The Original Instant Pot Iced Tea
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This quick and easy Instant Pot iced tea recipe is a new summer staple. Use this recipe to make iced tea concentrate in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
You’re outside relaxing comfortably on the lounge chair, enjoying the warm kiss of the summer sunshine. The air is warm, sticky and smells like August.
You’re hot, and thirsty, and you totally care about keeping hydrated. Reach down to the shade beneath your chair and grab a glistening, sweating, bottle of home brewed, organic iced tea.
I grew up drinking iced tea rather than pop. I call it pop, because I’m Canadian, I think that’s a pretty Canadian thing? I’d love to know what you call it, and where you’re from! I’ve heard cola, soda, etc
Step aside cold brew coffee – Instant Pot Iced Tea is here. There’s a new sheriff in Drink Town!
This recipe is dedicated to keepin cool. In more ways than one.
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Tips + Tricks
No. 1 –> Yes, you need to try this. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it really is great! Brewing Instant Pot sweet tea is quick and totally hands-off.
No. 2 –> Cream sounds a bit weird, but it adds a really rich mouthfeel. Makes it really decadent, like a good cold brew!
No. 3 –> Buy good tea and use good water. There are so few ingredients in this recipe, but it will make a big difference in the final product if you use the good stuff.
BE AWARE: this recipe produces more of an Instant Pot iced tea concentrate than actual iced tea! So just know that it’s like rocket-powered tea, it’s much better on ice, and I preferred it with cream.
Ingredients
- Teabags
- Filtered water
- flavour boosters, optional.
How to make
- Add water to Instant Pot, bring to a simmer.
- Add tea, baking soda, and chopped fruit and herbs if desired.
- Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add sweetener once it’s done cooking
- Enjoy!
Flavour boosters
This Instant Pot ice tea recipe is really versatile, it can handle just about any fruit/ herb combo you wanna throw at it. OR, if you’re into the classics, it can handle no adds too. The world is your oyster!
I’ve done apple, berry, peach, peppermint, and other fruits and herbs! All of them have been delicious. I’ve also added jam, honey, a bit of sugar.
I’ve given you the bones, now you take them and let your creative foodie flag fly!
If you like this Instant Pot recipe, you’ll probably love my NEW Instant Pot Lemonade recipe!
Why Baking Soda
Baking soda is 9 on the pH scale, because of its alkalinity baking soda is able to effectively buffer acidity.
There are a few schools of thought on the acidity vs bitterness vs astringency taste sensations. In totally basic terms, only bitterness and acidity are sense of taste, where astringency is the sense of touch.
- Acidity gives off crisp, sour flavour. Think of lemons, and vinegar.
- Bitterness is sharp and pungent – think of leafy greens or grapefruit.
- Astringency is a sensation – think of a good bottle of red wine, and how it drys your mouth right out and leaves you with a parched feeling. That is astringency! And also a damn good glass of wine!
Does buffering acidity mean that the baking soda can also buffer astringency? Not necessarily, but proponents on both sides swear their side is right.
For me, I just split the difference and add my little pinch and pretend I’m making science! You can decide!
Love your instant pot? Try these!
If you love this recipe, please give it a star rating or leave a comment below! This helps me to create more content you enjoy!
📖 Printable Recipe
Instant Pot Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 5 tea bags I used Pure Leaf black tea with vanilla
- 6 cups filtered water
- pinch of baking soda optional
- chopped fruit or herbs ex. apple, mint, strawberry
- Maple syrup or honey, to taste.
Instructions
- Add water to pot of pressure cooker, set to reduce, and bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering, add the tea bags, baking soda, and fruit/herbs, if using.
- Close lid and valve. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
- Strain the tea into a large container, add sweetener 1 tbsp at a time, tasting in between. Tea will be a bit bitter when hot, so be cautious not to over-sweeten!
- Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.
- Serve over ice, and add cream if desired.
Recommended Equipment + Ingredients
Nutrition
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That looks amazing. Now I need to get myself one of these and make some maple flavored Iced tea!
I like my tea strong and plain. I normally boil a gallon of water and put 20 tea bags in it and leave it on low for about 10-12 hours. How strong is this recipe? What would you recommend?
What part of Texas? I grew up in Austin and live in Dallas. Everyone I know calls it soda. As an aside, I also love tea. Not sweet tea so much so I love the thought of adding fruit. I think I’ll add peach or mango. Yum.
