How to Make Perfect Homemade Cold Brew Coffee at Home

When the temperature rises, it's time for cold brew coffee. It's super easy to make, and you don't need any fancy equipment. Learn the best tips and tricks for the perfect cold brew at home every time; you'll never have bitter or watered-down iced coffee again!

Prep time: PT5M

Total time: PT1085M

Rating

4.99 stars (82 reviews)

Keywords

breakfast, brunch, coffee brownies, easy, quick

Ingredients

1 cup whole coffee beans (freshly ground)
4 cups filtered water
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tablespoon simple syrup flavor
homemade coffee creamer (as desired)

Cuisine

American

Steps

Freshly grind the coffee beans on the coarsest setting. If you don't have a grinder, ask a local coffee shop to grind their beans on the coarsest setting, or grind them at the grocery store. I don't recommend using preground coffee.
Place the grounds in a quart-sized mason jar or another large vessel like a pitcher. As long as you can cover it - even with plastic wrap - and the liquid will fit, you're set! If adding a cinnamon stick, do so now.
Pour the water over the beans, working to saturate all of the grounds. As needed, use a spoon to gently mix in all the grounds to ensure that they are all wet.
Cover the cold brew and let rest on the countertop or in the fridge for 14-24 hours, as desired. I find the sweet spot is 18 hours.
Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl and spread a piece of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag on top of the sieve (see the post for additional straining options). Pour the coffee into the bowl to strain it.
To serve, fill a glass with ice and add the cold brew. As needed, dilute the concentrate with water, cream, or milk. Stir in flavored simple syrup as desired and enjoy!

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 8 ounces
Calories: 5 kcal
Sodium: 12 mg

Reviews

Betty Engel on 2024-08-21 (5 stars):
These directions are really clear and easy to follow. It is all here: the best coffee-to-water ratio, how to grind the beans with pictures to show what a course grind looks like, suggestions about what strength coffee beans to use, how to combine the beans with water, how to steep the mixture and for how long, how to strain out the steeped coffee grounds, and how to store the preparation for a few days. A few suggestions about possible flavorings are provided too. Thanks so much!!!
Johnny O on 2024-01-29 (5 stars):
Easy to follow recipe and great ideas for serving the brew. The coffee is smoother, less bitter and strong the way I like it.
Lena on 2023-08-25 (5 stars):
Super recipe! Wish I had started making our own cold brew earlier, didn't realize how perfect homemade brew can taste.
Greg on 2023-07-13 (5 stars):
Excellent instructions and explanation. I made the concentrate and it was delicious! I was able to dilute it with filtered water and creamer to taste and stretch it over several servings. Thank you!
linda bianco on 2022-08-06 (5 stars):
This is the PERFECT cold brew recipe. Added cinnamon sticks and I didn't need sugar.
Shona Leiss on 2022-06-21 (5 stars):
This article was so informative Thanks so much for creating it. You've made a subscriber with this person!
chef William Chaney on 2022-05-23 (5 stars):
Such a great recipe, filled with information to make it a no-brainer
TIFFANY Thompson on 2022-05-22 (5 stars):
This is strong but amazing! I love it!