 Minute Hot Apple Cider Mix - Venison for Dinner says:
      July 28, 2020 at 1:25 pm

      […] Kate’s Iced Tea […]

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    2. Homegrown Flower Tea - Venison for Dinner says:
      August 4, 2020 at 12:54 pm

      […] Kate’s Iced Tea […]

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    3. Rhubarb Mint Syrup+Cocktail Recipe - Venison for Dinner says:
      August 10, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      […] –Iced Tea (This one is SO popular) […]

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    4. A Honey of a Post | Kathy Ewing says:
      September 12, 2022 at 7:44 pm

      […] honey. I’ve used honey most recently in iced tea, which I experimented with making all summer. My favorite recipe comes from a website called Venison for Dinner, where a doughty homesteader named Kate demonstrates […]

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kate! Thank you for joining us on this crazy journey! Our family lives on a 34 acre homestead in northern BC, Canda and get a kick out of things like raising our own meat, dairy and vegetables.

    We’re a homeschooling family who believes life is the best teacher but we do hit the books in winter. I’m so glad you’re here, I hope you stick around!

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