Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)
Quick Ingredients
- 4 cups (950 ml) water
- 3 black tea bags (or 3 tsp loose black tea)
- 2 cups (280 g) pitted cherries (fresh or frozen, thawed)
- 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar, or to taste
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 strip lemon zest (about 5 cm) + 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Ice cubes, extra lemon slices, and cherries for serving
Do This
- 1. Bring 4 cups water just to a simmer; remove from heat.
- 2. Add tea bags, cloves, and lemon zest; steep 5–7 minutes, then remove tea bags.
- 3. Stir in sugar while tea is hot until dissolved; let cool slightly, then discard cloves and zest.
- 4. Blend cherries and lemon juice into a smooth purée; strain if you prefer a smoother drink.
- 5. Mix cherry purée into the warm sweet tea; taste and adjust sweetness or lemon.
- 6. Chill in the refrigerator at least 45 minutes, until very cold.
- 7. Serve over lots of ice, garnished with lemon slices and extra cherries.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Deep ruby-red color and vibrant cherry flavor without being overly sweet.
- Gentle warmth from cloves and lemon makes this iced tea feel cozy yet refreshing.
- Uses simple pantry ingredients and frozen or fresh cherries, so you can make it year-round.
- Easily scaled up for pitchers and parties, and simple to customize to your taste.
Grocery List
- Produce: Fresh or frozen cherries, lemons
- Dairy: None
- Pantry: Black tea (bags or loose), granulated sugar or honey, whole cloves, ice
Full Ingredients
For the Spiced Tea Base
- 4 cups (950 ml) water
- 3 black tea bags, standard size, or 3 teaspoons loose black tea in an infuser
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 strip lemon zest, about 5 cm long (yellow part only, no white pith)
- 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar, or more to taste
- Substitute with 1/3 cup (80 ml) runny honey or other sweetener, if preferred.
For the Cherry Layer
- 2 cups (280 g) pitted cherries, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen)
- Sour cherries will give a more tart, intense flavor; sweet cherries will taste rounder and softer.
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
To Serve
- Ice cubes (about 2–3 cups / 250–375 g)
- Lemon slices or wedges
- Extra cherries for garnish (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the cherries
If you are using fresh cherries, rinse them well, remove the stems, and pit them. Measure out 2 cups (280 g) of pitted cherries. If using frozen cherries, let them thaw until no longer icy so they blend smoothly.
Set the cherries aside while you brew the tea. This is a good time to juice your lemon and cut a wide strip of lemon zest with a vegetable peeler, avoiding the bitter white pith.
Step 2: Brew the spiced tea
In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups (950 ml) of water just to a simmer over medium-high heat. You want the water to be hot and steaming, with a few small bubbles, but not at a rolling boil. Once it reaches this point, remove the pan from the heat.
Add the black tea bags (or your tea infuser with loose tea), the 3 whole cloves, and the strip of lemon zest to the hot water. Cover the pan with a lid and let everything steep for 5–7 minutes. A shorter steep (5 minutes) will be lighter and less tannic; 7 minutes will be stronger and more robust.
Step 3: Sweeten and strain the tea
After steeping, remove the tea bags (or tea infuser). While the tea is still hot, stir in the sugar until it is fully dissolved. Taste a spoonful (carefully; it will be hot) and adjust the sweetness, adding a little more sugar if you prefer your iced tea sweeter.
Let the tea cool for about 5–10 minutes. Then, use a slotted spoon to remove the cloves and lemon zest. If you prefer a completely smooth drink with no stray spice bits, you can pour the tea through a fine-mesh strainer into a large heatproof jug or pitcher.
Step 4: Make the cherry purée
Place the prepared cherries and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice into a blender. Add about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the warm, sweetened tea to help the mixture blend smoothly. Blend on high until the cherries are completely smooth and the purée is a deep, even red.
At this point, you can choose your texture:
- Rustic: Leave the purée as is for a thicker, more fruit-forward iced tea with tiny cherry bits.
- Smooth: Pour the purée through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing with a spoon to extract the juices and discard most of the skins and pulp.
Step 5: Combine and chill
Pour the cherry purée into the warm spiced tea in your jug or pitcher. Stir thoroughly until the tea and cherry purée are completely combined and the liquid is a uniform, deep ruby red. Taste and adjust:
- Add more lemon juice if you want a brighter, tangier flavor.
- Add a bit more sugar if it tastes too tart (remember it will taste slightly less sweet once chilled and poured over ice).
Once you are happy with the flavor, cover the jug and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, or until very cold. For the best flavor and clarity, chill for 1–2 hours before serving.
Step 6: Serve over ice with lemon and cherries
When you are ready to serve, fill tall glasses to the top with ice cubes. Give the iced tea a good stir in the pitcher, as natural fruit sediments may have settled at the bottom. Pour the spiced cherry iced tea over the ice, leaving a little room at the top of each glass.
Garnish each glass with a lemon slice or wedge and a cherry or two. If you like extra aroma, you can lightly crush one more clove and drop it into the pitcher just before pouring, then strain as you serve to keep the flavor subtle.
Pro Tips
- Do not overboil the tea: Boiling water plus long steeping can make black tea bitter. Remove from heat before adding the tea and keep steeping within 5–7 minutes.
- Balance sweetness while warm: Sweetness is easier to judge and dissolve when the tea is warm. Adjust sugar or honey before chilling.
- Use good-quality cherries: Ripe, flavorful cherries (even frozen ones) make all the difference. Taste one before blending; if it is bland, you may need a touch more sugar and lemon to wake up the flavor.
- Cool before chilling: Let the tea cool slightly before putting it in the fridge to avoid heating up the refrigerator and to reduce condensation in the pitcher.
- Serve very cold: This tea shines when it is truly chilled. Add plenty of ice and keep the pitcher refrigerated between pours.
Variations
- Hibiscus twist: Replace 1 black tea bag with 1 hibiscus tea bag (or 1 teaspoon dried hibiscus flowers). This adds even deeper red color and a cranberry-like tartness.
- Cinnamon-clove version: Add 1 small cinnamon stick to the water along with the cloves and lemon zest. Remove it when you remove the tea bags for a gently spiced, almost mulled-tea flavor.
- Sparkling cherry iced tea: Make the recipe as written but, when serving, fill glasses halfway with the tea and top off with chilled sparkling water or club soda for a light fizz.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Store the spiced cherry iced tea in a covered jug or bottle in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The color may deepen slightly and some natural cherry sediment may settle at the bottom; simply stir or gently shake before serving. For best clarity and flavor, keep garnishes (lemon slices and extra cherries) separate and add them fresh to each glass.
If you want to prepare further in advance, you can make the spiced tea base (without the cherry purée) up to 5 days ahead and keep it chilled. Blend in the cherries and lemon juice up to 1 day before serving for the brightest fruit flavor. Do not freeze the finished iced tea, as the texture and flavor will be dulled after thawing.
Nutrition (per serving)
Approximate values per serving (1 glass, about 350 ml), assuming 1/3 cup sugar and no additional sweeteners:
- Calories: ~120 kcal
- Carbohydrates: ~30 g
- Sugars: ~27 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Fat: 0 g
- Fiber: 1–2 g (depending on how much pulp is strained out)
- Sodium: negligible
These numbers are estimates and will vary based on the exact cherries you use, how much sugar you add, and whether you strain out the fruit pulp.
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