This Strawberry Iced Tea is the perfect party drink or warm weather treat, and has amazing flavor from a simple Strawberry Simple Syrup and freshly brewed herbal tea. You can’t buy iced tea like this at the store!

Making a fresh drink like this for parties or entertaining is one of the easiest wins of all, especially in the springtime or summertime.

Strawberry Iced Tea - In a Glass with Fruit and Strawberry Syrup

With a little prep and some make-ahead cooking, it asks very little of you as the cook, but is always a hit for guests!

Something about a homemade drink always feels very special.

How to Make Strawberry Iced Tea:

All you have to do is brew and chill some tea, make a 3-ingredient strawberry simple syrup, then pour them in a glass with some sliced strawberries and lemon for garnish.

And actually, the last part isn’t even necessary, but I think it looks extra pretty.

Everything can be made ahead of time, so all you have to do is assemble the glasses right before serving.

Fresh Fruit Simple Syrup Is the Key

Fresh fruit simple syrups are one of the easiest ways to give homemade drinks incredible flavor, as the fruit flavor gets really concentrated and brightens up any drink.

Here we’ll use a Strawberry Simple Syrup. I make a Peach Simple Syrup for my Sparkling Peach Iced Tea, and other syrups in this post with 4 Summertime Drinks (Melon Sorbet Floats, Strawberry Limeade, Raspberry Vanilla Sodas, and Cantaloupe Agua Frescas). Feel free to play with the kinds of fruit you use.

What Kind of Tea to Use

You may pick out your favorite kind of tea, but my personal recommendation is Rooibos, which is a caffeine-free herbal tea that’s low in tannins (basically that means it’s not a bitter tea). 

Rooibos Loose Leaf Tea in Bowl

Green tea is a popular one that would also go nicely.

No matter what tea you pick, brew it at the proper temperature.

Rooibos is a tea that you brew with boiling water and steep for 5 minutes, but green tea is usually brewed with 170F water.

Rooibos Loose Leaf Tea Brewed in Measuring Cup

Once the tea has steeped, strain the loose tea leaves through a sieve. If you’re using tea bags, simply take the tea bags out.

Straining hot tea through a sieve

Chill the tea in an ice bath if you’re in a hurry, or let it fully chill in the fridge, which will take an hour or two.

Note that you never want to put hot tea in a glass of ice, because the melting ice will water down your drink quite a bit.

In the meantime, make a batch of Strawberry Simple Syrup (click here to see step-by-step photos and instructions), and chill that too.

Assemble the Drinks

When you’re ready to serve, fill a glass with ice, then add enough iced tea to fill it most of the way. Then add a few tablespoons of simple syrup, or enough to suit your taste. Keep in mind you can always add more, but can’t take any away once you’ve added it.

Pouring Iced Tea and Strawberry Simple Syrup into Ice in Glass

Garnish with sliced strawberries and sliced lemons, to make it extra pretty.

Homemade Iced Tea - In Glasses with Strawberries and Rooibos

For more party drinks, I like this Sparkling Peach Iced Tea, fresh Mint Lemonade, and this collection of 4 Summertime Drinks. They’re all pretty enough for entertaining, and so delicious. Enjoy!

Strawberry Iced Tea FAQ and Tips:

Make Ahead Instructions: Brew the tea and make the simple syrup up to 3 days before desired, and store in the fridge. You can keep sliced strawberries and sliced lemons in the fridge one day before.

Freezing: The tea and the simple syrup can both be frozen if you want to make this very ahead, but you’d need to thaw them before pouring. 

Strawberry Iced Tea In a Glass with Fruit and Strawberry Syrup

Strawberry Iced Tea

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
This Strawberry Iced Tea is the perfect party drink or summertime treat, and has amazing flavor from a simple Strawberry Simple Syrup and freshly brewed herbal tea. You can't buy iced tea like this at the store!
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups filtered water
  • 4 teaspoons loose rooibos tea
  • strawberry simple syrup
  • Ice
  • Fresh strawberry slices for garnish
  • Fresh lemon slices for garnish

Instructions 

  • Bring the filtered water to a boil. Add the rooibos tea, and let steep for 5 minutes.
  • Pour the tea through a fine meshed strainer, then let it come to room temperature. Then refrigerate until completely cool, about one hour.*
  • To assemble the strawberry iced tea, add ice to a glass and fill about 3/4 of the way up with the tea. Add a few tablespoons of the strawberry simple syrup, or more, per your taste. Then garnish the glass with fresh strawberry and lemon slices. Enjoy!

Notes

*If you’re in a hurry, cool the tea faster by chilling it in an ice bath. 

Nutrition

Calories: 27kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Sodium: 18mg, Sugar: 7g, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Author: Fifteen Spatulas

Post updated March 2021. Originally published May 2018.