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

  • Jameson Whiskey Sour
  • Strawberry Iced Tea
  • Frozen Mango Margarita
  • Peach Jello Shots

📖 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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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 is in McDonalds 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.

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

Sweet tea may have marginally less sugar and fewer calories than soda, but it can be just as bad in the long run when it comes to your waistline, chronic disease development and well-being.

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.

How is McDonald's sweet tea sweetened? ›

“If y'all were wondering why the sweet tea so sweet at McDonald's,” she wrote in the text over the video, which showed her emptying a bag of White Satin sugar into a bucket of tea and stirring it up. “Yes we use a whole bag sometimes 2,” she added in the caption.

What brand tea bags 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.

Is McDonald's Sweet Tea still a dollar? ›

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

Is unsweetened iced tea good for you? ›

Unsweetened iced tea is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and flavonoids (a diverse group of plant compounds found in nearly all fruits and vegetables) that can support overall health and well-being. These chemicals act as powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits.

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

Actually if you are getting sweet tea from the store, then definitely no. My husband used sweet tea from the store (Arizona tea) to replace co*ke and one day we looked at the calories/sugars and the tea has a lot more sugar than co*ke. You can try diet sweet tea or diet soda if you want.

What kind of iced tea does McDonald's use? ›

McDonald's Iced Tea recipe features a brisk blend of orange pekoe black tea, freshly brewed and served ice cold. Wondering if there are any calories in Unsweet Tea from McDonald's? Unsweetened Iced Tea is a zero-calorie, sugar-free iced tea that pairs perfectly with your menu favorites. *At participating McDonald's.

What is the most healthy drink at McDonald's? ›

Best Drink: Unsweetened Iced Tea

If you're looking for something a li'l more flavorful than plain old water, just know that a small cup of this refreshing sipper has zero calories or sugars—whereas a small fountain soda can have upwards of 39 grams of added sugars.

Why is McDonald's co*ke so much better? ›

It's pre-chilled.

In 2021, McDonald's revealed on their website why their co*ke tastes better, and one of their “secrets” is pre-chilling the Coca-Cola syrup. This helps preserve the precious bubbles (more on that later).

Why does McDonald's co*ke taste better than regular co*ke? ›

We all know that soda tastes better when it's ice cold. McDonald's makes sure that your co*ke is chilled at every stage, even before it reaches the soda fountain. The stainless steel used to store the syrup is extremely effective when it comes to temperature control, so the syrup always stays cold (and fresh).

What is McDonald's Iced Tea made of? ›

Ingredients: Water, Orange Pekoe And Pekoe Cut Black Tea.

Is there high fructose corn syrup in mcdonalds sweet tea? ›

And contrary to one answer to this question, the product does contain sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. It is indeed a special formulation of sugar called invert sugar, which is table sugar (sucrose) that's been heated in water to break some of it apart into its two simpler component sugars, glucose and fructose.

How much sugar is in McDonald's sweet tea medium? ›

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

Is there honey in Mcdonalds sweet tea? ›

The ingredients are simple: Orange Pekoe and Pekoe cut black tea, water, and medium invert sugar. If you're wondering what invert sugar is, it's a sugar syrup that can be a bit like honey.

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