Perfect Iced Coffee
This recipe is quick, easy, budget-friendly, and tastes just like the gourmet coffee-shops, if not better!
When you live in California, you have a ton of options for great coffee. But whe you start hitting all the hottest coffee shops around town, it gets to be quite expensive. At one point, I ended up splurging on a $10 latte at Alfred’s Coffee!
But as always, nothing beats the homemade version – taste-wise and money-wise. And with this easy perfect iced coffee recipe, you won’t have to overpay for coffee ever again.
All you have to do is brew your coffee the night before using good-quality coffee beans. That way, it can come to room temperature by the time the morning comes around. Now I have personally never been a fan of pouring hot coffee over ice but if it doesn’t bother you, then you can whip this up in the morning – it’s up to you!
Then you can whip up a batch of simple syrup, but only if you need it. A batch should last you for a few weeks, unless you like to douse your coffee in sugary goodness. No judgment here. Then you can add a splash of milk or half-and-half, although I highly recommend the latter.
Now you can skip the hectic Starbucks line and have quality coffee for a quarter of the price right at home!
Perfect Iced Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup coffee, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons half and half*, or more, to taste
For the simple syrup
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- FOR THE SIMPLE SYRUP: Combine sugar and 1 cup water in a medium 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.
- Serve coffee over ice with half and half and simple syrup, adding 1 teaspoon at a time, to taste.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I’m just curious.. does the sugary syrup start to harden or can I put it in a jar and use it for other coffees during the week?
I stored my syrup in a jar, it remains fluid as the ratio of sugar to water is not that high and you don’t boil it down 🙂
Super simple to make. I have never made coffee this way. I honestly thought the sugar/water syrup was going to water down my coffee taste BUT it didn’t. It was perfectly sweetened by this and tasted great! I will definitely be making this again. Great for religious coffee drinkers in summer. yum!
Delightful! I had never made iced coffee before and it was a very easy recipe to follow. Turned out great!
I want to make this recipe. I don’t have any half & half right now. Could I just use a creamer?
Yes or milk! I know I’m not the creator but I drink this a lot or mix milk with heavy whipping cream hope this helps!
A simple way to make a delicious cup of iced coffee!
I loved it! imma do this everyday instead of oredering coffee. It tastes like ice shaken from starbucks, but even better!
omg! so good and refreshing glad i didnt stop at the coffee shop
Love this! I’m in the middle of making one now! I accidentally poured the vanilla extract in after the sugar dissolved while the liquid is still hot…while that change the taste of the syrup?
I did mine while hot (accidentally) and it was still GREAT!
Noice
I didn’t think the amazing reviews were true… but they are!! Found this wonderful recipe just in time for summer days . i’ve already shared it with family.
This is the best quarrantine coffee, im 13 and its delishious.
Love your easy but perfect recipe for iced coffee! It’s simple but packed with good ol’ coffee goodness. Guess I’m sticking to this recipe forever!
My daughter really loved this. She always orders from Starbucks and enjoyed this so much more
It’s delicious however there was a bit to much sugar for my liking. But otherwise 10/10!!
It does say in instructions to add simply syrup to taste
This was so bomb so here are my hacks:
1.) I do not have a coffee machine so I followed the instructions for making a cup of instant.
2.) I wanted mine right away so I let my syrup and coffee chill in the freezer for a few minutes.
3.) I’m vegan! I replaced regular creamer with almond caramel creamer and sweet almond milk. I used bone/char free sugar for my simple syrup which turned out perfect! 10/10
I love that creamer!
This was amazing I make it everyday. This puts me in a good mood for the start of the day. I would 100% recommend.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was out of vanilla syrup at home and was looking for an alternative I could make myself. Easy to make and tasty!
I love it! It tastes as if it came from a high-end coffee shop. I recommend this to everyone looking for an easy but delicious recipe!
Absolutely LOVED it!
Thank you so much for it.
This sounds amazing. Can I use powdered non-dairy creamer? If yes about how much. Also what amount of coffee grounds per cup of water.
I’ve needed a good coffee recipe and this one is great!! I ran out of half and half though so any substitutions?
I’m using heavy whipping cream in replace of half and half.
Perfect, and I’m guessing it taste just as good!
this is actually a revelation of an iced coffee recipe – thank you for getting me through quarantine!! Best iced coffee recipe I’ve found yet and I have been looking for a while.