Good Ol' Alabama Sweet Tea

 

This sweet tea is found in houses, churches, and cafes all over the great state of Alabama. If you're north of the Mason-Dixon, you've NEVER had tea this good! Fresh-squeezed lemon, lime, or orange juice can be added for an extra flavor.

Submitted by LOVECATS2001 

 

Updated on June 16, 2026

8

Prep Time:

1 mins

Cook Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

11 mins

Servings:

16

Yield:

1 gallon

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Bold orange pekoe tea and lots of sugar deliver classic Alabama-style flavor that stands out.
• Hot tea poured over ice results in a smooth, well-blended drink; add citrus juice for a tangy finish.
• “Married to an Alabama boy and this ratio is right for Alabama Sweet Tea.” —Allrecipes member redspud.

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Ingredients

1/2X

1X

2X

Original recipe (1X) yields 16 servings

• 2 cups sugar

• ½ gallon water

• 1 tray ice cubes

• 3 family sized teabags of orange pekoe tea

• 3 cups cold water, or as needed

Directions

1. Pour the sugar into a large pitcher. Bring water to a boil in a large pan. When the water begins to boil, remove from the heat, and place the teabags in. Let steep for 5 to 6 minutes.

2. Remove tea bags, and return tea to the heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour into the pitcher, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill the pitcher half way with ice, and stir until most of it melts. Then fill the pitcher the rest of the way with cold water, and stir until blended.

225 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

97	Calories
25g	Carbs

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Reviews (139)

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Good Ol' Alabama Sweet Tea

My Rating

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My Review

4.4 out of 5

182 Ratings

5 star

121

4 star

37

3 star

13

2 star

3

1 star

8

225 home cooks made it!

Most helpful positive review

PATWEIGAND

01/23/2008

This tea was wonderful but I did cut the sugar to a little over one cup. The only problem I had was when I poured the boiling water into the glass pitcher it cracked. Thinking it was an old pitcher I bought a new one and the same thing happen again. So I now disolve the sugar in the pan of hot tea and when that cools I pour it into a glass pitcher. NOTE: I only use a stainless steel pan to make my tea.

Featured Tweaks

FunFig9116

07/19/2023

redspud

05/17/2011

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06/21/2009

Baylorlana

06/20/2009

grumpy1011

06/22/2009

CHENNECHIC

07/19/2010

shell89

08/22/2008

Kitchen Queen

11/02/2007

countrygirl

05/19/2016

Missy

07/01/2014

139 Reviews

ProTart8778

05/24/2025

A keeper!Great flavorsEasy to followWorth the effortFamily favoriteCrowd-pleaser

Love it and my family is picky, thank you for the recipe!! I doubled it 😊🥰

Myron

03/27/2025

Great flavors

Terri New

12/27/2022

I'm from Georgia and this is exactly how I make my sweet tea.

SereneCream3171

03/23/2022

Easy, self explanatory, and tasty EDITED

Brian Roberts

08/01/2021

reduced sugar to 1 1/2 cups, used Yorkshire tea, turned out great

Kristi

08/21/2020

But I wish I had known about putting a butter knife down in the pitcher to keep it from cracking because I poured some hot tea in a glass pitcher and the pitcher shattered and the hot tea burned my stomach really bad and there was glass everywhere!

Charlotte CharlottesEyeCandy

06/08/2019

I used six raspberry tea bags since it's all I had and I'm on bed rest. I also changed the sweetener to 5 packets of Truvia. Honestly, for my own Texas girl taste buds, I will use a couple more next time. However, all in all, great glass of tea!! Thank you!!

Kathy

06/07/2018

I make this tea with splenda. my husband says this is the best sweet tea ever. he's from Texas, and sweet tea has always been a big thing.

Holly Sauvageot

03/19/2018

Good recipe but cut the sugar to a little over 1 cup, taste a little, then add more!!! You can always add more but you can’t take it out.