McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ (Copycat Recipe!) (2024)

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McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ is famous for a reason: its tea is strong, sweet, and cold – as sweet tea should be! Next time you’re craving a glass of McAlisters Deli Tea, save yourself the drive and make your own with this easy copycat recipe! You just need 3 ingredients (+ water!)

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Table of Contents hide

1 What Type of Tea Does McAlister’s Deli Use?

2 What You Need to Make McAlister’s Deli Tea

3 Why is there Baking Soda in This Recipe?

5 How to Make McAlister’s Deli Tea

6 How Much Sugar is in McAlister’s Sweet Tea?

7 How is McAlister’s Tea So Good?

8 Is McAlister’s sweet tea caffeinated?

9 Looking for More Easy Copycat Recipes?

10 McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ (Copycat Recipe!)

10.1 Ingredients 1x2x3x

10.2 Instructions

10.3 Nutrition

What Type of Tea Does McAlister’s Deli Use?

According to their website, McAlister’s Deli uses high-qualityblack tea leavesto make its McAlister’s World Famous Sweet Tea™.

What You Need to Make McAlister’s Deli Tea

Why is there Baking Soda in This Recipe?

In this recipe, we add baking soda to help take out the bitterness of the black tea and keep your tea fresh for longer.

Trust us, once you try this trick, you’ll swear by this hack! We’re so sure it works that we guarantee your tea will taste just as fresh the next day!

What If I Want to Make McAlister’s Deli Unsweet Tea?

To make McAlister’s Deli Unsweet Tea, you can simply omit the sugar in this recipe!

If you want it sweet but just want to cut down on the sugar, you can also substitute Splenda for the sugar, or just use less sugar to your taste preference!

How to Make McAlister’s Deli Tea

  1. In a medium pot, boil 1/4 gallon of the water on medium-high heat.
  2. Once water comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and pour the water into an empty pitcher (I love this specific pitcher).
  3. Add the tea bags and baking soda and allow it to steep for 15 minutes.
  4. Take out the tea bags, then stir in the sugar. Top it off with the rest of the water and stir.
  5. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until cold. Serve the tea as needed in tall glasses with extra ice cubes. ENJOY!

How Much Sugar is in McAlister’s Sweet Tea?

There is 357 g of sugar in every gallon of McAlister’s Sweet Tea.

1 gallon equals to about16 (8 oz) cups, so each 8 oz cup of McAlister’s Sweet Tea contains approximately 22.3 g of sugar.

How is McAlister’s Tea So Good?

McAlister’s Tea tastes great because the tea is high quality and fresh, and the chain has a lot of experience in making tea – especially their World Famous Sweet Tea™ !

Is McAlister’s sweet tea caffeinated?

Yes, McAlister’s sweet tea is caffeinated because it contains black tea.

McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ (Copycat Recipe!) (1)

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McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ (Copycat Recipe!) (2)

McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ (Copycat Recipe!)

McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ (Copycat Recipe!) (3)DWELL by Michelle

McAlister's Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ is famous for a reason: its tea is strong, sweet, and cold – as sweet tea should be! Next time you're craving a glass of McAlisters Deli Tea, save yourself the drive and make your own with this easy copycat recipe! You just need 3 ingredients (+ water!)

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Steep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 148 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium pot, boil 1/4 gallon of the water on medium-high heat.

  • Once the water comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and pour the water into an empty pitcher (I love this specific pitcher).

  • Add the tea bags and baking soda and allow it to steep for 15 minutes.

  • Take out the tea bags, then stir in the sugar. Top it off with the rest of the water and stir.

  • Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until cold. Serve the tea as needed in tall glasses with extra ice cubes. ENJOY!

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal

Keyword authentic recipes, dairy-free, dairy-free recipes, drinks recipe, easy drinks, easy fall recipes, easy recipes, easy snacks, Gluten-Free, gluten-free recipes, gluten-free treats, holiday drink, restaurant copycat recipes, summer drinks, vegan, vegan treats, vegetarian

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McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ (Copycat Recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

McAlister’s Deli World Famous Sweet Tea ™ (Copycat Recipe!)? ›

Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM. Specially filtered. Made fresh with Orange Pekoe Black Tea leaves.

