How to Make Cold Brew Coffee | Your Guide to Brewing at Home
Ever wonder how to make cold brew coffee?! We have the answer!
Make your mornings brew-tiful!
If you love iced coffee, then you’ve gotta try making this cold brew coffee. It’s a popular and deliciously refreshing drink served up at most coffee shops, but here’s how you can make it at home for so much less!
Why Cold Brew?
Say goodbye to watered-down iced coffee and hello to a deliciously smooth and non-bitter refreshment! When coffee is brewed at a high temperature, the result tends to have high acidity.
When cooled down, that bitter taste tends to be more noticeable. Cold brew uses cold or room temperature water to brew over an extended period of time. This is why more people are enjoying cold brew for their summer caffeine fix!
Making your own cold brew coffee is simple with this guide!
I personally love cold brew in the summer, and I’m excited to report that this simple DIY at-home version using a Mason jar, coffee beans, and cold water works GREAT. In fact, no fancy equipment is needed!
Hip Tip: Any leftover coffee can be frozen into ice cubes so you have a non-diluted chilled brew!
Homemade Cold Brew Coffee
yield: 3 SERVINGS
prep time: 5 MINUTES
total time: 5 MINUTES
Here's how to easily make a smooth cup of cold brew at home!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup coffee beans, coarsely ground
- 3 cups cold water
- any desired coffee creamer, milk, or sweetener (optional)
Directions
1
Use coarsely ground coffee beans. I use a medium/dark roast. You can grind your own coffee beans to a coarse consistency using a coffee grinder or use one at the grocery store.
Note: If you want to make more or less cold brew just use the ratio of 1/4 cup coffee grounds for each 1 cup of water.
2
Mix filtered water with coffee in a large Mason jar or a glass container. Place the lid on the jar and let steep overnight on the counter or for at least 12 hours.
Tip: Use filtered water because it sets coffee up for success by having any lingering flavors filtered out.
3
Strain mixture using a cheesecloth or coffee filter.
Note: This could take a while but it's worth the wait.
4
Pour coffee into a glass with ice and a little water (if desired). The amount will depend on how strong you like your coffee. You can also use any type of creamer or milk. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 3 cups,
Amount Per Serving:
This cold coffee concoction is so smooth!
In fact, I normally need some kind of sweetened creamer for my coffee. I can drink cold brew with just a little milk or cream and no sweetener because it’s not bitter at all! This was pretty easy to make, and I love that you can make a batch of brew and keep it in the fridge for a few days!
Curious about other popular cold brew methods?
My coffee brewing expert sidekick Emily shares the following helpful tips to make cold brew using a French press.
To brew: It’s pretty much the same process as using a French Press for hot coffee, except for the water temperature and brewing time.
- Add 1 tbsp of coarsely ground coffee for every 6 oz. of cold, filtered water.
- Stir them together gently. Place the top on, BUT don’t press it down. You could also leave it off and cover the top with plastic wrap.
- Let it steep for about 12-14 hours in the fridge.
- Once the time has passed, simply press down the top and pour over ice.
Don’t feel like brewing your own cold brew coffee? Try store-bought cold brew!
There are tons of different pre-made cold brew brands, including Starbucks and Mr. Brown. Another popular option is High Brew! With about six different flavors available, High Brew 8 oz. cans have been described as “Coffee Heaven” on Amazon. They have low acidity and smooth taste and retail for around $2 each.
Want another way to enjoy cold coffee? Check out our review on the Mr. Coffee Iced Coffee maker!
I make a few batches of this for when we go camping!! Works out perfect to just dilute a little and heat in the morning!!!
That’s a great tip for camping!
Great tips! I have tried to many ways of making cold brew and bought several different “makers”. I really like this one from Amazon. It is so easy!
https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Brew-Coffee-Maker-Stainless/dp/B01ATJ6AJG/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1530024787&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=cold+brew+coffee+maker&dpPl=1&dpID=419aC4Bd2yL&ref=plSrch
Thanks for sharing!
I have that one too, so great!
Trader Joe’s cold brew concentrate is wonderful. It’s $7.99 for a quart. I add TJ’s chocolate syrup and almond milk over ice. For a treat I put in Vitamix and top with a bit of whipped topping.
Oh yum! I’d love to try that. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds yummy!
FYI you can also heat your cold-brewed coffee up in the microwave if you want to drink it hot- it tastes much smoother, not bitter, and is lower in acidity than regular hot-brewed coffee!
Oh that’s a great tip! I bet that’s wonderful <3
We’ve started making cold brew the last few weeks, and we are loving it!! I am an iced coffee all year round girl, but my husband normally drank it hot….but the heat is getting to him this year so he’s switched teams for now lol. I got one of the cold brew pitchers from Amazon for about $18. For me it’s just easier because I don’t have to worry about straining, no grounds getting in coffee, can leave grounds in to let it get stronger while still pouring a glass to drink now. And it makes about 5 cups at a time. Any way you make it though, still so easy and ridiculous what coffee shops are charging for it!
I agree! It’s so good too ❤️ thanks for sharing 👍
Hi Rebecca, which one from Amazon do you use? TIA
This one is awesome!
County Line Kitchen – Cold Brew Mason Jar iced Coffee Maker, Durable Glass, Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Filter, Flip Cap Standard Lid, 32 oz (1 Quart) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0776ZSV8P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_63AA6Q5Z3DWFGG6NQ9D0?psc=1
Rebecca can you share the link to the brewer you like?
