Blood Orange Iced Tea

A delicious drink made with black tea; this Blood Orange loaded fruity Iced Tea is PERFECTLY flavorful. 

It only takes a few minutes to make and is LOVED by everyone! 

Iced tea, a blend of strong brewed tea with some citrus or stone fruit is popular in the restaurants of India. Over all the years of living there, I have had hundreds of glasses at the restaurants and at home.

Summers where I grew up were super warm. Plus being close to the sea, Mumbai has a lot of humidity and summers are perfect to enjoy glasses of chilled drinks. 

As kids we enjoyed Iced teas, juices, lemonade and chilled flavored milk. There were also some delicious milkshakes, buttermilk and lassis. 

From all the various drinks I have had, Iced tea is too close to my heart. Orange, Peach and now Blood Orange are my picks when I have it.

What is Blood Orange Iced tea

Iced tea is essentially a mix of tea, ice cubes and water. Mixing in juices of citrus or stone fruits elevates the taste and flavor to a new high.

Blood oranges are seasonal, super flavorful and delicious. Adding them to my Iced tea has been a favorite since I tried them the first time.

The juice of Blood Oranges is thicker than regular oranges and they tend to be super sweet in peak season. That is when I add the blood orange juice without any sugar to my tea.

If they are sour, I add some sugar to the hot water with the tea bags to sweeten my tea. However this can be skipped if you do not need the tea super sweet.

This blend of oranges, tea, LOTS of ice and water makes a refreshing drink called Blood Orange Iced tea.

This Blood Orange Iced tea

• Is super easy to make and needs only a handful of ingredients. You can make it as a big batch or make it by the glass. The drink is so refreshing, I suggest making a couple glasses at once!
• Is easy to customize to include any citrus fruit or stone fruit. I have made and loved cherry, peach, apricot and orange iced tea each summer.
• Can easily be a great drink to enjoy throughout the year. Not just summer, this drink is awesome for Spring and Fall too. I love making it with oranges for Fall. It is such a refreshing drink with Halloween and Thanksgiving meals!

This drink is such a customizable drink for everyone; include sugar or leave it out, add a single citrus or include them all; the choice is yours! 

Summers are so much better when you have a pitcher or Iced tea, some friends and some delicious snacks. This has been my go-to recipe for a few years now and you have to try it to see why! 

Video Recipe 

   

Ingredients

Black Tea: Good quality tea makes the best Iced tea. I like to use a strong black tea so it remains strong enough when watered down with ice and brewing water. 

Green tea and jasmine tea work well too. Just pick something that compliments the flavor of the citrus.

I usually use 2 bags per 12 oz glass of iced tea. Feel free to increase or decrease the number of bags based on how strong you like the tea.

Blood Oranges: These add a citrus flavor and a deep color to the tea. I LOVE to use them as long as I can find them. 

When not in season, replace with oranges or even lemons for the citrus flavor. 

Juice them and use them immediately. This juicer comes really handy to extract any citrus juice.

I like to place a couple of slices in the drink too. This is optional but works really well. 

Sweetener: An optional ingredient to make the tea sweet. Often the oranges are super sour and if you happen to get a batch like that, use a sweetener of choice.

Sugar, honey, jaggery or maple syrup are perfect to sweeten this blood orange iced tea.

Water: Hot water is necessary to steep the tea.

I often steep the tea in hot water and add cold water to it once the tea steeps. Then it can be poured directly onto the ice.

Mint: An optional ingredient, mint adds a lot of oomph and beauty to the otherwise brown tea. It is great for freshness and I love to add a sprig or two. However, if you do not have access to it, leave it out!

Rosemary sprig is an option too. It add a lot of freshness to the drink.

Step by Step Instructions to make Orange Iced Tea

1- In hot water add sugar (if using) and place 4 black tea bags. 

2- Let them steep for 10-12 minutes. Remove the bags and set aside.

3- In a glass add ice.

4- Then add the juice of one blood orange to the glass.

5- Pour the tea over the ice and add water as needed as well as place a couple of slices of blood orange and a sprig of mint. 

6- Mix well to combine and serve the tea immediately. 

Tips and Notes

• Start with a strong tea in the recipe because it does get watered down with all the ice and regular water. 
• The tea can be made with any citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit or lemon, plus with stone fruits like peach and apricots!
• In order to make a big batch, juice the oranges and make the tea and sugar mixture; then mix them as you serve with water.
• If using a sweetener in the recipe; sugar, jaggery, honey or maple syrup will work well.

This post has been updated from the recipe archives, first published in 2018.