How to make McDonalds Sweet Tea at home! You only need three things to make this great refreshing tea.
Copy Cat McDonalds Sweet Tea
I was not a tea drinker until I got married. I grew up in a soda house and pretty much lived on diet soda up until getting married. John grew up in the South and thought it was crazy that I did not drink tea.
Well, many years later I am now a tea drinker and have given up soda. One of my favorite treats, when we are out and about, is tea. I thought it would be fun to make this Copy Cat McDonald's Sweet Tea and see how it turned out.
This is such a cheap recipe to make! Oh my goodness a couple of tea bags, water and sugar and you have a 2-quart jug of sweet tea ready to go!
This recipe can also be made without the sugar to make unsweet tea. I make it both ways depending on who is visiting.
There are days we make this without the sugar and then serve it with a container of equal or splenda so guests can decide how sweet they want their tea.
It is a really easy recipe to adapt to your tastes.
Ingredients
- Water
- Lipton Teabags
- Sugar
Equipment Needed
Saucepan - To boil the water and steep the tea
Tea Pitcher - I use this glass pitcher daily for iced tea. It is easy to clean in the dishwasher and holds the perfect amount of iced tea for the day. Made of Heat-resistant Borosilicate Glass, lead-free, lightweight, durable, withstands temperature 0 ℉ to 300 ℉, so you can pour boiling water into it safely.
So I have to admit something that is funny yet embarrassing about this post....
When I started typing this post I realized that I had mistakenly written sweat instead of sweet tea. Yep! I almost posted about sweat tea which I am pretty sure would not taste anywhere near as good as this Copy Cat McDonald's Sweet Tea. Thankfully and hopefully none of us will try sweat tea any time soon. 🙂
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Copy Cat McDonalds Sweet Tea
Ingredients
- 8 Cups Water
- 3 Lipton Teabags Regular Size
- 1 Cup White Sugar
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil over high heat
- When water starts to be a rolling boil remove from heat
- Add in the tea bags and cover pot, allow tea to steep for 1 hour and then remove tea bags
- Add 1 cup of sugar to tea mixture.
- Stir to dissolve sugar, serve over ice
Nutrition
Recipe originally shared on July 29, 2013. Updated on April 4, 2020
Lynn
I make sweet tea....a recipe from my Mom.....I usually pour the cup of sugar in while the water is boiling so it well melt and kind of make a syrup....then I add 9 teabags to steep for an hour and pour it into a gallon pitcher with lemons or oranges and then add cold water to fill the pitcher. I know it’s not like McDonalds, but the extra fruit helps me feel like I am doing something good after adding in a cup of sugar!
Theresa
Wonder if McDonald's does this for every gallon bag it puts in those medal cantainers.
JaDePC
I really love this recipe, but I make it sugar free, by adding Splenda instead of sugar.
Tammilee
That is a great idea!!!
Sherry
How much Slenda do you use?
Laurie
Does this refer to the family size tea bags or the individual size tea bags?
Marife Tan
Hi,
I would like to t these recipe. Just to clarify, the suga will be added to the boiled tea water or another 2 quarts of water?
Thanks,
Marife
Gala Wiseman
Do you use the regular size tea bags?
Sherry
Di we double the recipe for a gallon?
Misty O'Brien
If you add a quarter teaspoon of baking soda to the water before it boils, you can cut out that "bite," creating a really smooth sweet tea
Judy
I tried that add baking soda to my sweet tea just like you said oh my I could taste it I ended up throwing it away, please don't thing I'm being rude, that was just me or even because I new it was In there
Samantha
I always thought McDonalds used brown sugar in their sweet tea. Whatever they use, I love it!
Dina
I want to print the sweet tea recipie and can't find your printer friendly button.
Dina
I want to print the sweet tea recipie, but can't find the printer friendly button. I know its probably staring me right in the face.
Tim Reddock
In the south, we call this ...tea. :-p
Angela
Hilarious! When I read the ingredients and instructions, I thought....well that's no different than I do now! I guess it's a southern thing. I love tea. I drink it almost everyday.
Laurie
❤️
Tracy
this is the way my family has made tea for generations. We just make it a gallon at the time.
Holly
Hate to be a bummer anyway you can cut out some of that sugar with a substitute
shelley smith
is that 3 regular or family size bags? thanks! my mom is totally addicted...
Shirley
I was curious about the same thing, family size tea bags or regular, as it does not say.......
Tammilee
I used family size tea bags
Bonne Saum
Any particular brand tea bags?
Amber
Steep for an hour? Geez that's gonna be strong tea!
Tammilee
It is really strong. Some times i just let it steep for a half hour or less depending on how fast I want it.
stacey
I make mine with making a simple syrup. . 2 cups sugar and water on stove bring to boil than remove and add 10 tea bags regular size and let sit at least 4 hours or more than just add more water ..not strong at all
Emily
Sugar dissolves easier and more completely in hot water, so if you add your sugar to your water before you put in your tea bags and then stir it really well to dissolve the sugar, you can avoid the potential of sugar settling to the bottom of your pitcher. You could always go the extra mile and mix up some 'simple syrup' to add to your tea to sweeten it, but it's reinventing the wheel at that point because 'simple syrup' is nothing but boiling water mixed with sugar. Which, voila!, you've just done.
Sweet tea is the best!
J Otto
McDonalds Tea is made with simple syrup.
Former McD's Manager
No it's not. The original recipe is 2 gallons of extra strong brewed hot tea, a 4 pound bag of sugar, 5 gallon bucket of ice.