Love this! Thank you!
this post is great! i love cold brewed coffee. If I do it with my french press I leave it on the counter overnight or in the fridge, it doesn’t say, thank you!
Thanks so much for these tips. It’s nice to see so you don’t have to be so intimidated with the process. I have the French press yet to be used and now I understand it better 🙂
I am up SAST with Trader Joe’s coffee bars, but they are often out of stock. How would one turn this into a frozen popsicle? I am assuming some sort of sweetener would need to be added?
You can look up recipes online for frozen coffee bars but I would add simple syrup to the bar before freezing.
Perfect! Thanks for reading and enjoy!
The Primula Cold brew pitcher has been a game changer for me. I got rid of my Keurig and my espresso maker and only use this. So smooth and delicious. I make a venti skinny Carmel macchiato every morning (and it’s only 3 weight watchers points). https://www.amazon.com/Primula-Cold-Glass-Coffee-Maker/dp/B00YBQ4XZC
Do you have the recipe for that?
I use a 24 oz Starbucks cold cup
2/3 cup skim milk
1 cup crushed ice
Fill the rest of the cup with Cold brew (I use Starbucks espresso ground coffee)
2tbls sugar free vanilla syrup (Torani)
1 tbls sugar free Carmel sauce
YUM! thanks Karen!
There is an awesome cold brew kit on Amazon that is 3 pieces: the cold brew maker, a growler for storage and a cute funnel. My husband came across it and we love it! Name is Hau’oli Life. They also have a great website with recipes and tips!
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing ❤️
Because you go through a lot of coffee grounds with cold brew, we have been stocking up on Wegman’s French Roast. A big can is under $8 and still tastes very good. The grind it comes in works fine with my cold brew pot.
I made 1 large yeti like 24 oz tumbler of cold brew a day. I use a small mason jar and have 3 in rotation at a time. Use the Hario V60 Glass Coffee Dripper, Size 01 & those cheap basket coffee filters folded in 4 fits the dripper perfectly. This makes filtering easy! May not be a good solution for those who drink a coffee a day.
My problem is that I need to make about 2 gallons a week for my husband and I. Any tips for making large amounts?
Hau’oli Life has a kit on Amazon that has a growler for storage. So you make a batch, then put that in the growler, and can make another batch right away! It was the best option for us as we go through a lot of it a week, too!
I’ve been making The Pioneer Woman’s iced coffee (cold brew) method for several months now and I make 2 gallons at a time. That’s plenty for my girls and I and lasts us a month. It’s a little investment with the commercial grade container, strainer, cheese cloth and pitcher but pays for itself after a while. Hope you like it! https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/perfect-iced-coffee/
FYI: The cook time says 12 minutes. Shouldn’t it be 12 hours? Thank you for posting this. It’s just me who drinks this, so I’ve been struggling with coming up with smaller ratios of the coffee… and thank for specifying coffee beans/grounds. So many online recipes don’t say and assume everyone knows what they mean. I’m not a regular, take-it-black coffee drinker, so usually use light roast beans, 1:1 water:coffee, sugar-free caramel, some milk or cream. (For me, it’s the caffeine I’m after and need it doctored up, plus get some health benefit adding the milk. LOL)
Thank you!!
I just use a 99¢ pitcher for cold brew coffee. I’m talking about the “Kool aid” pitcher. I put the coffee grinds in & add water. Let sit in the fridge for at least 10-12 hours. I have a strainer to make a cup of coffee 🙂
Great! Thanks for sharing your method 👍
I am a huge fan of iced coffee also. Lately, with coupons of course, I have bought the box cold brew kit, Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. You just steep in a pitcher overnight, throw out the coffee bag, add a bit more water and drink it all week. Tastes great!
I also like the DD cold brew. I’ve used coupons to get mine. Just don’t squeeze the bag when done (like you might with a tea bag) to think you’ll get more. You’ll have grounds in your drink. Let it drain in a strainer and gently press. And don’t use a wide-mouth glass jar. The grounds/bag expand and you can’t get it out of the jar without tearing the bag.
My absolute favorite Cold Brew drink is Starbucks’ Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew…yummy yummy!! I love the hint of sweetness and the smooth velvety taste of the nitro cold brew coffee mixed with cream. With that being said I hate the price..lol..!! So in a quest to find something comparable, I feel like I’ve tried so many options: concentrated cold brew from the store and so many ground coffee varieties to find the perfect coffee for cold brew but I have yet to find what I am looking for. Does anyone have a suggestion for their favorite coffee they use for making cold brew at home?
I am RIGHT there with you!! I wish I could find something that taste similar I could make myself!!! I feel like all coffee I brew at home tastes the same
I take my leftover coffee from my morning brew and freeze it in ice cube trays to be used in my cold brew later in day. So your coffee is NEVER watered down!
Amazon sells cold brew bags, kind of like big tea bags. You don’t have to deal with filtering the grounds, just take it out and throw it away. These were a game changer for me!
I have made The Pioneer Woman’s method for many years. Cheap, easy and good!
I’ve had this one for the last couple years and love it! Currently on sale @ Amazon bodum Bean Cold Brew Coffee Maker, 51 Oz, Bright White
That’s what I have too. Works great!
Just tried it and it was very good. I use Costco coffee beans and now I’m making another. Thanks
I have a cold brew coffee jar, but found that the biodegradable cold brew bags you can buy on Amazon are the absolute best and easiest. No straining. Just fill a pitcher, add a bag with ground coffee of any sort, and steep overnight. You should give them a whirl!