Cold brew makes the best iced coffee, no doubt about it. It might seem intimidating to make your own, but it’s actually quite simple once you learn how. Today, I’ll guide you through the process from start to finish.

Homemade cold brew coffee is: 

• Smooth, slightly sweet and super refreshing
• Easy to make with basic kitchen equipment
• More affordable than buying at a coffee shop
• Ready-made for busy mornings

You can make cold brew on the weekend, then pour your coffee from the fridge every morning. No boiling water. No fussing with a coffee maker.

As someone who is 100 percent not a morning person, homemade cold brew coffee is a total game-changer.

Let’s make our own cold brew!

Fun Facts about Cold Brew Coffee

Cold brew takes longer to make than drip coffee.

Since the water is cold, it needs to steep for about 12 to 18 hours to soak up the coffee’s color, flavor and caffeine. The cold extraction process brings out fewer of coffee’s bitter compounds, which produces a sweeter and smoother result.

Cold brew can be strong.

This depends on several factors, including the beans used, steeping time, and dilution. The dilution is the factor that’s easiest to control. Don’t drink cold brew concentrate straight—it’s highly caffeinated.

Cold brew is less acidic.

If regular drip coffee or espresso upsets your stomach, cold brew may not. The only way to know is to try it, and you’ll have more control over the end result if you make it yourself.

Coarsely-ground coffee makes the best cold brew.

No coffee grinder at home? No problem. Just grind your coffee at the grocery store using their big coffee grinder machine, with the dial set on the coarse/French press option. I’ve provided approximate amounts of ground coffee to use if you don’t have a scale for a more accurate weight measurement.

Cold Brew Variations

Use any coffee variety you enjoy to make cold brew.

Any variety will work, and you’ll find that it tastes less bitter when steeped in cold water instead of hot. It would be a fun experiment to compare a glass of cold brew coffee with hot coffee of the same variety.

You can heat up cold brew and drink it hot.

Indeed, it’s true, and it’s very good. The flavor stays about the same.

Make it decaf.

Maybe you’re watching your caffeine intake or craving an afternoon coffee treat without the buzz. You can brew cold brew with decaffeinated coffee—I’ve tried it with this brand, which uses the Swiss water extraction process to remove over 99 percent of the caffeine.

Turn your cold brew into a makeshift iced latte.

Instead of diluting your cold brew with water, pour in an equal amount of your milk of choice. It tastes like an extra-smooth iced latte. I love it with whole milk, creamy almond milk or even pistachio milk. Another option is to add a splash of half-and-half or heavy cream instead.

Basic Cold Brew Coffee Ratio

This ratio is flexible. A kitchen scale will be helpful if you have one, but it’s not necessary. You’re making cold brew concentrate, and you can dilute the concentrate to taste once it’s finished.

• Per 1 cup of water, you’ll need 1 ounce (by weight) coarsely ground coffee. That’s about 1/4 cup whole coffee beans, which yields roughly 1/2 cup ground coffee. If you’re accustomed to the metric system, 1 ounce is equivalent to 28 grams.
• You’ll end up with a little less concentrate than the amount of water you used, since some of it will be absorbed by the coffee grounds. However, you’ll dilute it with an equal amount of water, so you’ll double your final yield. Clear as mud? I mean, coffee? Good.

Examples

• Let’s make cold brew coffee in a standard 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar (affiliate link). In the jar, combine 3 ounces coarsely-ground coffee (about 3/4 cup whole coffee beans turned into 1 1/2 cups coarsely-ground coffee) with 3 cups of water.
• After steeping and straining the mixture, you’ll have about 2 1/2 cups of cold brew concentrate, which is enough for 5 cups of cold brew. You’ve just made enough coffee to last you from Monday through Friday!
• If you have a 2-quart jar, simply double the amounts offered above.
• If you have an extra-large French press like I do, you can use 5 ounces of coffee (about 1 1/4 cups whole coffee beans turned into about 2 1/2 cups coarsely-ground coffee) and 5 cups water. You’ll end up with about 4 1/4 cups concentrate, or enough for 8 1/2 cups of cold brew.

Watch How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Recommended Steeping Time

The steeping time is flexible as well. I’ve read suggestions for “overnight or 12 hours,” and “at least 18 or up to 24 hours,” so do what works with your schedule. Starbucks steeps their cold brew for 20 hours.

If you accidentally steep yours longer (even 24+ hours), it’s ok. Your concentrate may taste a little more bitter than it would have, but it’s probably fine. It may also be extra-strong, so you might want to dilute it with some extra water.

How to Strain Your Cold Brew

Once you’re done steeping the coffee, you’ll need to strain the coffee grounds out of the water. A fine-mesh sieve or French press filter isn’t sufficient (you’ll end up with murky, sludgy concentrate). Most methods will suggest using cheesecloth, but I hate cheesecloth! It’s difficult to work with and seems wasteful.

I played around with other options and found two that work great. See my photos for examples of each. Choose one:

1. Thin paper coffee filters: Use the “basket” paper filters that splay out in a round seashell shape, as shown here. Make sure your filter is made of very thin paper, not a thicker material that will take forever to filter through. These are the filters I used.
2. A linen or cotton napkin, or a rag made from a t-shirt: Any thin, clean, lint-free, cotton or linen cloth will do. It should be large enough to cover your sieve when draped across it. Don’t use something precious, because it could develop a coffee stain or smell. Wash it and reuse it!

To strain, simply place the coffee filter into a small, fine-mesh sieve or drape your cloth over it. Then, place the sieve over a pitcher or liquid measuring cup and pour the concentrate through it.

Have I convinced you to try making cold brew coffee at home? Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comments.

If you want to try something different, try making cold brew iced tea. Like cold brew coffee, it’s smoother and less bitter.

If you’re looking for more recipes to ease your morning routine, here are 23 make-ahead breakfasts.

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