These Iced Coffee Recipes are amazing! Learn how to make iced coffee at home and customize it with your favourite homemade syrups.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m a coffee addict (I’ve had people try to talk me out of having 5 espresso shots a day…) and I am VERY particular about the colour of my iced coffee LOL! (Also obsessed with a good iced latte, depending on my mood.)
I know it’s a very personal thing and what’s great about this recipe is that you can customize it so even if you don’t agree with me on colour, you can always add more milk (or whatever tickles your fancy!).
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make: All you have to do is brew the coffee then pour into over ice with milk.
- Saves money: Instead of paying for your drink at an overpriced coffee shop, you can make your own at home for a fraction of the price.
- Customizable: Adjust the sweetness, swap the milk, or add fun toppings like whipped cream or chocolate drizzle.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Coffee – I normally use espresso (it makes the ice melt just the right amount!), but you can use brewed coffee instead.
- Ice cubes – try crushed ice, medium-sized cubes or large blocks of ice.
- Milk – any dairy or dairy-free milk will work, or you can enjoy it black.
- Sweetener – add a different flavour with syrup or sweetener. Try my easy homemade vanilla syrup!
How to make iced coffee
Step 1: Brew the coffee.
Brew the espresso shots or regular coffee.
Step 2: Pour over ice.
Add ice to a glass, then pour the coffee over top.
Step 3: Add milk.
Pour in your dairy or dairy-free milk.
Step 4 : Add syrup.
Add your sugar, sweetener or syrup and serve.
Tips and variations for the best iced coffee
Here are my top tips for making the best iced coffee every time:
- Try brewed coffee: If you don’t like espresso, use a brewed dark or light roast – you’ll want to experiment with whether you like a lighter or darker flavor so try different beans!
- Make it dairy-free: Add almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk or coconut milk.
- Add more flavours: Try flavoured syrups, sweeteners and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
Make your iced coffee exactly how you like it:
- Strength: Use espresso or brewed dark roast for the strongest coffee, and medium or light roast for a weaker coffee.
- Milk: Any dairy or dairy-free milk of your choice will work like cream, skim, almond, soy, vanilla or coconut milk.
- Syrups: Vanilla syrup, chocolate syrup, mint extract and caramel syrup would all be yummy and add different flavours.
- Coffee cocktail: Add in some Kahlua or Bailey’s for a coffee cocktail option.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the best type of coffee to use for iced coffee?
High-quality medium to dark roast beans are ideal for a richer flavor in iced coffee.
How can I prevent my iced coffee from tasting watered down?
To avoid dilution, brew your coffee stronger than usual or use coffee ice cubes by freezing brewed coffee.
Is cold brew the same as iced coffee?
No, cold brew is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for an extended period of time, while iced coffee is traditionally brewed hot and then cooled.
Can you use instant coffee?
Technically yes, but the flavour won’t be as good. Dissolve the instant coffee into 2 tbsp boiling water, then mix in 3 tbsp cold water. Pour over ice, add milk and syrup, and enjoy!
How to store iced coffee
Store: Keep brewed coffee in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store your syrups separately. Most syrups will last in the fridge up to 3 months.
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.
- Check out the Philips 3300 coffee machine on Amazon – it’s a great little coffee maker to use at home and it brews espresso shots too.
- If you’re using brewed coffee instead of espresso shots, pick up cheesecloth or a pack of coffee filters to help strain your coffee.
- These iced coffee syrups are an AWESOME way to jazz up your summer drinks!
How to Make Iced Coffee
Ingredients
Simple syrup base
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups sugar
Iced Vanilla Latte syrup
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Iced Mocha syrup
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Iced Caramel Machiatto syrup
- 1 cup simple syrup
- 1/4 cup dulce de leche
FOR EACH DRINK
- Handful of ice cubes
- 2 espresso shots
- 1/2 cup milk I use 2% but you can use skim, whole or non-dairy as well
Instructions
For syrups
- Prepare in advance: Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil in a large pot on the stove. Boil for 1 minute, then divide 2 cups of the simple syrup among 2 heat-safe mason jars (1 cup of syrup in each jar).
- Stir cocoa powder into 1 mason jar to make the chocolate syrup, then stir vanilla extract into another to make the vanilla syrup.
- With the remaining simple syrup left in the pot on the stove, stir in the dulce de leche. You may want to turn the heat back on the stove and stir to ensure the dulce de leche gets dissolved. Pour this syrup into a third mason jar.
- Let all 3 syrups cool for 30 minutes before using. Syrups can be kept in the fridge up to 4 weeks.
