Cold Brew Coffee

Cold Brew Coffee is SUPER easy to make with only coffee and water! Add your favorite syrup, cream, and cold foam for the perfect summer drink.

We love iced coffee year-round but it tastes extra delicious in the summer! Keep this cold brew coffee in the refrigerator so that you can make your favorite specialty drinks without having to leave your home.

Cold Brew Coffee Ingredients

To make cold brew coffee, all you need is ground coffee and water. You can make it stronger or weaker depending on your preferences and how you plan to use it. Scroll down for the complete recipe with ingredient measurements.

• Coffee: For the coffee, you can buy ground coffee or coffee bean and grind them yourself. Freshly ground coffee beans will give you the best results. As with any coffee you make, the brand and the roast matter so go with whatever your favorite is. You can even use flavored coffee if you want your cold brew to have that same flavor.
• Water: The water you use to make your cold brew coffee matters in the same way it does when you make your regular coffee. It can change the outcome of the coffee. We use filtered water from our refrigerator to make our cold brew but you can use whatever you normally use to make your coffee.

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee

Although cold brew coffee is very easy to make, it does have to be in the refrigerator for a long time so keep that in mind. Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete instructions.

• Put the ground coffee in a pitcher or a large bowl. Pour the water over the coffee and stir to moisten all of the grounds. Cover the container and place it in the refrigerator. We keep ours in the refrigerator for 24 hours but you can do less if you want weaker cold brew coffee.
• Remove the pitcher from the refrigerator and strain the iced coffee. Store the cold brew in the refrigerator.

Vanilla Cold Brew Iced Coffee

One of our favorite drinks to make with this recipe is vanilla cold brew iced coffee.

• Ice: Fill a glass (you can find these glasses here) with ice cubes. We used our countertop nugget ice maker for smaller cubes. You can also use the large cubes or break larger cubes up into smaller pieces.
• Coffee: Add enough cold brew coffee to fill the glass about 3/4 of the way. The amount of coffee you add depends on how strong you want your iced coffee to be and on how much half-n-half or creamer you want to add.
• Syrup: Flavor the iced coffee with vanilla syrup. We used our homemade vanilla bean syrup (recipe here).
• Cream: Top the vanilla cold brew iced coffee with half-n-half or your favorite creamer and enjoy!

How To Make Cold Foam

• What is cold foam? Cold foam is milk that has been whipped until it is light and airy, yet thick and sturdy. Cold foam holds its shape and sits on top of beverages.
• Why use it? Everyone loves frothed milk on hot beverages and cold foam is like that but made for iced beverages instead.
• Which milk is used? Fat-free skim milk is used to make the thickest, most sturdy cold foam. Use a frother to turn 1/2 cup of skim milk turns into 1 1/2 – 2 cups of cold foam! Other milk will not give the same results.
• What equipment do you need? We recommend using a frother which is a battery-powered mini whisk. This small handheld frother is our favorite. You can also use a mixer with the whisk attachment but the foam won’t be as thick or sturdy.
• How do you make it? Put cold milk into a cup or jar and froth until the cold foam has formed. Make sure that you use a cup that is much larger than the amount of liquid you add since it will triple in size.
• Can you add flavors or sugar? Yes, you can add flavored syrup, sugar, vanilla, or salt to the milk before frothing it.

Caramel Cold Foam Iced Coffee

Another popular beverage using cold brew is caramel cold foam iced coffee. This drink is fun because it has caramel swirled on the glass and caramel-flavored cold foam on top!

• To make caramel cold foam iced coffee, start by drizzling caramel ice cream topping on the sides of the cup and then fill the cup most of the way with ice cubes.
• Next, pour cold brew coffee over the ice cubes until the glass is 3/4 of the way full.
• Then, pour a tablespoon (more or less depending on your preferences) of caramel syrup and a couple of tablespoons of half-and-half over the top.
• Finally, make the cold foam as directed above adding 1/2 teaspoon of caramel syrup and a pinch of salt if desired to the milk before whipping it. Spoon the salted caramel cold foam on the drink.

Want more coffee recipes? Try these next:

An Iced Chai Latte is a delicious combination of chai tea, milk, and espresso over ice. Try it as an alternative to your standard iced coffee drink!

This Frosty Mocha Punch is a family tradition! It is a delicious combination of chocolate, coffee, and ice cream.

Our Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Frappe recipe is a sweet coffee drink with a streusel topping, and homemade caramel coffee creamer!

We can’t get enough of this Peppermint Mocha Whipped Coffee topped with homemade whipped cream and crushed peppermint candy canes!