Refreshing Blackberry Iced Tea in the Instant Pot for Summer
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Blackberry Iced Tea is a sophisticated yet refreshing beverage, ideal for serving at afternoon tea parties in the summer. This is an Instant Pot recipe but the same delicious drink can be achieved without one by combining black tea, blackberries, basil, and honey.
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Blackberry Iced Tea
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
I love iced tea. My first experience was drinking it on a vacation to Texas with my dad back in the 90s and I’ve been hooked ever since!
If you have fresh blackberries growing in your garden (and even if you don’t and have to buy them!) why not put them to good use in this blackberry iced tea recipe?
The tea is steeped in an Instant Pot in this recipe, however, you can still make delicious blackberry iced tea without one. It’ll take a little longer, but you’ll still be able to enjoy a glass of this refreshing drink.
You could even experiment with other soft fruit like raspberries or strawberries, giving you a choice of different flavors to enjoy – perfect for afternoon tea or a garden party!
Pair iced tea with delicious desserts like Blueberry Pistachio Layer Cake, Carrot Cake Cookies, or Seven Layer Bars made with butterscotch, coconut, and chocolate.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It does not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, and pepper, as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen already. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Blackberries, Basil, Lemons
- Black Tea Bags
- Honey – try to buy locally produced honey when possible.
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Blackberries
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is blackberries, so here are some more recipes using the same:
More Iced Tea Recipes
Looking for more iced tea recipes to make? Check these out next:
Recipe Tips
- To reduce bitterness, add a pinch of baking soda prior to brewing and remove tea bags as soon as the pressure has been fully released.
How Do I Make Blackberry Iced Tea?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Blackberry Iced Tea
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 6 black tea bags paper tags removed
- 1½ cups fresh blackberries divided
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup water
- 2 Tbspfresh lemon juice
Optional Garnish
- Fresh blackberries
- Fresh basil sprigs
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Add water, tea bags, and a half cup blackberries to Instant Pot® and stir to combine. Add lid and lock into place. Switch the vent to “Sealing” and set the “Manual” setting to 5 minutes.
- While the tea is brewing, add remaining blackberries, basil, honey, and water to saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, gently pressing on the blackberries to release their juices while continually stirring the mixture to combine, for 4-5 minutes. Once honey is completely melted and the mixture starts to thicken, remove from heat and set aside.
- When cook time on Instant Pot® is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release to release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully strain hot tea mixture with a fine mesh strainer. Pour the reserved liquid into a large, heat-resistant pitcher and sweeten with the blackberry honey simple syrup, to taste. Add fresh lemon juice and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately over ice with fresh blackberries and a sprig of fresh basil for garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
- Follow step 1 but place ingredients into a regular saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and discard the teabags. Leave to cool for 1 hour.
- Follow step 2 of the recipe to make the blackberry syrup.
- Strain the tea into a pitcher, add blackberry syrup and lemon juice to taste. Stir to combine.
- Follow step 5 to serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Full Meal
This drink would work perfectly for afternoon tea or dining al fresco, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:
- Appetizer: 15-Minute Grilled Marinated Asparagus with Italian Gremolata
- Soup: Instant Pot Creamy Asparagus Soup Recipe
- Salad: Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes & Feta
- Main Dish: Cast Iron Chicken Provençal with Tomatoes & Olives
- Side Dish: Butter Parsley Baby Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Beverage: Fresh & Delicious Grapefruit Margaritas
- Dessert: Instant Pot Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberries & Blueberries
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.