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 easy Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon and Honey, simple Peach Smoothie or our delicious 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 and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- 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!
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
How to Make Peach Iced Tea - Step by Step
- Step 1: 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.
- Step 2: 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.
- Step 3: 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.
- Step 4: 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.
- Step 5: Pour the tea in to a jug and put in the fridge to cool.
- Step 6: 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).
Read more about the health benefits of peaches.
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 wanted to make a grown-up version 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.
Extra Tips
- 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.
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.
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Recipe
Peach Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 3 Peaches - pitted and chopped
- 500 ml (2 cups) Cold water
- 1000 ml (4 cups) Boiling water
- 3 tablespoon Honey
- 2 Tea bags
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Put 500 ml Cold water, 3 Peaches and 3 tablespoon Honey into a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the peach skin starts to come off.
- Meanwhile, add 2 Tea bags to the 1000 ml 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 into 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 cubes.
Recipe Tips
- 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.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Made this recipe? Let me know!