Name: Strawberry Balsamic Pepper Iced Tea
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup strawberries - I used frozen; 1/2 cup water; 1/4 cup maple syrup; glug of balsamic vinegar, approx 2 tablespoons (optional); fresh peppercorns (optional); 8 cups water; 4 black tea bags

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This easy, healthy Strawberry Iced Tea recipe is made with fresh sweet strawberries and maple syrup! Learn how to make Strawberry Iced Tea at home. The balsamic vinegar and peppercorns are optional!

A few weeks ago I was at the gas station and I saw a bottle of iced tea in the cooler, it caught my eye. Pure Leaf was the brand. I'm not a big juice drinker, and I hardly ever drink pop, but I've always had a soft spot for iced tea.

A tall bottle filled with bright red strawberry iced tea with a bail style lid sits on top a wooden cutting board. In the foreground, a tall wide mouth mason jar filled with opaque white ice and some of the bright red strawberry iced tea. There is a stainless steel straw in the mason jar

So I tried it. It was a little sweet for my liking, well, a lot sweet, I ended up diluting it 50% with water. But I still liked the flavour, a raspberry infused iced tea.

After I bought the 3rd bottle of it within a couple weeks, I thought to myself; now, self, you're pretty enterprising in the kitchen, why haven't you made this yet?

I didn't have a good answer. So I set about making myself some.

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It was incredibly easy, the recipe is totally versatile, and it uses simple syrup, which is like my favourite thing!

Try it, omit the balsamic and pepper if you must. ha 🙂

An overhead shot. A full bottle of red strawberry iced tea sits on a wooden cutting board, and to the right, a wide mouth mason jar with a stainless steel straw sticking out is full of opaque white ice and bright red strawberry iced tea

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

USE good produce and good tea! Quality ingredients make a quality strawberry iced tea.

DON'T be afraid of the simple syrup. You're basically infusing flavour into water and sweetener, and then boiling off some of the liquid to make it concentrated. Simple Syrups are so versatile!

THINK about the balsamic. I know it sounds strange, but you never grow unless you try new things 🙂

If you love iced tea and Instant Pots, you should try my Instant Pot Iced Tea or Instant Pot Lemonade.

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8 cups

Strawberry Balsamic Pepper Iced Tea

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This easy, healthy Strawberry Iced Tea recipe is made with fresh sweet strawberries and maple syrup! Learn how to make Strawberry Iced Tea at home. The balsamic vinegar and peppercorns are optional!

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries - I used frozen
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
glug of balsamic vinegar, approx 2 tablespoons (optional)
fresh peppercorns (optional)
8 cups water
4 black tea bags

Instructions

Add strawberries, 1/2 cup water, and maple syrup to a small pot. Bring to a simmer. Add balsamic vinegar and pepper if using.
Simmer strawberry mixture until strawberries are release their juices and the mixture thickens slightly - remove from heat.
Meanwhile, add 8 cups of water to another pot and heat until nearly simmering. Remove from heat and add tea bags - steep for 5-6 minutes.
While the tea is steeping, strain the strawberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve, reserving the liquid.
Combine the steeped tea and the strawberry syrup.
Transfer to a large storage container and transfer to fridge.
Serve chilled, and preferably over ice!

Notes

If you're just wanting plain strawberry iced tea, you can always omit the balsamic and peppercorns. Recipes are only good if they work for you!

You could probably make this recipe in your Instant Pot if you've got one - check out my Instant Pot Iced Tea recipe