Are you an iced coffee fan? It’s the perfect summer morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Learn how to make iced coffee that won’t get weak and watery as the ice melts with this easy recipe.
Coffee house drinks are a delicious treat that can make my day… but they can be hard on my wallet.
Please tell me I’m not the only one with a coffee shop addiction!!!
Last summer I drove through the coffee stand a few too many mornings on the way to early morning swim practice. This year I vowed to make homemade iced coffee to help save both time and money.
Luckily it’s easy to make great iced coffee in your own kitchen and you don’t need any special supplies, just this one simple trick and a freezer!
Have You Ever Tried Making Iced Coffee?
The first time I tried making my own ice coffee I simply filled a travel mug with ice then poured in hot brew. As you can probably guess, the results were disappointing.
The hot coffee instantly melted the ice into water and I was left with weak coffee with a few tiny ice chunks. After adding a splash of milk I could barely even taste the flavor of coffee.
I quickly learned that making great-tasting iced coffee at home is a bit more complicated than simply tossing a few ice cubes into a cup of hot brewed coffee.
What is iced coffee?
Standard iced coffee is hot coffee that is brewed in a standard machine then cooled and served over ice.
Cold brewed coffee is made by steeping grounds in room temperature water for 12 to 24 hours; the mixture is then strained, refrigerated, and served over ice.
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Why is my iced coffee so watery?
If your iced coffee is too weak, there are a few ways you might be messing up your cold morning brew:
- The coffee is not cool enough when you pour it over the ice.
- You started with weakly brewed coffee.
- You are using regular ice cubes.
What’s an iced coffee lover to do?
- You can brew your coffee the night before and refrigerate or make cold brewed coffee (but that takes a bit of advanced planning).
- You can switch to a darker roast or use extra grounds when brewing your coffee (but you might not want to waste more coffee)
- You can freeze leftover coffee into ice cubes (It’s a quick and easy solution that uses up your leftover coffee!)
Leftover Coffee = Coffee Ice Cubes
One evening, I stumbled on this easy iced coffee solution as I poured perfectly good coffee down the drain.
Let me explain…
We set up our coffee maker after dinner each night so we can use the timer setting to brew our morning pot of coffee and have caffeine available as soon as we stumble into the kitchen.
Most evenings, I pour out cold leftover coffee while I’m rinsing out the pot and filling up the water reservoir for the next morning.
One day, while dumping a quarter of a pot down the drain, I realized there was a perfectly good use for this leftover coffee — coffee ice cubes!
How to Make Coffee Ice Cubes
To make coffee ice cubes simply pour room temperature coffee into an ice-cube tray and freeze it for a few hours or overnight.
What You Need:
- Coffee maker (your choice of drip coffee machine, french press, keurig, etc)
- Coffee beans or coffee grounds
- ice cube trays
- A freezer
Step-by-Step instructions:
1. Brew the coffee
Brew at least two to three cups of hot coffee. I recommend using extra grounds or a strong brew setting on your machine for maximum flavor.
2. Cool the coffee
Leave the coffee on the counter to cool or pour into a heat-safe pitcher and refrigerate until the coffee is cool to the touch.
3. Fill the ice trays
Pour the chilled coffee into ice cube trays and place in the freezer for a minimum of 5 hours to overnight.
4. Store coffee cubes in an airtight container.
Pop the frozen coffee cubes out of the tray and place them in an airtight freezer bag or airtight container in the freezer.
5. Enjoy your iced coffee!
Use the frozen coffee cubes instead of regular iced cubes in your favorite iced coffee drinks.
How to Make Iced Coffee at Home
What You Need:
- Coffee maker (your choice of drip coffee machine, french press, keurig, etc)
- Coffee beans or coffee grounds
- Frozen coffee cubes
- Milk or Creamer of choice (optional)
- Sweetener (optional)
- Flavored syrups or extracts (optional)
Step-by-Step instructions:
1. Brew the coffee
Brew a cup of coffee using a drip coffee machine, Keurig, french press, etc.
2. Fill the glass
Place 5-7 coffee ice cubes into a heat-proof glass or mason jar. Pour brewed coffee over the frozen coffee cubes leaving room for milk or creamer. The coffee ice cubes will chill the coffee while melting into more iced coffee.
4. Add creamer, sweetener, and/or flavor.
Top your iced coffee with any creamer or flavoring you prefer. Stir and enjoy!
5. Enjoy your perfect iced coffee!
This iced coffee tip is a win-win! It uses up leftover coffee and you can sip your iced coffee for hours. The brew stays just as dark and flavorful as when it was first made with no watery ice cube in the bottom of the glass.
FAQ
Is iced coffee just coffee with ice?
Yes. Standard iced coffee is hot coffee that is cooled to room temperature or refrigerated and served over ice.
How do businesses make iced coffee?
All iced coffee starts out as regular brewed coffee that is cooled to room temperature. Most businesses make iced coffee by brewing medium to dark roast coffee, cooling it until it can be refrigerated, then filling a glass with lots of ice and topping it with cold coffee.
How do you fix a watery iced coffee?
Replace regular ice cubes with coffee ice cubes. the melting cubes will not water down your beverage.
More Easy Iced Coffee Recipes
It’s easy to customize homemade iced coffee to your personal tastes. Try these easy iced coffee recipes:
- Almond or Vanilla Iced Coffee – Add a few drops of almond extract or vanilla extract and some milk or creamer to enjoy delicious iced vanilla or almond latte!
- Sweet Cream Iced Coffee – Top your iced coffee with full-fat milk or half-and-half and a little liquid sweetener or simple syrup to enjoy a sweet cream iced coffee.
- Coconut Iced Coffee – Top your iced coffee with coconut milk to enjoy a coconut iced coffee. For more coconut flavor top with a few drops of coconut extract or coconut syrup.
- Mocha Iced Coffee – Top your iced coffee with chocolate syrup and milk for a delicious iced mocha.
- High Protein Mocha – Love protein shakes for breakfast? Blend a few coffee cubes into chocolate protein powder for a great frozen mocha.
- Vanilla Frappuccino – Blend a few frozen coffee cubes with vanilla protein powder and milk for a tasty frozen beverage.
You can enjoy iced coffee all year long with this easy trick!
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Nicky Ellis
My ultimate problem about iced coffee answered by your blog! This will definitely helpful especially in getting my caffeine fix in the middle of the day. Thanks for sharing!
Bren
Thanks, Nicky!