Making Herbal Tea Ice Cubes

It was almost 90 degrees in the high desert yesterday, so I probably don’t need to tell you that I’ve got a few batches of iced herbal tea in the fridge to keep me cool, calm, and happy! As the days get longer and the sun shines stronger, many of us crave cool treats that help beat the heat. Iced herbal tea is a great solution because it delivers countless health benefits while quenching our thirst and dropping the temperature at the same time. As if that wasn’t good enough, I’ve been using special ice cubes made with some really fun ingredients to help chill my tea even more while adding natural sweetness. In this post I’ll be sharing my simple herbal tea ice cube recipe and giving some some ideas on what you can make your ice cubes from. Enjoy, and stay cool!

In order to create herbal tea ice cubes, there are just a few things you’ll need to have on hand…

• Ice tray
• Fresh or frozen organic fruit
• Coconut water
• Iced herbal tea

That’s all! You can try all of the ideas below, make whatever you have on hand, or just go with what sounds best to your taste buds. The sky is the limit here, so have fun mixing-and-matching.

Here’s how to make delicious, beautiful, and healthy herbal tea ice cubes…

Fruit Cubes

Cut up fresh, organic fruit (or use frozen) and add them to the individual spots in your ice cube tray. Try to fill each space up about 1/3 of the way. Top off with cool water and freeze.

Some of my favorite fruits to make ice cubes from are strawberries because they hold up so well, blueberries because they dye the cubes a really nice color, and lemon pieces since they often bring out the best in iced herbal tea blends.

Coconut Water

Instead of making ice cubes from plain water, try filling your tray with coconut water! They freeze up nicely, have a really interesting opaque look, and they add a natural and healthy sweetness to any herbal tea you add them to. I always have a tray on hand and use them in iced tea and smoothie blends!

Herbal Tea Ice Cubes

Another fun way to create ice cubes that will chill your tea blends without watering them down is to fill your ice cube tray up with strong iced herbal tea and put them in your freezer just like you would plain water cubes. Rose hips, lemon balm, lemon peel, orange peel, chamomile, stevia, and lavender iced teas all transform into really amazing ice cubes – try them all! I like to make tea I’ll be using for ice cubes about 50% stronger than I would for normal sipping.

 Making herbal ice cubes is a fun, simple, and delicious way to cool down no matter how hot it gets outside while adding even more nourishment and healing power to every sip of your tea blend.

In celebration of summer, here’s one of my favorite iced herbal tea recipes and an ice cube idea that really completes the drink. Make a pitcher of this and serve it at a summer party to really ‘wow’ your loved ones!

Lemon Lavender Iced Herbal Tea Recipe

Here’s what you’ll need…

• 32 ounce Canning Jar (or any glass jar with a lid)
• Dried Lemon Balm & Lavender
• Dried Lemongrass, Rose Hips, Lemon Peel, or Orange Peel (all optional)
• Fresh Lemon
• Fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or any other berries
• Ice cube tray
• Coconut Water (optional)

First, make your ice cubes…

• Place a few pieces of your chosen fruit or berries in each cube space in your ice cube tray
• Top off with water or coconut water
• Place in the freezer

Now, start your iced herbal tea…

• Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of Lemon Balm with 1/2 tablespoon lavender
• Mix in 2 teaspoons of any other herbs from the list above, or that you’d like to try
• Place blend in your 32 ounce jar and top off with water
• Add several thick slices of lemon
• Put the lid on your jar and place it in the fridge
• After at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours, strain the tea into a glass or canning jar
• Add your herbal tea ice cubes, garnish with a fresh lemon wedge, and enjoy!

Have fun exploring the endless flavor, color, and healing property possibilities of herbal tea ice cubes, and if you find something you really love, share it with me in the comments below so that I can give it a try!

Here’s To A Healthy, Cool Summer!