Skip the drive thru line and make this yummy Starbucks Copycat at home! Instant Pot Passion Tea Lemonade is simple, fast, and refreshing! All you need is 4 ingredients, and 4 minutes in the Instant Pot. Minimal mess, minimal cleanup, and maximum flavor. You'll never want to wait in line for this again!
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When I think of Starbucks, I think of my teen years. And while much of me wants to cringe at that awkward, weird, strange, and uncomfortable young lady...there is a little part of me that fills with warm nostalgia.
Starbucks was the pinnacle of cool when I was a teen, and so hiking up to the local book store and getting a Frappucino with EXTRA drizzle and lots of whipped cream was enough to make a teen girl squeal. Over the years, my tastes have matured and now I like a good french press with a little cream. I still get those fleeting moments of nostalgia, and it's then I want to take a big drink of something sweet and delicious.
This Passion Tea Lemonade is a compromise between the indulgent, rich side of Starbucks, and the grown up, sophisticated side.
Passion Tea Lemonade at Home
The best part is that I can make this delicious and refreshing beverage at home, AND it's completely caffeine free. That means I can get my drink on WITHOUT interfering with my precious sleep. And the absolute cherry on top!?
You can make it in your Instant Pot.
I love my Instant Pot, and I make ALL kinds of things in it (like my favorite Instant Pot Iced Tea). This recipe for Instant Pot Passion Tea Lemonade is no exception! The Instant Pot makes easy work of this Starbucks copycat beverage, and the clean up is a breeze. You can double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe if needed!
I'll show you just how easy it is to make this yummy Instant Pot Passion Tea Lemonade. Let's get started!
Ingredients
- Passion Tea Bags: You can't have passion tea lemonade without passion tea! This is made by Tazo, and can be hard to find sometimes! You can pick it up on Amazon if you're not sure that your local grocery store carries it.
- Lemon: While many other copycat Passion Tea Lemonade recipes instruct you to use store bought lemonade, I like to take the fresh approach and include the "lemonade" portion in the recipe. That means we will be using freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar. You can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch though!
- Sugar: White granulated sugar is perfectly suited for this recipe! The hot water will dissolve the sugar effortlessly.
- Vanilla Extract: Just a touch of vanilla extract makes all the difference!
- You will also need 4 ¾ cup of drinkable quality cold water.
Instructions
Making your very own Passion Tea Lemonade at home is SO easy when you use in the Instant Pot. You can easily double, triple, or even quadrupled the batch if you need a large amount for a BBQ or potluck.
Getting Started
Add 2 cups of the cold water to the inner pot of your Instant Pot. This will work well for either the 6qt or the 8qt, but I have not tested it in the 3qt Instant Pot. If you stick to just the recipe as written, it will likely fit below the fill line on your 3qt Instant Pot and work just fine!
Add the sugar and whisk well.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to "sealing." You may use the "yogurt" setting and select "boil", OR you can set the pot to manual pressure for 4 minutes. I prefer the manual pressure setting because the water is hotter (I've tested it), and the tea steeps more effectively. Either option will work though!
Steeping
Once the Instant Pot beeps to indicate it is done, turn off the Instant Pot and release the pressure by carefully moving the valve to "venting." Once all the steam is released, the pin will drop and it will be safe to carefully remove the Instant Pot lid.
Add the tea bags to the Instant Pot, and use a metal spoon to push them down into the hot water. Leave them to steep for 15 minutes.
Flavoring
Once the time is up, remove the tea bags with a pair of metal tongs. I like to squeeze out any remaining liquid and I recommend that you do the same!
Add in the remaining cold water (2 + ¾ cups) and stir well. Test the water to ensure it is around room temperature. I just use a clean finger, or a clean spoon would work as well.
If the water is cool, add the lemon juice (about 3 tablespoons). Stir or whisk to combine, and then add the vanilla extract. Stir again.
Transfer the tea to a glass pitcher or half gallon sized jar. Cover it with an airtight lid and place in the fridge until completely chilled.
Serving
Serve over ice, and garnished with a lemon wedge if desired.
*If the tea is warmer than room temperature: allow it to cool for 30 minutes or so before adding the lemon juice. I've never had this happen myself! As long as you pour very cool water into the pot, your tea should be cooled sufficiently.
Substitutions
Low Carb/Keto/Diabetic/Sugar Free: Substitute the sugar for a cup-for-cup sweetener like Swerve or Lakanto monk fruit.
Variations
Green Tea Lemonade: Replace the passion tea bags with green tea bags.
Acai Berry Lemonade: Replace the passion tea bags with Acai Berry tea bags.
Meyer Lemonade: Replace the passion tea bags with Meyer lemon tea bags, and replace the regular lemon juice with the juice from Meyer lemons. You also may want to increase the sugar.
FAQ
Since passion tea is an herbal tea, it is free from caffeine! This means that Passion Tea Lemonade, which uses Passion Tea is also caffeine free.
While Starbucks did originally use Tazo tea after acquiring the brand in 1999, they have since been sold. Starbucks has been using the "Teavana" brand ever since, but Tazo still gives that classic Starbucks taste AND is easily accessible to those who choose to make their beverages at home.
Passion tea, if steeped in water alone is absolutely keto. Any small amounts of sugars from the tea ingredients will be negligible at best once steeped. If you plan on turning that passion tea into passion tea lemonade, be sure to use a keto approved sweetener.
Yes! Instead of using the Instant Pot, you can simply boil 2 cups of water and whisk in the sugar. Add the tea bags, steep, and proceed with the rest of the recipe. The Instant Pot is just for fun/convenience/easy clean up.
Other Favorite Starbucks Copycat Recipes:
- Cranberry Bliss Bars - Belle of the Kitchen
- Homemade Starbucks Pink Drink - Nutmeg Nanny
- Oatmeal Fudge Bars - Just so Tasty
Instant Pot Passion Tea Lemonade {Starbucks Copycat}
Ingredients
- 4 Tazo Passion Tea bags
- 4 ¾ cups cold water divided
- 5 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice strained (about 1 lemon)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add 2 cups of cold water to the insert of a 6qt or 8qt Instant Pot.
- Add the granulated white sugar and whisk to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and move into the locking position. Toggle the valve to "sealing".
- Set the Instant Pot to manual high pressure for 4 minutes, OR use your Yogurt "boil" setting.
- Once the Instant Pot beeps to indicate the cook time is finished, carefully switch the valve to "venting." Do a full manual pressure release.
- Once the pressure in the pot has dropped, the pin will drop and it will be safe to open the Instant Pot. Carefully turn and remove the lid.
- Add the Passion Tea bags to the Instant Pot, and use a metal spoon to ensure they are submerged in the hot water and sugar mixture.
- Steep for 15 minutes.
- When the steeping time is up, remove the tea bags, squeezing to release any liquid. Discard or compost the tea bags.
- Add the remaining (2 ¾ cup) cold water to the Instant Pot, and stir to combine. Test to see that the water is around room temperature. If it is not, allow it to cool until it reaches that point.
- Add the strained lemon juice in and stir. Add in the vanilla extract and stir again.
- Pour the tea into a glass pitcher or a half gallon sized jar. Place an airtight lid on the jar and chill in the fridge.
- Once you're ready to serve, pour over ice and serve with lemon wedges if desired!
Notes
Nutrition
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