Lemon Blueberry Iced Tea

When it comes to a light and refreshing summertime tea, this Lemon Blueberry Iced Tea must be at the top of your list! Not only is it fast and easy to make, but the combination of flavors is literal perfection.

Everyone knows that there’s nothing in the world quite like a nice, cold glass of sweet tea. The good news is that this simple sweet green tea makes a large enough batch to enjoy the flavors over and over again. 

Not only is this the best sweet tea to make and sip (or gulp!), but it’s so much fun to sit on the porch and share with all your family and friends as well. When a lemon iced tea recipe is this good, there’s no reason to keep it to yourself! 

Ingredients and Substitutions

Water – I prefer to use filtered or reverse osmosis water.

Green tea – Tea bags work best so that you don’t have any loose tea leaves floating in the drink.

Fresh blueberries – Fresh blueberries work best because they add natural sweetness but you can use frozen as well.

Fresh lemon juice – Adding a squeeze of lemon juice compliments the tea and balances out the sweetness of the berries.

Honey – Both honey and maple syrup work great. 

Ice – Ice is a must for chilled tea! 

How To Make Lemon Blueberry Ice Tea

In a large teapot or saucepan heat 4 cups of water to just before a boil. If the water boils just let it cool off for a minute before continuing

Add 6 tea bags to a covered teapot or covered saucepan and let steep for 3 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Do not squeeze teabags when removing. Let the tea cool.

While water is heating or tea is steeping in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat add the blueberries, lemon juice, and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place a sieve over a large bowl and carefully pour the blueberry mixture into the sieve so that the juice flows into the bowl but the blueberries are separated. Discard blueberries.

Add 2 tbsp of honey and stir till well mixed and melted into the blueberry juice.

Pour cool steeped tea into a large jug (I prefer glass) and add 1 1/2 cups of blueberry juice mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour to cool liquid completely.

Serve Blueberry Lemon Iced Tea in a glass over ice and garnish with some lemon wedges and fresh blueberries.

I know that many people like to make iced tea using flavor crystals but honestly, I have no idea why?  Iced tea is so easy to make and using tea bags. Not only does brewing your own iced tea taste better it also makes it really easy to try different flavors and get creative.  Plus I am a huge fan of knowing what I am eating or drinking and the idea of drinking powder crystals quite frankly is a little off-putting. The fewer ingredients needed the better and for tea hot or cold the only two ingredients necessary are tea and water.  

Can I use other flavours of tea?

Absolutely! Add this to the list of positives about making this iced tea recipe. You can change up and add any flavour of tea that you’d like. Mix and match and make it your own. 

Take a stroll down the grocery aisle and see what tea bag options there are. It’s amazing to see the various flavors that are out there that you can switch out and use! This is such a simple way to change up this iced tea recipe over and over again. 

Variations

Add stevia – If you’re not a fan of adding honey, you can also add any natural sweetener or sweetener of your choice. (some people like to add real sugar as well – to each their own!) 

Change up the fruit – Even though blueberries are the star of the show, you could easily make this same tea recipe with fresh strawberries or raspberries as well. 

Garnish with lemon – Putting a slice of lemon on the side of the glass is a fun idea because then it gives the person who is drinking a chance to add more lemon juice if they’d like. (plus, it looks really fun, too!) 

Switch up the tea – herbal teas, black tea, green tea, and floral teas all give a great twist to a typical iced tea base.

Top it off with fresh fruit – add a few frozen blueberries, strawberries or blackberries.

How To Store

You can make this tea ahead of time to save on prepping! Just make sure to store it in the fridge and stir it again before serving.  Blueberry lemon iced tea will last for at least 5 days for you to enjoy.

Also, don’t add any ice to the pitcher as it will melt while being stored and water down the town. Only add the ice to the glasses right before serving.

Does it matter if I use tea bags or loose leaf tea? 

Using tea bags is best but if you have to use loose leaves too, just pour the tea through a fine mesh strainer to catch any bits of tea leaves. 

How to steep tea

For this recipe, steeping tea means that you’re giving the added tea bags time to soak in the water to release that tea flavor and taste. Typically this will vary on the length of time, but you can expect anywhere from 3-5 minutes.

Why it’s best to steep tea vs. squeezing the tea bag?

Steeping the tea is a better option than squeezing the tea bag! This is because when you squeeze the tea bag, you’re forcing the liquid out, which can easily cause a tear in the bag.

The flavor of the tea comes from the steeping process and gives it the time to release naturally with the heat of the water. 

What if I don’t like sweet tea? 

If you’re a fan of tea but not sweet tea, just omit any of the sweeteners! You can totally leave out the honey or even reduce the amount that you add. 

The great part about making tea is that you can always start by making it unsweetened and then add in sweetness as you want or need. 

Can Frozen Blueberries be used?

For this tea recipe, fresh blueberries are best. The frozen blueberries are going to end up releasing more water, and it will water down the tea and change the flavor. 

Can I freeze lemon iced tea? 

Yes, you can absolutely freeze iced tea! Just pour the tea into an ice cube tray and pop it in the freezer. 

If you don’t have ice cube trays, you can also just freeze them in a plastic jug or container as well. When you’re ready to unthaw, just move it to the fridge and give it time to thaw. Then be sure to stir and serve! 

Great Recipes For A Tea Party

• Grandma McFeeter’s Short Bread Cookies
• White Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
• Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Scrunchies
• Strawberry Lemonade Cookies
• Lemony Lemon Brownies
• Salmon Avocado Sandwiches