How To Make Amazing Iced Coffee
As the weather starts heating up and people start heading to the beach and enjoying the warmth, hot coffee loses some of its appeal. Many people turn to iced coffee during the warmer months as a way to cool off and still enjoy the flavor and energy-boosting effects of coffee. Unfortunately, making iced coffee at home isnt as easy as throwing some ice cubes in your coffee and calling it a day.
In this article, well show you two easy ways to make iced coffee at home. A few pitfalls are important to avoid if you want to make good-tasting iced coffee that isnt weak and watery. If youve tried to make iced coffee at home with disappointing results, this guide is for you.
How To Make This Simple Iced Coffee / How Do You Make Iced Coffee
You will need an ice tray, a cup and a spoon.
For the ice cube tray I recommend a silicon one with small cubes. The silicon will make it easier to remove the iced coffee and the smaller cubes melt faster.
First you have to make the frozen coffee cubes.
Make your favorite coffee and let it cool down as we do not want to burn our fingers. Next pour the room temperature or a completely chilled coffee into the ice tray. Put the filled ice tray into the freezer for at least 2h or till frozen.
Prepare the iced coffee:
Add the iced coffee cubes to the mug and fill it up all to the top with milk. You will see a spectacular picture happening in the cup when the milk hits the coffee ice cubes and starts swirling around the coffee.
Give everything a good stir with a spoon to help the coffee cubes melt a bit in the beginning.
Start sipping your iced coffee! Enjoy!
Easy Iced Coffee Recipe
This refreshing creamy instant iced coffee drink will give your Starbucks coffee a run for its money, this recipe is extremely easy, quick and super affordable.
Let me show you how to make the best iced coffee recipe fast at home without a blender. This drink is perfect for any time of the day, definitely great in the summer weather.
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Making The Iced Caramel Macchiato
The trick to this Iced Caramel Machiatto recipe is making the rich dulce de leche caramel syrup and layering the espresso and milk its way easier than you think too!
Start with an empty cup full of ice, then add a couple tablespoons of the syrup. Brew your espresso, and pour it very delicately over the milk of your choice I usually go with 2% but whole milk makes this drink extra creamy and over the top.
If you dont have dulce de leche at home , simply boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours in a large pot of gently boiling water.
Whats The Difference Between Cold Brew Coffee And Iced Coffee
Iced coffee shouldnt be confused with cold brew coffee. Its a common misconception that these two styles of coffee are the same. Yes, you will get a chilled cup of coffee either way, whether you opt for iced or cold brew. However, the manufacturing techniques are different.
Cold brew is made by steeping ground coffee beans in cold water for up to 12-24 hours. Its cold from start to finish. In contrast, iced coffee is brewed with hot water and then cooled with ice cubes.
So if youve ever wondered Can you make iced coffee wit hot coffee?, the answer is yes! Its the whole point
The differences in how you make iced coffee versus cold brew coffee also impact characteristics like flavor, taste, caffeine content, antioxidant levels, and acidity. For example, cold brew tends to havelower acidity and lower caffeine content than coffee brewed hot.
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How Do You Make Iced Coffee
Youll need a tall glass and a spoon long enough to reach the bottom of that glass.
Fill that glass full to the rim with ice. If you really want to get serious about your iced coffee, you can make ice cubes out of coffee too. Then you wont get that watered-down effect. And if youre into that flavored sort of coffee then go for it.
Pour room temperature coffee into the glass.
Fill it almost to the top.
Pour in the white stuff. Heres where you get to make a big decision. Do you want to go all out and make this a decadent treat? If so, then add cream or half & half. If you want to go a little lighter, use whole milk or fat-free half & half. And lighter still, use nonfat milk.
Take a moment to watch the swirls sink to the bottom and mix in with the coffee. Its a magical moment. ð
Add a couple spoonfuls of sugar or whatever sort of sweetener you usually add to your coffee. In the recipe notes below, I share how to make sugary simple syrup in case you prefer to use that instead of granulated white sugar.
Stir it all up!
Add a purple straw. If youre a straw person, that is. And drink up!
What About Cold Brew Coffee
You can also make cold brew coffee, that has become all the rage in recent years. Cookie and Kate has a great post on how to make cold brew coffee, and it is essentially steeped overnight in the fridge through thin coffee filters. The process takes quite a while , but the flavour is amazing, so depending on how far in advance you’re willing to prepare the iced coffee, this may be an attractive option.
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Steps To Make Iced Coffee
Why Make Iced Coffee In A Chemex
You can make iced coffee using almost any brewing method, but the Chemex is a convenient option. The large lower section of the carafe is easy to fill with ice, and the tempered glass can handle the temperature change. Plus, you get to watch the whole process!
Dont have a Chemex? Consider buying one or substitute another pour-over dripper or drip coffee maker.
Are there other ways to make Chemex iced coffee? Weve shown you the basic method, but there are a few ways you can change the process.
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Brew Coffee Then Pour It Over Ice
Our second favorite way to make iced coffee at home is with a French press. We like this method because French press coffee is bolder and more full-bodied than other methods, making it well-suited for iced coffee. French press iced coffee is naturally more flavorful and robust and, therefore, less prone to being weak and underwhelming.
How To Make Simple Iced Coffee
Learn how to make a Simple Iced Coffee that is not watered-down by ice and super easy and quick to prepare. All you need is coffee, milk and a freezer.
If you are a coffee lover like me or need your coffee to stay awake when your tired then this is for you! This drink is perfect for any time of the day and even better during hot summer weather
Recommended Reading: Maxwell House Iced Coffee Can Caffeine Content
Know How Much Time Ya Got
If youre in a rush, iced pour-over is 100 percent the way to go to get you out the door: It takes roughly three to four minutes to make this type of iced coffee, since youre basically brewing a hot concentrate that drips directly onto ice. This method is great for straight-up sippingit allows more delicate flavors to come through in the coffeeand is a quick way to make iced coffee in a flash. You can even use the principles of the manual-brewing technique to make autodripped iced coffee. Do a little simple math to calculate the ice-to-water ratio, put the ice in the brewing carafe, and away we go. Get the Japanese Style Iced Coffee recipe.
Cold brew, on the other hand, can be portioned out into grab-and-go doses once its finished, but takes about 1224 hours prep time. The stronger, chocolatey flavor of this iced-coffee style generally stands up to add-ons, mix-ins, and other fun variations better than iced pour-over does. Get our Easy Cold-Brewed Coffee recipe.
How To Make Iced Coffee At Home
Experience your favourite coffee shop at home with our top recipes and barista tips. Recreate classic drinks like iced lattes, cold brew, frappés and trendy whipped coffee.
Get started with the best coffee beans to buy online, or upgrade your kitchen kit with the best coffee machines to buy.
For the ultimate selection of recipes, see our coffee collection.
Also Check: Grinds Coffee Pouches Caffeine Content
Can You Put Hot Coffee On Ice
Technically, you can simply pour hot coffee over ice. But I wouldn’t recommend it!
The ice will water down your coffee, and it won’t get as cool either … and perfect Iced Coffee needs to be quite cold.
If you’d prefer to make your drink with hot coffee, then I’d recommend using coffee ice cubes instead of regular ones … that way your coffee won’t be diluted and watery tasting. To make coffee ice cubes, simply fill an ice cube tray with leftover coffee, then freeze overnight.
In the morning, stir a few coffee ice cubes into your freshly-brewed coffee. The cubes will cool off your coffee without watering down the flavor like regular ice would. Once your coffee has cooled, stir in sugar and milk to taste, then top off with regular ice or more coffee ice cubes.
Use Coffee Ice Cubes For Better
The best tip I can give you to level up your iced coffee is using coffee ice cubes instead of regular ice cubes.
These coffee cubes are made using brewed coffee that has been cooled completely. They are then frozen in an ice cube tray or ice cube bag.
Instead of melted ice cubes that turn into water again, the coffee ice cubes will flavor your iced coffee with even more coffee!
If you want to learn how to make coffee ice cubes at home, you can check out my complete guide by .
Are you interested in learning more about iced coffee? Ive written an article about 10 frequently asked questions about iced coffee. It covers a lot of questions to make better iced coffee at home. You can check it out here.
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What Type Of Ice Is Best For Iced Coffee
I know this may not seem important but choosing the right ice for your iced coffee is key! Here are your options:
- Crushed ice this is what you see in this recipe. Because I had a ton of coffee to make I picked up a big bag of crushed ice and used it liberally. This is typically what I use for iced coffee
- Medium-sized ice cubes this is usually what people have on hand in their freezer and I say go for it!
- Large ice I like to use larger blocks of ice if I’m going to enjoy my iced coffee outside. They are slower to melt this way!
Meal Prep Tools For Iced Coffee
- Pick up some coffee beans or pre-ground coffee such as Lavazza
- You may need a coffee grinder if you’re using fresh whole beans
- Check out the it’s a great little coffee maker to use at home and it brews espresso shots too
- And if you’re feeling really lazy and just want your coffee already, these iced coffee syrups are an AWESOME way to jazz up your summer drinks!
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This recipe is quick, easy, budget-friendly, and tastes just like the gourmet coffee-shops, if not better!
When you live in California, you have a ton of options for great coffee. But whe you start hitting all the hottest coffee shops around town, it gets to be quite expensive. At one point, I ended up splurging on a $10 latte at Alfreds Coffee!
But as always, nothing beats the homemade version taste-wise and money-wise. And with this easy perfect iced coffee recipe, you wont have to overpay for coffee ever again.
All you have to do is brew your coffee the night before using good-quality coffee beans. That way, it can come to room temperature by the time the morning comes around. Now I have personally never been a fan of pouring hot coffee over ice but if it doesnt bother you, then you can whip this up in the morning its up to you!
Then you can whip up a batch of simple syrup, but only if you need it. A batch should last you for a few weeks, unless you like to douse your coffee in sugary goodness. No judgment here. Then you can add a splash of milk or half-and-half, although I highly recommend the latter.
Now you can skip the hectic Starbucks line and have quality coffee for a quarter of the price right at home!
What Is Iced Coffee
Iced coffee is cooled coffee served over ice with a bit of milk added and a sweetener of choice. It can be made using any ingredients of choice, and you can choose to flavor it using various add-ins or drink it as is.
The great thing about iced coffee is that you are in charge of the flavoring and can decide to add anything to your coffee.
Im a big fan of adding a splash of whole milk to my iced coffee, but using a milk alternative like almond makes for a great addition as well.
Instead of spending $5.00+ every morning on a latte or iced coffee, you can make your own cheaper and healthier version at home whats not to love?
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Additional Iced Coffee Tips From Charli Robey:
- If you prefer an iced latte, use a bigger glass and add more milk.
- You can use any instant coffee from the shops dont worry if its really chunky or fine, or says its espresso.
- If you want sugar in your coffee, make sure to add it with your hot water sugar doesnt dissolve in cold drinks.
- Get fancy and whisk up your milk even cold milk will froth a bit and add some texture .
- If you dont drink milk and want just a black iced coffee just swap the milk for cold water
- To get really fancy, switch the milk for a scoop of ice cream and youve got yourself an affogato perfect for summer.
How Do You Make Iced Coffee With Cold Brew Coffee
The great thing about this method is it gives you a whole pitcher of ready to go iced coffee which makes grab and go mornings so easy. This is my general recipe for iced coffee, but adjust based on your preferences:
- 8 ounces cold brew coffee
- 1 tablespoon sugar free vanilla simple syrup
- 3 tablespoons half and half
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How Do I Make Iced Coffee At Home
Youve probably ordered iced coffee drinks at coffee shops or restaurants and been impressed by how fancy they are. Sure, once you add extras like whipped cream and chocolate syrup, and iced coffee might look like a complicated beverage. However, its easy to make iced coffee.
This step-by-step guide takes you through the process from start to finishand even provides some secret recipe tips for how to take your iced coffee to the next level. Read on to find out how to make iced coffee.
Tip: at the bottom of this article youll find a downloadable/printable recipe card!
Equipment
When it comes to ingredients, you dont need much to make iced coffee.
Ground Coffee Beans
First, of course, youll need coffee. The type of coffee will depend on what method you plan to use to craft your hot brew. If youre using a drip coffee maker, finely ground beans are fine. If youre using a French press, you probably want to opt for coarse ground coffee beans. For more info about the best grind size for your beans, check out our handy grind size chart.
Water
Youll also need water. While plain tap water is fine, filtered is preferable. Filtered water can remove contaminants and minerals like magnesium, calcium, and iron .
These minerals can give the water a chalk-like taste, which can interfere with the coffees flavor. Note that you will also need water to make the ice cubes. If you dont have a filtration system, you can boil water in a saucepan to remove contaminants and minerals.
Greek Frappe Iced Coffee
The frappé is a hallmark of Greek coffee culture. Invented back in the 50s by Dimitris Vakondios after an improvised experiment with Nescafe. With a frothy top and milky flavour, youll find everyone from Athens to Kavala sipping a frappe to escape the summer heat. For a traditional frappé, the coffee is shaken, not whipped or stirred.
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