Refreshing Cherry Iced Tea
A simple and delicious homemade cherry iced tea recipe perfect for a hot summer day. Sweetened with cherry syrup and infused with fresh fruit flavors.
Prep
: 10
Total
: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 4 cups Water
- 0.5 cup Granulated Sugar adjust to taste
- 4 bags Black Tea Bags or 4 teaspoons loose leaf tea
- 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Cherries pitted and halved
- 0.5 cup Cherry Juice optional, for extra flavor
- Ice for serving
- Fresh Mint Sprigs for garnish
- Fresh Cherry Halves for garnish
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the tea bags and fresh or frozen cherries. Let steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove the tea bags and discard. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing gently on the cherries to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids.
- Stir in the cherry juice, if using. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until thoroughly chilled.
- To serve, fill glasses with ice. Pour the chilled cherry iced tea over the ice. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and cherry halves, if desired.
Notes
For a sugar-free version, use your favorite sugar substitute or omit the sugar and rely on the natural sweetness of the cherries and cherry juice.