Perfect Iced Coffee
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Tips and tricks to make the best, most perfect iced coffee right at home. It’s quick, easy and so budget-friendly!
why i love this recipe
- Easy, fool-proof recipe. With this easy-to-follow recipe, you’ll be making coffee-shop-quality iced coffee in no time.
- Budget-friendly. A single cup of coffee can range anywhere from $3 to $7 (or more). Making coffee at home is much more economical, letting you kick that coffee shop habit.
- Convenient and time-saving. Now you can skip that hectic Starbucks drive-thru line and enjoy a quality cup of iced coffee right at home.
- So customizable. One of the best things about homemade iced coffee is how customizable it is. Add your favorite milk, coffee creamer or sweetener. The best part? An optional easy simple syrup recipe is included below (which also works great for homemade cocktails!).
what is simple syrup
Simple syrup is a liquid sweetener made from dissolved sugar and water, primarily used for cold beverages such as coffee and cocktails. Simple syrup mixes smoothly and evenly, whereas granulated sugar can leave a gritty texture when mixed in.
how to make the most perfect iced coffee right at home
- Brew the coffee using your favorite beans and preferred method (coffee maker, French press, etc.)
- Let the coffee come to room temperature or chill overnight
- Make the simple syrup (if using), storing in the fridge to extend shelf life
- Pour the chilled or room temperature coffee over ice, adding a splash of milk, creamer and/or simple syrup to taste (starting at 1 tsp)
tips and tricks for success
- Good quality beans go a long way. Grab a bag of beans from your favorite local coffee shop.
- Use coarse ground coffee beans. Finely ground coffee beans can yield a gritty cup of coffee. Purchase coffee beans that have already been coarsely ground or grind the beans at home using a grinder like this or this.
- Room temp or cold coffee is key. Iced coffee is meant to be cold. Skip the hot coffee, making sure to use cooled down coffee to start. Adding ice to already hot coffee will yield undesirable watered down coffee.
- Start the night before. This is a great recipe to make ahead of time. Brew the coffee the night before, storing in the fridge overnight.
- Store simple syrup in the fridge. Always store simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator to extend shelf life, keeping up to 1 month.
pro tip
Make coffee ice cubes.
Don’t want your iced coffee diluted with water? Use coffee ice cubes! Opt for a stronger brew for coffee ice cubes for more flavor, freezing for at least 4 hours using a silicone ice cube tray for easy removal.
more favorited drink recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Saucepan
Perfect Iced Coffee: Frequently Asked Questions
Adding ice to already hot coffee will dilute the coffee quite a bit. Using room temperature or chilled coffee is ideal for the most perfect iced coffee.
Homemade simple syrup can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 month when properly stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Simple syrup can be used for cocktails, mocktails, lemonade, or even whipped cream (swapping out the sugar for a smoother consistency).
Black coffee (without milk or creamer) can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Perfect Iced Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup coffee, at room temperature or chilled overnight
- 2 tablespoons half and half*, or more, to taste
For the simple syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Serve coffee over ice with half and half and simple syrup, adding 1 teaspoon at a time, to taste.
for the simple syrup
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- Let cool completely and stir in vanilla extract; set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I can’t wait to try this it looks so good.
Amazing, going to give this a run today!
I have been drinking iced coffee for a couple of years and making my own here at home. I have been making a pot of coffee then pouring it into a pitcher and keeping it in the refrigerator. When I’m ready for a big glassful, I add ice, pour in coffee, add a little stevia, then I have always Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. I have even changed coffee flavors and used Vanilla Almond Milk
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS PERFECT ICED COFFEE. THANKS!!!!
lol, what the hell is half and half?
If you know please tell me
It was milk
Half and half is a mixture of half heavy cream and half milk. You can buy it in a carton at the store in the dairy section or make your own. Hope this helps! 🙂
You’re an adult and you don’t know what half and half is?
Not everyone knows what it is brook….and thats totally fine.
Some countries don’t have half and half. Parts of Australia for instance.
You’re an adult and you can’t even act like one?
yall- not the drama on the iced coffee recipe comments lmfao
I feel like Im on tiktok lol
it usally called single cream in the UK
this recipe is AMAZING!!!
how many calories are in here?
456!!
456 for 1 portion????????
It was absolutely amazing I loved it so much 🙂
It was absolutely amazing 🙂
this was soooo amazing
It’s my new favourite
Yea nice, it is kind of a variation of cold brew. The other way I like making iced coffee is just putting coarsely ground beans in cold water in the fridge for 12-24 hours and then drinking black. Delicious but admittedly pretty strong
good, added chocolate syrup and caramel and way more coffee lol might die
Lol defiantly trying
hey! it’s the syrup supposed to be liquid? or should i add more sugar? it has a nice golden color to it though
Should be completely liquid!
Making mine with “fake” sugar, Anthony’s Goods Erythritol Sweetener in place of real sugar and sometimes instead of vanilla using Jordan’s Skinny Syrups (sugar free)…comes in multiple flavors. Even Torani Caramel! This recipe is fun to play around with. Thank you for giving me the basic easy recipe. Being diabetic, I am able to tweek this so that I can enjoy a treat. Directions were great! I like using heavy whipping cream….high in calories but ok for diabetics!
Is that half a cup of sugar a typo? Youre telling me 1 cup of coffee to half a cup of sugar?
I believe Half and half is a brand, cream. Thickened milk.
no, half-and-half is actually a product. 50% milk and 50% heavy cream,available in many brands of dairy.
That’s to make the simple syrup. Half cup sugar + 1 cup water. You add the simple syrup to taste
No. that’s how you make a type 2 diabetic. 1/2 cup of sugar???? and then 2 tablespoons half and half*, or more, to taste???? Do you realize the serving size for half and half is 1 tbsp??? 2 tbsp is ridiculously bad. But hey, why stop there, keep going til you like it. OMG.
You would only use 1 or 2 tbsp of the simple syrup and then store the rest in the refrigerator for your future iced coffees. She doesn’t mean to use all the syrup in 1 cup.
Oh no, it’s 2 tablespoons instead of one? Do you know how many people glop on ten times the amount per serving of ranch dressing on a salad? You gotta pick your battles, buddy!
😉
No it makes simple syrup, and you use a little simple syrup (like a tablespoon) and save the rest to use over time.
Delicious. Definitely make sure that when you add the syrup, you taste it after you add a small amount – I accidentally made it way too sugary by assuming how much I wanted. Definitely worth the time!
soooooooooooo………. try DALGONA COFFEE its the absolute best coffee THERe is.
This is much better than the expensive stuff!! I freeze leftover coffee in cubes so it doesn’t get watered down.
It’s the summer time and I work overnight. I looked up how to make iced coffee at home and this recipe popped right up. I am pleasantly surprised! This is absolutely delicious and tastes like it came from a barista! I used Maxwell House coffee, made the simple syrup as directed and used creamer instead of half and half. I’ve already texted this to my family in our text message thread and sent it to my employees!
I have tried this, and it’s brill.
Stop trying to make brill happen, its not going to happen
Wait do you use like the powder coffee or you make the coffee
I enjoy iced coffee especially on these warm summer days. I added a sprig of rosemary to the simple syrup for extra flavor. Thx for great recipe.