This kaffir lime lemon iced tea is a wonderfully cold-brewed blend that has notes of citrus, fresh vibrant flavours and a lovely sweetness. It’s a great summer refreshment to make the most of the lemon season and cool off in the heat!
Made with only 5 ingredients, this lemon iced tea is super simple to whip up with just three steps. Make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for an easy delicious drink to lift your spirits and soothe your soul.
Lemons are in season this summer and in abundance in December, making it the perfect time to enjoy this lemon iced tea!
Check out this guide to learn more about Summer fruits and vegetables!
What You’ll Need to Make This Lemon Iced Tea:
This cold-brewed lemon iced tea requires 5 ingredients, including…
Green Tea
For this recipe, I went with tea bags, just purely for the less-mess factor (i.e.: you can easily remove the tea bags once steeped). However, you can use loose tea leaves instead (I’d suggest going with 5 tablespoons).
As the green tea is steeped in cold water and then brewed overnight in the fridge, less caffeine and astringency is present, due to the colder temperature not steeping out the tannins (source). Making for a completely different experience to tea brewed in hot water!
Water
Used in two steps for the making of this iced tea. The first is cold water combined with the green tea for the cold brew and the second is in the kaffir lime lemon syrup.
Where possible, I suggest using filtered water.
Kaffir Lime Leaf
Fragrant leaves from the kaffir lime tree are used to flavour various dishes including curries, desserts such as panna cotta, drinks, stir-fries and many more! They can be used both whole to infuse their flavours as well as finely sliced.
Kaffir lime leaves can be found in fruit shops and supermarkets. I suggest using fresh leaves as they produce the best flavour.
TIP: store any leftover kaffir lime leaves in the freezer in an airtight container or bag and once required, run under hot water to defrost before using (as suggested by Twisted Citrus).
Caster Sugar
A superfine sugar, which dissolves easily in water.
It enables the flavours of the citrus to come out and provides a touch of sweetness. Sugar also balances out the drink nicely with the tangy lemon and notes of the kaffir lime, making it extra pleasant to drink.
You may use white sugar as a replacement.
Lemon
Provides a lovely citrus flavour to the drink, along with the kaffir lime.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice is recommended for the best flavour!
This recipe calls for 60g of juice, which is roughly 1/4 cup of liquid from about 3-5 medium-sized lemons.
TIP: release the juices of the lemons before you squeeze them by rolling them on a bench with your palms, applying gentle pressure. This should not only make it easier to squeeze out the juice but also give you more volume!
Ice Cubes
For the extra refreshing drink that stays nice and cool despite the humidity and temperature outside. This is optional however and you can even mix up your ice cubes if you wish.
See below for some interesting ways you can level up your ice!
Optional Swaps and Alternatives:
Ice cubes
Change up your ice cubes in one of the following ways…
- Frozen garnishes: To prevent diluting the lemon iced tea any further you may opt for frozen garnishes.
- Here’s how: Finely slice a lemon then spread out in a single layer on a tray and place in the freezer until frozen. When ready to serve, add a piece or two to each glass. You could also try this with other citrus fruits too, such as oranges!
- A similar thing can be done with kaffir lime leaves. Freeze the leaves in an airtight container or a bag in the freezer until frozen. Then add to your drink as a garnish. It’ll help ever so slightly in allowing your drink to stay cool.
- Floral ice cubes. why have regular ice cubes when you could go for floral ice cubes instead?! This is a great way to dress up your glasses for any occasion, even if it is just a party for one.
- Here’s how: Begin by packing an ice cube tray with an assortment of well-cleaned edible flowers (careful for all those hidden creatures). Top up with water, then carefully place in the freezer until frozen. Then they’re ready to use whenever you want a drink!
- Or none at all! You could simply skip this step altogether if you keep your brewed iced tea blend in the fridge and pour as needed.
Edible Flowers
If you’d like to take these lemon iced teas to the next level and add a bit of colour, edible flowers are a great option!
All you have to do is add in a few per glass, as the finishing touch on the top. You could also add in some straws too!
How to Make this Lemon Iced Tea:
There are a few simple steps to follow for this lemon iced tea, which comprises three parts. The first is brewing the green tea, the second is the kaffir lime lemon syrup and the last is assembling it all!
- Cold-brew
Place green tea bags/ leaves in a jug with cold water, cover and leave to brew in the fridge overnight or between 6-8 hours. After brewing dispose of tea bags/ strain and remove tea leaves.
- Kaffir lime lemon syrup:
In a small pot over medium-high heat, bring the kaffir lime leaves, caster sugar and water to a simmer. Once simmering, allow to cook for 3 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.Â
Once cool, stir in the lemon juice and then pour into the cold brew green tea. Stir the mixture until well combined.Â
- Assembly:
Half-fill your desired glasses with ice. Then top up each glass with the lemon iced tea. Garnish with kaffir lime leaves and sliced lemon.
Serve and enjoy!
MORE Drinks you’ll love:
- Homemade Orangeade
- Homemade Chocolate Milk
- Strawberry Lychee Mint Mocktail
- Sparkling Passionfruit Green Tea, Passionfruit Soda and Mango Passionfruit Fizz
Cold Brew Kaffir Lime Lemon Iced Tea
Ingredients
Cold Brew Green Tea
- 6 green tea bags or 5 tablespoons loose leaf green tea
- 6 cups (1 L) cold water
Kaffir Lime Lemon Syrup
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 100 ml water
- 100 g caster sugar
- 60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
Garnish & Assembly (optional)
- ice cubes
- kaffir lime leaves
- finely sliced lemon
Instructions
Cold Brew Green Tea
- Place green tea bags/ leaves in a jug with cold water, cover and leave to brew in the fridge overnight or between 6-8 hours. After brewing dispose of tea bags/ strain and remove tea leaves.
Kaffir Lime Lemon Syrup
- In a small pot over medium-high heat, bring the kaffir lime leaves, caster sugar and water to a simmer. Once simmering, allow to cook for 3 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Once cool, stir in the lemon juice and then pour into the cold brew green tea. Stir the mixture until well combined.
Assmebly
- Half-fill your desired glasses with ice. Then top up each glass with the lemon iced tea. Garnish with kaffir lime leaves and sliced lemon. Serve and enjoy!
If you give this cold brew kaffir lime lemon iced tea recipe a go, don’t forget to tag @theculinaryletter and #theculinaryletter, so I can see all your wonderful creations!
Now you have all you need to whip up a batch of your very own lemon iced tea with a bit of a twist! Such a great refreshment to enjoy, especially over those summer months to quench the thirst.
Until next time, stay curious!
Laura
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