• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Subscribe

Mindy's Cooking Obsession

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Beverages

    Southern Sweet Tea

    by Mindy Boyd · Published: Jun 28, 2023 · Updated: Oct 16, 2024

    Share by text, email, or on social!
    25Pinterest318FacebookEmailRedditXSMSFlipboardBluesky
    343
    SHARES
    Pinterest Hidden Image
    ⏲️ 10 minutes mins
    Jump to Recipe

    The Best Luzianne Southern Sweet Iced Tea recipe makes the perfect iced tea! Iced tea reminds me of my grandmother. She always had a jug of tea in the fridge. Always. She drank unsweetened tea and so that is what I was used to drinking as a young kid. There was always a big glass of tea on the table next to her so anytime I got thirsty I wold go ask her for a drink. I could always count on getting a drink out of that large glass I had to hold with both hands. 

    A glass of tea with a slice of lemon on the side of the glass, the words sweet tea are above it.

    Now as an adult we put sugar in ours to make this amazing sweet tea. It is so tasty and refreshing served over a nice tall glass of ice, perfect on a hot summer day!

    A pitcher with some tea in it and two glasses with tea in them, one has a slice of lemon on the rim of the glass and the other has lemon slices in the glass.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How to Make the Perfect Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
    • How much sugar should go in a gallon of sweet tea?
    • Why does tea turn cloudy?
    • What about putting baking soda in the tea?
    • How long will the tea last?
    • More beverage recipes
    • Southern Sweet Iced Tea
    A pitcher of sweet tea in the background and two glasses of tea in the foreground.

    Ingredients

    See recipe card for exact amounts.

    One gallon of spring water, four Luzianne family size tea bags and a blue measuring cup full of sugar sitting on the counter.

    Ingredient Notes

    Tea – family size tea bags, we like Luzianne tea bags for iced tea, it has orange pekoe tea and pekoe cut black tea in it.

    Water – we usually buy a gallon of spring or filtered water to make the best tea. You can certainly use tap water. 

    Sugar – we add sugar to the warm tea and it dissolves perfectly, it isn’t necessary to take the extra step to make a simple syrup for this. 

    Garnish – a little lemon juice, a few lemon slices or lemon wedges or fresh mint all work great. 

    Four Luzianne family size tea bags steeping in a medium saucepan full of water.

    How to Make the Perfect Southern Sweet Tea Recipe

    1. Bring eight cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Take it off the stove and let it stop boiling. 
    2. Add tea bags to the hot water and let the tea steep for 5 minutes. Do not steep too long or it will give your tea a bitter taste. Remove tea bags. 
    3. Mix a cup of sugar into the hot tea and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour tea and cool water into a gallon pitcher of jug. Do not pour tea that is too hot into a glass container that is too cold or it may break.
    Cool water being poured into a glass pitcher with the steeped tea in it.

    We don’t have a glass pitcher large enough to hold the entire gallon of tea so often times we just keep it in the plastic jug the gallon of water came in. It fits handily in the fridge so why not? I just mix the steeped tea and water in a large plastic pitcher that has a spout and then carefully pour it into the gallon jug. My gallon sized pitcher is kinda cumbersome and not handy like the water jug. You can also mix equal parts steeped tea and water and then pour that into whatever smaller containers you have if you don’t have anything big enough to hold a full gallon. 

    A gallon water jug full of The Best Luzianne Southern Sweet Iced Tea sitting on the counter.

    How much sugar should go in a gallon of sweet tea?

    This is really personal preference. We like about a cup of sugar for one gallon of tea. You can use more or less sugar, depending on how you like it. 

    Why does tea turn cloudy?

    This may be because of the brewing method used to make the tea. It also could be because the steeped tea was mixed with cold water and ice while it was too hot. As you can see in the photos my tea is not very clear, I am not a patient person so when I make it I want to drink it shortly thereafter. So I steep it, mix it with the cold water and then put it in the fridge so I can drink it soon. If clear tea is important to you then let the steeped tea come to room temperature before you mix the cold water with it. 

    When I make a recipe for this blog I try to make it like most people would make it. I doubt the average person is going to take hours to make a batch of tea so it won’t be cloudy. Art of Tea has an article that explains exactly why it happens and how to prevent it, if that interests you.

    One glass of The Best Luzianne Southern Sweet Iced Tea with a lemon slice on the rim of the glass sitting on a table.

    What about putting baking soda in the tea?

    A [not so secret] secret ingredient a lot of folks swear by is baking soda. I have put it in my tea in the past but have since abandoned the theory and leave it out. It is said that baking soda takes the bitterness out of tea that it can sometimes develop after it has sat a while. 

    Kate over at Southern Kitchen explains that this really doesn’t do a thing for bitter tea and that bitterness comes from the tea being steeped too long. If you want stronger tea then you will have to take care not to let it go long enough that it gets bitter. It would be better to use more tea bags than to steep fewer tea bags too long. 

    How long will the tea last?

    It is best to drink it in 3-4 days. We have had it in the fridge for as long as 6 days and it tastes fine.  

