Hibiscus Lavender Iced Tea
This hibiscus lavender iced tea is the ultimate flavorful and refreshing summer drink. Easy to make, only using 4 ingredients and refined sugar free!
Hibiscus Lavender Iced Tea
The other day I visited a lavender farm and bought lavender extract for culinary uses. It has been a party in my kitchen since then, trying out all kinds of recipes and I am excited to share the first creation with you: Hibiscus lavender iced tea! This combo works so well, it is slightly sweet, refreshing, with a hint of lavender. The perfect drink for a hot summer day when you want something more exciting than water. Make it for your next BBQ or Picnic and impress your friends. And the most exciting part about this recipe is that it is healthy too! Iced tea can be full of sugar, especially the store-bought variety. But not this gem. This recipe only uses 4 natural ingredients.
Ingredients in Hibiscus Lavender Iced Tea
- Hibiscus tea: For this recipe, I am using loose hibiscus tea. You can also use tea bags but you will have to double up the amount (see recipe below). Hibiscus tea is naturally caffeine free and bursting with flavor.
- Lavender extract: The importance here is to get lavender extract specifically for culinary uses. This is not the same as a lavender essential oil! Lavender extract is quite strong so a little goes a long way. If you want to play around with this recipe, go easy on the lavender extract. When used in the right amount this gives a lovely subtle floral note and a slight sweetness to this drink. I used this brand.
- Honey: This step is optional depending on where you are on your journey with sweeteners. Honey is an excellent natural sweetener. Opt for raw local honey which is full nutrients. For this specific recipe I love to use white honey, I find it less sweet.
- Water: Last but not least water, but not just any water, filtered water. Tap water can be full of contaminants and it is therefore important to use a good water filter. I recommend and use the Berkey filter.
How to Make This Iced Tea
Start out by boiling the water. Once hot fill a pitcher with 6 cups of water and add 3 tsp of the loose hibiscus tea. I love to use these stainless steel tea ball infusers. Depending on the size you may need two. Alternatively, you can use tea bags, but you will have to use 6. Add the lavender extract, let it steep for 2O minutes. Taste and decide if you want to add the honey or not. The hibiscus flavor will be very subtle at this point so don’t worry about that. Let it come to room temperature for about 2 hours before transferring it into the fridge overnight (or for a minimum of another 2 hours). The tea ball infusers or teabags will stay in there the whole time. This intensifies the flavor. If you need to speed up the process you could also add more tea in the beginning.
Make it Your Own
Everyone taste is different and I always encourage my readers to adapt the recipe to their liking. This hibiscus lavender iced tea is perfect for that. Below are a few varieties you can play with:
- Don’t like lavender? You can simply omit it
- Adjust the sweetness: You can omit the honey or add more.
- Short on time? Add more hibiscus in the beginning. Steep until it reaches your desired taste/a bit stronger than you would like. Use a lot of ice cubes to cool it down. Remember this will dilute the taste.
More Sugar-free Drinks
If you like to add more flavor to your drinks without adding sugar you have to try these recipes:
I would love to get your feedback, please leave a comment below. And as always don’t forget to tag me in your food pictures on Instagram
Happy steeping
~Annika
Hibiscus Lavender Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 6 cups filtered water
- 3 tsp loose hibiscus tea (or 6 tea bags)
- 1/2 tsp lavender extract (for culinary use)
- 2 tsp raw, local honey (optional)
- ice cubes (optional)
Instructions
- Start out by boiling the water. Once hot fill a pitcher with 6 cups of water and add 3 tsp of the loose hibiscus tea in 2 stainless steel tea ball infusers. Alternatively, you can use tea bags, but you will have to use 6.
- Add the lavender extract and let it steep for 2O minutes. Taste and decide if you want to add the honey or not. You can also add more honey if you prefer it sweeter The hibiscus flavor will be very subtle at this point so don't worry about that.
- Let it come to room temperature for about 2 hours before transferring it into the fridge overnight (or for a minimum of another 2 hours). The tea ball infusers or teabags will stay in there the whole time. This intensifies the flavor, the longer it infuses the stronger the hibiscus taste. If you need to speed up the process you could also add more tea in the beginning.
- Once it is ready to serve add ice cubes to your liking. Just keep in mind that depending on how many you will use it will dilute the flavor.
Notes
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