How to Make Iced Coffee

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3 Recipe Ratings | Success Stories

Co-authored by Rich Lee and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: February 23, 2024 Approved

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If you need a little pick me up but it's too hot for coffee, drink it on ice! To make the best tasting iced coffee, start by steeping coffee grounds in cold water. Strain this concentrated coffee and then pour it over ice. Stir in cold water or milk and enjoy it right away. You can also play around with flavors and textures. For example, try making an iced coffee with vanilla or an iced coffee frappe.

Ingredients

1/3 cup (30 g) of coarsely ground coffee
1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) of cold water, preferably filtered
Milk or half-and-half, to serve
Ice

Makes 1 drink

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Quick Ways to Make Iced Coffee

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1
Refrigerate hot coffee instead of cold-brewing it. If you don't have the time to make cold-brewed coffee, make a cup or pot of hot coffee. Use your preferred brewing method and then put the coffee into the refrigerator until it's cold. Then pour the cold coffee into an ice-filled glass and enjoy it.^{[1]
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- For example, make drip coffee, pour over coffee, or press coffee.
2
Dissolve instant coffee powder and pour it over ice for a fast drink. This is another quick way to make iced coffee. Stir 1 tablespoon (6 g) of instant coffee with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of hot water in a tall glass. Then fill the glass with ice and pour 1 cup (240 ml) of cold water over it. Stir the iced coffee with a long spoon and drink it before the ice melts.
- For a creamy iced coffee, use cold milk instead of water.
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3
Use coffee ice cubes. To prevent your iced coffee from becoming diluted as the ice melts, make coffee ice cubes before you make the drink. Just pour cold coffee into an empty ice cube tray and freeze it until the cubes are solid.^{[2]
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- This is a great way to use leftover coffee instead of throwing it away.
4
Stir in your favorite syrups to add flavor. Purchase or make caramel, vanilla, or chocolate syrup. For plain sweetness, use a simple syrup. Then stir in as much as you like. Play around with combining flavors, such as a chocolate caramel to make unique iced coffee drinks.^{[3]
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- Refrigerate homemade syrups in an airtight container for up to 1 to 2 weeks.
Copycat coffeeshop syrup:
Combine 1/2 cup (100 g) of granulated sugar with 1 cup (240 ml) of water in a saucepan. Stir and heat the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup cool and then stir in ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 ml) of vanilla extract.
5
Mix cold coffee with ice cream for a creamy treat. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of cold coffee and ¹⁄₄ cup (59 ml) of milk into a tall glass. Fill the glass with ice and then top the drink with 1 large scoop of vanilla ice cream.^{[4]
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- If you prefer, leave out the ice cubes and add extra ice cream.
6
Blend the iced coffee to make a frappe. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of cold coffee into a blender and add 3 cups (420 g) of ice cubes along with 2 tablespoons (25 g) of sugar. Put the lid on the blender and blend the ingredients until they're smooth. Then pour the frappe into a glass and top it with whipped cream before serving.^{[5]
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- If you like, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of syrup, such as caramel of vanilla.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making Iced Coffee with a French Press

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1
Make a cup of coffee. Get out a French press and put 1/3 cup (30 g) of coarsely ground coffee into the bottom. Pour in 1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) of cold water and use a spoon to stir it gently. ^{[6]
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Research source}Don't plunge the French press yet since the coffee grounds need a lot of time to come into contact with the water.
- If you don't have a French press, combine the coffee and water in a jar, container, or coffee pot.
2
Refrigerate the French press overnight. Since you probably won't be able to fit the French press with the lid in your refrigerator, cover the top of the press with plastic wrap or beeswax. Put the press in the refrigerator and leave it to steep for at least 12 hours or overnight.^{[7]
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- If you'd like a large batch of iced coffee, double the amounts of ground coffee and water. Then pour it into a large French press.
- For stronger iced coffee, steep it for up to 24 hours.
Remove the French press from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap or beeswax. Set the French press lid on top and slowly press down to push the grounds to the bottom.^{[8]
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4
Pour the coffee through a filter to remove natural oils. For the cleanest-tasting coffee, set a coffee filter into a fine mesh strainer and place it over a measuring jug. Slowly pour the cold coffee through the filter and discard or compost the grounds that are left in the French press.^{[9]
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- If you made the coffee in a container or jar, you'll definitely need to filter it to remove coffee sediment.
- If you don't mind the natural oils from the coffee, skip pouring the coffee through a filter.
5
Pour cold coffee over ice and stir in milk or water. Fill a tall serving glass with ice cubes and pour enough cold coffee to come halfway up the glass. Then fill the rest of the glass with cold water or milk. Stir the drink gently to combine the coffee and drink it before the ice begins to melt.
- Store leftover coffee concentrate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do you make iced coffee with instant coffee?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Staff Answer

Making iced coffee with instant coffee is easy and quick; indeed it's often the preferred go-to for homemade iced coffee because it's quick (no waiting on cooling coffee) and tasty, plus it dissolves easily. For the complete instructions on doing this, see How to Make Simple Iced Coffee.

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What can you add to iced coffee?

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You can add all sorts of flavors or food adornments to iced coffee, provided the addition works well with coffee flavor. Some suggestions for additions to iced coffee include spices like ground cinnamon or chili pepper, syrups such as vanilla or mocha, different kinds of milk like coconut, almond or condensed milks, fresh herbs such as mint leaves or lavender buds, whipped cream with or without sprinkles, coffee ice cubes, and so on. Optional but fun food additions: If you're using a straw, you can thread on mini doughnuts, cookies with center holes or other similar treats for eating with the iced coffee; or just put cookies or cake on a plate and serve with the iced coffee.

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How do you make good iced coffee at home?

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To make good iced coffee at home, follow the instructions above for any one of the listed iced coffee styles to ensure you're using a correct method that will achieve the right results. As well, for the best results it is important to use good quality coffee, fresh milk and suitable flavors (if you’re adding any). When adding any flavors, be creative but take care to complement the coffee flavor to keep it tasty; suitable flavors include mocha syrup, berries or spices.

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Tips

For an adult iced coffee, stir 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of Irish cream, brandy, or rum into the drink.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

I just take coffee, sugar, and milk and put in a blender and there you go. Super simple and delicious. The sound of the blender also helps wake me up in the morning just as much as the caffeine does.
Try putting some honey in your coffee. This gives it a sweet taste but with a natural sweetener.

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Warnings

If you're brewing hot coffee into a glass coffee pot, avoid putting it directly into the refrigerator with hot coffee in it. The extreme change in temperature may cause the glass to crack.

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