Transform iced tea into a sweet and fruity beverage with homemade peach syrup! Peach iced tea is simple, sweet, and refreshing – a perfect summertime staple!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe:
Summer brings backyard barbecues, outdoor picnics, and most importantly, pitchers of iced tea! Ditch store-bought tea and make your own! It’s stronger, cheaper, and just plain better! Plus you can spruce it up with different flavors and sweeteners, like this light and refreshing peach tea!
- Use up all those leftover peaches!
- Simple to make
- Sweet and peachy flavor
Make the peach syrup ahead of time, and this peach tea recipe is ready in less than 20 minutes!
Key Ingredient Notes:
- Peaches – For the best results, use fresh, ripe peaches that are juicy and sweet! They make the sweetest, peachiest syrup! Frozen peaches work great too, but the taste and sweetness varies depending on when they were picked and frozen.
- Water – Without water, the cooked peaches turn into puree! Water creates a thick but syrupy consistency.
- Sugar – To sweeten the simple syrup! Feel free to swap with whatever sweetener you prefer – honey, agave, brown sugar, and cane sugar are good options.
- Black tea bags – Black tea is the tea of choice for classic iced tea, but any tea works. Feel free to experiment with different types of tea or choose decaf or an herbal tea to keep it caffeine-free.
How to make this recipe:
Peach tea requires three simple steps!
1. Make the peach syrup:
I’ve shared a detailed step-by-step recipe for peach syrup before.
But in a nutshell, cook sliced peaches with water and sugar for about 15 minutes. Then strain it through a mesh sieve and cool completely.
2. Make the black tea:
In a medium saucepan, boil two cups of water and steep the tea bags for 10 to 15 minutes. You’re basically making a strong black tea concentrate to mix with additional water.
Tip
Avoid steeping the tea longer than 15 minutes, lest it get bitter!
3. Assemble peach iced tea:
- In a large pitcher, combine the black tea, vanilla extract, ice, and six cups of water. Give it a good stir.
- Add enough peach syrup to sweeten, then adjust to taste! If you like it sweeter, add more. Add sliced peaches if desired.
Tips for Success:
- Chill the peach syrup before using it. Nobody likes lukewarm tea!
- Don’t ditch the homemade peach mash! Enjoy it on French toast, waffles, or pancakes, or serve it atop yogurt and oatmeal!
- Be careful straining the hot peach mixture. Let it cool a few minutes to avoid burning yourself.
- For a modest tea flavor, steep the tea bags for 10 minutes. For a stronger tea, steep the whole 15 minutes.
- Avoid steeping the tea for longer than 15 minutes, or it will start to get bitter.
Peach Tea Variations:
Enjoy it as-is or spruce it up with additional flavors!
- Herbs – Mint, basil, and thyme all pair well with peaches.
- Fresh fruit – Add peach slices, cucumber slices, orange slices, or pomegranate seeds!
- Lemonade – Make peach tea lemonade! Top the tea with store-bought or homemade lemonade.
- Alcohol – Transform peach tea into a boozy cocktail with bourbon, rum, or vodka!
- Citrus – Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or navel orange juice to the brewed tea.
- Sorbet – Add a scoop of lemon, lime, or peach sorbet for a sweet treat!
Make-Ahead Tips:
- Make the peach syrup ahead of time, then all you have to do is steep the tea!
- Peach syrup lasts up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Store in a sealed jar or airtight container.
Storing Tips:
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brewed tea should only be refrigerated for up to 8 hours.
- That being said, I enjoy this peach tea for up to 4 days before I toss it!
- If iced tea develops an off odor, flavor, or appearance, it’s gone bad and should be discarded.
FAQs:
This peach tea recipe is made with just four ingredients – fresh peaches, sugar, black tea, and vanilla extract! The peaches simmer into a thick syrup that sweetens and flavors traditional iced tea.
Yes, but it depends on the type of tea and how long you brew it. One cup of black tea has approximately 47 milligrams of caffeine in it.
More Peach Recipes:
- Peach Syrup – Great for more than just iced tea! Stir into yogurt, drizzle on French toast, or mix with fresh fruit!
- Spiced Caramelized Peaches – Simple and decadent, caramelized peaches taste delicious on homemade ice cream.
- Peach Upside Down Mini Cakes (Cupcakes) – Beautiful cakes bursting with peach flavor in each bite.
- Rose Sangria – Fresh peaches in a light and fruity rose sangria.
Peach Iced Tea
Ingredients
For Peach Syrup:
- 3 peaches more for garnish, Note 1
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
For Iced Tea:
- 3-4 black tea bags
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
To make peach syrup:
- Pit and slice the peaches. (No need to remove the skin.)
- In a medium saucepan, combined peach slices, water and sugar and gently bring it to a boil over medium heat.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, gently mashing the peaches with a fork.
- Remove from heat and strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Press on the fruit pulp to extract as much juice as possible. Let it cool.
To make iced tea:
- In a medium saucepan, boil 2 cups of water and steep tea bags for at least 10-15 minutes. Discard the tea bags.
- In a large pitcher, mix together black tea, vanilla extract, ice and 6 cups of water.
- Add peach syrup until desired sweetness. If desired, slice another peach and throw into the tea.
Tips & Notes
– According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brewed tea should only be refrigerated for up to 8 hours.
– That being said, I enjoy this peach tea for up to 4 days before I toss it!
– If iced tea develops an off odor, flavor, or appearance, it’s gone bad and should be discarded.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on August 8th, 2014.
Sounds great, although I question boiling the tea a second time. Maybe boil the peaches in their own water, then adding the honey and vanilla. Add that mixture to the tea and add cold water.
Hi, John. Thanks for sharing your thought. I think you can definitely boil the peaches separately, or not boil at all. Just blend it with tea, honey and vanilla. Note, we’re boiling the tea the second time without the tea bags, so it won’t over-steep.
Sounds great, although I question boiling the tea a second time. Maybe the peaches could be boiled in a small amount of their own water and added to the tea after adding the honey and vanilla to the peach liquid.
I will try this next time.