Southern Sweet Tea

Name: Southern Sweet Tea
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Makes 1 gallon (3.8 l)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 family-size (7 g each) or 12 regular-size black tea bags; 1 gallon (16 cups / 4 L) filtered or spring water, at room temperature, divided; 1 gallon (16 cups / 4 L) filtered or spring water, at room temperature, divided; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 to 1½ cups (200 to 300 g) granulated sugar

Preparation info

Makes
1
gallon

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
50 min

Appears in

My Southern Kitchen

By Ivy Odom

Published 2025

About

The best Southern sweet tea is made with a pinch of baking soda and Luzianne tea bags. Though this may raise some eyebrows, I prefer my tea on the less-sweet side, which is why I’ve provided a range for the amount of sugar. The sweetness level is up to you!

Ingredients

6 family-size (7 g each) or 12 regular-size black tea bags
1

Americas
United States
Drinks
Gluten-free
Vegan
South America

Method

Place tea bags in a large glass jar or pitcher.
In a saucepan, bring 8 cups (2 L) of the water to a rolling boil over high heat; immediately pour over tea bags, making sure bags are submerged. Steep for 15 minutes. Remove bags and gently squeeze using kitchen tongs; discard bags.
Stir in baking soda and sugar until dissolved. Stir in remaining 8 cups