Cool off this summer with this delicious oolong peach iced tea! Prepared with an easy homemade peach syrup to sweeten up a floral oolong cold tea, it makes for the best refresher to enjoy on a sunny day.

Showing is a glass of Oolong peach iced tea that's filled with ice cubes and slices of peach. There is a large pitcher in the background with more of the tea as well as a second glass with some of the tea. There are pieces of peach on the side and a black and white with dots hand towel on the side.

Having a pitcher of homemade peach iced tea hanging out in your fridge might be just what you need to get yourself into a summer vibe. You don't even need to wait for a special occasion or to be hosting to make it. It comes together super easily and stores well for days.

You then will have a very good reason to sit back, hopefully in the sun, while slowly sipping on a fruity refreshing drink. How great does that sound?

Because this peach iced tea is such a great summer's refreshing drink. It has a very peachy flavor that's just perfectly sweetened up with a beautiful amber color. Serve it extra cold at BBQs or on hot days for an instant cooling effect.

What's oolong tea?

Oolong tea origins from China (and Taiwan) simply is a category of tea, just like black or green tea. All kinds of tea come from the same plant called Camellia Sinensis (tea plant) and the type of tea made will simply depend on the processing method.

One of the most important processing manipulations is the oxidation. Roughly, when the tea plant is fully oxidized, it turns into black tea and when it is barely oxidized, then you end up with green tea.

Oolong tea is partially oxidized, somewhere in between black and green tea's oxidation level. The amount of oxidation done vary widely from tea masters, which can have an impact on flavor and also on the color. In all cases, oolong tea has a rich, floral and malty flavor that's so delicious.

Also, oolong tea is a great addition to a healthy lifestyle as, similarly to green tea, it contains lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is also worth mentioning that although much less when comparing to coffee, oolong does contain caffeine (use caffeine free herbal tea if serving for kids).

Which peach to use when making this oolong peach iced tea

I have to admit that I have made it a few times using frozen peaches as we were not quite in the peach season. Since the fruit gets crushed into the drink, the difference between fresh vs frozen fruits was not that obvious. So, you don't necessarily have to wait for peach season for make this drink!

If using fresh fruit, then both yellow or white will work well. White peaches have a subtle sweeter and floral flavor while the yellow ones will create a stronger amber color.

If you have extra peaches, then be sure to try these other peach recipes

Overhead view on 2 glasses of oolong peach iced tea that are filled with ice cubes and slices of peach. There is a large pitcher with more of the tea on the side.

How to make oolong peach iced tea

Making an homemade peach iced tea is all about the homemade peach syrup! Don't be afraid by the idea of making your own fruity simple syrup as it is SO easy. This version is also a little healthier than lots of other syrup recipes as the granulated sugar is replaced by agave nectar. And using peaches allows you to use less sweetener too.

Make the simple peach syrup

In a small pot, combine the peach, water and agave nectar. Stir and bring to a simmer. Let the mixture simmer for a few minutes while stirring and use a masher to crush the peaches a little to get some of their juice out. After about 5-10 minutes, remove from the heat, cover and let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Then, strain the peach mixture using a fine mesh colander. The pink-amber juice is what you will use as your peach syrup.

In process picture: you can see a hand mashing some peach in a small pot that also has water and agave nectar

In process picture: you can see a large spoon that's pressing on cooked fruits to get the juice out.

Although you won't need the chunks of peach that's remaining in the colander, I still recommend to keep it to spread over toasts, oatmeal, scones, muffins, etc.

As a side note, you don't have to use extra sweetener if your fruits are super sweet.

Make the tea

While the peach syrup is simmering, then simply steep your tea in a large pitcher. I usually use bags of tea, but use loose tea leaves if you have them. I also steep the tea bags directly inside the serving or storing container.

I like to steep oolong tea for at least 5 minutes, but no more than 7-9 minutes (so it doesn't get bitter), so set a timer if needed.

In process picture: Overhead view on a large pitcher that's steeping tea with 2 hands holding on it.

Also, the perfect temperature to steep oolong tea is around 190º. What I usually do is have the water in my kettle come to a complete boil (212º), then let it sit just for a few minutes so it can cools down a bit, then use it to steep the tea. This is not an exact science of course, but this method works well for me. Feel free to measure the temperature of your water before steeping if you want.

Combine and cool down

Once the tea is done steeping, then remove the bags/leaves and add the peach syrup to the tea. Give it a good stir and transfer to the fridge so it can cool down.

This recipe will give you a peach tea that's just perfectly sweetened for my taste buds, but if you prefer, add some and taste along the way. If it is not sweet enough after adding all the syrup, then you can also simply add more agave directly to the pitcher.

In process picture: you can see a peach syrup being poured inside of a large pitcher containing tea

In process picture: There is a long stick that's stirring inside of a large pitcher containing a orange juicy mixture.

Watch how to make it

Close up on a glass of oolong peach iced tea that's filled with ice cubes and slices of peach. There is a large pitcher in the background with more of the tea as well as a second glass with some of the tea.

How to serve it

Crisp extra cold is definitively the way to serve it. Try to allow some time for the iced tea to chill completely in the fridge before serving. This will also help to enhance the flavors to an extra peachy deliciousness level. If you are in a rush and need to serve it right away, then make sure to fill the glass with lots of ice cubes first.

And if you have extra peaches, then slice them and add to the pitcher/glasses too for added flavor and to make the drink look amazing.

If you have frozen peaches handy, then add them too so it act like a peach ice cube!

Other refreshing summer drinks you might like

I hope you enjoy this oolong peach iced tea as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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📖 Recipe