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This iced tea recipe is exactly what you need to cool down on a hot day! It is the perfect summer refreshment! Learn how to make a sweet mint tea concentrate with this recipe.

There’s nothing better than a cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer day! But did you know that you can make iced tea with herbs right from your garden? It doesn’t have to stop at black tea! This herbal tea is made from fresh mint that you can harvest from your backyard garden or purchase fresh from your local farmers market. You can buy it here from Pleasant Grove Homestead with the link below!

Shop PGH Farm Store

This mint tea recipe is for sweet tea, but feel free to adjust the sweetness or leave the sugar out altogether. It is really easy to make and will make a large batch for the whole family to enjoy the delicious mint flavor. Once you make the concentrate all you need to do is combine the concentrate with water and then pour in a glass over ice cubes. If you are feeling fancy you can garnish it with a lemon wedge and a handful of fresh mint leaves.

If you grow mint at home, you know that mint will grow in abundance! This fresh mint tea is a good reason to plant mint in your garden! If you want to learn more about growing herbs, you can read our Beginners Growing Guide here. Did you know that mint is also good for your digestive system? It can help stimulate digestive enzymes and it can also help with nausea.

Ingredients for Fresh Mint Tea Concentrate

White sugar- you can also use honey if you prefer. If you’d like you can also adjust the amount of sugar to your sweetness preference.

Water- you will need to boiling water so that it can extract the flavor from the mint leaves

Fresh Mint sprigs – you can use any variety of mint that you like or have growing in your garden. Even lemon balm works well!

Lemon Slices- This is optional but it adds a nice touch as a garnish to your glass of tea and the lemon juice pairs well with the flavor of the tea.

How to make Fresh Mint Tea Concentrate

First, remove the fresh mint leaves from the stem and crunch them up as you stuff them into your glass jar. You will need to use a jar large enough to fit all the ingredients, I recommend at least a half-gallon mason jar. Crunching them up causes bruising, and this helps release the essential oils from the mint.

Next, add in the sugar or honey to the jar.

Meanwhile, add your water to a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then add the hot water on top of the fresh mint and sugar in the glass jar.

Stir or shake the jar up until the sugar dissolves.

Leave the jar on the counter or somewhere at room temperature for 6-8 hours to brew.

After 6-8 hours, strain the liquid with a fine mesh strainer and discard solids. This creates a mint tea concentrate. Store it in the fridge and mix with water when you are ready to enjoy.

Mint in mason jar to make mint tea concentrate

To create the mint iced tea, use 1 cup concentrate to 4 cups water. Add to a large mason jar or pitcher. To serve, fill a glass with plenty of ice and pour the tea over. Serve with a slice of lemon and enjoy!

How to store Mint Tea Concentrate

You can store the concentrate in the fridge for about 2 weeks. For long-term storage, add to a freezer-safe container and freeze. (see recommended storage containers here!)

Can I make this recipe with dried mint?

Dried mint tends to make better hot tea than an iced version because it tends to be a little more bitter. We love to use dried mint in the wintertime. Just add 1 Tablespoon of dried mint to hot water to brew the tea. You can add it to a regular teabag, or just strain the dried mint out. If you would like to try to make this recipe with dried mint, you may find you need to add more sugar to balance out the bitterness of the dried mint.

How to preserve mint

If you have an abundance of fresh mint from your garden, you can preserve it for wintertime and chilly days!

To dehydrate mint, remove the stems and then use low heat if your dehydrator has that setting (90 degrees F) for 10 hours. However, freeze-drying your mint will yield a product that is closer to fresh mint and have a fresher flavor. Freeze drying is different than a dehydrator because it removes all the moisture so it will reconstitute just like fresh mint.