What kind of tea does McAlister's Deli use? ›

Rainforest Alliance CertifiedTM. Specially filtered. Made fresh with Orange Pekoe Black Tea leaves.

How much sugar is in McAlister's sweet tea? ›

Nutrition Facts
Calories 150(628 kJ)
Dietary Fiber0 g0%
Sugars39 g
Protein0 g
Alcohol0 g
7 more rows

Does McAlister's do free tea refills? ›

How many times can I redeem my Tea Pass in a day? You can redeem one (1) eligible beverage every day and can get unlimited refills of that same beverage each day while in-store. Rewards do not carry-over to the following day.

Does McAlister's sweet tea have caffeine? ›

I looked it up, and while of course it has sugar and caffeine, it only has HALF the sugar and caffeine as in Pepsi or co*ke. So if you think of it that way, it may not be the BEST thing in the world for you and your baby, but sometimes you just need it!!!

Why is McAlister's tea famous? ›

With the notion that everyone drinks sweet tea in the South, McAlister's knew it had the perfect fit. “Sweet tea is the quintessential Southern beverage, and it just fits who we are. It's evolved into this renowned beverage that we're known for.

Is McAlister's Iced Tea good? ›

Are you a fan of McAlister's and their absolutely amazing sweet tea?! I know that I am. There is just something extra special about their sweet tea. To me, it's sweet and very smooth.

What is the healthiest sugar for sweet tea? ›

Coconut sugar (a low-glycemic sugar), Xylitol (made from vegetable fibers) and Stevia (from a natural leaf) are all considered to be lower in calories and carbohydrates.

Does sweet tea have more sugar than soda? ›

Although sweet tea may be brewed with a lower sugar and calorie content than most fruit juices and sodas, it is not unusual to find sweet tea with a sugar level as high as 22 degrees Brix, or 22 g per 100 g of liquid, a level twice that of Coca-Cola.

What kind of sugar does Mcdonald's use in their sweet tea? ›

Medium Invert Sugar

The actual amount of sodium may be higher or lower depending upon the sodium content of the water where the beverage is dispensed.

Why did McDonald's get rid of free refills? ›

According to QSR Web, the change is meant to create a “consistent experience for both customers and crew.” Delivery customers, app customers, kiosk customers, in-restaurant customers, and drive-thru customers will all get the same experience—someone else filling their soft drink cups for them.

Do you leave tips at McAlister's? ›

But its history and classic staples are not all McAlister's offers its customers. Some customers who are unfamiliar with McAlister's may be in for a pleasant surprise when paying at the counter and they are told not to tip.

What has more caffeine sweet tea or co*ke? ›

Tea: An 8 oz cup of black tea generally contains around 40-70 mg of caffeine. Green tea usually has less, around 20-45 mg per cup. co*ke: A 12 oz can of Coca-Cola typically contains about 34 mg of caffeine.

How many calories are in a large sweet tea from McAlister's? ›

Mcalister's Huge Sweet Tea (1 cup) contains 0g total carbs, 0g net carbs, 0g fat, 0g protein, and 150 calories.

Are McAlister's sandwiches healthy? ›

McAlister's Deli is the face of fresh, offering a huge menu of sandwiches, salads, soups, and spuds. There's plenty to choose from that can fit into a healthy diet and satisfy any lunch craving, but the menu is studded with less than healthy foods as well.

How much caffeine is in orange pekoe tea? ›

So when comparing orange pekoe tea to coffee, it is around 100mg of caffeine versus the 45mg in tea. The good news is, that since the serving size is 8 ounces, you can enjoy much more tea without going over the FDA recommended max caffeine limit of 400mg per day.

What kind of tea is Mcdonalds tea? ›

Brewed Tea

Ingredients: Water, Orange Pekoe And Pekoe Cut Black Tea.

What brand tea does Subway use? ›

Subway has a brand of tea called Fuze tea. Until very recently, every time I had tried Fuze brand unsweetened tea it has been undrinkable. But it had probably been more than a year since drinking Fuze tea from any restaurant, so I decided to give it another try. This time it actually wasn't too bad.

What kind of tea does Dutch brothers use? ›

Iced Tea - Organic green or Paris black tea infused with any flavor. - DutchBros Coffee.

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