Texas Tea Punch Recipe (Southern Sweet Tea) (2024)

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by Kathleen Pope Updated: Jul 28, 2023

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This recipe for Iced Tea Punch or what we call Texas Tea punch is a wonderful, fresh recipe to have in your collection for a luncheon or party. I love its bright red color, hint of mint, and the sweet and sour combo of lemonade and pineapple.

This is my favorite go-to non-alcoholic beverage to make for a luncheon or gathering. Plus you can make it ahead! Add a splash of flavored vodka to make it an adult beverage!

If you love the bright and beautiful colors of this Texas Tea, then you will love my brand new Pink Lemonade Vodka co*cktail, this Homemade Hibiscus Simple Syrup Recipe, or this Copycat Starbucks Passion Tea Lemonade Recipe.

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I’ve seen this recipe in several Junior League and church cookbooks, you know the kind, the ones where you can guarantee it will be delicious and not too difficult!! I love those!

So the next time you are hosting a party, Easter, Mother’s day or any other party; make up some of this reduced sugar sweet tea, trust me, it’s sweet enough! A perfect recipe for tea punch!

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Ingredients for Tea Punch

  • Sugar & Water | You will make a very basic simple syrup recipe.
  • Tazo Passion Tea Bags | or your other favorite fruity, herbal tea.
  • Black Tea | use regular or decaf depending on your crowd.
  • Fresh Mint | I love using fresh mint in this recipe, adds such great flavor!
  • Lemonade Concentrate | Just a bit adds great citrus flavor!
  • Pineapple Juice | this sweet, yet tart flavor compliments the tea punch recipe perfectly

How to make Iced Tea Punch

Start by bringing your water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, whisking to dissolve sugar; boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

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Place 4 sprigs of fresh mint into the hot sugar water; if you want it even less sweet, reduce your sugar by half, or remove sugar all-together!

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Get your tea bags ready; 1 family size tea bag = 4 regular sized tea bags.

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Add tea bags.

TIP | Making it for the evening? Replace the black tea with decaf black tea.

Add the herbal berry tea bags (I love Tazo’s Passion tea), Blueberry or any berry tea works well.

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Stir to combine and allow to steep (stand) for 5 minutes. Using a fine-mesh strainer, just scoop out tea bags and mint and discard.

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Add pineapple juice…

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And thawed lemonade concentrate…

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Stir well and chill. Makes about 1 gallon.

Serve chilled over ice (or in a large pitcher or beverage server) with a lemon slice and a sprig of mint as a garnish (optional).

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TIP | Make into an adult beverage by adding 1 oz of vodka (try Deep Eddy’s Grapefruit or Lemon infused Vodka–YUM!), simply pour Texas Tea over the top and you have a lovely co*cktail. Imbibe responsibly!

Christmas or Holiday Texas Tea!

The cheery, red color alone makes it ideal for the holidays, but if you’d like, swap out the pineapple juice for cranberry juice!

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Enjoy this drink recipe? Give these a try!

  • Passion Iced Tea
  • Cherry Bomb
  • Frozen Lemonade
  • Cherry Clementine Smoothie
  • Easy Blueberry Limeade Drink
  • How to Make a Homemade Strawberry Refresher

Like this recipe?

Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!

Texas Tea Punch Recipe (Southern Sweet Tea) (14)

Texas Tea Punch Recipe (Southern Sweet Tea)

Texas Tea is a wonderful, fresh recipe to have in your collection for a luncheon or party. I love it's bright red color, hint of mint, and the sweet and sour combo of lemon and pineapple. Perfect any time of year!

Click stars to rate now!

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 8kcal

Author: Kathleen Pope

Ingredients

  • ½ cup sugar or cut in half, or even omit; I use all natural cane sugar
  • 3 quarts filtered water that’s 12 cups
  • 3 Tazo Passion tea bags other herbal fruity teas may be substituted
  • 8 Black Tea bags substitute with 2 family sized tea bags, decaf may be used
  • 4 sprigs of mint
  • 1 ½ cups pineapple juice
  • 6 oz can frozen lemonade thawed (I can never find 6 oz, buy 12 oz and freeze leftovers)
  • Ice lemon slices and mint sprigs for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • Bring the sugar (optional) and water to a boil, whisking to combine until sugar is dissolved. Boil 5 minutes, remove from heat. If not using sugar, just bring to boil.

  • Add mint sprigs, herbal berry tea bags, black tea bags. Cover and let steep/stand for 5 minutes.

  • Remove tea bags and mint from tea using a sieve. Add lemonade concentrate and pineapple juice. Stir and chill.

  • Serve over ice, garnish with a lemon slice and a mint sprig.

Last step! Leave a RatingRate this recipe here. This helps other readers and helps support this website.

Notes

If you’d like your tea even less sweet, reduce your sugar by half, or remove sugar all-together!

OVER 21 | Make into an adult drink by adding a shot of your favorite flavored vodka, give Deep Eddy’s Grapefruit or Lemon vodka a try.

Nutrition

Serving: 8oz | Calories: 8kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Sodium: 1mg | Sugar: 2g

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Meet Kathleen

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Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen.

