Ina Garten Just Shared a Refreshing Herbal Iced Tea Recipe—And It's Just 3 Ingredients

During the lazy, hazy days of summer, nothing hits the spot like a tall glass of iced tea. And no one knows this better than Ina Garten. 

In one of her latest Instagram posts, the Barefoot Contessa posted a photo of what looks like fruit punch. But when you read the caption, you realize that it’s herbal iced tea, which she served her guests “after a very hot garden tour.” 

At the end of her post, Garten teases followers with a question. “Do you know the secret ingredient I use as a sweetener?”

Of course, that just made me want to look up the recipe, which I found on Garten’s website. It consists of three ingredients: 

• 4 Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger tea bags
• 4 Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea bags
• 4 cups 100% apple juice

Yes, the secret sweetener is apple juice—which adds sweetness and apple flavor to this icy, zingy drink. 

And the recipe is simple: Steep all 8 tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water for 10 minutes and then discard the tea bags. Then, combine the tea with the apple juice and refrigerate until cold. Serve it over ice. This recipe makes 6 to 8 servings.

If you’ve never had Lemon Zinger or Red Zinger teas, they’re both complex flavors headlined by tangy, fruity hibiscus. Hibiscus tea is loaded with health benefits, thanks in part to its antioxidants, which may reduce inflammation, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar. It may also help support your immune system.  

Each tea is combined with other herby, woody flavors. For example, besides hibiscus, Red Zinger contains rosehips, lemongrass, peppermint, orange peel, licorice, lemon verbena and wild cherry bark. And Lemon Zinger has orange peel, roasted chicory, rose hips, lemongrass and lemon peel. 

Each of these plant-based ingredients adds its own health benefits to the (tea) pot. For example, peppermint contributes soothing menthol that may ease stomach upset and can have a calming effect on your mood. And like the flesh and juice of these citrus beauties, orange and lemon peel contains nutrients and antioxidants. The peel also houses the fruits’ essential oil (the combination of peppermint and sweet orange essential oils is one of my favorites to diffuse too!).

These teas are considered herbal and caffeine-free, so you can sip them without getting the caffeine jitters. 

With that said, this iced tea recipe isn’t one you’ll want to imbibe all day long. While the apple juice adds sweetness and nutrition with no added sugar—1 cup of 100% apple juice provides over 100% of your day’s worth of vitamin C—it also adds calories. There are 114 calories in that same cup of juice, which could add up quickly if you drank it all day long (remember, we want to eat and drink a variety of foods!). And apple juice lacks the fiber that a whole apple provides. 

Overall, this tangy refresher is a healthy way to cool down and stay hydrated during the dog days of summer. Just enjoy it in moderation. Now, please pass the ice.