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Sweet Iced Tea-Sugar Free

October 8, 2013 By Gwen Brown 39 Comments

sugar free sweet iced tea? Yep! And southern girl approved.Can REAL Sweet Iced Tea be sugar free?  This southern girl is here to tell you YES it can!  I’m an artificial sweetener despiser, but I promise that a good brand of stevia is all it takes to take your sweet tea from flab to fab.  I’ve read many a story of a true southern sweet tea lover who accidentally drank some stevia sweetened sugar free sweet tea and didn’t EVEN know it wasn’t ‘real’.  It’s that good.

If you’re a Trim Healthy Mama like me, this would be a Fuel Pull beverage that you could enjoy anytime.  Well, anytime there is any left in the pitcher

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Which is why today on Trim Healthy Tuesday, I’m also going to share my favorite trick: how to make tea concentrate!  I make one batch of tea that makes two or three pitchers…enough to last at least a full day. 🙂  This lovely pitcher is actually a vintage Pyrex coffee percolater.  Cool, huh?  I just took out the percolating parts, and it’s my fave tea pitcher now.  I fill it with 1-2 cups of water per batch that I’m going to make.  Bring your water to a full boil.

P1120094Drop in 2 family sized tea bags per batch.  I am making 2 batches here.  Allow to steep for 5 minutes or until you remember that you’re making tea.

P1120095Now add 2 small scoops of good quality stevia extract per batch.  I still have a little NuNaturals stevia left, and it didn’t come with a scoop, so I’m using these AWESOME Mini Measuring Spoonsthat my sister gave me.  A dash is about the size of 2 of the small scoops (or doonks) that come in some brands of Stevia.  I like 2 “doonks” of the Trim Healthy Mama stevia.  Each stevia is slightly different in sweetness values, so you’ll want to start small and see what works to your taste.

I feel the need to confess that prior to Trim Healthy Mama, I’d put 3/4 cups of sugar in every pitcher of sweet tea.  No wonder my jeans were so large back then.  Gracious.

NOW…this is where things get practical.  I made a double batch of tea here, so I poured half of it off into a little jar.  Then I fill the pitcher the rest of the way with water, and we’re in business.Tea-CollageSo that’s one pitcher of sugar free REAL sweet ice tea, and a second jar of concentrate.  When your first pitcher runs dry, just dump the concentrate in, and fill with water.   Life is good when you’ve got concentrate in the fridge. 🙂 P1120104It’s so easy to do this with other types of drink recipes too, once you know how much sweetener you prefer.  Lemon-aid, chai, or your favorite warm beverage can be done the same way, and simply refreshed with cold or even boiling water to bring it to the temp you like.

Stacy is making Spaghetti Squash Primavera today over at www.stacymakescents.

Here’s a printable Sweet Ice Tea-Sugar Free recipe just for you

Sweet Ice Tea-Sugar Free
 
Print
My very favorite trick with sweet tea is to use a good quality Stevia extract, and to make several batches at once...so I've got a fridge stocked with tea concentrate!
Author: Gwen
Ingredients
  • 1-2 cups of water per 'batch' of concentrate you're making
  • 2 family sized teabags per batch
  • 2 of the enclosed measuring scoops ("doonks") of THM Stevia,or
    1/8th t. of your favorite stevia extract per batch
Instructions
  1. Bring water to boil
  2. Remove from heat, and add tea bags.
  3. Allow to steep for 5 minutes or more, to desired strength.
  4. Remove tea bags with a fork.
  5. Add sweetener.
  6. Divide concentrate into equal amounts in storage jars, and label.
  7. With remaining amount of concentrate in pitcher, fill with water.
Notes
This is a "Fuel Pull" recipe if you're a Trim Healthy Mama like me.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe
3.5.3208

 

And now for LOTS more Trim & Healthy Inspiration…

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Drinks & Beverages, Recipes, THM Drinks & Beverages, THM FP Drinks & Beverages Tagged With: Awesome Sugar Free Recipes, coconut free, dairy free, egg free, grain free, kitchen tips, nut free, Trim Healthy Mama, Trim Healthy Tuesday

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  1. Stacy says

    October 8, 2013 at 7:47 AM

    I’m trying to be excited about this…I really am. But my deep hatred of tea just won’t let me. Barry, however, is a tea lover and pretty stinkin’ happy. 🙂

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      October 8, 2013 at 10:35 PM

      My own sister strongly dislikes tea. 🙂 I enjoy it.

      Reply
  2. Rashel says

    October 8, 2013 at 8:49 AM

    I LOVE sweet tea and have been making mine with Stevia since starting THM. I have been experimenting to find the right balance, so I am excited to try this. I do have a question though – how much does your pitcher hold?
    Thank you,
    Rashel

    Reply
    • Rebekah says

      January 29, 2015 at 7:08 PM

      That’s my question too. I usually use 2 family size to make a whole gallon of tea.

      Reply
      • Gwen says

        January 31, 2015 at 12:50 PM

        My pitcher is a half gallon…I’ll add that to the directions. 🙂 Great question!!! Sorry I missed it the first time around.

