Cold coffee season is right around the corner. (In my opinion, its always cold coffee season) I’m sharing how to make coffee at home with 5 ways to make it.
Most of the recipes are incredibly easy and don’t require a lot of expensive brewing gear. Heck, some of them aren’t even recipes.
It doesn’t have to be sweltering hot outside to enjoy a nice cold glass of coffee. My favorite kind of cold coffee is cold brew, of course.
But cold brew isn’t the only way to get your caffeine fix in the cold format. There’s iced coffee, instant cond brew, ready to drink coffee, and Japanese style pour over iced coffee.
Here are my 5 easy ways to learn how to make cold coffee at home.
1 – Cold Brew
I’ve written extensively about my undying love for cold brew coffee. I live in Texas, and it’s hot here more than cold.
A tall glass of icy cold brew is what I gravitate towards more than not. I find it’s easy to make, can be personalized to the different strengths, and let’s be honest, it’s for when I’m being lazy.
Many people think it is hard, but it’s easier than making Moka pot coffee or French press. The secret to an excellent cold brew at home is the right coffee, tools, and time. And, of course, a good recipe.
Cold Brew Concentrate Recipe
Supplies:
- 64 oz Wide Mouth Mason Jar with Plastic Lid
- 2 cups measuring cup (I like this set)
- Burr Coffee Grinder
- Kitchen Scale
- Wide Mouth Funnel
- This Sieve
- 2 cups (473 grams) of cool or cold water
- Whole Bean Coffee (The roast is really up to you, but I like a medium to dark roast).
Instructions:
- Grind whole coffee beans to the coarsest grind on your burr grinder.
- Place a bowl on your kitchen scale and zero it out to clear the weight of the bowl.
- Weigh out 67 grams of ground coffee.
- Place the sieve in the mason jar and place the wide mouth filter on top of the sieve.
- Pour measured out ground coffee to fill the sieve. Shake to settle the grounds in the sieve.
- Measure out 473 grams of cool to cold water into a measuring cup that’s been zeroed out on your scale.
- Pour the water over the ground coffee to fill the mason jar. It will not fill all the way.
- Use a long spoon to mix the coffee and water mixture thoroughly.
- Screw the plastic lid on top of the mason jar.
- Store cold brew mixture in a dark, cool place for 18 hours. (I usually set an alarm on my phone or echo dot so I don’t forget).
- After 18 hours, remove the sieve and discard used coffee grounds.
- Enjoy your cold brew concentrate.
From here, you can add water and other creamers and flavorings to your liking. I usually add some water and almond vanilla. If you want to read more in-depth information about making your own cold brew, I have a whole post that does a deep dive into everything cold brew.
2 – Store Bought Cold Brew or Iced Coffee
It seems like every coffee roaster has some form of a cold brew. They range from at home concentrated that you can treat like the recipe above to ready to drink options. There are a lot of options out there for store bought cold coffee. The tricky part of this is sifting through the good, the bad, and the just plain awful.
Here are my top 3 picks for store bought cold brew and iced coffee options:
- Stumptown/Oatly Reay to Drink Cold Brew with Oat Milk – I love this ready to drink option for cold brew. It’s easy to throw in my bag or cooler and has everything I need except a glass and ice. Plus, it already has cream in it, so I’m set.
- Dunkin Iced Espresso – If you’re a busy bee or need something easy to grab directly out of the fridge, you can try Dunkin’s iced espresso. It comes with a splash of cream and sugar. This cold coffee drink is what put Dunkin on the map for more than just donuts.
- Chameleon New Orleans Style Cold Brew Concentrate – Are you wanting more control over your at hoe cold brew but don’t want to make your own concentrate? Try Chemalen’s cold brew in New Orleans style. I like this one because it’s something a bit different and all I have to do is follow the directions on the back and my creamer and sweetener.
3 – Iced Coffee
Iced coffee is the OG of cold coffee drinks. It’s essentially cooled hot coffee brewed a bit stronger than regular drip coffee.
The best thing about iced coffee is how easy it is to make, and you don’t need any special equipment to make it.
Do you have a drip maker?
Make iced coffee.
Do you prefer a French press brew?
You can make iced coffee.
You get where I’m going with this. You want to follow the coffee golden ratio for your favorite brewer but increase the coffee strength by a 1/4. You can play around with this ratio until you get to a strength you like.