Sorry, forgot to rate on last post. Your recipe was a great starting point. I forgot how good sun tea is.
Hey Pam, we’ve always called them Cokes here in Texas, or sometimes soft drinks, but mostly Cokes! I’m going to try making ice tea this way. It’s bound to be a stronger brew and I love strong ice tea!
Hey there! I have the Duo 8 Qt and just used my “sauté “ setting. Worked perfectly!
I grew up in Georgia. It was always Coke. I thought it was because Coke comes from GA The first time I was offered a soda in Illinois I had no idea what I was going to get. HaHa.
Do you remove the metal staples in the teabags before putting them in the pressure cooker? Can’t wait to try this my way of making sweet tea on the stove and letting it sit overnight is still to weak for my taste! I do use decaf bags or even half decaf half regular to help because I’m so sensitive to caffeine I’d be up all night!
love those tall skinny glass bottles- where did you get those?
Hi! I would like to know what glass bottles those are! Thanks!
I tried making it with fruit.. and changed it to adding the apple slices (i used a whole apple minus the core and seeds) after I opened it. I let them sit in the tea 5 minutes.. then scoop them out. the flavor is a little more subtle.. but still there.. I love tea this way
I’m not a huge iced tea fan, but I think that’s because my husband makes sweet tea that will give you a cavity with one sip! I have always liked a black iced tea from Starbucks now.and again. I made this recipe last night using Twinings Blackcurrant tea bags and 1 apple. I didn’t add any sugar, but I did add a splash of Natural Bliss sweet cream coffee creamer this morning. Delicious!
it’s so good, i drink it all the time lol i don’t like ‘sweet tea’ so i made it plain but put in a heaping spoon of frozen lemonade concentrate, just the perfect little touch of lemony sweet
Hey!
Okay this is really awesome! Thanks. I live in the Pepsi state…yep North Carolina so here it is called Pepsi, Coke, soda, or soft drink. Me? I drink tea!
Can’t wait to try this with some herbal tea!! I love to add coconut milk to my hot tea…so excited to add it to my cold tea!
I’m from California living in Nebraska and I call it soda…
Coconut milk would be sooooo good in this! Thanks for the tip 🙂
I’m from Michigan, and it’s pop there too.
My parents were from the South, so I’ve literally been drinking tea since I was a baby. My mom would put sweet tea in my bottle on hot days!
Have to try this method. We drink gallons of tea around here!
Awesome Brenda, I’d love to hear what you think of it!
I need to try this. I’m a Floridian and we’ve always called it “soda”, which I’m trying to get my husband off of. He likes Mt. Dew. I’m not a soda drinker. He does like iced tea so I’ll have to try making this and see if it helps wean him off the soda. Fingers crossed & thank you 🙂
Good luck! Hopefully he loves it 🙂
I recently discovered iced tea mixed with lemonade..
So now I have to make both recipes and mix them!!
I’m also Canadian (NB) and it’s pop here too…I LOVE pop but am trying to cut back on my sugar intake so this will be perfect!
Wait. What! Is that a thing? I gotta giver a whirl! Did you know I also have an Instant Pot Lemonade Recipe?
Can you make this in a regular pot? I don’t have a pressure cooker or instapot. I lived in England for a few yrs and it’s called pop there. I normally call it soda. I’m originally from Cali.
If you’re looking to make it stove top, you can always follow this recipe! https://cravethegood.com/strawberry-balsamic-pepper-iced-tea/ . 🙂
What purpose dues the baking soda play? You may have addressed this as I missed out.
Thank you!
The baking soda helps to eliminate some of the bitterness you get from the tea~!
Is there a reason you couldnt put the sugar in with it. Thats what I do when I cook tea on the stove.
You’re definitely welcome too! I like to wait till it’s done brewing so that I can taste and adjust if needed – that’s just my personal preference though!
Love this idea and will be trying it real soon. I am getting off the Diet Pepsi now and I love iced tea with lemon and a bit of stevia. Of course we call it pop here as well. Here is Burlington, Ontario.
I’m gonna look at your other recipes as well
Can you add lemon slices to this?
Yes! It’s lovely with lemon 🙂
I’m a little late to the conversation, but i was wondering does this tea get cloudy when refrigerated? I love tea and drink it absolutely every day, but i hate cloudy tea and will disgard any tea that turns cloudy.
I’ve never had mine go cloudy!