Description
Refreshing homemade iced tea infused with sweet watermelon flavor. Perfect for summer!
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 cups water, divided
- 4 black tea bags (or 4 tablespoons loose leaf black tea)
- 4 cups cubed watermelon, seeds removed
- ½ cup granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- Ice cubes, for serving
- Watermelon wedges, for garnish (optional)
- Lemon slices, for garnish (optional)
- Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cube the watermelon and remove all seeds.
- Place the cubed watermelon in a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth.
- Line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth (or use a very fine sieve without cheesecloth) and place it over a bowl. Pour the watermelon puree into the sieve. Let it drain naturally, or gently press on the solids with a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the strained watermelon juice and the granulated sugar. Adjust the amount of sugar to your liking.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the watermelon simple syrup cool completely. Transfer the syrup to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to a week.
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan. Once boiling, remove from the heat.
- Place the black tea bags (or loose leaf tea in a tea infuser) into a heatproof pitcher or large glass measuring cup. Pour the hot water over the tea bags or infuser. Let the tea steep for 3-5 minutes, depending on your desired strength.
- After steeping, remove the tea bags or infuser from the pitcher. Squeeze the tea bags gently to extract all the flavor.
- Allow the brewed tea to cool to room temperature.
- In a large pitcher, combine the cooled black tea and the watermelon simple syrup. Start with about ½ cup of the syrup and adjust to taste.
- Add the fresh lemon juice to the pitcher. Adjust the amount of lemon juice to your liking.
- Pour the remaining 4 cups of cold water into the pitcher. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
- Place the pitcher of watermelon iced tea in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, or preferably longer.
- When ready to serve, fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour the chilled watermelon iced tea over the ice. Garnish with watermelon wedges, lemon slices, and fresh mint sprigs, if desired.
Notes
- Adjusting Sweetness: Adjust the amount of sugar in the watermelon simple syrup to your preference.
- Using Different Teas: Experiment with green tea, white tea, or herbal teas.
- Adding Other Fruits: Add strawberries, raspberries, or peaches to the watermelon simple syrup.
- Making it Sparkling: Top off each glass with sparkling water or club soda.
- Infusing with Herbs: Infuse the watermelon simple syrup with fresh herbs like mint, basil, or rosemary.
- Make it Ahead: The watermelon simple syrup and the brewed tea can both be made ahead of time.
- Freezing for Later: Freeze the watermelon simple syrup in ice cube trays.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes