A few ingredients and a little patience is all you need to make a pitcher of Sweetened Peach Iced Tea – summer’s favourite cold refresher! Prepared with the entire peach, even the skin and the pit!
I’m a coffee drinker, and I love Starbucks! But, who can afford to go there every time one needs a coffee? The same goes for John.e; he loves the peach iced tea at Starbucks, but again, one a day can add up! Let me just say, this Sweetened Peach Iced Tea costs much less to make at home, and it tastes even better! Sorry, Starbucks!
I tend to go to Starbucks at least once per day during the work week. On the weekends, I go only if we are out shopping. There’s nothing better than perusing the new releases section at our favourite book store with a Starbucks in hand!
It’s been a few years since I first posted this Sweetened Peach Iced Tea. So, today, I’m updating the post with some new photos. I just remade this beverage again, and I thought why not just take some pictures to freshen up the look a bit. Nothing about the recipe has changed at all, so no worries if you’ve previously printed the recipe a year or two back.
Now, since this post was published originally, I think Starbucks has stopped serving its peach tea – much to John.e’s dismay. Whenever we go now, he has bottled water. He only ever drinks tea at breakfast time, and he does not like the taste of coffee at all. (I know!!! I’m still flabbergasted after all these years!)
Anyway, I decided to make this at-home version of peach iced tea for the first time back in 2015, and I’m glad I did! It was such a welcomed change from water, juice, or pop. (As I’m updating this right now, I’m thinking of how I should try to make more drinks at home. Maybe it would help to reduce how much Diet Coke I drink.)
To make Sweetened Peach Iced Tea at home, all you need is 30 minutes of prep time. It takes just a few simple ingredients and some patience to let the tea cool before adding ice and serving. To be honest, I bet the only ingredient you will need to buy in order to make this drink, is peaches; I’m sure you already have sugar and tea in your pantry.
It’s vitally important that you don’t rush this iced tea. I know it’s tempting to just get everything into the pitcher and add a bunch of ice to cool it down quickly. But, if you do, you’ll forfeit all of that work you put into steeping the tea and making a simple syrup from the sugar and the peaches.
The ice will water down the iced tea way too much. Besides, since the beverage is rather hot to begin with, the ice you add will melt right away and the drink will still be rather warm – if not hot still! Like most good things in life, Dear Reader, patience is a must have when preparing this tea.
Like the recipe card below states, this recipe makes about eight cups. Now, if you’re much like me, a cup of Peach Iced Tea is not nearly enough. I like to have a large vessel with lots of ice and a splash of freshly squeezed lemon. I’ll take that with me and sit on the balcony and soak up some rays.
If you’re making this for a party or for a large family, I would suggest that you double or even triple the recipe. If you don’t drink it all pretty quickly, there’s no need to worry. Sweetened Peach Iced Tea will be fine in your refrigerator for at least 24-36 hours. I would not recommend any longer than that. It just doesn’t taste the same if left to sit for a longer period of time.
If you can’t finish it all up, don’t dare throw it out! Pour it into Popsicle molds and freeze until firm for a great tasting peach frozen treat. You can also pour the leftover tea into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, remove from the ice cube trays and place in a Ziploc bag and keep in the freezer. When the mood hits, place the iced tea ice cubes into your blender and make yourself a Sweetened Peach Iced Tea frostie! Yummy, right?
Sweetened Peach Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 3 whole peaches, pit removed, sliced into quarters
- 3 tea bags (I used Orange Pekoe)
- 8 cups water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a saucepan with a tight fitting lid, add the sliced peaches, along with one cup of water, and the sugar. Bring to a low boil over medium heat.
- Stir, turn off the heat, and cover. Allow the peaches to sit for thirty minutes while they completely infuse the simple syrup.
- In the meantime, in your kettle, boil seven cups of water. Once boiled, add the tea bags to a large pitcher, carefully pour in the boiled water, and place the pitcher in your refrigerator to cool.
- Drain the peach syrup through a fine sieve and add the syrup to the tea. Return to refrigerator until completely cooled.
- To serve, add ice to a glass, pour in the iced tea, and garnish with a wedge or fresh peach and/or lemon. (Optional)
Nutrition
Sarah says
I looooove peach iced tea. It reminds me of summer in South Carolina with my dad, and this is bringing back all those memories. I need to make this today!
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Aw! Thanks, Sarah. 🙂
Nadine says
Love the bottles you used as glasses. Where did you get them?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Nadine. I got the bottles at a Canadian retailer. You can find them here if they’re still in stock: http://www.kitchenstuffplus.com
Tom Vaughan says
0 grams of sugar? What kind of sugar did you use?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Tom, the nutritional cards on Lord Byron’s Kitchen are new. I have not updated all of them yet. I used regular sugar, so this recipe will most certainly not have 0 grams. I hope to get all of the nutritional info updated soon. Thanks. 🙂