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Texas Tea Punch Recipe (Southern Sweet Tea) (2024)

FAQs

What is Texas sweet tea made of? ›

Quick Texas Sweet Tea Recipe

In order to make sweet tea, you will need water, sugar, tea bags, and ice. Start by boiling water on the stovetop and then adding sugar until it is dissolved. Steep tea bags in the hot sugar water for 3-5 minutes, then remove them and let the tea cool slightly.

How many tea bags for a gallon of sweet tea? ›

Ways to make 1 Gallon of iced tea:

For 1 gallon, boil 1 quart water (32 ounces or 4 cups). Remove from heat and pour over 1 Luzianne Gallon Size Iced Tea bag (or 4 Family Size or 16 Individual Cup Iced Tea bags). Brew 3-5 minutes and sweeten to taste. Add 3 quarts cold water, stir and chill.

What does baking soda do to sweet tea? ›

Adding a little baking soda to your tea will clear away any cloudiness left from the mixing process, and it's also thought to cut down on any lingering bitter tastes from the steeping tea bags, leaving your tea clarified and smooth and providing your get-together with one fantastic pitcher of tea.

How many cups of sugar are in a gallon of sweet tea? ›

Granulated sugar: For a 1-gallon batch of iced tea, you can start with 1 cup of sugar and adjust to taste. Honey: Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you will need less of it.

What is Texas sweet tea? ›

Moonshine is Sweet Texas Tea, pure and simple. Crafted with hand-picked black tea leaves, clean filtered water and 100% pure cane sugar. One glass of Moonshine Sweet Tea contains almost half the sugar than your average carbonated soda. If you already drink it, you know how good it is.

What is Texas style sweet tea? ›

Instructions: "Pour boiling water over tea. Brew four minutes. Stir and strain. In saucepan, combine sugar, 1/2 cup water, cinnamon sticks, lemon and orange rind.

Is it okay to drink a gallon of sweet tea a day? ›

Though moderate intake is healthy for most people, drinking too much could lead to negative side effects, such as anxiety, headaches, digestive issues, and disrupted sleep patterns. Most people can drink 3–4 cups (710–950 ml) of tea daily without adverse effects, but some may experience side effects at lower doses.

What's the difference between iced tea and sweet tea? ›

Iced tea has a long history in the U.S. You'll find iced tea in two traditional variations: iced tea and sweet tea. The big difference? Sugar. Sweet tea, which originates in the South, has added sugar.

What kind of tea is used for sweet tea? ›

Sweet tea is most commonly made by adding sugar or simple syrup to black tea while the tea is either brewing or still hot, although artificial sweeteners are also frequently used. Sweet tea is almost always served ice cold. It may sometimes be flavored, most commonly with lemon but also with peach, raspberry, or mint.

Why put baking soda in toilet tank? ›

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a natural substance that neutralizes acids and bases. When used in your toilet tank, it eliminates odors by balancing the pH level. In addition, its mild abrasive nature helps scrub away stains without damaging the tank's surface.

Why does Southern sweet tea taste different? ›

Still, there's a balance to the flavor—the tea is brewed long and strong, so it gets an astringency that can only be countered by lots of the sweet stuff. Southerners, of course, have a taste for sugar that is demonstrably stronger than what you find up North.

Why does my sweet tea taste bitter? ›

Some possible explanations are: Steeping time: If you steep the tea for too long, it can become bitter. Make sure to follow the recommended steeping time for the type of tea you're drinking. Water temperature: If the water is too hot, it can also make the tea taste bitter.

How much sugar does McDonald's put in their sweet tea? ›

Some of the other ingredients in the cup include ice, and invert sugar, which “is an aqueous solution of inverted or partly inverted, refined or partly refined sucrose,” according to the Food and Drug Administration. McDonald's also notes that in a large cup of the sweet tea, there are 40 grams of sugar.

Is McDonald's sweet tea made with real sugar? ›

Ingredients: Medium Invert Sugar, Water.

Is 1 cup of sugar too much for a gallon of tea? ›

Mix the sugar into the hot tea so it dissolves completely.

I like the relatively mild sweetness of a cup of sugar in a gallon of tea, but you could certainly add more (or less) to suit your own personal taste. (We Southerners do have a sweet tooth! Coca-Cola, pecan pie, and sweet tea …

What is the difference between Texas tea and Long Island? ›

The Texas tea is really just a Long Island iced tea with a shot of bourbon. It's a simple twist on a popular mixed drink and one that you're sure to enjoy. Better yet, you can make it as a single drink or mix it up for a party.

Why is Texas tea so sweet? ›

History of Sweet Tea

The American South largely embraced the beverage by adding ample sugar to the iced tea, creating what is now known as sweet tea. It became a popular habit to drink sweet tea and the sweet version became a symbol of Southern hospitality and warmth.

What is Texas vs Long Island Iced Tea? ›

To turn a Long Island into a Texas tea, simply add 1/2 ounce bourbon for an even more potent mix. Some people mistakenly refer to this as a Long Island, but whiskey is not included in the original (or accepted) recipe.

Is sweet tea just a Texas thing? ›

Which States Have Sweet Tea? It's believed that the states in which sweet tea is most popular and most widely consumed are Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.

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