Share this Post
A combination made in heaven for an iced tea! Bright berryful raspberries lend their color and taste to the brewed black tea, along with the subtle hints of herbaceous basil throughout the tea. Pair this with a fresh slice of lemon, extra raspberries, or some extra sugar for a perfect summer drink out in the park!
As well as being Women’s History month, it is also nutrition month! I decided to start off March with a refreshing iced tea. While it’s important to drink a lot of water, it does get boring after a while. So, why not turn water into flavorful teas and other beverages? Don’t limit yourself; have a little fun! When making this tea, you want to make sure you strain it so none of the solids leftover from the raspberries are there. Let the raspberries and basil steep in the tea for an hour as instructed, so the tea can draw more flavor from the leaves without pulling out too many bitter compounds.
How to make Raspberry-Basil Iced Tea
This tea does take a little bit before it’s ready, but it’s well worth the wait! This is made with frozen raspberries, which is a cheaper option since frozen raspberries are good year-round, however, you can make this with fresh raspberries. Just be sure to get them in season, which so happens to be July!
- Frozen Raspberries: You can substitute for fresh raspberries. Use the same amount the recipe calls for. Get the raspberries while in season!
- Fresh Basil: You need to use fresh. You cannot substitute this for dried. It won’t taste the same.
- Sugar: This is optional. If you want a sweeter tea, feel free to use the sugar.
- Lemon Juice
- Decaffeinated Black Tea: You want to use plain black tea. If you want the caffeine, you’re more than welcome to use caffeinated! You can also substitute the teabags for fresh, looseleaf black tea leaves. The equivalent to two teabags is 1 1/2 tsp of looseleaf black tea leaves.
- Boiling Water and Ice Water
Let the raspberries thaw. If using fresh raspberries, skip that step! Place the raspberries, basil, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl and mash them together until it’s a mushy consistency and no whole berries remain. In a separate bowl, place the tea and boiling water into it and allow to steep for 4 minutes. Add the raspberry mixture and ice water with the tea water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Steep for 1 hour. Strain the tea into a pitcher or a bowl with a fine-mesh strainer; discard the solids. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight before serving over ice.
Tips and FAQs
- Is Iced Tea good for you? This is a huge question that doesn’t have a straight answer, so i’ll give mine: It Depends. What does it depend on?:
- If you add a ton of sugar to your iced tea.
- If you’ve had 4 or 5 iced teas in one day and want another one.
- If you used fresh, clean, and simple ingredients.
- If it helps you reach your daily water intake.
- Basically, if you’re limiting the amount of caffeine in a day, you’re not adding a ton of sugar or highly processed ingredients, and you’re just enjoying a refreshing iced tea recipe to change up your pace of drinking plain water to keep you hydrated, iced tea is a perfectly healthy choice.
- Iced Tea without sugar: If you’re used to drinking iced tea with artificial or real sugar, having iced tea without sugar can be a little unsettling to your tastebuds. The fresh fruit and herb in this iced tea can definitely help naturally sweeten the iced teas, which is awesome.
- However, if you want to add a little sweetener to your iced tea, try using raw honey (or pure maple syrup for a vegan option) right before you place it in the fridge to chill. Try to keep the sweetness level just under what tastes perfectly sweet to you so that, next time, you can add a little less honey and then even less the next time. Over time, you’ll train your tastebuds to like the natural flavors and sweetness of the iced tea, rather than the honey.
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Raspberry-Basil Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 7 1/2 oz frozen raspberries (1 1/2 cups), thawed (*1)
- 2 1/2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsp sugar (optional)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 decaffeinated black tea bags (*2)
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 cup ice water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, place the raspberries, basil, sugar, if using, and lemon juice. Using a masher or a wooden spoon, mash them all together until no whole raspberries are left.
- In a separate bowl, place the tea bags and boiling water together. Allow the tea to steep for 4 minutes.
- Add the raspberry mixture and the ice water to the tea. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow steeping for 1 hour.
- Strain the tea through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher or into a bowl; discard the solids. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving over ice.
Notes
(*1) You can substitute for fresh raspberries.
(*2) You can substitute for loose-leaf decaffeinated black tea leaves, or caffeinated tea bags or leaves!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
30Fat (grams)
0Sat. Fat (grams)
0.00Carbs (grams)
7Fiber (grams)
0Net carbs
0Sugar (grams)
14Protein (grams)
0Sodium (milligrams)
5Cholesterol (grams)
0.00I did my best to research! Let me know if these are correct!
This includes the sugar
Donate to fund my culinary adventures!
Any and all donations are greatly appreciated. All funds go to the start of my blogging career in hopes to make my blog more approachable and interesting. DISCLAIMER: Funds do not go towards bills, entertainment, our own groceries, or anything else that is not a part of my blogging career. All funds go towards equipment for my start in food photography, as well as funding my blog to be more professional. Thank you for donating and look forward to more recipes!
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
Leave a comment