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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    How to make Iced Coffee

    Published: Apr 22, 2022 · Modified: May 16, 2023 by Maria Doss · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    How to make Iced Coffee? Forget high end coffee shops and make it easily at home in a fraction of the cost, and you don't need an espresso machine or cold brew. It is made in under 2 minutes using instant coffee.

    glasses with chilled coffee drinks.

    I wanted an iced coffee that is full of body yet made easily in a matter of minutes at home like the mocha latte, without an espresso machine, waiting for several hours for it to brew or spending a fortune for just one drink.

    Who doesn't love Coffee? A cold coffee is a great way to quench your thirst like my mango lemonade and still get that caffeine kick. I enjoy drinks from Starbucks every weekend, but not a big fan of the hefty price for something that can be easily made at home.

    What is iced coffee? It is exactly what it sounds like: a coffee drink served cold. It can be made with regular brewed coffee and served with chilled milk over ice or made using a cold brew.

    Believed to have originated in Algeria in the 18th century, iced coffee was originally made by mixing coffee syrup with cold water. Iced version began to appear on menus by the 19th century and then later gained popularity with big Cafe chains like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Burger King featuring in their menus.

    I cannot get away with a blog post titled how to make iced coffee, without talking about the amazing Japenese style iced coffee. It is simply coffee that is brewed hot directly onto ice, which chills it rapidly. This results in a bright, clean, with preserved flavor, and it's a difference you really can taste.

    When cold brew or waiting for your hot coffee to cool down, requires planning in advance, Japanese-style iced coffee can be made in just minutes with barely any extra effort.

    Cold brew is a chosen method of choice in best iced coffee recipes, because a long steep in room temperature water, produces a coffee concentrate that's smooth and not too bright. It is also celebrated for its flavor, which is round and sweet and low in acid.

    Technically a cold brew is perfect for making a cold drink, however many cafe chains simply use hot brewed coffee for convenience. Starbucks specifically uses the double-strength method in which the java is brewed hot with twice the amount of grounds making it very strong and is perfect when mixed with ice. Hot water is able to extract more soluble compounds from the ground coffee quickly, producing a cup of coffee that's better balanced and more delicious.

    What is instant coffee ? Invented by a chemist Satori Kato more than a century ago, Instant coffee is made from coffee beans, usually of a low-quality Robusta variety, roasted to taste and then finely ground into an almost powder like texture. It is then stripped of it's water content through brewing, leaving behind crystallized coffee grounds.

    Those granules are treated again to remove any remaining water and preserve the flavor of the coffee. Although probably not the ideal choice for your morning cup of joe, instant coffee can be a saving grace when you are in a time crunch. I used instant coffee to make this mocha mug cake and tiramisu tres leches cake.

    Cold foods or drinks in general can benefit from a heavier hand when seasoning, because they have no aroma and your tastebuds has a harder time detecting flavors.

    Sugar stimulates the tastebuds to signal pleasure - The Science of Good Cooking. These signals are so enjoyable, that it over shadows the absence of aroma, that wafts up to your nose from a piping hot bowl of soup. In a nutshell, sweeten your homemade iced coffee recipe a touch more than you normally would a hot cup.

    Jump to:
    • Why this recipe works?
    • Ingredients
    • Variations
    • How to make?
    • Make ahead
    • Helpful tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More cold drinks
    • How to make Iced Coffee

    Why this recipe works?

    1. No waiting several hours for a cold brew or for hot espresso to cool down. Heat, dissolve, mix and drink!
    2. Make the way you like it! Mix in more instant coffee granules if you'd like it stronger. Stir in your favorite spices, extracts, flavored syrups or make it boozy!
    3. Make it for pennies at home.

    Ingredients

    Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.

    ingredients needed to make cold coffee drink.
    • Instant Coffee - A good dark roast instant granules works best. I used Nescafe Classico Dark Roast instant.
    • Sugar - Unlike a hot beverage, cold drinks need more sweetening because the receptors through which tastebuds signal the brain is most responsive at temperatures between 85 and 95 degrees.
    • Milk - I like to use regular whole milk in this homemade iced coffee recipe due to the richness without making it heavy. Feel free to use other types such as oat milk, almond or half and half.

    Best Instant Coffee to Use?

    According to purewow, here are a few leading brands that are full bodied medium roast:

    1. Cafe Altura instant organic
    2. Starbucks VIA instant veranda blend
    3. Nescafe Taster's choice house blend
    4. Mount hagen organic fair trade
    5. Jacob's kronung
    6. Maxwell house original blend

    Variations

    1. Iced latte - Top with frothed milk instead.
    2. Caramel - Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons caramel sauce, top with whipped cream if desired ---> Just like Starbucks.
    3. Alcoholic - Try adding some whiskey, rum, brandy or Baileys.
    4. Spices - Stir in ground cinnamon, ginger or freshly grated nutmeg.
    5. Flavorings - Vanilla, almond or coconut extracts can be stirred in.
    6. Vietnamese - Mix in sweetened condensed milk and reduce/skip sugar.
    7. Flavored syrups - Skip sugar and add flavored syrups like vanilla, caramel, mocha, hazelnut or chocolate syrups.
    8. Whipped Cream - Top with whipped cream.

    How to make?

    You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.

    2 photo collage of mixing coffee in a small glass measuring cup.
    2 photo collage of mixing iced coffee in a glass.

