This refined sugar-free sweet tea recipe is perfect for barbecues and outdoor parties during the warmer months, but no special occasion is required to enjoy this flavorful thirst quencher. This iced tea is a refreshing and delicious drink with no added sugar.
What to serve with this refined sugar-free sweet tea recipe
If you’re looking for a treat to serve with this sweet tea, try these yummy coconut oil cookies. They’re vegan and made with whole grain flour.
Main ingredients and substitutions
I prefer to use earl gray tea in this sweet tea recipe, but you can use any variety of black tea you prefer. And if you’d rather avoid caffeine, go ahead and use your preferred variety of decaffeinated tea.
This iced tea is sweetened with a simple date syrup instead of white sugar. This recipe is ideal if you’re trying to reduce your consumption of refined sugar but still want to enjoy a sweet beverage once in a while. You can substitute maple syrup or agave instead of the date syrup if you prefer.
How to make it
The trick to achieving a flavorful pitcher of tea is allowing it sufficient time to steep. I prefer to let the tea steep for two hours, but if you’re short on time you can reduce the steeping time to one hour and the result will be almost as bold tasting and delicious.
To make the syrup, add the dates and 4 cups of cold water to a pot on the stove. Bring that to a boil, continue to boil for 25 minutes, then strain out and discard the dates (or save them in the fridge for a few days to use as a sweetener for smoothies) and reserve the delicious syrup.
Once the tea has finished steeping and the syrup is ready, add them both to a pitcher, along with the rest of the cold water. The last step is to thoroughly chill this refined sugar-free sweet tea before serving it. I like to refrigerate the pitcher for at least two hours, then give it a stir and serve with plenty of ice and lemon slices.
Optional additions
I like to keep this sweet tea recipe simple by sticking to three key flavors: the tea itself, date syrup, and lemon, but there are plenty of additional flavorings you could add if you like. Some fresh mint, berries, or peach slices would be nice additions to this refined sugar-free sweet tea recipe if you’re feeling fancy.
Storage
Store this sweet tea in the fridge for up to five days.
More refined sugar-free drink recipes
- This refreshing, homemade, refined sugar-free ginger ale is sweetened with date syrup.
- This chocolate kefir smoothie is filling, nutritious, and tasty.
- This date hot chocolate is a tasty and delicious way to warm up.
Sweet Tea Recipe (Refined Sugar Free)
Ingredients
- 5 black tea bags
- 1 cup dates (tightly packed)
- 10 cups water (2 cups boiling water to steep the tea, 4 cups cold water to make the date syrup, 4 cups cold water to add before serving)
- 1 lemon (sliced)
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Add 5 black tea bags and 2 cups of boiling water to a teapot and let steep, covered, for two hours.
- While the tea is steeping, make a date syrup by adding the dates and 4 cups of cold water to a pot on the stove.
- Bring the date/water mixture to a boil, then continue to boil for 25 minutes.
- Using a strainer, pour the date syrup out of the pot and reserve it (you can either discard the dates or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days and use them to sweeten smoothies).
- Allow the date syrup to cool.
- After the tea has finished steeping, add the tea, date syrup, and 4 cups of cold water to a large pitcher.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve by filling glasses with ice cubes, a lemon slice or two, then fill the glass with the sweet tea mixture.
Notes
- Store the tea in the fridge for up to five days.
- Optional additions to this sweet tea recipe include peach slices, berries, or fresh mint leaves.
Nutrition
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