• About this Blog
  • Meet the Author
  • Media Kit
  • Amazon Favorites
  • Deals
  • Meal Plan
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • Read
  • Cook
  • Play
  • Learn
  • Grow
  • Watch
  • Clean
  • Shop

The Domestic Diva

Homemade Southern Family Recipes

Cook, Most Popular

Southern Sweet Tea Recipe

June 13, 2014

23 Comments

This page contains affiliate links to Amazon. By purchasing something after clicking one of these links on this blog or my Amazon Page, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). More information can be found on this Disclosure Policy.

Sweet Tea is a way of life. Always served ice cold, sweet tea is like a good cup of coffee. In every true southern belle’s fridge sits a pitcher of Sweet Tea ready to be served. Since sweet tea is one of my favorite daily indulgences, I thought I would share how my Southern Sweet Tea Recipe for that perfect glass of sweet tea, every single time.

While sweet tea is not the only tea that I drink, growing up in the South is the drink you can count on being serve almost everywhere. Sitting on the front porch, sipping a tall cold glass of sweet tea is just what we do around here to relax after a long day. With every meal and served at every restaurant, sweet tea is more than just a southern staple.

The Secret Southern Sweet Tea Recipe

Some may think that Sweet Tea has some sort of “secret ingredient”. But this simply isn’t true. There is only one rule to really good sweet tea and that is the sweeter the better. The brand of tea bags doesn’t matter that much, although some may swear by Luzianne, so long as it is black tea. Most boxes of tea bags are black tea. I typically will just pick a store brand to save a few pennies. But please note that instant tea is no good here. I prefer to use single tea bags versus family size, but really any size will do.

Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Print
Southern Sweet Tea Recipe

The secret to southern sweet tea is simple. This southern sweet tea recipe will teach you how to make that perfect glass of sweet tea, every single time.

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Tea
Author: http://thedomesticdiva.org
Ingredients
  • 1 gallon hot water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 10 single black tea bags
Instructions
  1. In a gallon pitcher, add two cups of granulated sugar. 

  2. Fill the jug with hot water (I just use hot tap water because it’s quick and convenient). 

  3. Place 10 single black tea bags in the jug and allow to steep for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

  4. Remove tea bags and squeeze out excess tea from the bag before discarding. 

  5. With a slotted spoon, stir the tea until the sugar on the bottom is completely dissolved. 

  6. Refrigerate overnight because sweet tea always tastes its best on the second day. Serve in a mason jar filled with ice.

Recipe Notes

Sweet Tea is at it’s best for about 2-3 days after making. If you notice that the tea has become cloudy, it is no longer good and it’s time to make a fresh batch.

If you plan to serve this sweet tea recipe cold from the fridge WITHOUT ice, then reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. As the tea sits in the fridge it becomes sweeter. The recipe as it is written is to be served in a glass filled with ice.

Check out my favorite kitchen gadgets for stay-at-home chefs on Amazon. 

I picked up this gallon glass dispenser, I thought it was absolutely perfect for holding my tea in the fridge and oh so easy to refill my glass when I’m running low.

Mason Jars have been my jam for a while. We switched from drinking out of normal glasses to only using wide- mouth mason jars as our beverage vessel. Sweet Tea and Mason Jars are a perfect Southern pair. 

Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Southern Sweet Tea Recipe

Taking your Sweet Tea To-Go?

If you are taking your tea on the go, you can’t go wrong with an RTIC tumbler. I’m obsessed with mine. It keeps your sweet tea perfectly cold. It amazes me that I can take this tumbler with me when I run errands and my beverage is still be cold when I return to my car on a hot summer afternoon.

Next to a mason jar, my RTIC Tumbler is my second favorite way to enjoy a gold glass of sweet tea.

What is your favorite beverage?

Water Challenge Results
Drinking nothing but water ruined my life: Water Challenge Results. When you read articles about the benefits of drinking more water, none of them tell you it will ruin your life as you know it.
How to Make a Caramel Macchiato at Home (Recipe) Better than the Coffee Shop
How to Make a Caramel Macchiato at Home (Recipe) Better than the Coffee Shop
Grab and Go Matcha Latte Recipe
Rock your morning with a refreshingly cool matcha latte. This matcha can be made in a mason jar and stored in the fridge to grab and go when heading out the door.
Southern Sweet Iced Tea Recipe
15770 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

About The Domestic Diva

Heather is a homeschooling mom of two boys currently living in central Georgia. She has been sharing her domestic story online as a lifestyle blogger for over 15 years. Through her blog and social media platforms, Heather provides a glimpse into domestic life as she shares with other stay-at-home moms how she tackles modern homemaking and the challenges of raising a family.

