Start cold-brewing your own coffee for the best iced coffee ever! This easy step-by-step for cold brew coffee recipe has the perfect coffee to water ratio and ultimate flavor to give you the delicious caffeine boost you need.

The BEST Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

Another cold brew coffee post? Really? To my credit this post was originally published in 2014 and was desperately in need of a picture refresh but also I consider myself an OG cold brew coffee recipe drinker.

Given my breadth of experience with cold brew coffee I can promise you this is the BEST cold brew coffee recipe on the internet. I have tested this hundreds of times and made more batches than you can imagine. You only need a few simple tools and ingredients so you can ditch the store-bought coffee concentrate and make your own cold brew coffee at home for superior taste!

What is Cold Brew Coffee?

The name pretty much says it all, but essentially cold brew coffee is coffee that is brewed using a cold water process rather than heating it up. Coffee grinds are left to soak in water for 12-24 hours to absorb the coffee benefits rather than having it released in hot water.

Why might one want to cold brew their coffee? For a couple of reasons:

1. It’s less acidic – heading up the coffee beans releases more acidity, however when the beans are not heated that acidity is not released making it easier on your digestion.

2. It’s stronger – this cold brew makes a concentrate so it’s STRONG. You can dilute it or get a serious buzz. Up to you!

3. It’s cold – DUH. The summer is hot – make sure your coffee is cold and why not get the benefits of cold brew instead of throwing that day old hot coffee in the fridge?

What do you need to make Cold Brew Coffee?

Making cold brew coffee doesn’t require any industrial equipment. You’ll need just a few jars or containers (mason jars work great!) and a few other items to make this cold brew coffee recipe.

• 1-2 large jars – make sure they have a wide mouth which is easier for pouring
• Fine mesh strainer – or use a nut milk bag or several pieces of cheesecloth
• Coffee beans – At least 1 cup of quality, coarsely ground coffee beans (you can also buy whole coffee beans and grind them yourself)
• Wooden spoon – for stirring
• Filtered water – 5 cups of water. 1:5 ratio is the ultimate cold brew coffee recipe ratio.

How Do You Make Cold Brew Coffee?

Let’s get to the cold brew concentrate making process…

STEP 1: GRIND COFFEE

Measure out 1 cup of coffee beans and grind them coarsely in your coffee grinder. If getting from a coffee shop ask it to be ground for french press as it will make it much easier to strain.

STEP 2: STEEP COFFEE IN WATER

In a large jar or jug combine the coffee grounds and water. Stir and then cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours (or longer if you plan ahead!).

STEP 3: STRAIN COFFEE

Steep for at least 12 hours and then remove from the refrigerator and strain through a fine mesh sieve, two layers of cheese cloth or a nut milk bag into a large bowl or jug.

STEP 4: POUR OVER ICE

Add several ice cubes to a glass, add pour cold brew over ice.

STEP 5: POUR IN ADD-INS

Add in any other ingredients such as milk, cream, sugar or add-ins listed below.

Cold-Brew Add-Ins

Cold brew coffee is strong. Definitely stronger than regular coffee. I usually drink mine with a bit of milk. Here are some suggestions of what to add:

1. Homemade Almond Milk – always a classic!
2. Homemade Oat Milk – Haven’t tried oat milk? Now’s your chance. It’s easy to make and tastes great with coffee.
3. Add a splash of cold brew to this Iced Golden Milk Latte
4. Spice things up a notch with this Iced Horchata Latte
5. Try this lavender simple syrup for a lavender-flavored cold brew.

Homemade Cold Brew Coffee FAQs

Can you double or triple this recipe for a big batch? Absolutely! If you have a big enough glass container you can easily double, triple or even quadruple this recipe. You’ll likely need a lot of vessels to strain but it can be done.

How long does this cold brew coffee recipe keep? Typically it will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

What kind of coffee should you use? I use high-quality dark roast coffee from a local coffee shop but you can use whatever you prefer. Typically dark roast has less caffeine than light or medium roast coffee.

Can you make cold brew coffee in a french press? Yes you can. You will likely need to quarter the recipe and mix a 1/5 cup of ground coffee (ground to french press size) and 1 cup of water. Less soak in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Push down french press and then pour liquid over ice. Depending on your coffee grind you may need to strain your cold brew concentrate through another fine mesh strainer.

Can you make coffee ice cubes? Absolutely! If you want to really amp up your caffeine you can make this cold brew coffee recipe and freeze into ice cubes.

What to do with Leftover Coffee Grinds

Don’t let those coffee grinds go to waste! Here are a few ideas of what to do with them:

– Try making this DIY Vanilla Latte Soap

– DIY this coffee, face and body scrub

– Add to your garden! Note – only add to acid loving plants like Azeleas and Blueberries

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