Use up those extra fresh herbs from the garden and make this homemade instant herbal iced tea. No boiling water or tea bags are needed, just fresh herbs and water!
During the hot summer months, having a cold glass of herbal iced tea is one of my favorite things. I also love my homemade switchel, homemade kombucha, homemade natural water flavoring, and my children love drinking our homemade cherry almond kombucha (which tastes like Dr. Pepper!). But I’ve recently just discovered this summertime eggnog recipe as well!
If you’ve watched many of my gardening videos, you also know that in my cottage garden I have many medicinal and culinary herbs growing. Here’s a list of the medicinal herbs I grow and their uses, and be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for more articles you may enjoy.
I also have a free workshop where I teach you how to use herbal medicine in your home confidently.
Why I Love This Recipe
This recipe is a great way to use up extra herbs you may have growing in the garden. Some herbs even work if they’ve already gone to seed!
I love mixing and matching different flavors or choosing herbs for specific purposes (like mint iced tea to help cool down in the summer).
To learn more about using herbs for medicinal purposes, you may want to check out my Herbal Medicine Cabinet: Colds & Flu course.
Is Iced Herbal Tea Good For You?
Yes! We all know the importance of staying hydrated, and when you can sip on something as delicious as an herbal iced tea, it makes getting those ounces in much easier!
Different herbs have different health benefits, so mix and match and find your perfect blend.
What Herbs Can I Use For This Recipe?
This recipe is versatile and can be made with many herbs from the garden. Some of my favorites are as follows:
- Holy Basil (Tulsi) – This is great if you feel run down or overworked. If using holy basil, it’s fine to use the herb once it’s gone to seed (flowered) as there are medicinal benefits in the flowers and seeds.
- Sweet Basil – Use sweet basil before it’s gone to seed as the flavor turns a bit bitter. (Learn how to grow basil.)
- Anise Hyssop – If you enjoy a somewhat licorice flavor, this is a fantastic herb to use.
- Peppermint – Mint is a great herb for summer iced teas as it cools us down from the inside. (Learn how to grow and harvest peppermint.)
- Chamomile – If you’re feeling tense, you can use chamomile to help you calm down.
- Korean Mint – This variety of mint is one of my favorites. If you haven’t tried growing it, I highly recommend it.
- Lemon Balm – Lemon balm is fantastic to add alongside other herbs.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you only need herbs and water. I like adding a few stevia leaves to my herbal iced tea simply because I like a slightly sweet taste.
- Herbs – Any herbs will work. It’s strictly a flavor preference. See above for some of my favorites.
- Water – I use about 3 cups of cold water.
- Ice – A glass of ice will help cool off the iced tea so you can enjoy it immediately. Try freezing borage flowers in ice cubes to add a refreshing twist.
- Sweetener (optional) – I add two stevia leaves with my herbs into the blender. You can also use honey, maple syrup, or any other sweetener you like using. to taste.
It’s also helpful to have a funnel and strainer when making this recipe. Because we’re blending the herbs into the water, it can be gritty if you don’t strain them.
How to Make Instant Herbal Iced Tea
This recipe couldn’t be easier to make. If you have a high-powered blender (I love my Vitamix), it’s much faster, but if you have the time, you can also do a cold-brew herbal iced tea by letting the chopped herbs steep in water overnight.
- Add three cups of water to a high-powered blender.
- Tear herbs just a bit and place them into the blender.
- Add sweetener, if using, and place the lid on tight (did you see my blooper at the end of the video?).
- Blend for about 30 seconds.
- At this point, you can strain the tea into a glass of ice or let it steep for about five minutes to take on the flavor of the herbs even more.
- Enjoy!
More Drinks You May Enjoy
- Immune Boosting Tea (Throat Soothing!)
- Homemade Dandelion Root Tea Latte
- Hop Tea + Medicinal Benefits of Hops
- Homemade Kombucha
- Second-Ferment Cherry Almond Kombucha
- Old-Fashioned Switchel
- Summertime Iced Eggnog
Instant Herbal Iced Tea (Cold Brew)
Equipment
- High-Powered Blender
- Funnel
- Fine-Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil or other fresh herbs
- 3 cups water
- sweetener optional
Instructions
- Add three cups of water to a high-powered blender.
- Tear herbs just a bit and place them into the blender.
- Add sweetener, if using, and place the lid on tight.
- Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds.
- At this point, you can strain the tea into a glass of ice or let it steep for about five minutes to take on the flavor of the herbs even more.
Video
Notes
- Holy Basil (Tulsi) – This is great if you feel run down or overworked. If using holy basil, it’s fine to use the herb once it’s gone to seed (flowered) as there are medicinal benefits in the flowers and seeds.
- Sweet Basil – Use sweet basil before it’s gone to seed as the flavor turns a bit bitter.
- Anise Hyssop – If you enjoy a somewhat licorice flavor, this is a fantastic herb to use.
- Peppermint – Mint is a great herb for summer iced teas as it cools us down from the inside.
- Chamomile – If you’re feeling tense, you can use chamomile to help you calm down.
- Korean Mint – This variety of mint is one of my favorites. If you haven’t tried growing it, I highly recommend it.
- Lemon Balm – Lemon balm is fantastic to add alongside other herbs.