Learn more about: this Blog | the Author, Heather.

Related Posts

Spring Cake - Easy Easter Recipe
Spring Cake – Easy Easter Recipe
Fluffy Homemade Waffles Recipe
Fluffy Homemade Waffles Recipe
Irresistible Garlic Knots Recipe
Irresistible Garlic Knots Recipe
Next Post:
Southern Sweet Cornbread Recipe
Previous Post:
How to Make a Caramel Macchiato at Home Better than the Coffee Shop

Don’t Miss a Post!

Subscribe to receive new posts updates straight to your inbox!

Comments

  1. Lindy @TheKozyNook says

    June 24, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    We have always served our sweet tea in mason jars. It just doesn’t taste as good any other way. I’ve also found that when I stir with a whisk, the sugar dissolves much faster and more thoroughly. The Aladdin dispenser is adorable.

    Reply
    • The Domestic Diva says

      June 26, 2014 at 3:23 pm

      I completely agree! Mason jars are the best. I don’t think I have a long enough whisk to reach to the bottom of that gallon container. I use a slotted spoon to stir the sugar to make sure it dissolves well.

      Reply
  2. Andi Schafer says

    June 25, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    I am from New Hampshire and just love sweet tea which I can only find in the South. I have asked so many people, even those who have lived in the South. Make tea and put sugar in it, they say. Sun tea is pretty close but not the real thing. I can’t wait to give your direction a try. Thank you so much. I am pretty excited. If I can make your “sweet tea”, I will feel like one lucky person.

    Reply
    • The Domestic Diva says

      June 30, 2014 at 12:46 pm

      That is so awesome @Andi, I sure hope the recipe turns out great for you!

      Reply
    • Mindy says

      May 29, 2016 at 3:10 pm

      I live on the Mississippi gulf coast. We boil our tea on the stove. If they are the big bags of tea I just boil about 2 with a pot ful of water. Once it comes to a bowl I pore it in a jar with a cup of sugar and stir. Bam it’s done. Sometimes my dad would pick fresh mint leaves and stir those in and that’s tasty to.

      Reply
      • The Domestic Diva says

        May 29, 2016 at 4:01 pm

        That’s awesome, Mindy. Thank you for sharing. I find it so interesting hearing how others make their tea. I may need to try the mint leaves in my sweet tea sometime, that sounds so refreshing. I love mint!

        Reply
      • Donna Jan says

        November 28, 2019 at 12:32 pm

        North Carolinian here born & raised. We boil ours on the stove top too. I love a good strong tasting tea, so I usually steep 5 large bags in about 4 cups of water for 5 minutes. Then add my sugar, stir to dissolve and pour into a pitcher already filled with about 6 cups of water. I’m a weird southerner in the fact that I don’t like lemon in my tea. It changes the flavor completely & I hate it, in my opinion it sours it. I would advise northerners or west coasters to try the tea without citrus first to see how they like it and then add a couple drops at a time to taste to see which one they prefer!

        Reply
        • The Domestic Diva says

          November 29, 2019 at 11:43 am

          I completely agree with you, Donna. Lemon absolutely changes the taste of tea completely. I don’t like it either. If I want the flavor of lemon then I’ll make homemade lemonade. Tea should be simple.

          Reply
  3. Katerina says

    June 28, 2014 at 11:13 am

    The perfect beverage for hot summer days! Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. Your post has been pinned to our board! Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on culinaryflavors.gr ! I hope to see you there!

    Reply
  4. Nancy Almstrum says

    October 24, 2015 at 11:55 am

    I’d love to try this recipe for REAL Southern Sweet Tea, but I’m in early diabetic stage. What could I do to adapt this recipe for myself, if anything..?

    Reply
    • Franceska says

      February 13, 2016 at 4:34 pm

      I make my dad-a diabetic-sweet tea weekly. I use stevia leaf extract. He loves it. I hope you enjoy it! On the stevia pkg it givesyou measurement equivalents.

