It doesn't get more southern than my peach sweet tea! This easy flavored iced tea tastes like a ripe, juicy summer peach with subtle notes of spice that make it the very best thing to drink on hot summer days. Just pour up a glass, head to the porch, and enjoy.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my lychee iced tea and hibiscus sweet tea, too!
Jump to:
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Easy to Make - You won't need any fancy tools or advanced technique. This southern sweet peach tea recipe is beginner friendly and comes together in minutes. You just need some patience to let everything chill.
Perfect Peach Flavor - This ain't your run-of-the-mill peach sweet tea. You'll taste sweet Georgia peaches, for sure, but also subtle notes of ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla. The very best thing in a glass!
Because I know you won't be able to get enough of the peachy goodness once you try it, here's my sweet peach martini, peach cobbler cocktail, peach julep, and peach old fashioned, too!
Honestly so far the best Peach Tea I've made. It was like a fall twist on it. Very good. I added some vodka to a couple glasses ;). Will keep this in rotation!
-reader review from Stacey
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Peach Syrup made from scratch gives this tea the absolute best flavor. I have included ingredients and instructions for making my homemade peach syrup just below.
Black Tea, specifically orange pekoe black tea is crucial to proper sweet tea. In Texas, we use either Lipton or Luzianne tea bags and that's what I recommend for the best results.
Water but no ice until it's time to serve, lest the tea get too diluted!
For the Peach Simple Syrup
Peaches, of course! Grab the very ripest fresh peaches you can find. They should be slightly soft with a sweet smell. I highly recommend fresh summer peaches but canned or frozen peaches can also work, in a pinch.
Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, and Vanilla will give this syrup and sweet tea an almost peach cobbler kind of taste. Use either the whole versions of these spices or ground powders and vanilla extract.
Brown Sugar or Cane Sugar will provide the most richly sweet flavor.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Sweetener - You can use granulated sugar, honey or even your favorite zero sugar substitute in a 1:1 ratio here.
Spike It - Make a peach iced tea alcoholic drink with by adding one shot of liquor per person. Peach and whiskey sweet tea is a natural southern combination but you can also do vodka, cognac or a peach liqueur.
Garnishes - I like to add fresh or frozen peach slices and mint but you can get creative. Citrus slices, berries, whatever you like!
How to Make Peach Sweet Tea with Peach Syrup
Step One: Prepare the syrup by slicing up the peaches, ginger, and vanilla then cooking down in a saucepan with the other ingredients. Then strain out the solid ingredients.
Step Two: Bring water to a boil then steep black tea bags for five minutes.
Pro Tip #1: I find it less messy to snip or pull the string off the tea bags. Alternatively, you can tie or twist them together and drape over the side of the saucepan so you can just lift them all out at once.
Step Three: Remove the tea bags.
Step Four: Cool the tea and syrup then combine them in a pitcher and place in the fridge to fully chill.
Pro Tip #2: Don't squeeze the tea bags as you remove them! This adds more tannins to the tea, which can turn it bitter and/or cloudy.
Step Five: Serve chilled sweet tea with ice and your preferred garnishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make this tea up to three days ahead of time, if stored correctly. Don't add any ice or garnishes until ready to serve.
Store peach tea in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Peach flavored sweet tea keeps for up to five days. You can 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 actually starts fermenting.
How to Serve Peach Iced Tea
Serve the tea over ice with garnishes of your choosing. Peach slices and fresh mint and even lemon slices are perfect for serving tea with peach syrup.
I like using frozen peaches to keep the tea ice cold without too much dilution from the ice melting! A similar trick works with coconut water ice cubes in my coconut iced tea recipe.
More Favorite Summer Drinks for a Crowd
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy a frosty glass of sweet peach 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
Georgia Peach Sweet Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Peach Syrup
- 2 peaches
- 1 vanilla bean or one teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ inch fresh ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick or one teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar or cane sugar
- 1 cup water
For the Tea
- 8 cups water
- 8 black tea bags preferably Lipton or Luzianne orange pekoe black tea
- ice
- fresh mint optional garnish
- peach slices optional garnish
Instructions
To Make the Syrup
- Pit and cut peaches into chunks (no need to peel them) and discard the pits. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and pull it open to expose its seeds. Slice ginger into coins.
- Add peaches, vanilla bean, ginger, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, sugar, and water to a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Bring syrup to a boil then remove from heat and mash/muddle the peaches to express as much of their juices as possible.
- Allow the syrup to fully cool then strain out the solid ingredients. While the syrup cools, make the tea.
To Make the Tea
- Bring water to a boil then remove from heat and add tea bags, gently pushing them down into the water so that they are soaked.
- Steep tea for five minutes then remove them from the pot. Do not squeeze the tea bags just lift them out to of the liquid and let them drip. This avoids adding too many bitter tannins to the tea.
- Add the strained syrup and tea to a pitcher and stir to combine then place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve over ice.
Stacey says
Honestly so far the best Peach Tea I've made. It was like a fall twist on it. Very good. I added some vodka to a couple glasses ;). Will keep this in rotation!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your feedback, Stacey! So glad you enjoyed this one.
Krysten says
Sweet tea is my absolute favorite! This peach version is the absolute best. I was hesitant about adding the ginger and cinnamon, but I am so glad I did. I am definitely making this drink again!