    1 & 2. Warm water, instant coffee granules and sugar in microwave or on very low heat on the stove top. Stir to dissolve.

    Pro tip: Don't make it hot! You need water to be barely warm enough, to dissolve the instant granules and sugar. This produces a coffee concentrate that's smooth, full of flavor and low in acid.

    3 & 4. Cool for couple of minutes and then mix with chilled dairy and ice cubes.

    Pro tip: Choosing the right ice is key! Crushed ice will water your drink down very quickly, I recommend medium or large sized cubes. Large ice will be much better, if you have it around, because it melts very slowly keeping your drink cold.

    Make ahead

    How to make iced coffee at home and store for later use? Make as instructed but without adding any ice. Store in a sealed mason jar or any air tight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve over ice.

    It is a great way to cool down during hot summer months, especially when you can do so when sipping on a delicious, homemade caffeine drink.

    Helpful tips

    1. Don't reduce sugar - Sugar makes this taste delicious just like you would get at Starbucks. Reducing it might make it healthier but might also not be as tasty.
    2. Milk - Use your favorite variety.
    3. Don't heat until hot - This not only affects the taste but also takes longer to cool down. Heat just until lukewarm to dissolve the sugar.

    Recipe FAQs

    What kind of coffee do you use for iced coffee?

    Choose a medium or dark roast! It will give a rich flavor and be easy on the palate.

    Can you turn hot coffee into iced coffee?

    Sure can! Simply cool down a hot brewed, until room temperature and then refrigerate until cold. The only down side is that this step requires planning in advance.

    What does coffee does Starbucks use to make iced coffee?

    Starbucks either uses Terraza Blend or Starbucks Kenya. Both are medium roast and has a well balanced acidic flavors.

    Is it iced coffee or ice coffee?

    "Iced" means cubes of ice is added to a drink whereas "ice" means frozen or blended with ice like ice cream, slushy or granita. So this is iced coffee.

    What is the difference between an iced coffee and cold brew?

    Cold brew is coarse ground java steeped in cold water for at least twelve hours. The longer it sits, stronger is the flavor. The grounds are then filtered out, resulting in a concentrate that is less acidic and bitter than hot brewing. This method uses time instead of heat to extract the oils, sugars and caffeine. Whereas cold coffee is cold or hot brew mixed with sweeteners and dairy

    glasses with coffee topped with ice and straw.

    More cold drinks

    • orange smoothie in glasses with straws.
      Fresh Orange Smoothie
    • glasses filled with strawberry lassi.
      Strawberry Lassi
    • creamy mango milk in glasses along with a paper straws
      Mango Milk
    • 3 glass tumblers with yellow smoothie and garnished with pineapple.
      Pina Colada Smoothie

    Hungry for more? Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or Pinterest for more delicious recipes

    iced coffee in glasses with straw.

    How to make Iced Coffee

    How to make Iced Coffee? Forget high end coffee shops and make it easily at home in a fraction of the cost, and you don't need an espresso machine or cold brew. It is made in under 2 minutes using instant coffee.
    4.8 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 1 minute minute
    Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 minute minute
    Servings: 1 Serving
    Calories: 231kcal
    Author: Maria Doss

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup water
    • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons milk preferably whole milk
    • Ice to serve
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add water, instant coffee and sugar into a microwave safe cup, microwave until lukewarm (10 to 15 seconds). Remove from microwave and stir until coffee and sugar is dissolved.
      Pro tip: Don't make it hot! You need water to be barely warm enough, to dissolve the instant granules and sugar. This produces a coffee concentrate that's smooth, full of flavor and low in acid.
    • Let cool for about 2 minutes and then stir in milk. Pour into a glass filled with ice, enjoy!
      Pro tip: Choosing the right ice is key! Crushed ice will water your drink down very quickly, I recommend medium or large sized cubes. Large ice will be much better, if you have it around, because it melts very slowly keeping your drink cold.
      Tip: Refer above blog post tasty flavorings/variation suggestions.

    Notes

    Coffee - We used Nescafe Classico Dark Roast instant coffee. Other good brands -
    1. Cafe Altura instant organic
    2. Starbucks VIA instant veranda blend
    3. Nescafe Taster's choice house blend
    4. Mount hagen organic fair trade
    5. Jacob's kronung
    6. Maxwell house original blend
     
    Don’t reduce sugar – Sugar makes this taste delicious just like you would get at Starbucks. Reducing it might make it healthier but might also not be as tasty.
    Milk – Use your favorite variety.
    Don’t heat until hot – This not only affects the taste but also takes longer to cool down. Heat just until lukewarm to dissolve the sugar.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 132mg | Sugar: 27g

    Nutritional information is based on third party calculations, should be considered estimates and not be construed as a guarantee. Varying factors such as product types, brands purchased, produce, the way ingredients are processed and more change the nutritional information in any recipe.

    Did you make this recipe?Mention @KitchenAtHoskins or tag #kitchenathoskins!

    Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment or review below or snap a photo and share on Instagram.

    Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com

    All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.

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    Maria Doss
    Maria Doss

    I am Maria Doss, the recipe creator, photographer and writer behind Kitchen at Hoskins. Here you'll find lots of creative recipes that use clever techniques or flavor profiles. It might intertwine two cuisines together to create a perfect blend or use an innovative technique.
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