See how to make mint ice tea, and try our super easy, no-fail mint iced tea recipe. Enjoy chilled!
If you've got fresh mint growing wild in your garden or a pot , here's the perfect way to use it - homemade mint iced tea.
Perfect for summer afternoons, picnics, or just a break from the usual iced tea. It's light, refreshing, naturally caffeine-free, and super easy to make - from dried or fresh mint leaves!
Table Of Contents
I snipped a handful of mint from my garden, and by the time the kids came back from playing outside, I had a pitcher of the freshest iced tea waiting. Instant summer happiness!
Why everybody loves our garden fresh mint ice tea:
- Tastes amazing - crisp, fresh, and cooling
- Naturally caffeine-free - sip it all day
- Super refreshing - thanks to the menthol in mint
- Ridiculously easy - just boil, steep, and chill
All you need is water, mint straight from the garden, and ice. No fancy ingredients, no complicated steps.
What You'll Need:
- water
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, right from your garden
- ice cubes
- a lemon
- optionally, honey or some other sweetener
- Medium pot
- Mesh strainer
- a large pitcher
Steps to Make Fresh Mint Iced Tea (The Easy Way!)
- Step 1: Pluck a generous handful of fresh mint leaves in your garden.
- Step 2: Bring water to a boil, then add the fresh mint leaves.
- Step 3: Let it steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the leaves. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature.
- Step 4: Transfer to a glass or a pitcher and add a splash of lemon juice and a little honey to taste.
- Step 5: Fill your glasses with ice and a lemon slice before pouring in the mint tea to serve.
- Step 6: Optionally, add a few fresh mint leaves for a refreshing touch. Enjoy!
Why Mint Tea?
Mint is cooling, refreshing, and naturally flavorful - no need for sugar or caffeine. (Though I love to add honey!) It's a great way to stay hydrated and beat the heat on hot summer days.
Spearmint or peppermint tea?
Spearmint gives your iced tea a mild, sweet, and refreshing taste, while peppermint adds a cooler, stronger, more intense flavor. Both work beautifully - choose spearmint for a gentler drink, peppermint if you like that extra zing!
I find that most people will prefer spearmint for their iced summer tea drinks.
How To Grow Mint
Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow - perfect even if you're not a gardening pro. Plant it in a pot (mint loves to spread, so pots are best to keep it under control), give it regular watering, and place it in a sunny or partly shaded spot.
It grows fast, and you can start picking leaves as soon as the plant looks full and healthy. The more you trim it, the bushier it gets - so you'll always have fresh mint on hand for tea, desserts, or cooking.
How To Store Mint
Want to enjoy fresh mint flavor all year long? If you've got a pot of mint outside, harvest the leaves before the first frost. Dry a batch for wintertime, then keep it in a clean glass jar or airtight tin - that way the leaves stay fragrant and ready for your next cozy cup of tea.
Gardening Tip: Keep your mint in a pot so it doesn't take over your garden - it grows fast and furious!
Mint Tea Variations
Steeping in Cold Water (Cold Brew)
While I always prepare mint tea as shown above, many people prefer cold brew. In this case, just place fresh mint leaves in a jar of cold water, cover, and let steep in the fridge for 4 - 8 hours for a smooth, refreshing flavor.
Lemon Balm And Mint Tea
Love blending fresh herbs? Mixtures that make your iced tea even better? Yay! You'll love a mix of lemon balm and mint - both directly from your garden, just grab a handful of both, and create your unique blend of homemade fresh mint and lemon balm tea.
Visit my original lemon balm ice tea recipe here at ApleGreen Cottage.
Hot Mint Tea for the Winter
Skip the extra cooling time and forget the ice - serve it hot instead for a cozy hot mint tea for winter.
Want more easy ideas? Try these:
Popular Questions
To keep the flavor strong even when iced, steep your tea slightly longer than usual, about 5-10 minutes, so it doesn't taste watered down.
Fresh mint delivers brighter, more aromatic flavor. Dried works in a pinch, but fresh wins hands down for that refreshing zing in the summer.
Both are true mints, but they taste and smell quite different:
Spearmint is sweeter, milder, and more refreshing. It has less menthol (about 0.5%), so it's gentle and often used in drinks, teas, salads, and even mojitos.
Peppermint is much stronger, sharper, and cooler. It has a high menthol content (about 40%), which gives that icy kick you feel in peppermint gum, candy, or medicinal teas.
Spearmint is part of the mint family, with pointed leaves and a mild, sweet mint flavor. Lemon balm is also in the mint family, but it smells and tastes lightly of lemon rather than mint. With kids, we usually used this lemon balm tea recipe.
Yes! Cold-brewed mint tea (steeped in the fridge for a few hours) is smoother and less bitter, and retains more delicate oils.
Spearmint offers a milder, sweeter flavor, while peppermint gives you a stronger, minty punch. Choose based on how zippy you want your drink.
Yes! After steeping, you can simmer the used mint with sugar and a vanilla bean to make a minty syrup - great for flavor-customized iced tea.
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How To Make Mint Ice Tea
An easy way to make mint ice tea from fresh leaves.
Ingredients
- fresh mint leaves
- water
- honey
- lemon
- ice
Instructions
- Pluck a generous handful of fresh mint leaves in your garden.
- Bring water to a boil, then add the fresh mint leaves.
- Let it steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the leaves. Allow the tea to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer to a glass or a pitcher and add a splash of lemon juice and a little honey to taste.
- Fill your glasses with ice and a lemon slice before pouring in the mint tea to serve.
- Optionally, add a few fresh mint leaves for a refreshing touch. Enjoy every sip!
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