All I want during these hot summer months is endless ice cold drinks. And being from The South, sweet tea and iced tea culture is strict and serious around here. So I took creating the very best lychee iced tea recipe personally and am so proud to share this one with you.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my lychee pineapple mocktail and frozen lychee martini, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - You don't need any fancy technique or special tools for this fresh lychee tea recipe. And with just a few minutes of active preparation, homemade lychee iced tea is a very beginner friendly drink!
Sweet and Juicy Lychee Flavor - Wondering what does lychee green tea taste like? The taste of lychees is unmistakeable and all up and through this tea! If you've never tried them before, their flavor is delicately sweet and similar to mandarin oranges.
We love flavored iced tea recipes around here, like my minty iced matcha tea, southern peach sweet tea or hibiscus sweet tea. And this coconut iced tea is a truly tropical treat that's refreshing and easy to make!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Lychee Fruit from a can works best here because you can use the syrup for extra flavor and sweetness. But fresh, peeled lychees also work--just note you'll need to adjust the sweetness and consistency of the puree a bit.
Green Tea has a clean, floral flavor profile, which pairs perfectly with lychee as it's not too overpowering. I recommend using your favorite green tea bags or loose leaf green tea. Oolong or jasmine green tea are also great options! All that said, if you want something stronger and with more caffeine, you can make lychee black tea instead.
Lemon and Lime add brightness and tartness that balance out the sweet factor in this fruity herbal tea. Fresh is best but you can also use bottled juice.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Sweetener - If you want to make this lychee green tea drink vegan, substitute the honey with maple syrup, agave or a granulated sweetener, including your favorite zero sugar options. My ginger honey syrup is a great addition that adds a subtle zing of ginger flavor!
Fresh Mint - This is one of my favorite iced tea garnishes for aesthetic and fresh aroma. But you can skip it if you like.
Spike It - Want to add alcohol to the mix? I recommend gin, vodka or sake as they play nicely with lychee and mint iced tea.
How to Make Lychee Green Tea
Step One: Bring honey and water to a boil in a small saucepan to create a syrup.
Step Two: Add the tea bags and steep for three minutes then remove.
Pro Tip #1: I like to boil just half of the water to save time cooling the tea. Steeping all the tea bags in this amount of water creates a double strength tea, which we then dilute with the remaining water.
Pro Tip #2: Do not squeeze or press the tea bags as you remove them! Doing so would release extra tannins into the liquid, which can make the tea taste bitter and/or look cloudy.
Step Three: Meanwhile, add the lychees, syrup, and citrus juices to a blender and puree until smooth.
Step Four: Combine the lychee puree and cooled green tea in a pitcher and chill for at least two hours.
Pro Tip #3: This tea gets better with time so let it sit overnight for the best flavor, if you can.
Step Five: Serve ice cold with whatever garnishes you like and enjoy!
Pro Tip: I like to freeze some of the lychee fruit to serve with this lychee-green tea, which helps keep it chilled without diluting the flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make this tea up to three days ahead of time, if you store it correctly. Don't add any of the garnishes or ice until you're ready to serve.
Store lychee tea in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. This lychee iced tea keeps for up to five days and you'll be able to tell when it's gone bad by an overly sweet smell and kind of sour taste. This is because the sugar and fruit in the syrup will start fermenting.
How to Serve
Honestly, this lychee green fruit tea is such a fun drink not only because of how good it tastes but also because the garnishes are great, too.
Add sliced lemons and limes and fresh lychees along with ice and sprigs of fresh mint for maximum presentation points and fully flavorful and aromatic sips! Each of these elements is optional but highly recommended.
Want to take it up another notch? Freeze your citrus slices and lychees so they'll help keep your tea chilled without watering down the flavor.
More Favorite Summer Drink Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy a glass or two of the fresh lychee tea soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
The Best Lychee Iced Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 1 cup honey
- 10 green tea bags or 10 tablespoons loose leaf green tea
- 15 ounces lychees in syrup about 20 lychees
- ½ lemon
- 1 lime
- ice and/or frozen lychees
- fresh mint optional garnish
- lemon slices optional garnish
- lime slices optional garnish
Instructions
- Add honey and four cups of water to saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Remove pot from heat then add green tea bags and steep them for three minutes. Remove the tea bags (don't squeeze or press them!) and skim off any foam.
- Pour in remaining water then allow the tea to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the lychees, lychee syrup, juice of half lemon, and juice of the lime to a blender or food processor and pulse until a smooth puree forms (about 30 seconds).
- Pour lychee puree and cooled green tea into a pitcher and place in the fridge to chill for at least two hours (the longer the better).
- Stir the chilled tea again then serve with ice, fresh and/or frozen lychee fruits, lemon and lime slices, and fresh mint, if desired.
Krysten says
I've never tried lychees, but LOVE all of your iced tea recipes! So excited to try this. My kids will probably like it too, they love orangey flavors.
Marsha says
This was such a fun and delicious twist on regular iced tea. I loved the taste of the lychee puree in the tea and you were right, it did taste even better the next day!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed, Marsha.
Chenée says
I've made this tea twice already this summer! We love it so much! Definitely making it again for Labor Day!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Chenée! Glad y'all are enjoying this one.