Stay cool in the heat this summer with this super refreshing Peach Iced Tea. A really naturally sweet and fruity drink that is great for serving up to a crowd. A must at any summer BBQ or garden party, and you could even make an adult batch with a splash of rum too. Made with just 5 ingredients in under 10 minutes.
It couldn't be easier to make this homemade Iced Tea. Fresh ripe juicy peaches are heated with sweetened water and then mashed and strained and added to freshly brewed (and cooled) tea with plenty of ice. If you are looking for new ways to stay hydrated and make water more exciting, then iced tea is the way to go.
If you are looking for some other ways to enjoy peaches, then why not try our Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon and Honey, Peach Smoothie or Grilled Peach Salad.
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Why you will love it
- Low calories - Just 45 calories a glass and do delicious!
- Super refreshing - This is the best way to stay cool in the summer. Check out our roundup of non-alcoholic summer drinks for more refreshing drink ideas.
- Easy to make a big batch for a party - Party guests will LOVE this and it's easy to double the batch.
- Great with a splash of rum - Make an adult version by adding some dark rum.
- A delicious way to use seasonal peaches - Make the most of peach season with a big jug of this.
Ingredients needed
- Peaches - This is best made when peaches are in season. In the UK that is July to September. This will give you the best flavour to your iced tea.
- Water - You will need both cold and boiling
- Honey - This is how we have sweetened the peach iced tea. You could swap it for maple syrup if you wanted this to be vegan.
- Tea bags - We went with a good Yorkshire tea. You can use your favourite black tea bags though, or even a flavoured tea or even a green tea. I think it's best to go with something that doesn't really have much flavour, as you want to peach to be the main flavour shining through.
- Ice - It's not iced tea without it!
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make peach iced tea - Step by step
One: Put the cold water, peaches and honey in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the skin starts to come off.
Two: Meanwhile, add the tea bags to the boiling water and leave to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and allow the tea to cool.
Three: Put a fine sieve over a bowl and pour the peach mixture in. Using a wooden spoon, mash down the peaches in to a pulp, so as much juice goes through the sieve into the water in the bowl.
Four: You will be left with delicious peach water. Don't throw the pulp away, as it can be added to smoothies or our Homemade BBQ Sauce.
Five: Pour the tea in to a jug and put in the fridge to cool.
Six: Top up with the peach water and add lots of ice.
Health benefits of peaches
Peaches are a good source of iron, folate and vitamins K and E. Not only that, but they are super sweet when they are ripe and in season, so you don't need to use any other sweetener (although you can if you like your smoothie super sweet).
How to choose a peach
Before you even get to cooking the peach, you need to have chosen the perfect peach. You want it to be firm, but just ripe. Basically, not really hard or squishy - somewhere in between.
You want it to be firm enough to handle being grilled and not fall to pieces, but also ripe enough so it has flavour - but the grilling will help with that.
How to cut a peach
Cutting a peach is a bit like cutting an avocado, or any stone fruit really. First you need to run a knife round the edge and then twist it open. Peaches have a natural seam, so it's best to follow that with your knife.
Once you have twisted it open, you will have two halves and the stone will have been revealed. To remove it, simply take a melon baller or a small ice cream scoop and scoop it out. You can't just stick a knife in to it and wiggle it out like you can with an avocado, as the pit of a peach is more fragile and it will fall apart.
Adding alcohol
This is a great non-alcoholic drink to enjoy during the summer. However, if you want to add a splash of booze for a party, then rum is the way to go. We have used white rum and spiced dark rum and they both work well. A jug of rum iced tea certainly goes down well at a party.
Storage
You can keep this in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, it is best enjoyed on the day it is made.
Frequently asked questions
You can use canned peaches to save some time with chopping, however they tend to taste a bit syrupy (even the ones in fruit juice), so we go with fresh.
Yes, this is a great drink to make in advance a you can cool it in the fridge and then just add the ice before serving. If you want a stronger flavour, then you can cold brew the tea (add the tea bags to cold water rather than boiling), but this will take about 6 hours.
You can swap the honey for a sweetener if you prefer.
If you swap the honey for maple syrup then this can be a vegan recipe.
