I Tested ‘Sprite Iced Tea,’ and Here’s What I Thought About This Internet Sensation

I’m suspicious of most TikTok recipes. Pancake cereal? Oreo sushi? Flamin’ Hot Cheeto salad? It’s like Mad Libs, where you put random words together and see what happens. But when I saw this TikTok mashup go viral, I had to test Sprite iced tea.

What is ‘Sprite iced tea’?

You steep tea bags in Sprite to create a carbonated sweet tea. If you’re a fan of sweet tea, especially in hot weather, this thirst-quencher is worth trying.

The TikTok video that started the trend was posted on July 17 and now has 17 million views. And unlike some viral videos that demand fancy ingredients or a complicated process, this recipe is ridiculously simple to make.

@hishamraustv REFRESHING GILER ! – Sprite Lemon Tea #fyp #tiktokfood #lemontea ♬ original sound – Hisham Raus

How to Make Sprite Iced Tea

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper For Taste Of Home

Ingredients

• Sprite: Use a 20-ounce bottle for a single serving.
• Tea bags: There are all kinds of tea bags, all brands, all flavors. Lipton is the big dog, of course, but I’ve seen TikTok creators using fancy brands and flavored teas. Lipton even has a cold brew-specific tea. I tested a variety of teas, and they all eventually work. I did discover that the bags meant for hot tea took longer to steep and impart their flavor.
• Lemon: Have a lemon on hand for serving, along with some ice.

Directions

Pour a little Sprite out of the bottle before you add the tea bags so there’s room for the concoction to fizz and fuss. Then, add two tea bags. The Sprite bottle neck is slim, but if you’re patient, you can find a way to roll the tea bags and slide them in. Honestly, if not, make the drink in an open glass, I did this in one of my experiments, and it seemed to work fine.

Cap the bottle, and gently turn it upside down a few times to make sure the tea bags get covered in Sprite.

Now, you wait. The tea will infuse into the Sprite and it will turn the color of tea. Many of the TikTokkers I watched showed this happening within 10 minutes or so. That happened when I used the tea bags meant for cold brew, but when I used the tea bags meant for hot tea, I had to wait 30 minutes.

When the Sprite iced tea is brewed to your liking, carefully twist off the bottle cap. (If you didn’t pour out enough Sprite when you started, it may overflow.) Squeeze some fresh lemon juice into a glass with ice and pour in the Sprite-tea mix. Toss in a lemon slice, or hook one on the edge of the cup for a stylish selfie. Cheers!

What does Sprite iced tea taste like?

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper For Taste Of Home

Sprite iced tea is excellent!

I’m not a huge fan of regular Sprite, which I find sweet and not especially flavorful. But the tea mellowed the sweetness of the Sprite and delivered a pleasant, tangy flavor that blended well with the soda’s carbonation. I kept going back and pouring more! It’s a delightful twist on regular iced tea.

I also think squeezing the lemon into the glass helped, as there was a nice freshness from the lemon juice.

The drink reminded me of the classic Arnold Palmer, the half-lemonade, half-iced tea beverage made famous by the iconic golfer. (There are even Arnold Palmer cupcakes!) I prefer the Sprite iced tea to an Arnold Palmer the fizz of the Sprite is a fun addition.

Summer may be about over, but we drink soft drinks all year, so I see no reason Sprite iced tea can’t stay around during colder months. Get the par-tea started!