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
Cold brew
- 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.
Brown sugar oat milk
- Brown sugar – make your own brown sugar by combining white sugar with molasses.
- Cinnamon – nutmeg would provide a similar flavour.
- Oat milk – you can try using another nut milk of your choice. Almond milk would probably be the best substitute here.
Salted caramel
- Store-bought caramel syrup – homemade caramel syrup would also work (you can try this recipe).
- Milk – use any dairy or dairy-free milk blend of your choice.
French vanilla
- Store-bought French vanilla syrup – you could also try using a bit of vanilla or almond extract, although the flavour will be different.
- Milk – use any dairy or dairy-free milk blend of your choice.
Toasted coconut
- Sugar – use any cup-for-cup sugar substitute of your choice.
- Sweetened shredded coconut – coconut extract would provide a similar flavour.
- Coconut milk – I like the Silk brand but you can use any carton variety of your choice.
Honey almond
- Honey – try using maple syrup, brown sugar or agave instead.
- Almond extract – vanilla extract would be the next best option.
- Almond milk – if you don’t have any almond milk on hand, you can use another milk of your choice, but you might want to add in some more almond extract to taste.
How to make cold brew coffee
Step 1: Brew the 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).
Step 2: Strain the mixture.
When ready to serve, slowly pour coffee through cheesecloth that is sitting in a fine mesh sieve 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: Add flavouring and serve!
The Best Cold Brew Flavours
I rounded up some of my favourite cold brew recipes with different flavor ideas like salted caramel and toasted coconut! Check them out below and feel free to experiment with different cold brew flavors and add-ins until you find something you love.
Brown Sugar Oat Milk Cold Brew
Salted Caramel Cold Brew
French Vanilla Cold Brew
Toasted Coconut Cold Brew
Honey Almond Cold Brew
Frequently Asked Questions
While coffee is traditionally made using hot water, cold brew recipes are made using cold water. Cold brew also steeps for a lot longer – while hot coffee is ready super fast, cold brew needs to sit in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours so you can get that rich and delicious flavour.
It all depends on how you take your regular coffee! Cold brew usually has a higher coffee-to-water ratio, so it might have more caffeine than your typical cup of hot drip coffee, depending on how strong you normally make your 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.
Hot coffee and cold brew are the same in terms of healthiness. It all depends on what cold brew flavors you add in (which applies for hot coffee too). As long as you take it easy on the sweeteners and toppings, you should be fine.
Making a big batch
This cold brew 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. After the cold brew has sat in the fridge for at least 12 hours, you can store it in the fridge for up to a week and enjoy a refreshing cold brew whenever you need an extra dose of caffeine. Easy-peasy!
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- Pick up some coffee beans or pre-ground coffee such as Lavazza.
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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee {5 Fun Flavors}
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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