    Two glasses of tea sitting in front of a vintage gold rack of glasses, you can also see part of the pitcher and some lemon slices on the counter in front of the glasses.

    More beverage recipes

    Mocha Madness Smoothie

    Maple Syrup Coffee

    Caramel Coffee

    Brown Sugar Oat Milk Coffee

    Part of the pitcher half full of sweet tea and a glass full of tea and ice to the right of the pitcher.

    Southern Sweet Iced Tea

    Mindy Boyd
    The Best Luzianne Southern Sweet Iced Tea Recipe is so easy and perfect on a hot summer day. All you need is tea bags, sugar and water!
    5 from 7 votes
    Print – Email Required Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 0 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Steeping Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Servings 16 8 ounce glasses

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 family size tea bags
    • 1 gallon water 16 cups
    • 1 cup sugar
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    I earn a small commission from Instacart for qualifying purchases.

    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Bring eight cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Take it off the stove and let it stop boiling. 
    • Place tea bags in the hot water and let the tea steep for 5 minutes. Do not steep too long or it will give your tea a bitter taste. Remove tea bags. 
    • Mix sugar into the hot tea and stir until it dissolves. Pour tea and cool water into a gallon pitcher of jug.

    Notes

    Do not pour tea that is too hot into a glass container that is too cold or it may break.
    Did you make this recipe? We would love it if you would leave us a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!
     
    Nutritional information is approximate. 
     
    See tips, notes, and suggestions in the post above.
     
    Bookmark this page to find it quickly when you are ready to make this recipe!

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 29kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 0.1mg | Sugar: 7g | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.004mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was with a comment below.
    Share by text, email, or on social!
    25Pinterest318FacebookEmailRedditXSMSFlipboardBluesky
    343
    SHARES

    More Beverages

    • Feature image of two glasses of Dunkin French Vanilla Swirl Iced Coffee on a wooden tray.
      Dunkin French Vanilla Swirl Iced Coffee
    • Feature image of the side view of two Blueberry Beet Smoothies.
      Blueberry Beet Smoothie
    • Feature image of two glasses of caramel iced coffee.
      Homemade Iced Caramel Coffee
    • Feature image of a large mason jar filled with Homemade Caramel Coffee Creamer, there's a tan colored napkin next to it.
      Homemade Caramel Coffee Creamer 

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 7 votes (7 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    A picture of me sitting at my dining room table.
    Hi, I’m Mindy! Whether I’m cooking for friends and family or sharing recipes with you, I love feeding people. And it doesn’t have to be complicated! Here, you’ll find quick and easy recipes that don’t require a long list of ingredients or take too much time.

    More about me →


    Connect with us!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Reader Favorites

    • Four cooked cube steaks in the air fryer basket.
      Air Fryer Cube Steak
    • Three potatoes on a sheet pan after they have been baked in the oven without foil.
      Baked Potato Without Foil
    • Several air fried biscuits in a cloth lined basket.
      Air Fryer Canned Biscuits
    • one piece of cake on a white plate.
      Tornado (Do Nothing) Cake
    • Homemade Arby’s Chicken Salad
    • Overhead view of several fried squash rounds on a white plate.
      Southern Fried Yellow Squash

    Popular Pasta Dishes

    • Homemade Tuna Helper Creamy Pasta
    • Feature image showing the skillet full of cooked cheesy chili mac.
      One-Pot Chili Mac
    • Overhead close up shot of a bronze colored pot full of alfredo chicken broccoli pasta.
      Alfredo Chicken Pasta & Broccoli (with jar sauce)
    • Overhead close up of one serving of lemon pasta with peas and ricotta on a white plate.
      Lemon Pasta with Peas & Ricotta
    • A white plate with one serving of hamburger helper on it.
      Hamburger Helper Italian Shells
    • A serving of Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Orzo on a white plate.
      Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Orzo
    • close up view of one pot meaty marinara pasta on a white plate.
      One Pot Meaty Marinara Pasta
    • Cheesy Beef Taco Noodles - ground beef, onion, cheese soup, salsa, corn and Light 'n Fluffy Noodles. Easy to make and on the table in about 25 minutes!
      Cheesy Beef Taco Noodles
    • Overhead view of plate with one serving of homemade hamburger helper cheeseburger macaroni.
      Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni

    Recent Posts

    • Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich
    • Dairy Free Zuppa Toscana
    • Pasta with Tuna & Peas
    • Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Brownies
    • Vodka Sauce Baked Ziti
    • Blended Baked Oats (no banana)

    Footer

    Featured on

    The websites I have been featured in, parade, purewow, msn, mashed and brit+co.

    ↑ back to top

    Every recipe on this blog is tested in my own kitchen and written by me, Mindy. I occasionally use AI tools to help with things like editing or brainstorming, but the cooking, photography, and storytelling are all mine.

    Newsletter

    SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EMAIL UPDATES

    CONNECT WITH US!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    FIND IT HERE

    Privacy Policy | Contact

    Copyright © 2025 Mindy's Cooking Obsession

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.