        Reply
  3. De says

    October 8, 2013 at 2:27 PM

    You might want to check out Mountain Rose Herbs of Frontier Natural Products Co-op for organic black tea. A world of difference! We’ve bought organic orange pekoe from Frontier (what Lipton’s is supposed to be!) for many years for making Kombucha and it’s sooooo good! The tea smells heavenly while brewing. =)

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      October 8, 2013 at 10:33 PM

      Thanks for the tips! I love a good tea. 🙂 Loose leaf is usually better, but just messier to brew.

      Reply
    • Lorrie says

      May 5, 2016 at 12:32 AM

      Thanks for the tip.

      Reply
  4. Dakota122503 . says

    October 8, 2013 at 3:36 PM

    My husband loves ice tea, sweet or not. I love the idea of a concentrate! We are always running out! Thanks =)

    Reply
  5. Melissa Baitz says

    October 10, 2013 at 1:51 PM

    How much tea does the concentrate make per “batch”? I have a gallon pitcher I normally use. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      October 15, 2013 at 1:56 AM

      My pitcher is about a half gallon. You can really scale this up or down to fit whatever size you want.

      Reply
  6. Cynthia says

    October 11, 2013 at 2:00 PM

    I just started using xylitol and stevia extract in our tea. We don’t do it south sweet but it works well for us. Per gallon: 1/2 cup xylitol and about 8 small shakes NuNaturals stevia extract. I was doing just the xylitol but it was leaving it kind of flat. The stevia rounds it out nicely.

    Reply
  7. Annette says

    October 11, 2013 at 3:48 PM

    I just can’t get used to that stevia taste … I wish wish wish I could!

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      October 15, 2013 at 1:50 AM

      There is a LONG list of alternative and artificial sweeteners that I dislike the taste of, but the NOW or old NuNaturals is actually enjoyable for me.

      Reply
  8. Sarah A. says

    October 15, 2013 at 5:17 PM

    This sounds yummy! How big is your pitcher? 🙂

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      October 16, 2013 at 10:40 PM

      My pitcher is a half gallon. But you can scale this to any pitcher size…just use the amount of tea bags and sweetener you’d normally use, and triple it for a triple batch of concentrate.

      Reply
  9. holbrookjc says

    October 16, 2013 at 12:29 PM

    How big is the first scoop?

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      October 16, 2013 at 10:42 PM

      Kal and some other brands of stevia come with a scoop right in the container. I am not certain what size it is.

      Reply
  10. Green says

    November 9, 2013 at 4:55 PM

    Do you boil your water in the Pyrex coffee percolater? Is it glass?

    Reply
    • Its_Gwen says

      November 9, 2013 at 10:48 PM

      It IS heatproof glass! Isn’t it the coolest thing ever! 🙂 One of my vintage finds that I just love.

      Reply
  11. Cathy says

    April 7, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    Would each batch make a gallon or 1/2 gallon of tea? Thanks.

    Reply
  12. Roxanne says

    June 15, 2015 at 12:06 PM

    Is this a fuel pull because of the sweenter?

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      June 15, 2015 at 1:34 PM

      It’s a FP because there are no carbs or fats…so no fuels. 🙂

      Reply
      • Wendy says

        December 15, 2015 at 5:42 PM

        Which FTM sweetener would you use and how much? The pure Stevia? I hope this can replace my McDonald’s sweet tea obsession:)

        Reply
        • Gwen Brown says

          December 15, 2015 at 10:14 PM

          Yes. The pure stevia extract is what I use. 🙂
          It will vary on how sweet you like your tea, and how potent the stevia extract is that you’re using. Maybe start with the THM Sweetener Conversion chart?

          Reply
  13. Rebekah says

    February 21, 2016 at 4:45 PM

    I just looked up the Kal and it would appear they’ve started adding maltodexrin to it. Just thought if you haven’t seen that you might want to know 🙂

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      February 22, 2016 at 5:05 PM

      Hi Rebekah! Thanks for reminding me to update this older post. 🙂 I now use the THM stevia!

      Reply
  14. Amanda Klippenstein says

    April 17, 2016 at 11:28 PM

    I love iced tea, and am hoping this will be my new go to recipe for summer (rather than the super sugary iced tea I have been making in the past or Pepsi!). I have always liked having a concentrate in my fridge for quick drinks, and never thought to do the same with the THM drinks!

    Do you think this recipe would work well using the THM Super Sweet?

    It is what I have in my pantry currently.

    Reply
    • Gwen Brown says

      April 20, 2016 at 1:11 PM

      I would definitely try the THM Super Sweet Blend…it’s one of my favorites! I use about half of what I’d use for Truvia or similar sweeteners. I’d start small, like 1/4 to 1/3 of the amount of sugar you used to use, and find your sweet spot measurement. 🙂 Start with one pitcher and figure out your amount, and then it’s easy to multiply up to make a concentrate. 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply
  15. Shawn Webster says

    May 1, 2016 at 7:04 PM

    I use mango green tea with 2 donks of THM stevia! It’s awesome!

    Reply

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