The reasoning behind making the coffee slightly stronger is that the water from the ice will dilute the coffee. Nobody wants some weak cold coffee. That sounds like a bad time in my book.
Drip Coffee Maker Iced Coffee Recipe:
- Brew coffee of choice (usually 2.25 tablespoons of regular ground coffee to 6 oz of water)
- Let cool once brewed
- Pour cooled coffee over ice
- Sweeten with sugar or simple syrup and add creamer of choice ( I suggest almond milk vanilla creamer)
- Enjoy!
4 – Pour Over Iced Coffee (Japanese Iced Coffee)
I’ve written about this in another post but wanted to share this recipe with you. It’s easy to do if you have a pour over brewer and are in a hurry. I found this recipe last summer when I ran out of my homemade cold brew concentrate, and the idea of hot coffee made my stomach turn. Hot coffee isn’t my jam when it’s already 87 degrees at 7 am—Texas summers, man.
Pour Over Iced Coffee Recipe
Supplies:
- A pour over coffee maker like this one or this one.
- Gooseneck kettle
- 200 grams of ice
- 400 grams of water
- 40 grams of coffee ground to pour over grind. Here’s a quick guide on how to grind coffee
- Burr grinder
- Instant thermometer
- Kitchen Scale
Instructions:
- FiIl your gooseneck kettle with cool filtered water and start to heat the water.
- Grind your coffee in the burr grinder to the pour over setting. You’re looking for 40 grams of ground coffee. I use my favorite roast by Stumptown, Hair Bender. It’s fantastic in this brewing method.
- Place your pour over set up on the kitchen scale and zero out the weight. Make sure it’s set to grams.
- Fill the bottom of the beaker with 200 grams of ice.
- Zero out the scale again.
- Wet your filter and place it on the scale. Zero it out, of course.
- Measure out 40 grams of coffee into the filter and level off.
- Zero out your scale.
- Once your water reaches 200 degrees, remove from the heat source. I find it easiest to use an instant read thermometer to get an exact water temperature.
- Start to pour 105 grams of water over the coffee grounds. Make sure to pour in a circular motion to help bloom the grounds. This first pour is called blooming, by the way.
- Zero out the scale again.
- Wait 45 seconds for the bloom pour to do its job.
- Pour the remaining 295 grams of water over the bloomed coffee grams using the same circular motion.
- Once the water has filtered through the grounds, remove the pour over coffee maker from the scale.
- Remove the filter.
- Gently swirl the brewed coffee with any unmelted ice to incorporate the 2 and finish cooling the coffee.
- Serve over ice and preferred creamer.
This recipe makes enough to share. I can usually get 2-3 servings out of this. If you’re making enough for more people, either do it in batches or double your recipe if your brewer can accommodate the volume.
5 – Instant Iced Coffee
Instant coffee is an excellent option for cold coffee at home or on the go. There are some options out there that are made especially for iced coffee or cold brew. If you’re looking for a complete list of my top picks for instant coffee, I’ve got you covered.
In the meantime, here’s a quick list of my top picks for cold coffee specific instant coffee options:
- Javy is an excellent option for those rushed mornings or when you need a quick afternoon pick me up. The liquid coffee concentrate comes in original, 3 flavored options, and decaf. All you have to do is add 8 oz of your liquid of choice and serve over ice. It does well as a hot coffee too.
- Waka Instant Light Roast Coffee is consistently at the top of most lists for best instant coffee ( hot or cold). The brand has won numerous awards for its formulation. The light roast is an interesting sin on an iced coffee. Most iced coffee is made with a darker roast. I especially like the lighter roast for its brightness.
- Cafe Bustelo Instant Espresso is going to keep you going. The trusted brand is not only budget friendly, but its instant espresso packs a punch. This is what I bring with me when we go camping.
Conclusion
I hope you have some ideas for getting started making your own homemade cold coffee. The options are limitless, to be honest. Summer is right around the corner, and there’s no reason to blow your budget on a cold brew from your local coffee shop or Starbuck.
Most of these recipes are incredibly easy, and you might already have all of the equipment you need. If none of the above ideas strike your fancy, you could always try Vietnamese iced coffee too.
I’d love to hear your favorite ways to make iced coffee or cold brew at home. Drop a comment below.