Make perfect Iced Coffee at Home with this simple recipe! In just 2 easy steps, you can make your own delicious iced coffee to kickstart your day or provide an afternoon energy boost. Don't waste your time or money buying coffee from Starbucks or another coffee shop ever again!
We love iced coffee and drink it almost everyday. Alec even drinks it all winter! Our favorite way to prepare iced coffee is with espresso or brewed coffee, oat milk, and coffee ice cubes because it combines the light sweetness of oat milk with the richness of coffee.
Iced coffee at home is a great way to customize your coffee exactly how you like it without the Starbucks price. Plus, you can add homemade coffee cubes, which prevent the coffee from getting watered down. Give it a try and add a splash of Caramel Syrup for Coffee!
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About Iced Coffee
- Taste - The coffee is rich and the sweetness is adjusted based on your preference. Add caramel for extra sweetener.
- Texture - The texture is light and smooth.
- Effort - Making iced coffee is easy. All you need to do is make the coffee then mix in ice, milk, and sweetener.
- Time - It takes just a few minutes to make the coffee and mix the ingredients!
Ingredients
- Coffee - We use espresso or strongly brewed coffee. But you can also use instant coffee or cold brew.
- Milk - Make this recipe with your milk of choice, like soy milk, nut milk, or regular milk. Our favorite is oat milk because it is light and sweet.
- Coffee ice cubes - Coffee ice cubes both maintain the coffee flavor and keep your coffee cold. If you don't want to take the time to make them, you can just use ice.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Milk and milk alternatives - Use regular milk, cream, half and half, or a milk alternative like almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, and soy milk. You can also use sweetened condensed milk.
- Decaf - Use decaf espresso or strongly brewed decaf coffee.
- Regular ice cubes - If you don't have time to make coffee cubes, regular ice cubes also work.
Variations
- Hot - Skip the ice and use warm milk to enjoy this drink hot.
- Frothed milk - Add frothed milk for some foamy sweetness and creaminess.
- Vanilla extract or paste - Use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for sweetness and vanilla flavor. Paste has a more intense vanilla flavor and adds flecks of vanilla bean to the coffee.
- Blended - Pulse the coffee and ice cubes in a blender to make it a blended icy drink.
- Maple syrup - Maple syrup is a tasty alternative to traditional sweeteners.
- Caramel syrup - Caramel syrup will add toasty sweetness.
- Chocolate syrup - Make this coffee rich and chocolatey with chocolate syrup.
- Whipped cream - Make this coffee extra decadent with our Easy Homemade Whipped Cream.
Instructions
- Add ice cubes and sweetener to a glass. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Pour milk and coffee over ice then stir. (Photo 3 and 4)
Pro tip: Taste as you go to control the sweetness.
What to Serve with Iced Coffee
This refreshing cold coffee drink pairs perfectly with warm and buttery Brioche French Toast, or a Bacon and Egg Breakfast Rice Bowl. It is also great with a light lunch like a Teriyaki Spam Musubi or Tomato Tartlets with Puff Pastry.
Recipe FAQs
Iced Coffee is brewed then cooled while cold brew is made without heat. Since cold brew is made without heat, it is less acidic and bitter. Cold brew is slightly higher in caffeine than regular brewed coffee or espresso.
Yes, but we recommend chilling the coffee in the refrigerator and using cold milk and sweetener.
Yes, iced coffee has caffeine in it. If you ware worried about staying up, use decaf coffee instead.
Yes! We love to brew coffee in the morning then save some in the fridge for later in the day when it is hot.
Yes, iced coffee is made by cooling regular coffee then adding ice. We enjoy ours with coffee ice cubes for extra coffee flavor.
Equipment
This homemade iced coffee requires just a few kitchen essentials, including an espresso machine or espresso maker, measuring spoons, and silicone ice mold or ice cube tray. If you want frothed milk, this milk frother is a fantastic investment to add to your kitchen collection.
Check out The Heirloom Pantry Shop for all of our recommended kitchen essentials.
Storage
Iced Coffee is best enjoyed fresh. However, you can make it up to one day ahead of time. Just store it in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator then enjoy it the next day. If you store it with water ice cubes, remove them so the coffee doesn't get watered down.
Top tips
- If you want to use a plant based milk, we recommend oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk.
- Wait for the coffee to cool a little before adding it to the glass. This will ensure the ice doesn't melt right away.
- Chill your glass ahead of time. This will ensure your drink stays colder longer.
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How to Make Iced Coffee at Home
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup strongly brewed coffee or 2 shots espresso
- 1 cup milk or plant-based milk
- 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice, or more or less to taste
- 1 cup ice or coffee ice cubes
Instructions
- Add ice cubes and sweetener to a glass.1 cup ice or coffee ice cubes, 1 tablespoon sweetener of choice, or more or less to taste
- Pour milk then coffee and stir.1 cup milk or plant-based milk, 1 cup strongly brewed coffee or 2 shots espresso
Notes
- Make this coffee up to one day ahead of time. Just store it in an air-tight jar. If you store it with water ice cubes, remove them so the coffee doesn't get watered down.
- Taste as you go to control the sweetness.
- Wait for the coffee to cool a little before adding it to the glass so the ice doesn't melt.
- Chill your glass ahead of time to ensure your drink stays colder longer.
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