Lemon ginger iced green tea is a refreshing twist on a favorite warm weather drink. An easy lemon ginger simple syrup uses honey to flavor and sweeten multiple batches to your liking. Great for summertime entertaining!
Iced teas are separated into two camps in my mind. One is the daily driver summertime tea: iced black tea with a splash of lemon (or lemonade, if you're lucky), preferably poured out of one of those vintage Tupperware pitchers. Ours was pink!
The other can be boiled down to fancy iced tea. Different teas, fun flavors, you get the gist.
With its complementary hits of lemon, ginger, and honey, this iced green tea decidedly falls into the second group, but really isn't that difficult to make. You'll prepare a, well, simple simple syrup, brew your tea, then chill and combine for a refreshing summertime sipper that has the distinction of being both impressive for guests and make-ahead friendly for hosts.
P.S. This limoncello iced tea fits the bill for both categories. Three ingredients with a classic taste and impossibly easy Italian flair? Another summer party M.V.P.
Recipe Ingredients
Honey: Replaces half of the traditional granulated sugar in a simple syrup for extra flavor. Heating it in this manner means it's perfectly liquid-y and smooth.
Lemon: Both lemon peel and lemon juice provide a citrus-y balance. Use a vegetable peeler to peel large strips from each lemon, leaving behind the white pith as best you can as it's bitter.
Ginger: Peel fresh ginger root (it scrapes off pretty cleanly with a spoon) and slice into very thin rounds with a sharp knife. This amount adds more flavor than bite, though increase if you'd like it zippier.
Green Tea: Go with your preferred type - regular or decaffeinated. I haven't made this iced green tea with flavored varieties like jasmine, mint, etc. so proceed with caution. Some flavors would likely mesh well but others might make this iced tea too busy.
Easy Recipe Steps
- Step 1: Bring water, honey, and sugar to a simmer, then add lemon peel, lemon juice, and ginger. Remove from heat.
- Step 2: Let the pan sit as the syrup cools to room temperature, then strain out the lemon peel and ginger.
- Step 3: Chill the syrup.
- Step 4: Brew green tea, chill, and combine with a portion of the lemon ginger syrup to serve over ice.
Tips and Tricks
- Ratio of syrup to tea: Go with whatever ratio of syrup to tea you like, but I've landed on about a half-cup of syrup to six cups of tea. That ends up around 1 ½ tablespoons of syrup per one cup of green tea, which is lightly flavored and (IMO) just sweet enough.
- Smaller-batch option: You can make quite a few pitchers of iced green tea with one batch of syrup, so consider halving the recipe if needed.
- Storage: The lemon ginger syrup can be made up to a week ahead of time, kept refrigerated in an airtight container.
More Refreshing Drinks
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Lemon Ginger Iced Green Tea with Honey
Ingredients
For the Lemon Ginger Syrup:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup peeled and thinly-sliced fresh ginger (more if you like more bite)
- ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
- Lemon peel from 2 lemons
For the Iced Green Tea:
- 6 cups water
- 6 green tea bags
Instructions
For the syrup:
- Peel ginger root and slice into very thin rounds.
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel wide strips of lemon peel from the lemons. Do your best to leave behind the white pith as it's bitter.
- Stir together water, granulated sugar, and honey in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Let it come to a simmer. Once sugar has dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat and add ginger, lemon juice and lemon peel. Stir and let syrup cool to room temperature. Let it steep for at least 90 minutes.
- Once the syrup has cooled, pour through a strainer to remove the ginger/lemon peel and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
For the tea:
- Bring water to a boil and let the green tea bags steep for five minutes (or to your preference). Refrigerate until chilled.
To serve:
- Stir your desired amount of lemon ginger syrup into the iced green tea and serve over ice. I suggest ½ cup of syrup to 6 cups of tea for a flavored and sweet but not too sweet twist, but adjust the amount to your liking.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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Lauren says
Best tea I’ve ever had.
Alyssa says
So happy to hear!
Helen says
Is it possible to drink too much of this drink? Should I only drink one a day? You are absolutely right about it being refreshing and delicious!
Alyssa says
So glad you like it, Helen! 🙂 Such a great summer drink.
Danielle says
It sounds like you are both staying busy with the new house! Hopefully things will start to settle down soon for you guys. In the meantime, this looks like such a great way to enjoy some green tea. Love the idea of using a lemon ginger syrup!
Alyssa says
I can't wait for that day! We're so excited for the little things we've been missing, like having a grill, a fenced in backyard, and more than two rooms! haha Thanks Danielle!
marcie says
You sound so busy, and picking furniture and decorations for the walls is no laughing matter! I still have a few empty spaces on my walls after 14 years because I'm looking for something that's "just right". 🙂 This iced tea sounds like the perfect way to cool off -- these flavors sound so refreshing!
Alyssa says
I know what you mean - "just right"! I tend to want to do everything right away, so this whole house thing is making me practice my patience (that's for sure!). Thanks Marcie!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I wish I had some hot weather to justify making this iced tea right now! lemon, ginger and honey is such a classic flavour combination that i just know this would be delicious Xx
Alyssa says
This past winter here I fell in love with a warm lemon ginger tea, which prompted me to remember to make an iced version once the temperature rose. Such great flavors - hot or cold! Thanks Thalia! 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
This sounds lovely! I have been all about everything iced! Iced coffee, iced tea....so needed!
Alyssa says
Once it hit about 90F I switched over to iced coffee/tea for my afternoon caffeine boost. I still need a hot cup of coffee in the morning, but this iced green tea is so welcome later on. 🙂