How to Make Southern Sweet Tea

Coffee & Tea, Drink, Fire Smoke & Flavor, How-To, Learn, Regional Spotlight
June 24, 2011 | 29 Comments

The Southern states take tremendous pride in their sweet tea, which is always iced. You can order it “sweet” or “unsweet” as a standard accompaniment to lunch, but when it comes to the former, no one skimps on the sugar.

 

Like so many of the treasured regional recipes we’ve featured here — from corn bread to fried green tomatoes to Texas sheet cake — sweet tea is a tradition. The ritual of making and drinking it has been passed down through generations, and the memories associated with it are as sweet as the drink itself.

 

 

After all, there’s a reason that in the movie Steel Magnolias, Dolly Parton refers to sweet tea as “the house wine of the South.”

 

Many Southerners are partial to Luzianne teas, produced in Louisiana and widely distributed throughout the Southeast. “Sweet iced tea is a staple in Southern kitchens, and everyone has their own secret recipe,” explains company representative Ashlee Dunn. “But the basic ingredients are quality tea and sugar.”

 

Luzianne collected favorite sweet tea traditions shared by the company’s Facebook fans, and here’s what a few people had to say:

  • “I’ve made 2 gallons every day for the past 27 years. The tea pitcher is never empty at our house. When one is empty another one is ready to go in the refrigerator.” – Peggy-Harold Duncan
  • “No sweeter sound than when your 16 month old grandchild takes a sip of refreshing tea and smacks her little lips and says….AAAHHHHHHHH.” – Janet Mercer
  • “In the south there is nothing but sweet iced tea. It was quite an eye opener to go up north, as a child, and order iced tea and it was unsweetened… You just cannot get it sweet, no matter what you do. So if you want REAL iced tea, y’all have to come to the south and get some good old Luzianne sweet iced tea :) ” – Debra Martinez

 

Sweet Iced Tea

 

2 cups boiling water

1 family-size tea bag (Luzianne or another quality brand)

1/2 cup to 1 cup sugar (to taste)

2 cups cold water

 

In a pot, pour the boiling water over the tea bag. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes, then remove the tea bag. Add the sugar and stir, then stir in the cold water. Refrigerate until cold. Makes 1 quart.

 

What’s your iced tea vote: sweet or unsweet? Tell us in the comments below!

29 comments about “How to Make Southern Sweet Tea”

  1. Betsy Moon

    I love my tea SWEET! Sweet iced tea is the only way I’ll drink it! I’ve been making it here at home where I can have it all the time! It’s always good!

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  2. Jenn

    While I enjoy the taste of sweet tea and will order it as a treat once in a while, I prefer my tea unsweetened with a lemon. I just cannot justify all those extra calories!

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  3. yankee transplant

    um. who really needs a recipe for sweet tea? i mean, brewed tea and sugar is fairly straight forward. its not like we’re talking about making a soufflé.

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  5. susan

    i luv sweet tea, when i travel though, and it’s often, it amazes me some states you can’t even get ice tea, sweet tea is out of the question, so bottle water it is,,,,,,,,,,,

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  6. Kathy

    4 cups water to 1 cup sugar? There’s a diabetic coma waiting to happen. That’s just crazy!

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  8. Ginger

    @ Kathy…one can use a sweetner such as Truvia….sweet is as sweet does. Back in the day my Mamaw dropped about 4-5 sacchrin tablets in a pitcher of tea. Ahhhhhh memories!

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  9. Carolyn

    Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!! You’ll need to let it steep about 10 mins. Sweet Tea- aka House Wine of thr South- must be strong & sweet! Plus, who’d make a single quart at a time?? My family of two goes through about a gallon a day! Also our “secret” is a quick dash of salt in the bottom of the pitcher.

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  10. georgel

    1 cup sugar for 4 cups of water, jesus people this is why the country is so unhealthy and fat. no wonder the bible belt of the south is so huge. i drink this about once or twice a week but if your drinking this stuff by the gallon i really don’t know how you don’t care about your health more.

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  11. Shari

    I’ve lived in the South all my life and I can’t imagine making only a quart of tea. And, I agree, the amount of sugar is way too much. I think the recipe is totally wrong. I usually use less than a cup of sugar in a gallon of tea and that’s a gracious plenty.

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  12. Chappy

    geesh, @georgel

    have trouble with your stereotyping hate much?

    just sayin

    get a life, pour on the sugar and skimp on the negativity and hate. just a suggestion

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  13. Terri

    When I lived in Arizona, I’d full up a glass jug with a top. Add a fee tea bags, depending the size of th jug and how strung you wanted it. Left it out in the sun, few hours later. You’d have the best tea ever. Just add sugar/lemon to taste.
    It was soo goof!!!

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  14. Linda

    I’m a tea lover – I drink my hot tea unsweetened and for some reason have loved iced tea with Sweet and Low for as long as I can remember (I enjoy sweet tea when I’m in the South, though).

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  15. Cosmo

    Whew, your recipe is HUGELY sweet! I use one heaping cup of sugar (well, actually it’s Splenda granulated) for 1 gallon of tea. I use 4 family-size Luzianne bags to make 1 gallon.

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  16. Callie Ross

    Sweet tea is the best! There’s nothing better. My family is from the south so I grew up drinking lots of sweet tea and my Mother made the best! Sweet tea has always been my favorite beverage and always will be!

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  17. Jennifer

    I love my tea sweet! The recipe actually says 1/2 cup to 1 cup sugar per 2 cups of water, so it’s a suggestion on what you like. Not all recipes are set in stone!

    I actually will ALWAYS dr. up every recipe I use to make it special to me!

    Mmm but I LOVE Luzianne! It’s the only tea my grandmother will use.

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  18. Renee

    To the lady talking about southerners being huge….I’d rather have a glass of sweet tea with a bunch of “huge” southerners than sit with a skinny, stuck up yankee anyday.Bless your heart : )

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  19. thesleepdeprivedmomma

    One tea kettle full of boiling water. add 4 Luzianne family size tea bags. Let steep for 20-30 minutes. Into a gallon pitcher add 1 3/4 cups sugar. Pour steeped tea into pitcher. with tea bags still in kettle refill with cool water and pour into pitcher as you stir until you’ve got a gallon of sweet tea. Refrigerate and serve over ice. Nuthin to it, hunny!!

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  21. Little Red

    1/2 cup to 1 cup of sugar in one quart of water seems rather excessive. I make mine with 1/3 cup of sugar in two quarts of water and that ‘s lightly sweet. I can’t imagine anybody drinking their sweet tea as sweet as described and not ending up obese and a Type 2 Diabetic.

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  26. Laura

    Hi,
    I too grew up drinking sweet tea (I’d say at least a gallon a day), and It’s been months since I’ve had any. I’ve been living in Mexico for almost two years now, and the closest I can find is a bucket of “powder tea” (the lemon flavor kind) and it’s nothing like fresh BREWED southern sweet tea. Could anybody suggest a type of tea I could buy to substitute the Luzianne tea bags I’ve run out of? I’ve seen boxes of Earl Grey tea bags and others….

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  28. Becka

    Why are southerners claiming “sweet tea” like it was their invention? you can get sweet tea ALL OVER this country. That’s about as stupid as claiming ice water. See the last thing southerners claimed (chicken and dumplings for example) they ruined. I mean good freaking lord, its SWEET TEA. There’s no secret to making it, everybody can do it… Im laughing at this page.

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