Spare Spoons Kitchen
Sweet Tea
The whole trick is dissolving the sugar while the tea is still hot — it won't dissolve in cold liquid no matter how much you stir. Steep strong, sweeten while hot, dilute with cold water. Lipton family-size bags, the Southern standard. A pitcher keeps 3–4 days in the fridge.
Ingredients
Method
Cook's notes
Don't squeeze the bags. The temptation is strong — it feels like you'd get more flavor. You get more bitterness instead.
Set a timer for steeping. At 5 minutes it's strong but not bitter. At 8+ minutes it turns harsh.
Keeps 3–4 days refrigerated in a covered pitcher.
Stronger brew + more dilution = more control. This recipe makes a standard sweet tea. If you prefer it stronger, use the same steep time and bags but reduce the dilution water to 5 cups.
For a crowd: this recipe scales up directly — double or triple everything, use a large pot to steep.
Easier, if you like
- Luzianne brand tea bags (tea aisle, yellow box) are specifically designed for iced tea — they brew smoother and less bitter than Lipton at standard steep times. Either works; Luzianne is more forgiving if you accidentally over-steep.
Vegan and gluten-free as written
Unsweetened: Skip the sugar entirely and serve with simple syrup on the side so each person sweetens their own glass.
Arnold Palmer: Half sweet tea, half Fresh Lemonade. Pour into the glass over ice.
Peach sweet tea: Add ¼ cup peach simple syrup (simmer sliced peaches into the simple syrup, strain) in place of some of the plain sugar.
Mint tea: Add a handful of fresh mint to the steeping water. Remove with the bags.