Food Recipes Lemon Iced Tea 4.2 (296) 3 Reviews Our lemon iced tea recipe takes you to the Deep South on a summer day. Just add heat and humidity, a front porch, and a rocking chair. By Susan Quick Susan Quick Susan "Susie" Quick is an author of three cookbooks, including Quick Simple Food. Susan is also a former food editor and stylist at Real Simple. Her recipes and writing have been featured in Glamour, Bon Appétit, O, The Oprah Magazine, and other publications. Highlights: * Author of three cookbooks * Founding food editor and stylist for Real Simple * Food writer and editor for various magazines * Runs a non-profit sustainable vegetable farm in Kentucky Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on January 08, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Hands On Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 8 Yield: 2 quarts Jump to Nutrition Facts Summer just isn't summer without experiencing the delight of a tall glass of sweet tea, and this homemade version heightens that experience like a firecracker on the Fourth of July. Our lemon iced tea recipe uses whole fresh lemons—the juice and the peel—plus a handful or two of fresh mint leaves, resulting in a flavor-packed, heat-busting refresher you can't get from a bottle. Most of the 15-minute hands-on time for this recipe involves making a lemon peel-infused simple syrup on the stove, a technique that ensures no undissolved sugar in your glass. The only other prep is setting up tea bags for brewing and then adding the syrup, fresh lemon juice, cold water, and ice to it. All that's left is to pour, serve, and listen for "Aah"! If you use this recipe often or are an avid collector of kitchen gadgets, you may want to invest in a channel knife. Also called a canelle knife, this citrus-peeling tool is beloved by bartenders for crafting creative cocktail garnishes. It has a unique V-shaped blade designed to cut deep into the skin of citrus fruits and vegetables to make decorative ribbons and twists. Ingredients 2 large lemons 1¼ cups sugar 2 cups fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish 6 black tea bags ½ cup fresh lemon juice Directions Using a vegetable peeler, remove the bright yellow peel from the lemons. Combine lemon peel and sugar in a medium saucepan with ½ cup water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in mint. Cool to room temperature and then strain. In a half-gallon pitcher, steep tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water, covered, for 5 minutes, and then remove the tea bags. Stir in syrup, lemon juice, 4 cups cold water, and ice cubes. Pour into tall glasses filled with ice and a few mint leaves. Maura McEvoy Nutrition Facts (per serving) 127 Calories 33g Carbs Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 8 Calories 127 % Daily Value * Sodium 5mg 0% Total Carbohydrate 33g 12% Calcium 1mg 0% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. Rate It Print