Store-bought iced tea is refreshing, but nothing beats the taste of homemade iced tea. Plus, it might be hard to get unsweetened iced tea if you want to cut down your sugar intake. So, if you want a tasty, sugar-free brew that gives you the kick you need to make it through your day, try making your own!
To make unsweetened tea, boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Add 6 bags of black tea and steep it for 10 minutes. After the time is up, remove the tea bags, add the remaining 4 cups of water, and whisk it. Put it in the fridge, chill it, and serve it with lemon, fresh mint, and ice.
So whether you’re looking just to beat the heat with a refreshing glass of tea or want to serve it on cookouts, pool parties, and patio parties, let’s take a look at what you need to make unsweetened iced tea, how to make it, and flavor variations you can try out.
How to Make Iced Tea

Unsweetened iced tea is pretty low in calories, so you don’t need to worry about it being unhealthy. Let’s see how it’s made.
The Ingredients
The base recipe needs only two ingredients: black tea and water. You need six bags of black tea to make a pitcher. Note that black tea contains caffeine, but not as much caffeine as in a cup of coffee.
You can also use loose-leaf tea. One teabag is roughly around one teaspoon of loose tea, so you’ll need two tablespoons. Dump the leaves in hot water and use a fine-mesh sieve to strain them.
In addition to tea, you also need 8 cups of water. These quantities are enough for eight servings.
The Process
Making iced tea is pretty straightforward. Here’s what you need to know:
- Take a saucepan, boil half the water and take it off the heat. Then add in the tea bags or leaves and let it steep for around 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, take out the tea bags from the water. If you want to sweeten your tea, add the sugar or simple syrup at this stage and whisk it until it dissolves completely.
- Add the rest of the cold water to the tea and whisk it. Put it in the fridge for thirty minutes or until it chills down.
- Serve the tea with ice, fresh mint, and lemon slices. The ice cubes will give a summery vibe as they hit the glass. You can even add a small umbrella if you want to make it more festive.
Storing the Tea
You can store it for up to two weeks in the fridge. After that, use a pitcher with a sealable spout so the smells in the refrigerator don’t spoil the tea.
As the tea sits in the fridge, you might see particles settling at the bottom. That’s nothing to worry about—it’s completely natural. You don’t even need to shake it before serving.
Pro Tips for Making Iced Tea
To make the perfect glass of iced tea, here are a few tips you should keep in mind:
- Make sure you measure the water. If you add too much, your tea might become too watery, and if you add too little, your tea might be too strong.
- To get the smoothest flavor, use filtered water and not tap water. Minerals and additives in tap water can dull the taste of the tea.
- Set a timer as you start steeping your tea, so you don’t forget to take out the bags. Make sure it doesn’t steep for more than 10 minutes, or it’ll become bitter.
- Try out a bunch of different teas. If you don’t like black tea, try green tea or mint tea, especially if you want something unique. You can also go caffeine-free and make an iced tea with herbal teas.
- You can also sweeten the tea with different sweeteners, like honey, coconut sugar, or a few different syrups, like maple or agave syrup. Don’t be afraid to play around with different combinations of sweeteners and tea to understand what you like the most. You could even get fancy with mint simple syrup or replace the sugar with honey.
Flavor Variations for Unsweetened Iced Tea
If you’re tired of the boring old unsweetened iced tea, you can try these variations:
Cold Brew
Cold brew is like iced tea, but it has a comparatively smoother flavor and stays in the fridge for at least 6 hours (or overnight). To make a cold brew, put water and tea bags in a pitcher and put it in the fridge.
Raspberry
Another delicious, irresistible drink is raspberry iced tea, which is simple. You don’t need to simmer raspberries and make syrup on the stove; all you have to do is blend the berries with sugar (otherwise, the tea will be too tart) and water and add them to brewed tea along with lemon.
Lemon will greatly complement the sweet and tart flavor of the berries. You can also use frozen berries instead of fresh ones to make things easier.
Lemon Iced Tea

If you’re looking for something sweet, refreshing, and zesty with just a pop of citrus, try lemon iced tea. Steep six tea bags in 4 cups of water for around 5 minutes, and add a bit of sugar to the warm tea. Then add in 4 cups of cool water, pour it into a pitcher and refrigerate it for 2 hours.
Iced Green Tea
For something new, you can try making iced green tea (here’s a list of some popular green tea drinks for inspiration). Remember that green tea has a mild flavor that ice cubes can dilute, so you might want to use more than one bag for one serving. You should also steep green tea longer than black tea. Serve with ice and lemon.