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Passion Fruit Iced Tea

Passion Fruit Iced Tea

This passion fruit iced tea proves that a genuinely refreshing summer recipe needs nothing beyond black tea, ripe tropical fruit, and a little patience while it chills. You follow the five-minute steep, the warm honey dissolve, and the full hour in the fridge, and this iced tea rivals anything sold at a specialty drive-thru for a fraction of the price. Whether you drink it plain or dress it up with mint or lime, this recipe turns a pile of wrinkly passion fruit into the best pitcher of tea in the fridge.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Tropical
Calories: 55
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups water divided
  • 4 black tea bags
  • 4 fresh passion fruits halved
  • ¼ cup honey or simple syrup
  • 2 cups ice cubes
  • Passion fruit slices or mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan
  • Fine mesh strainer
  • Large heatproof pitcher

Method
 

  1. Brew the tea
    You bring four cups of water to a gentle boil, remove it from the heat, and steep the tea bags for five minutes before pouring the brewed tea into a large heatproof pitcher. Leaving the bags in far longer than that turns the tea bitter enough to hold a grudge.
  2. Prepare the passion fruit
    You cut the passion fruits in half and scoop the bright yellow pulp and seeds into a bowl.
  3. Make the passion fruit mixture
    You combine the pulp, two cups of water, and the honey in the saucepan, heating gently for three to four minutes while stirring until the honey fully dissolves.
  4. Strain and combine
    You pour the warm passion fruit mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the pitcher of brewed tea, stirring well until fully combined. Skipping the strainer keeps the seeds in for anyone who prefers a bit of crunch.
  5. Chill the tea
    You let the tea cool slightly, then refrigerate it for at least one hour until fully cold. Adding ice to warm tea produces sad, watery tea instead of a properly chilled drink.
  6. Serve
    You fill glasses with ice cubes and pour the chilled tea over the top, garnishing with passion fruit slices or mint leaves if desired.

Recipe Notes

  • Black tea bags: I use whatever is sitting in the back of my pantry, since the passion fruit carries most of the flavor.
  • Fresh passion fruit: I only buy the wrinkly, slightly shriveled ones, since smooth round fruit turns out sharply sour.
  • Honey: I use regular honey for natural sweetness. Simple syrup substitutes for a fully vegan version.
  • Water: I divide this between brewing the tea and dissolving the honey into the fruit mixture.