Launch your summer iced tea to next-level freshness with this super-simple Lemongrass Iced Green Tea Recipe. Crisp, citrusy, ice-cold and ready in no time!
This sultry July has had me looking for creative ways to cool off while still enjoying time outside. Lounging in a kid pool on the roof of our brownstone: check. Eating Bomb-Pop after Bomb-Pop while reading a book on the fire escape: check. Lately, I’ve been filling a travel mug with ice cold mugicha (Japanese barley tea) and heading for Prospect Park to lounge on a beach-towel surrounded by trees and buzzing bees. It got me thinking that a fresh crisp iced tea with citrusy elements might be doubly refreshing. Therefore, I got to work! The result is this lemongrass iced green tea recipe. And it’ll change the way you think about quenching your summer thirst!
Lemongrass is used heavily in Southeast Asian cuisine – and in tea in a ton of African and Latin American cultures. There is a lemony essence to lemongrass, however it isn’t interchangeable with lemon. With lemongrass, you get a floral, citrusy and almost spicy undertone, minus the acidic and aggressive properties you get with lemon. It works hand in hand with iced green tea to elevate the freshness factor when served ice cold. I also added star anise and a cinnamon stick to this delicious brew. The result is a lemongrass iced green tea that has a lightly spiced finish just underneath the bright, thirst-quenching heart and soul!
What’s really cool about this heat-beating lemongrass iced green tea is that green tea is one of the healthiest things you can drink. It is absolutely loaded with catechins – antioxidants that prevent and fight cell damage. Add improved blood flow and cholesterol lowering benefits to the list of things that catechins excel at, and suddenly this lemongrass iced green tea seems like way more than just a cooling summer drink.
While I haven’t totally ditched my cold mugicha, I have been loading up the travel mug with this lemongrass iced green tea way more often for my summer afternoon forays to the park. Ben and I are workaholics – but we’ve made a pact to get out and enjoy the summer before it’s all said and done. We’re seizing those long summer days! It feels so good to step away from the computer and head outside – even if it’s for only a few minutes. Yes, it’s hot outside. But it’s glorious too! What do you do to beat the summer heat while still enjoying time outside? Tell me about your summertime lifehacks in the comments!
Other simple, delicious summer drink recipes:
- Ginger Soda With Lime Leaf and Chili
- Mint Lemonade (Low Sugar)
- Green Goddess Smoothie
- Gazpacho Bloody Mary
- Thai Iced Tea
Did you like this Lemongrass Iced Green Tea Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Lemongrass Iced Green Tea
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 iced tea 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
Launch your summer iced tea to next-level freshness with this super-simple Lemongrass Iced Green Tea Recipe. Crisp, lemony, ice-cold and ready in no time!
Ingredients
- 6 stalks lemongrass
- 4 green tea bags
- 5 cups water
- 2 star anise
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 thumb size ginger, peeled and chopped into chunks
- freshly sliced lime and lemon for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Take two lemongrass stalks and lightly bruise them using the flat side of a knife.
- Add them to a pot along with sugar, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and water. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Turn the heat off, add green tea bags and let them steep for 10 minutes.
- Using a strainer, pour tea into a pitcher and refrigerate until cold.
- Garnish each glass with a lemongrass stalk and serve with ice cubes and fresh slices of lime and lemon.
Notes
Save this lemongrass iced tea in a pitcher and refrigerate for up to 10 days.
