Refreshing Instant Pot Blackberry iced tea is a delicious summer treat made easier by making it in your instant pot! Bonus this recipe is sugar-free and uses honey as a sweetener!
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I love making iced teas in the summer! It’s the perfect drink to cool off after an afternoon of yard work, a day of boating, or any other fun summer activity! I often pack instant pot blackberry iced tea in our cooler if we head to the park or off on a hike! This refreshing Instant Pot Blackberry Iced Tea is perfect for summer picnics, a day spent at the beach or lake, or your next neighborhood barbecue!
As an added bonus, if you have fresh blackberries available for picking near where you live this instant pot blackberry iced tea is an excellent way to take advantage of your harvest!
Why Use an Instant Pot?
If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet, run, don’t walk, run and get one now! I don’t know how I lived so long without this kitchen appliance in my home! This is my favorite kitchen appliance, second only to my air fryer!
So what is an Instant Pot you ask? An Instant Pot is a multi-functional electric pressure cooker that can be used to pressure cook, slow cooks like a crock pot, sauté, and steam foods. It’s compact and comes with multiple pre-programmed cooking modes including a yogurt-making setting! The best feature is that can be used to cook meals quickly and easily, as the pressure cooking feature helps to reduce cooking time while retaining the flavors and nutrients. You can use an Instant Pot to make rice, soups, stews, teas like this blackberry iced tea, rice and so much more! It acts as a slow cooker and a pressure cooker plus more! I got my instant pot on Amazon!
So why use an instant pot to make tea is the real question here? Using an instant pot to make tea allows you to cook the tea at a constant temperature. Not only does it heat water quickly but it also allows you to control the brewing time and temperature.
Blackberry Iced Tea Ingredients
Water – You gotta have water to make tea right!?!
Black Tea Bags – I prefer to use organic black tea to make my blackberry iced tea but feel free to use your favorite black tea here!
Fresh Blackberries – Do not use frozen blackberries, use fresh from the grocery store or if you’re lucky fresh ones you’ve picked locally!
Fresh Basil – Again only use fresh basil leaves for this recipe. If you don’t grow basil at home, give it a try. It’s a fairly easy herb to grow and there are so many uses for fresh basil. Alternatively, you can find fresh basil in your local grocery store’s produce section.
Honey – This is a sugar-free blackberry iced tea so to sweeten it we use honey! I love using local honey whenever possible and many grocery stores now carry local honey!
Fresh Lemon Juice – This adds a touch of flavor and brightens up the tea. Please grab a lemon and use fresh lemon juice!
How to Make Blackberry Iced Tea in the Instant Pot
Making instant pot blackberry iced tea in the instant pot takes about 20 minutes!
Add the water, tea bags, and a half cup of blackberries to the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Add the lid, lock it into place, and switch the vent to “Sealing”. Set the “Manual” setting to 5 minutes.
To reduce bitterness in the Instant Pot blackberry iced tea, add a pinch of baking soda prior to brewing and remove the tea bags as soon as the pressure has been fully released.
While the tea is brewing, you’ll make the blackberry honey simple syrup. Add the rest of the blackberries, basil leaves, honey, and water to a saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, gently mashing the blackberries to release their juices, while stirring to combine, for 4-5 minutes. Once the honey is completely melted and the mixture is slightly thickened, remove it from the heat and set aside.
When the cooking time on the Instant Pot is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release to release any remaining pressure.
Carefully, stain the hot tea with a fine mesh strainer and pour the reserved liquid into a large, heat-resisted pitcher. Sweeten the tea by adding the blackberry honey simple syrup to taste.
Add the fresh lemon juice and stir to combine.
Pour your instant pot blackberry iced tea over ice and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil and a few fresh blackberries! Enjoy!
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Instant Pot Blackberry Iced Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 6 black tea bags paper tags removed
- 1 ½ cups fresh blackberries divided
- 2 Tablespoons fresh Basil chopped
- ½ cup honey preferably local
- ½ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Additional blackberries and fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Add 8 cups of water, black tea bags, and a half cup of blackberries to the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Add the lid, lock it into place, and switch the vent to "Sealing." Set the "Manual" setting to 5 minutes.
- While the tea is brewing, make the blackberry honey simple syrup. Add the remaining blackberries, honey, and 1/2 cup water to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, gently pressing on the blackberries to release their juices while continually stirring the mixture to combine.
- After about 4-5 minutes, the honey should be completely melted and the mixture will be slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- When the cooking time on the Instant Pot is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release to release any remaining pressure.
- Carefully, stain the hot tea 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 the fresh lemon juice and stir to combine.
- Serve over ice with fresh blackberries and a sprig of fresh basil for garnish!
Notes
FAQ’s
Can I make Instant Pot Blackberry Iced Tea ahead of time?
Absolutely! Simply store your tea in a pitcher in the fridge for later! This is great to serve at summer picnics and barbecues!
Can I use any other fruits?
Yes, feel free to get creative! I think strawberries or raspberries would be delicious in this recipe!
How do I keep my tea from becoming bitter?
To reduce bitterness, add a pinch of baking soda prior to brewing the tea. Also, be sure to remove the tea bags as soon as the pressure has been fully released.
Conclusion
I love making refreshing and delicious iced tea throughout the summer and the ability to make this delicious fruit infused iced tea in my instant pot just makes it that much easier!
