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.
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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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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

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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.

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.

What kind of tea does McDonald's use to make their sweet tea? ›

Enjoy a refreshing, icy cold Sweet Tea from McDonald's. Wondering what's in Sweet Tea? McDonald's Sweet Tea recipe features a briskly refreshing blend of orange pekoe and pekoe cut black tea, sweetened to perfection.

Does McDonalds brew their sweet tea? ›

McDonald's sweet tea is made by brewing tea bags in hot water and adding sugar to the mixture while it is still hot. The tea is then cooled and served over ice.

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.

Is McDonald's sweet tea healthy? ›

If you want to order a relatively healthy meal from McDonald's, you may want to skip the chain's beloved iced tea. While you might assume that it's a better choice than, say, soda, it turns out that the beverage actually contains a shocking amount of sugar.

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

Conclusion. In conclusion, choosing iced tea over soft drinks is the healthier choice this summer. Iced tea is lower in sugar, can help you stay hydrated, contains antioxidants, and is often lower in calories than soft drinks.

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? ›

Typically, restaurants get their soda syrups in plastic bags, but Coca-Cola does something different for McDonald's. The fast-food chain gets its co*ke syrup delivered in stainless steel tanks. According to the New York Times, the material keeps the soda fresher, and your tongue can taste the difference.

Why is co*ke sweeter at McDonald's? ›

McDonald's. Another reason why McDonald's Coca-Cola tastes so delicious is because the chain gets the beverage syrup delivered in stainless steel tanks, The New York Times previously reported. The special tanks allow the syrup to stay fresh.

What is McDonald's iced tea made of? ›

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.

Is there honey in Mcdonalds sweet tea? ›

Sugar. Per gallon." As listed on their website, a small beverage has 90 calories and a large has 160 (via McDonald's). 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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