Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Raquel · This post may contain affiliate links · 10 Comments

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Craving the refreshing taste of McDonald's sweet tea but wanting to enjoy it from the comfort of your own home? Look no further! With this copycat McDonald's sweet tea recipe, you can indulge in the classic flavor anytime you want. Whether it's a scorching hot summer day or you simply need a pick-me-up, this homemade version will hit the spot.

Sweet tea is so refreshing during the warmer months, and it's great to always have a pitcher ready in your fridge if you're an avid tea drinker. By making sweet tea at home, you can control just how sweet you want it to be. I like it over a glass full of ice cubes with a slice of lemon or orange.

Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (1)

Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • Recreate the beloved taste of McDonald's sweet tea in your own kitchen.
  • Made with simple ingredients that you likely already have on hand.
  • Customize the sweetness to suit your taste preferences.
  • Perfect for quenching your thirst on hot days or with your favorite meals.
  • Enjoy a refreshing beverage without the need to visit a fast-food restaurant.
Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (2)

Ingredients for McDonald's Chilled Sweet Tea

  • Filtered water
  • Family-sized tea bags
  • Sugar
  • Baking soda

Equipment and kitchen tools

  • Gallon sized pitcher
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How to make this McDonald's iced tea recipe

Place 4 cups of water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the tea bags to the hot water. Cover and allow the hot tea to steep for 5 to 6 minutes. (Steep tea longer for a stronger tea.)

Meanwhile, add an additional 12 cups of water and a pinch of baking soda to a gallon pitcher.

Remove the tea bags from the saucepot, gently squeezing to remove the excess tea. Discard the tea bags.

In the saucepan, add the sugar and stir until completely blended.

Pour the tea into the gallon-sized pitcher with the water. Stir to combine.

Cover the pitcher and refrigerate. Best if refrigerated overnight.

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Tips for the Best Results

  • Use filtered water for the best flavor.
  • Adjust the amount of sugar to suit your preference for sweetness.
  • For a stronger tea flavor, steep the tea bags for a longer time.
  • Serve the ice tea over ice cubes for an extra refreshing touch.
  • Garnish with lemon slices for added zest, if desired.
  • Enjoy this refreshing tea recipe on a hot day as is or with creamer.
  • The most important thing to remember when steeping the tea is that you need to give it at least 5 minutes for a good steep.
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For more great summer beverage recipes ideas

  • Peach Iced Tea. This delicious peach tea recipe is both refreshing and tasty.
  • Strawberry Iced Tea - One of my favorite versions of iced t4ea.
  • Easy Homemade Strawberry Lemonade - If you are a lemonade lover, you will love this refreshing twist.
  • Starbucks Dragon Drink - Sweet mango and dragonfruit flavors with creamy coconut milk.
  • Watermelon Agua Fresca - A refreshing and thirst-quenching drink made from fresh watermelon. SO GOOD!
  • Honeydew Agua Fresca - Another variation on a summer melon drink that is so easy to make.
  • Mint Simple Syrup - a great addition to tea or as a flavored water.

Substitutions and Variations

  • Use brown sugar or liquid sweetener as alternatives to white sugar.
  • Experiment with different flavors of tea bags for unique variations.
  • If this tea has too much sugar for you, try using less sugar or a sugar alternative like agave syrup.
  • You can use black tea bags if you like caffeine. Otherwise, you can use herbal tea bags.
  • Mix your sweet tea with homemade lemonade to make your own Arnold Palmer.
Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (6)
Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (7)
Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (8)
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FAQs About This Recipe

Can I make unsweet tea instead?

Yes, you can make unsweetened tea if you prefer your tea without added sugar. You can also adjust the sweetness to your liking by adding simple syrup or liquid sweetener.

How long will the sweet tea last in the refrigerator?

It's best to consume the sweet tea within a few days for optimal freshness, although it may last up to a week if stored properly in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Are there any alternatives to using regular sugar?

Yes, you can substitute brown sugar, agave syrup, or a liquid sweetener for healthier alternatives.

Can I make a smaller batch of sweet tea?

Absolutely! Simply adjust the ingredient quantities accordingly to suit your needs.

More great beverage recipes

  • Strawberry Iced Tea
  • Frozen Mango Margarita
  • Peach Jello Shots
  • Chocolate Frappe Starbucks Copycat

📖 Recipe

Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (14)

Sweet Tea Recipe

Raquel Pineira

A delicious and refreshing copycat McDonald's Sweet Tea.

4.98 from 35 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 minutes mins

Course beverages, Drink

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 145 kcal

Ingredients

  • 16 cups filtered water divided
  • 3 family-sized tea bags
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • Pinch baking soda

Instructions

  • 1. Place 4 cups of water in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil.

  • 2. Remove the saucepan from heat and add the tea bags. Cover and allow the tea to steep for 5 to 6 minutes. (Steep longer for a stronger tea.)

  • 3. Meanwhile, add an additional 12 cups of water and a pinch of baking soda to a gallon-sized pitcher.

  • 4. Remove tea bags from saucepot, gently squeezing to remove the excess tea. Discard the tea bags.

  • 5. To the saucepan, add the sugar and stir until completely blended.

  • 6. Pour the tea into the gallon-sized pitcher with the water. Stir to combine.