More drink recipes
If you’ve tried this Peach Iced Tea, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Peach Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 3 Peaches - pitted and chopped
- 500 ml cold water
- 1000 ml boiling water
- 3 tablespoon Honey
- 2 Tea bags
- Ice Cubes
Instructions
- Put the water, peaches and honey in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the skin starts to come off.
- Meanwhile, add the tea bags to the boiling water and leave to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and allow the tea to cool.
- Put a fine sieve over a bowl and pour the peach mixture in. Using a wooden spoon, mash down the peaches in to a pulp, so as much juice goes through the sieve into the water in the bowl.
- You will be left with delicious peach water. Don’t throw the pulp away, as it can be added to smoothies or our Homemade BBQ Sauce.
- Pour the tea in to a jug and put in the fridge to cool.
- Top up with the peach water and add lots of ice.
Notes
- This isn't an overly sweet iced tea, as we used just a couple of tablespoons of honey, but feel free to use more if you like a really sweet tea. You can use maple syrup instead too.
- We used black tea bags for this, however you could use a flavoured tea or a green tea.
- Want to make an adult version of this? A splash of white or spiced dark rum is really good.
- This can be made in advance and then kept in the fridge.
- The addition of herbs is lovely in this too. Thyme and mint are my favourites to add, as they go really well with peaches.
- Depending on how ripe your peaches are, you may want to adjust the sweetness.
Annie @ The Garlic Diaries
This sounds so perfect and refreshing! It is so hot in Georgia right now so this sounds like it would just hit the spot :).
Amanda
I am one of those people that doesn't enjoy water. I know how good it is for me, but it's just really boring. I would much rather drink coke. I look forward to your post on ways to drink more water.
Kin
Can you send some of the sunshine this way please? It's really grey here today.
Annmarie
This iced tea looks like it would be glorious on a hot day!
Liv @ Healthy Liv
Yikes, I wouldn't want to be drinking tea that involved putting bleached bags down into my hot cup of water. Thanks for the heads up, Dannii!
sarah
this sounds so nice for summer time! Never had proper peach tea before just some rubbish from a can.
Maria @ runningcupcake
Peach iced tea is my fave, but with black tea not green tea. It is so refreshing.
I do love peppermint tea iced too, and that is so simple- either teabags or fresh mint leaves.
Dave
I'm not a huge fan of iced tea, but this sounds good.
And I had no idea tea bags were bleached! That's gross - why would they even do that? It's not like the whiteness of the teabag is my prime motive for buying tea!
Lucie
Love this! I'll be adding a splash of maple syrup to mine!
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg
I'm definitely on Team Water as well, girl! When I drink other beverages, it's usually unsweetened tea or black coffee. On rare occasions, I'll splurge with a glass of wine. I love this tea and can see myself keeping a pitcher of it in the fridge all summer. :D
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I don't usually go fo flavored drinks due to all the added sugar. But this sounds very refreshing and healthy.
Dannii
That's the great thing about making your own - you are in charge of how much, if any, sugar goes in to it :)
Angie
I have had lemon tea befote, but j haven't tried any other fruit teas. This does look very refreshing though.
Lauren @ ihadabiglunch
This looks so good and thick! My mom would absolutely love tt (she's such a tea person). I wish I loved water...I know I would feel so much better and it would have so many good health benefits!
Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie
Oh, this looks super refreshing and perfect for a warm lazy summer day...maybe with some rum : )
Anna @AnnaTheApple
I am addicted to squash. It's terrible for me I'm sure (I get the sugar free and it's just full of chemicals). I'm sure something like this would be far better for me. It sounds so refreshing and tasty!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Oh such a good idea to make peach iced tea, Dannii! It sounds so refreshing! And I love the color too!
Sarah Mallinson
This looks so delicious! Peaches are always something I forget about because if you get them out of season they're so disappointing and it puts me off, but those few perfect ones are always worth it.
I feel like this would be great to serve for kids at a BBQ... possibly with something alcoholic added for the grownups!
Suse
What a fab recipe Dannii. I am going to order some tea and make this soon. I really need to drink some more water.
Maddy
I am excited for peach season. When you get a peach so juicy that you get it everywhere.
Hannah
The sun is shining here too. A glass of this would go down very well right now.