Friends, if you need an absolutely gorgeous drink for parties, bridal showers, or an afternoon in the sunshine, this homemade raspberry iced tea is your answer!
Could you buy storebought? Sure, as with just about anything, but this homemade drink is so easy to make and I promise you it’s absolutely 100% worth it – from the flavor, color, and not to mention the budget-friendly angle.
Use fresh or frozen raspberries, your favorite homemade iced tea, and throw in some garnishes and you’ve got yourself this summer’s most refreshing non-alcoholic drink (although, of course, you can enjoy it year-round, I’m not stopping you!).
What’s in Raspberry Tea?
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make homemade raspberry iced tea. I use my raspberry simple syrup recipe to infuse the tea with the raspberry flavor, and some sweetness, so if you already have it on hand – say, for a long island iced tea – then you’re set!
- Raspberry Simple Syrup: to make this, you’ll need fresh raspberries, if they’re in season, or use frozen, and sugar. Oh, and water. Make the syrup in advance to make things even easier!
- Iced Tea: you can brew homemade iced tea using whichever method you prefer. If you’re short on time and need your tea ASAP, try my quick brew method, and if you have more time try cold brew iced tea.
- I recommend black tea, but you can certainly give green or herbal tea a try!
How to Make Raspberry Iced Tea
So, we covered that this version is made with syrup, so you won’t need to worry about mashing and straining or any sort of blending. And keep in mind, that you can make this even easier by prepping the tea and/or syrup in advance and assembling the tea before serving.
Homemade Iced Tea
First, make homemade iced tea. As I mentioned in our ingredient brief, this is dependent on how much time you have, and when you want to enjoy the tea. If you want to be sippin’ in less than 10 minutes, make homemade iced tea with tea bags:
- Bring water to a boil and steep tea bags for no more than 5 minutes.
- Pour the hot tea over a pitcher filled with ice, and stir vigorously until the ice is (at least mostly) melted.
If you’re prepping the tea at least a day in advance, go ahead and give the cold brew tea method a try. It’s really hands-off and results in an ultra-smooth tea. Here’s the just:
- Combine tea bags and water in a large pitcher.
- Place in the fridge for 8-12 hours, then remove the tea bags.
Seriously, it’s that simple. Both methods result in tea that’s perfect to turn into raspberry iced tea!
Raspberry Syrup
Next up you’ll have to make the raspberry syrup. Also equally quick and easy, and a step that can be done ahead of time too.
Combine the raspberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan and simmer, then strain the berry seeds out.
Now, it’s officially time to put it all together and have your fantastically berry-licious tea to enjoy!
Mix the Tea & Serve
Stir together the iced tea and raspberry syrup until combined. If serving immediately, you can add ice to the pitcher, but I do recommend simply adding ice to glasses and serving individually so the tea doesn’t become too diluted.
The wonderful part about making iced tea at home is that you can adjust it to your tastes, if you like it sweeter, add more raspberry syrup. If you prefer less sweet, start off with half and add more as needed. Totally customizable, that’s the beauty!
Garnishes
I am a big fan of garnishing drinks, because why not live life to the fullest?!
If you have fresh raspberries, definitely add some to the pitcher (after washing them well), or add them on top of individual glasses.
Also excellent in this tea are fresh lemon slices or fresh sprigs of mint.
Variations
So you’ve made homemade raspberry iced tea and you love it, but you’re looking to switch it up a bit? Easy!
Try strawberry iced tea, made with strawberry syrup, or blackberry iced tea made with blackberry syrup. When you’re using fruit simple syrup to make fruity iced tea, it’s truly as simple as switching one out for the other.
Another variation? Try substituting half of the iced tea for lemonade to make a raspberry Arnold Palmer, or spike it into an adult beverage.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Get the Recipe Homemade Raspberry Iced Tea
Ingredients
Raspberry Simple Syrup
- 8 ounces fresh raspberries, or frozen
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Quick Brew Tea
- 24 ounces filtered water
- 2 large tea bags
- 24 ounces ice
Raspberry Tea
- 6 cups black iced tea, (from the quick brew method as written, or see notes)
- 1 cup raspberry simple syrup, more to taste
- Fresh lemon juice, optional
Instructions
- Raspberry Simple Syrup: Clean the raspberries well. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and raspberries. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until the berries have disintegrated into seeds. Remove from heat and strain out the berries and seeds through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Tea: Brew homemade iced tea using the quick brew method: Bring water to a simmer and add tea bags; let them steep until desired strength is reached, but for no longer than 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, add the ice to a large pitcher. Pour the hot tea over the ice, removing the tea bags. Stir vigorously for a few minutes until the ice has melted.
- Stir together 6 cups of iced tea and 1 cup of raspberry simple syrup. Adjust to taste, adding more syrup if needed. Store the remaining syrup in the fridge (see notes).
- Serve the iced tea in glasses filled with ice and garnish with fresh raspberries, mint, and/or lemon slices as desired. Store any leftover tea in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days, shaking or stirring as needed before serving again.
Notes
- Tea: This recipe is a smaller version of my quick brew iced tea method; be sure to adjust the strength to your liking. Try the cold brew method, too! As written, it will yield 8 cups, so be sure to measure out 6 cups for this recipe.
- Syrup: You’ll have about 1 1/2 cups of raspberry syrup; if you don’t add it all to the tea, store the leftover syrup in an airtight container and enjoy with cocktails, coffee, and more.
- Or, make an extra 1 cup of tea, and use the rest of the syrup!