For drinks
- Brew espresso shots using an espresso maker. Add ice to a large glass, then pour espresso shots and milk over top. Add in 1-2 tbsp syrup of your choice. Serve and enjoy!
- To make the machiatto: add syrup to the bottom of a glass, top with ice, add milk and then slowly pour espresso shots over the top of a spoon to create that layered effect. Enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Chris says
Being a fan of Lavazza (Espresso Armonico, Gran Selezione, and Espresso Italiano) your recipe truly speaks to me. It is wonderful, thank you! For my ice I’ll partly fill a traditional ice cube tray with espresso shots and freeze; they’re not visually appealing but it works without watering down the refreshing iced coffee.
Taylor Stinson says
Love the idea of using ice cube trays, Chris!
Olivia says
This recipe is good and the entire website is amazing. It has all the factors you need like jump to recipe, Print, doubling the recipe for you, the option of the printed picture, and the best of all-amazing recipes!
Cc says
How do you make espresso shots? 😩
Taylor Stinson says
You will need an espresso maker to do so. You may want to consult the manual for the particular make and model of your espresso maker as all of them operate differently. I personally use a Nespresso machine where it’s easy to insert a pod and just press a button so this could be an option for you if you use a Keurig or Tassimo machine to make coffee. Otherwise, you can sub in regular brewed coffee that has been cooled.
Marianne says
Thank you for this recipe!! I don’t have an esspresso machine and for me, mixing coffee with ice and dairy, waters it down too much for me so I’m gonna try this with my coffee concentrate i make using my instant pot! Can’t wait to try my hand at one of these!!
Jeff says
After boiling the water and adding sugar, how much caramel syrup do you suggest adding? I am using Torani sugar free classic caramel syrup.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Jeff – I know this may not be super helpful but you should go by taste. I always recommend starting with 1 tbsp and adding a little bit more from there as everyone’s tolerances for sweetness can range. Hope you enjoy!
Heather says
When making the simple syrup For the mocha recipe do you add both the vanilla band the cocoa powder or just the cocoa powder?
Heather says
When making the simple syrup For the mocha iced coffee do you still add the vanilla or just the cocoa powder?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Heather – you just mix together the simple syrup and cocoa powder for the iced mocha. The vanilla is for the vanilla latte!
Heather says
Can’t wait to try your coffee recipes they sound great. My husband and I are trying to find yummy recipes to try so we can cut out the expensive trips to dunkin. My question is with your recipes can you use regular brewed coffee or does it have to be espresso shots?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Heather! You can use either brewed coffee or espresso, it doesn’t matter so much 🙂
Katie says
Does the simple syrup require refrigeration? Also, approximately how long does it last?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Katie! You can keep the simple syrup on the counter in a sealed jar for 3-4 days, but it will last a lot longer in the fridge; typically a month or more!
Jeanette H Hamrick says
I made all 3 syrups this morning and this has got to be the easiest recipes I have ever made. I personally am not a big fan of vanilla in my coffee but my daughter and granddaughter really liked the vanilla syrup. As far as the mocha syrup goes, I am the only one of the 3 of us that tried the mocha and it was okay, a little bitter for my taste but after I added another 1/8 of a cup of the simple syrup it was delicious. The caramel was by the far our favorite syrup without having to tweak it at all. It was wonderful! I still have some dulce de leche left over along with more simple syrup but I feel sure that will not be a problem since we all like the syrups. I should have bought stock in Starbuck’s and I would be rich just from the amount of iced coffee and frappacino I drink every day by myself. This recipe is definitely going to save me money since I am hooked on frappacinos and drink at least one a day every day. Thank you so much for posting these recipes.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so thrilled you love all these iced coffee recipes Jeanette, and I’m so happy they’ve saved you some money from buying coffees out! That makes me so happy 🙂 Thanks for leaving your review!
Jo says
This sounds delish!! You said that you love to start your day off with one of these. So my question is, do you make the coffee the night before and refrigerate it? I don’t know if I can wait an hour for it to chill first thing in the am lmao
Taylor Stinson says
Hah, totally with you on the waiting Jo! You can totally leave it to chill overnight then just pour over ice in the morning 🙂
Jack says
Trying over and over to sell us a coffee machine!
Taylor Stinson says
There was a disclaimer at the top of this post announcing a sponsorship. This is in part what helps to keep my website up and running as I otherwise create recipes available to the public for free. There are still three free recipes that you get as part of this post with no obligation to buy the coffee machine that I used.
JenJen says
Thanks for the recipes. They sound and look delicious 😉