      Reply
      • The Domestic Diva says

        February 13, 2016 at 4:40 pm

        That’s awesome Franceska!!! Thanks for sharing.

        Reply
  5. charlie says

    March 10, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    This is great! I did a year’s study in Auburn, Alabama and fell in love with sweet tea then. I have always wanted to recreate it but have never succeeded! Will try this weekened yayyyy! Thanks for sharing :)

    Reply
    • The Domestic Diva says

      March 10, 2017 at 2:17 pm

      I would love to hear what you think. Remember to serve in a tall glass full of ice as it can be quite sweet without it.

      Reply
  6. Janiece says

    March 18, 2017 at 12:07 pm

    I love sweet tea and my stepdaughter makes it with Plantain Mint tea (Bigelow is the brand). She does a combination of the black tea and the mint tea..this is excellent if you like mint flavor.

    Reply
    • The Domestic Diva says

      March 21, 2017 at 7:15 am

      I LOVE peppermint tea! I usually have peppermint tea in the morning for breakfast or as a treat when craving something sweet. I love to combine peppermint tea with the rich flavor of black tea. It’s a personal favorite for me as well. Thank you so much for sharing. I could talk about tea for days. I absolutely love the stuff!

      Reply
  7. Tizzy Says says

    October 8, 2017 at 2:32 pm

    I prefer Lipton tea bags and you are totally right on using the single serve bags over the family size. The taste never comes out quite right with the larger bags.

    Reply
  8. Alicia says

    February 2, 2018 at 9:03 am

    Oh my goodness, I will save this post! My husband loves tea like this and will appreciate it big time I’m sure!

    Reply
  9. Jaclyn Danae Thrift says

    July 12, 2018 at 8:46 pm

    Southern Sweet Tea has baking soda :)

    Reply
    • The Domestic Diva says

      July 12, 2018 at 9:12 pm

      Jaclyn, I’m sorry but I believe that is a myth. I’ve lived in Georgia my entire life and learned how to make southern sweet tea from my mom who learned from her mom, and so on. For generations we have been making sweet tea this way and never once has anyone (family, friend, or otherwise) ever mentioned putting baking soda in their tea. Baking soda is not a true southern tradition, I think that is more a “Pinterest hack” or what a restaurant might do to help keep the tea from going bad when making large batches ahead of time if anything. That’s just not how we do things around here. There is no need in messing with the traditional recipe, in my opinion. Besides, southern sweet tea drinkers typically make a new pitcher of tea everyday or every other day. It is too good to stay around for long. ?

      Reply
  10. Theresa Dove says

    March 11, 2019 at 12:12 pm

    I’m from Texas, so IDK if that’s “Southern” or just Texan? LoL
    We make tea by boiling it also. I use Liption family size bags. (We like strong tea.) I use 5 for a 2 gallon glass jug & boil those in a big saucepan full of water. Turn it off once it boils & let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then I add 2 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar to my 2 gallon glass jug. As I pour the hot tea over the sugar I run some cold water in the jug too (as to not crack the jug, from the hot tea!!!) STIR, STIR, STIR!!! Until all the sugar is dissolved & your jug is full of tea. Taste it to make sure it has enough sugar & water. Serve over ice, w/lemon, or plain. DELICIOUS!!!!

    Reply
    • The Domestic Diva says

      March 13, 2019 at 8:09 am

      I would consider Texas as “southern”. Thank you for sharing how you make your sweet tea.

      Reply
  11. Ice Cream n Sticky Fingers says

    June 15, 2019 at 3:05 pm

    During the summer love to make sun tea and I’m really regretting not picking up this cute glass pitcher with a stand from 5 below yesterday. I really think I should go back and get it so that I can make sun tea this summer. Yum. I also like my tea sweet too. The only reason that I didn’t pick it up was that I’m the process of moving and it would have been just one more thing to move.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This page contains affiliate links to Amazon which simply means that by purchasing something after clicking one of these links, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for helping support my family. For additional information, please see our Disclosure Policy.

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure:
This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

  • Disclosure Policy
  • Privacy Policy & Use of Cookies

Copyright © 2022 The Domestic Diva

Design by LuxiBee

This website uses cookies to ensure that you have the best experience on this website. By continuing to view this website, you consent to the use of these cookies.
Cookie settingsOK
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
15770 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest