on Jan 04, 2021, Updated Nov 24, 2023 When strawberries are in season, I make many recipes using them. Some of my favorites include Strawberry Basil Lemonade, Strawberry Banana Milkshake, Strawberry Banana Pineapple Smoothie, and Strawberry Coulis. We were in Los Angeles a few years back and went to a strawberry-picking farm at a friend’s recommendation. I had never seen anything like that back in India. You go to a farm and pick your berries. What fun! Of course, the berries were super fresh and sold much cheaper than in supermarkets. I got overwhelmed and excitedly bought myself a few pounds of ripe juicy berries. For the next few days, I experimented with many recipes with strawberries as the star ingredient. I also froze a lot of them and if you want to learn how to freeze strawberries perfectly, then read my detailed post on this topic. Of all the recipes I tried, this strawberry tea became our absolute favorite, and I made it multiple times that season and then later as well as it is super easy to make and uses basic ingredients.
About Strawberry Tea
Strawberry Tea is a red, sweet, fruity, and freshly brewed tea flavored with fresh summer strawberries. As soon as the summer season starts, the market gets flooded with juicy red strawberries. They are also sold much cheaper at this time of the year. During this time, I buy them in bulk and use them to make this refreshing strawberry flavored tea recipe. My recipe to make this fruity sweet tea has no artificial colors or flavors, tastes like store-bought drinks, and can be made sugar-free. This tea is not only tasty but has many health benefits. You can click on the link to read about them. The best part about this drink is that you can serve it hot or chilled. So depending on your mood, you can choose how you want to serve it. I have tons of beverage recipes on the blog. Do check them out, too. Honey is my favorite sweetener to sweeten this tea. You can also use agave syrup, maple syrup, white or brown sugar. If you are diabetic, then sugar-free substitutes like stevia or monk fruit can also be used. I like my tea mildly sweet so I used the sweetener as per that taste. If you like sweeter tea, then add more sweetener. Tea Leaves – I use loose green tea leaves but you can also use tea bags. Use any brand of tea that you like. You can also make a mimosa by blending this tea with sparkling wine. For a tangy twist, mix the brewed tea with lemonade and make a strawberry lemonade. Not a green tea fan? Then, use any of your favorite teas. Black, chamomile, or Earl Grey are some options. Skip adding the tea leaves and make it a strawberry-flavored herbal tea. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the flame of your stove to low and let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes. Now switch off the heat. Add 2 teaspoon loose green tea leaves (or 2 tea bags) to the pan and stir gently with a spoon. Cover the pan with a lid and let the tea steep for 2 minutes. Some people brew the tea for a longer time but I don’t suggest that as the tea might get bitter if you brew it for a longer time. I feel 2 minutes is a perfect brewing time. Now add 2 tablespoon honey and mix well. Note – According to Ayurveda, cooking honey destroys its medicinal benefits. So always add it to your recipes after switching off the heat. Now strain the strawberry-flavored tea in the serving cups using a tea strainer and discard the cooked strawberries. Serve immediately. I like to garnish this drink with a mint sprig as the green makes a nice contrast with the red tea. Note – Making iced tea while the brewed tea is still warm will melt the ice and make the tea a watery room-temperature drink. So always make sure to cool and chill the hot tea if you want to make an iced version. Once your tea is chilled well, you can serve it. Add some chopped strawberries and 1-2 lime slices to the serving glasses. Fill the glasses with ice cubes until they are ¾th full. Now pour the tea over ice and serve immediately.
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