Cherry Lemon Tea

Instead of making traditional and well-loved Southern Sweet Tea, cool down this summer with naturally sweetened Cherry Lemon Tea! Made with a handful of readily available ingredients, including cherries, this flavored tea takes little hands-on time and stores beautifully in the refrigerator for days. It results in a bright, slightly sweet-tart iced tea recipe is the perfect refreshment to sip on a hot summer’s day!

I’ve gotta be real with y’all. I was raised in the South and have lived in the South my entire life… but I didn’t like cold OR hot tea until I was really pregnant.

Even the sweet rendition was disgusting to me before then.

It wasn’t until I was overdue with our firstborn that hot teas started sounding good.

In fact, the only reason it was even on my radar was because my doctor told me it could potentially help bring on labor.

And really, at that point, I was willing to try anything if it meant my body went into labor on its own (it didn’t), and I didn’t have to be induced (I did.)

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I drank that red raspberry leaf tea, which I jokingly called “labor tea,” like it was going out of style the week between my due date and induction date… and it actually didn’t taste horrible.

Fast forward to all these years later, and tea still hits the spot for me.

And these days, I’m all about changing it up and flavoring my teas with natural flavors, like frozen or fresh fruit.

This recipe? It marries fragrant cherries with tart lemon and complex black tea to result in a beautiful sipper to enjoy during a brief warm spell… or all summer long.

Why I love this tea recipe:

This homemade Lemon Cherry Tea recipe is a total crowd pleaser, and it came about because my mother was in town visiting and requested tea to pair with our lunch.

As we were discussing this, I realized a few things:

1. I had some pitted cherries in the freezer that were calling my name.
2. The strawberry tea recipe I developed last summer was quite delish. (Fun tea flavors for the WIN!)
3. Cherry tea with a bit of lemon juice would be tart and slightly sweet and wonderful.

This tea couldn’t be easier, y’all, and it strikes that perfect balance. We use black tea bags (so this is not an herbal tea, white tea or a green tea situation, though I suppose you could swap the black tea bags out for those if desired) and a delicious amount of real cherries to flavor the tea.

And I’m so glad because sometimes, we just need a naturally sweet, delicious drink with vibrant flavor AND color that can be ready to go with very little work.

More refreshing drink recipes to enjoy throughout the summer months: Fresh Squeezed Lemonade | Homemade Cherry Limeade |

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Liquid measuring cup
• Saucepan
• Tea pot (I have this electric one and love it)
• Large bowl, if using a tea pot
• Glass pitcher
• Citrus juicer
• Long wooden spoon or rubber spatula

Here is what you need to grab from the grocery store:

• Water — cold water from the tap is totally fine for this recipe. You need 6 cups or 48 oz of water to make this.
• Pitted cherries — I like to use frozen cherries so I can enjoy this refreshing tea year-round, but you can use fresh if those are in season. These are going to give the tea that deep cherry flavoring that you cannot get otherwise. (No artificial flavors here!) I prefer a sweet cherry to a tart one for this recipe. I do not recommend using dried or candied cherries in this recipe.
• Black tea bags — or your favorite loose black tea leaves and a steeper. You could probably substitute this with your favorite green tea bag or a non-caffeinated tea blend, if you are concerned about the caffeine level of black tea.
• Agave nectar — this sweetens the tea just slightly. You may add a little more of it, if you like your tea sweeter. You could use the same amount of simple syrup, if preferred.
• Lemon juice — freshly squeezed, please and thank you. The shelf-stable bottled stuff is simply not as fragrant.

How to make Lemon Cherry Tea

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. You may also do this in a tea pot (electric or stovetop).

Remove the water from the stovetop. Add the cherries and the tea bags directly to the saucepan. (If using a tea pot, pour the boiling water into a large bowl or a heat-safe pitcher.) Measure in the agave nectar, and stir until dissolved into the mixture.

Steep for 30 minutes to an hour.

Strain the tea, and transfer to a pitcher.

Pour in the lemon juice, and give it a good stir to combine. This takes the tea to a whole new level.

Chill in the refrigerator, and enjoy cold!

Or if you’re like us, pour the tea straight into glasses after it steeps, add an ample amount of ice, and sip immediately.

Quick tips and tricks for the best fruit tea:

• Let it steep for long enough. ​This will allow the tea and cherries to release lots of flavor and color.
• Serve it hot or cold. ​Since we add lemon to this recipe, this would make a soothing cup to if you’ve got a sore throat… even though I really like this iced.
• Tinker with the sweetness. ​I, personally, like this as a tart tea with the cherries bringing natural sweetness and just a kiss of added sweetness from the agave nectar. If you like yours sweeter, simply add some more agave… but taste as you do this so that you do not over-sweeten it.

Here’s how you make it this cherry tea today so you can enjoy this new favorite, too: