Ditch Starbucks and make your own cold brew coffee at home! It's simple, easy, and affordable – make a big batch that'll last the whole week.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Filtered water – tap water would also work.
- Ground coffee – use your favourite brand, just make sure if you’re using coffee beans that they’re ground up.
- Milk – use any dairy or dairy-free milk blend of your choice (optional).
- Flavour add-ins – like syrups or sweeteners (optional).
How to make cold brew coffee
Step 1: Brew the coffee.
Make the cold brew coffee by mixing together 8 cups of water and 2 cups of ground coffee or ground coffee beans in a large pitcher. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator for at least 12 hrs (or up to 48 hrs if desired).
Step 2: Strain the mixture.
When ready to serve, slowly pour the coffee through cheesecloth that is sitting in a fine mesh sieve or fine mesh strainer into another large pitcher.
Step 3: Pour slowly through the cheesecloth.
Make sure you pour slowly and with precision to ensure there are no coffee grounds in the cold brew.
Step 4: Mix in any flavour add-ins and serve!
Add any flavour add-ins to a glass or mason jar full of ice, then pour in your cold brew. Give it a stir and enjoy!
Cold brew flavor ideas
One of the best parts of making homemade cold brew coffee is that you can try out different flavor combinations until you find something you love. Here are some variations to try:
- Add Cold Foam: Make my 3 ingredient cold foam recipe to add overtop.
- Brown sugar oat milk: Dissolve 1/2 cup brown sugar in 1/2 cup boiling water with a pinch of cinnamon. Let it come to room temperature, then add 1-2 tbsp of the syrup and oat milk to your glass.
- Salted caramel: Add caramel syrup and any dairy or dairy-free milk of your choice.
- Vanilla: Add vanilla syrup and any dairy or dairy-free milk of your choice.
- Toasted coconut: Dissolve 1/2 cup white sugar in 1/2 cup boiling water. Toast 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut in a pan on the stovetop for 4-5 mins until golden brown, then add it to the sugar water. Add 1-2 tbsp of the syrup to a cup along with coconut milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
It all depends on how you take your regular hot coffee! Cold brew usually has a higher coffee-to-water ratio, so it might have more caffeine than your regular drip coffee. It also depends on the variety of ground coffee you’re using for your cold brew recipe, since some brands have more caffeine than others.
If you want your cold brew to be even stronger, you can increase the amount of grounds you put in, but keep the same amount of water.
Yes! You can use your favorite coffee beans to make cold brew, just make sure you're using ground coffee or ground beans. I find that making your own brew from ground beans tastes way better than the pre-made cold brew concentrate, as it's a lot fresher.
I find that a 4:1 ratio makes the best cold brew, so for every 4 cups of water, I'll add 1 cup of ground coffee. For this recipe, you'll need 8 cups of water and 2 cups of coffee to yield about 6 servings, which will last you throughout the week.
The cold brew method tends to produce a drink that's less acidic and bitter than when you brew coffee using hot water, as the brewing process of using cold water is different and produces a smoother flavor. That being said, if you want your drink to be super sweet, you can add in some syrup, sugar or another sweetener.
Making a big batch
This cold brew coffee recipe will make about six servings, so it’ll last one person throughout the week – but you can always double up on the recipe if there’s more than one coffee drinker in the house. Double up on the recipe and use an extra-large pitcher (or two separate pitchers) to make a big batch.
How long does cold brew last?
After you've made the cold brew and strained it through the cheesecloth, you can store it in the fridge in a pitcher with a lid for up to a week. It'll save you plenty of trips to the local coffee shop! Just add in any flavour add-ins of your choice right before serving and enjoy.
Meal Prep Tools
- 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.
- Don't forget to pick up a fine mesh strainer if you don't already have one.
- 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!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
Ingredients
Cold brew
- 8 cups filtered water
- 2 cups ground coffee
Brown sugar oat milk
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 pinch cinnamon optional
- 2 cups oat milk make sure it's a barista blend; I like Earth's own brand
Salted caramel
- 1/2 cup store bought caramel syrup
- 2 cups milk of choice
French vanilla
- 1/2 cup store bought French vanilla syrup
- 2 cups milk of choice
Toasted coconut
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
- 2 cups coconut milk from the carton, such as the brand Silk
Honey almond
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups almond milk
Instructions
Cold brew coffee
- Make the cold brew coffee by mixing water and coffee grinds together in a large pitcher. Let sit overnight in the fridge for at least 12 hours (or up to 48 hours if desired).
- When ready to serve, slowly pour coffee through cheesecloth that is sitting in a fine mesh sieve into another large pitcher. Make sure you pour slowly and with precision to ensure there are no coffee grounds in the cold brew.
Brown sugar oat
- Mix brown sugar with boiling water, adding a pinch of ground cinnamon if desired. Let come to room temperature, then store syrup in the fridge up to 2 months. Mix cold brew over ice with 1-2 tbsp brown sugar syrup and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oatmilk to make one drink. Enjoy!
Salted caramel
- Mix caramel syrup with a pinch of salt. Mix cold brew over ice with 1-2 tbsp caramel syrup and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to make one drink. Enjoy!
French vanilla
- Mix cold brew over ice with 1-2 tbsp French vanilla syrup and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to make one drink. Enjoy!
Toasted coconut
- Mix sugar with boiling water. Meanwhile, toast coconut in a skillet over med-high heat for about 4-5 minutes until golden and fragrant, stirring often. Remove from heat and add to sugar-water mixture. Let come to room temperaure, then let sit in the fridge at least 2 days before straining mixture to remove coconut flakes. Store syrup in the fridge up to 1 month. Mix cold brew over ice with 1-2 tbsp toasted coconut syrup and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coconut milk to make one drink. Enjoy!
Honey almond
- Mix sugar and almond extract with boiling water. Let come to room temperaure, then store syrup in the fridge up to 2 months. Mix cold brew over ice with 1-2 tbsp honey almond syrup and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of almond milk to make one drink. Enjoy!
Share With Me!
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