Festive Cranberry Iced Tea Recipe

Learn how to make cranberry iced tea with this easy 4 ingredient recipe. This recipe features fresh or frozen cranberries, a bit of sugar, and classic black tea. It only takes a few simple ingredients to make this delicious and refreshing cranberry ice tea!

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I am on a cranberry kick, but I love cranberries so it’s no hardship for me to test and record my cranberry recipes. Cranberries are beautiful and have such a vivid red they make every recipe look so festive. Not only do they add color, but they are full of tart flavor! This recipe combines the flavor of cranberries with classic iced sweet tea for a refreshing combination.

Ingredients in Cranberry Iced Tea

• Fresh or Frozen Cranberries – I’ve used both fresh and frozen cranberries for making tea, and both work well. Avoid dried cranberries or cranberries with added sweeteners.
• Black Tea – For making iced tea, Lipton tea is my go-to. However, you can choose your favorite tea!
• Sugar – Granulated white sugar is a great option for this recipe. It sweetens the tea perfectly!
• Water – Use filtered water if available!
• Lemon (optional) – Lemon adds color and flavor to this iced tea. Use as a garnish or squeeze a bit of juice to add zest.
• Orange (optional) Oranges are a classic complement to cranberries. Use as a garnish or squeeze a bit of juice to add flavor.

How to Make Cranberry Iced Tea

To make cranberry iced tea, start by preparing your tea. There are two great ways to make tea for iced tea. One is by cold brewing and the other is the traditional method of infusing tea with hot water. Both options make delicious tea! For this recipe, I decided to cold brew my tea.

Step One

Add tea bags to a large jar such as a mason jar and pour over cool water. Secure a fitted lid on the jar and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Steeping the tea overnight is a great idea. Once the tea has finished steeping, remove the tea bags and squeeze out any liquid from them.

Step Two

Prepare cranberries by giving them a light rinse and sorting out any spoiled fruit.

Add cranberries to a small pot with sugar and water. Cook over low heat allowing the sugar to dissolve and all the ingredients to infuse together. Cook until the cranberries have popped.

Let the cranberry simple syrup cool enough to handle before straining out the pulp. Allow the cranberry syrup to completely cool before using it in the tea.

Step Three

Add prepared tea and homemade cranberry simple syrup to a large pitcher and stir until combined.

Serve over ice (PRO TIP: Use tea ice cubes to avoid a watered-down taste as the ice melts.)

Add optional lemon and/or orange slices to flavor and garnish.

Recipe Notes

• Use fresh or frozen cranberries.
• This is a great make-ahead drink recipe. I suggest making the day before and storing the prepared tea and cranberry simple syrup separately.
• Garnish with citrus slices such as orange or lemon.
• If you love and prefer green tea, consider substituting the black tea with green tea.
• While cranberry juice is sometimes used for flavoring, I prefer making my own cranberry simple syrup. It’s full of flavor and so easy to make!

Love Flavored Iced Tea? Try it with Strawberry, Watermelon, or Blackberry!

SERVING

Once you have mixed tea and cranberry simple syrup this festive cranberry iced tea is ready to serve! Enjoy over ice and garnish with slices of lemon or orange. You can also add mint or rosemary for flavor and color.

Storage 

If you do find yourself with leftovers (a rare but delightful occurrence), store in an airtight container for up to two days in the refrigerator. Just stir it before serving again.

CAFFEINE

A common question about iced tea is does it have caffeine? The short answer is yes, it does contain caffeine. However, you can make a caffeine-free version using rooibos tea. (Red tea) This is an herbal tea that tastes surprisingly similar to black tea.

Why You Will Love

Ah, iced tea! It’s that quintessential summer beverage that conjures up images of sun-soaked porches and laughter with friends. From its roots to the myriad of variations we see today, iced tea reminds me of simple summers in the backyard. And when it comes to summer refreshers, nothing says ‘unique twist’ quite like adding cranberries into the mix. Cranberry Iced tea is also wonderful for serving in the winter. Its red color brightens the serving table for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Game Day entertaining!

• Easy to Make and Customize.
• Made with fresh real ingredients.
• Festive drink to serve for the holidays.
• Make ahead drink recipe.

FAQs about Iced Cranberry Tea

More Iced Tea Recipes

• Tamarind Iced Tea
• Iced London Fog
• Iced Roselle Tea
• Iced Butterfly Tea
• Iced Dirty Matcha Latte
• Peach Iced Tea
• Lychee Iced Tea

I hope you enjoy this tea recipe. Leave a comment below and let’s connect! 

Cranberry Iced Tea Recipe

Courtney

Learn how to make cranberry iced tea with this easy 4 ingredient recipe. This recipe features fresh or frozen cranberries, a bit of sugar, and classic black tea. It only takes a few simple ingredients to make this delicious and refreshing cranberry ice tea!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 8 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Additional Time 8 hours hrs

Course Black Tea

Cuisine American

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 92 kcal

Equipment

• Ecovibe Bamboo Fiber Straws Disposable Straws bamboo Fiber Degradable Disposable Straws（100 Pcs）
• Mason Jars
• Glass Water Pitcher with Spout

Ingredients

  

• 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
• 2 Black Tea bags or 8 regular sized tea bags
• 9 cups Filtered Water divided
• 1 cup Sugar

Instructions

 

• Add tea bags to a large jar such as a mason jar and pour over 8 cups of cool water. Secure a fitted lid on the jar and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Steeping the tea overnight is a great idea.
• Once the tea has finished steeping, remove the tea bags and squeeze out any liquid from them.
• Prepare cranberries by giving them a light rinse and sorting out any spoiled fruit.
• Add cranberries to a small pot with sugar and 1 cup of water. Cook over low heat allowing the sugar to dissolve and all the ingredients to infuse together. Cook until the cranberries have popped.
• Let the cranberry simple syrup cool enough to handle before straining out the pulp. Allow the cranberry syrup to completely cool before using it in the tea.
• Add prepared tea and homemade cranberry simple syrup to a large pitcher and stir until combined.
• Add optional lemon and/or orange slices to flavor and garnish.

Notes

• Use fresh or frozen cranberries.
• This is a great make-ahead drink recipe. I suggest making the day before and storing the prepared tea and cranberry simple syrup separately.
• Garnish with citrus slices such as orange or lemon.
• If you love and prefer green tea, consider substituting the black tea with green tea.
• While cranberry juice is sometimes used for flavoring, I prefer making my own cranberry simple syrup. It’s full of flavor and so easy to make!

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only.

Keyword cranberry iced tea