Cold Brew Coffee Recipe
Skip the coffee shop and make your cold brew coffee at home for a smoother, less acidic, and more flavorful iced coffee.
How to Make the Best Cold Brew Coffee
Smooth, Less Acidic Iced Coffee at Home
Cold brew coffee is the ultimate homemade alternative to expensive coffee shop iced beverages. Unlike traditional iced coffee made by pouring hot coffee over ice, cold brew uses an extended steeping process that extracts all the rich, smooth flavors while naturally reducing acidity. The result is a delicious concentrate that you can enjoy for days.
Why Make Cold Brew at Home?
Making your own cold brew coffee offers several advantages. You’ll save money compared to daily coffee shop visits, have complete control over the strength and flavor profile, and always have a refreshing iced coffee ready to grab from your refrigerator. The concentrate keeps for up to 10 days, making it perfect for busy mornings when you need a quick caffeine boost.
The Science Behind the Smoothness
The cold brewing process is gentler than hot brewing methods. Extended steeping in cold water extracts the smooth, sweet notes of the coffee beans while leaving behind harsh, acidic compounds. This creates a naturally sweeter, less acidic concentrate that’s perfect for enjoying straight up or diluted with water and milk for a creamy iced latte.
Cold Brew Coffee
Skip the coffee shop and make your cold brew coffee at home for a smoother, less acidic, and more flavorful iced coffee.
Ingredients
Base
Instructions
Preparation
- Find your ratio. The amount of coffee beans you need varies depending on how much coffee you want to make in one batch. The general rule is 1 pound of coffee beans to 1 gallon of water, but most whole bean coffee comes in 12 ounce bags. For this recipe: 12 ounce coffee beans to 96 ounces water (12 cups).
- Grind the beans using a coarse grind (similar to a percolator setting). The beans should resemble kosher salt after grinding.
- Place your ground coffee in the bottom of a large container. Pour cold or room temperature water (filtered water is best) over the grinds, stir well, cover, and place in the refrigerator.
- Let it steep for 12 to 14 hours (exact timing is not critical).
- Strain the cold brew concentrate through a fine cheesecloth strainer.
- You can add water to the concentrate batch or leave it as concentrate and add water when serving. The recommended ratio is 2 parts cold brew concentrate to 1 part water, then add your preferred milk and sweetener if desired.
- Store your cold brew concentrate in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.
Notes
- Cold brew concentrate can be stored for up to 10 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- The 12-14 hour steeping time produces a smooth, less acidic coffee.
- Filtered water produces the best results.