  • 7.Cover the pitcher and refrigerate. Best if refrigerated overnight.

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 37gSodium: 24mgPotassium: 1mgSugar: 37gCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg

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Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (15)
Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (16)

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About Raquel

Southern California mom who blogs about time-saving recipes, entertaining and party ideas.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tamara

    Oh, my! I was never one for tea, but there is something about sweet tea in the summer. My mom always has a pitcher going and it's so comforting.

    Reply

    • Raquel

      Yes, I agree tea is so comforting!

      Reply

    • Raquel

      Thanks so much Ann!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Mcdonalds Sweet Tea Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does McDonald's put in their sweet tea? ›

McDonald's Southern Style Sweet Tea is made from a briskly refreshing blend of orange pekoe and pekoe cut black tea, sweetened to perfection. Southern Style Sweet Tea from McDonald's is part of the Beverages Menu. There are 210 calories in a large Southern Style Sweet Tea at McDonald's.

Can I buy McDonald's tea bags? ›

No, unfortunately it's not possible to directly buy a box of tea bags from our restaurants or from our suppliers.

How many cups of sugar are in McDonald's tea? ›

How is McDonald's able to make its sweet tea? 1 pound of sugar (approximately 2 cups) for each gallon of tea. I used to work at a McDonald's and one of my jobs was to make sweet tea. It's brewed 4 gallons at a time.

Why baking soda in sweet tea? ›

Adding a little baking soda to your tea will clear away any cloudiness left from the mixing process, and it's also thought to cut down on any lingering bitter tastes from the steeping tea bags, leaving your tea clarified and smooth and providing your get-together with one fantastic pitcher of tea.

Why is McDonald's sweet tea so sweet? ›

Some of the other ingredients in the cup include ice, and invert sugar, which “is an aqueous solution of inverted or partly inverted, refined or partly refined sucrose,” according to the Food and Drug Administration. McDonald's also notes that in a large cup of the sweet tea, there are 40 grams of sugar.

What brand of sweet tea does McDonald's use? ›

McDonald's uses their own unique tea blend that's not available to the public. However, you can get very close to the same flavor using brands like Lipton or Luzianne. Always use double the amount of tea bags compared to when you make hot tea.

Why does McDonald's iced tea taste so good? ›

Some might be surprised to find out that their tea is freshly brewed and not from a concentrate or mix. When the iced tea is brewed well, it tastes similar to fresh brewed Lipton iced tea like they serve at In-N-Out, which I happen to like.

Is McDonald's Sweet Tea still a dollar? ›

“Attention: Sweet Tea no longer a dollar (2.7 out of 5)”

How much sugar is in a medium McDonald's Sweet Tea? ›

Region: US
ServingIngredientCalories
22.07 fl oztea7
13.24 tspsugar214
Feb 18, 2016

Is McDonald's sweet tea healthy? ›

That large McDonald's sweet tea will load up not just calories, but also 38 grams of sugar. Experts recommend that men eat no more than 37.5 grams of sugar, and women no more than 25 grams per day (via Healthline).

How much sugar is in Chick-fil-A sweet tea? ›

Nutrition
SmallLarge
Sodium5mg10mg
Carbohydrates19g43g
Fiber0g0g
Sugar19g43g
10 more rows

Does sweet tea have more sugar than co*ke? ›

(Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) states that an average 12-ounce serving of soda contains 10 1/4 teaspoons of sugar, amounting to 41 grams and 150 calories. The same amount of sweet tea contains 33 grams of sugar — or 8 1/2 teaspoons — and 120 calories.

Why does southern sweet tea taste different? ›

Why does southern sweet tea taste different? Southern-style sweet tea tastes different because of the blend of teas. The most common tea is black tea, but some use a blend of orange pekoe tea, and pekoe-cut black tea. Giving it a more robust tea flavor.

Why does my iced tea taste bad? ›

Your Iced Tea Tastes "Off" Just like cloudy tea, a funky tasting tea could have something to do with glassware, water, or brewing methods. If your tea is tasting overly astringent, try adjusting the amount of tea you're adding or the length of time you're brewing.

Why does my sweet tea taste bitter? ›

Over-steeping causes tea to turn bitter

Over-steeping tea means that you let it soak in the water for too long. The result of over-steeping is a darker than usual tea liquid as well as a sharp, bitter flavor.

Does McDonald's use real sugar in their sweet tea? ›

Ingredients: Medium Invert Sugar, Water.

Is McDonald's sweet tea healthier than co*ke? ›

While the calories in a sweet tea are not as hefty as a soda of a similar size — a large Coca-Cola has 290 calories for example — the sugar content can still quickly add up. That large McDonald's sweet tea will load up not just calories, but also 38 grams of sugar.

How much sugar is in sweet tea? ›

Sweet tea is one tradition we aren't quite ready to give up completely. But with the amount of sugar it has, it's time to consider switching to unsweetened iced tea. A gallon of homemade sweet tea often has at least 1 cup of sugar: That means 25 grams of sugar per 16-ounce glass.

How much caffeine is in sweet tea? ›

Be that as it may, on normal, an 8 oz serving of sweet tea made from black tea takes off and contains almost 14mg of caffeine. This can be essentially less than the sum of caffeine found in a container of coffee which can contain 95mg to 200mg of caffeine.

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