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Southern US · American

Southern sweet tea

Vegetarian

Strong black tea brewed hot, sweetened while warm and chilled over ice with lemon — the everyday drink of the American South.

Southern sweet tea is a Southern US cold drink from United States, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with black tea leaves and sugar. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
5 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
8
Level
Beginner
Calories
73

Ingredients

8 glasses

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring 1 litre of water to the boil, take off the heat and steep the tea bags (opens in a new tab) for 5 minutes. Add the pinch of bicarbonate of soda (opens in a new tab) with the tea, if using.

  2. Step 2

    Remove the tea and stir in the sugar (opens in a new tab) until dissolved.

    • 1 min

  3. Step 3

    Add the litre of cold water and chill for at least 1 hour. Serve over ice with lemon (opens in a new tab) and mint (opens in a new tab).

    • 60 min

About this dish

Origin
American South, United States · Well documentedMore food from United States
Dish
Lunch · Snack · Cold drinks
Cooking method
Boiled
Taste
sweet, refreshing, bitter
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Black tea leaves · Sugar
Techniques
Boiling

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

73 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 331 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 0%
  • Carbohydrate 100%
  • Fat 0%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy73 kcal22 kcal
Protein0 g0 g
Carbohydrate18.7 g5.7 g
Net carbohydrate18.7 g5.7 g
Sugars18.7 g5.6 g
Added sugars18.8 g5.7 g
Fibre0 g0 g
Fat0 g0 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium6 mg2 mg
Salt equivalent0 g0 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
0 mg
Calcium
31 mg
Iron
0 mg
Magnesium
6 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
0 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: baking soda, lemon, mint.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): black tea leaves.
  • Ice: Frozen water; same composition as water.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Common mistakes

  • Steeping too long or squeezing the bags, which makes the tea bitter.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & Blend

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

Gravy, sauce & base

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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