Use this easy cold brew coffee recipe to make sweet and smooth coffee concentrate, and enjoy iced coffee at home – at a fraction of the price you would usually spend at the coffee shop!
Good news: Cold brew coffee is really easy to make at home.
You just need a few things and about 15 minutes of hands-on time to make a big batch to last all week. This recipe is hugely popular on the blog and you guys love it so much.
You can drink cold brew by itself, over ice with half and half, serve hot, and a variety of other ways. Made in large batches, cold brew coffee is perfect for refrigerating and sharing with friends and family. Not to mention the savings.
What is cold brew coffee
Cold brew coffee is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for 12 to 24 hours. The result is noticeably less acidic coffee, a smooth, strong cup with natural sweetness. Cold brew has more caffeine and less acidity than regular coffee, so it’s also gentler on your stomach.
how do you make cold brew coffee
To make cold brew, you need ground coffee, fresh water (filtered would be perfect) and a container.
Cold brew coffee maker makes a process a lot easier (you just take out the filter with grounds once the coffee is done), but pretty much any container will work – you can use a pitcher or a big bowl, and use a cheesecloth to filter the coffee.
COLD BREW COFFEE RECIPE
This recipe yield about 8 cups of cold brew concentrate, which gives you 16 cups of delicious iced coffee! You can double or triple the quantity if you’d like to make a huge batch. Here’s how to cold brew coffee:
1. Place 12 ounces ground coffee in a container and pour 64 ounces room-temperature water over the coffee. Stir to ensure all the grounds are wet.
2. Cover with a cheesecloth and let rest at room temperature for at least 12 hours.
3. After leaving the mixture out overnight, strain twice through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or through a coffee filter. Then pop it in the fridge and let it chill.
Refrigerate for up to 10 days.
Assembling your drinks:
To make iced coffee, fill a glass halfway with ice. Pour in 4 ounces coffee concentrate, and splash in some cold milk or half and half. Stir to combine and sweeten to taste.
For Vietnamese iced coffee, fill a glass halfway with ice, pour in 1/2 cup coffee concentrate, add 2 rich tablespoons sweetened condensed milk, 2 oz half and half and stir.
To serve hot, combine coffee concentrate and hot water in 1:1 ratio.
cold brew coffee faq
Cold brew coffee benefits
Cold brew coffee is less acidic than hot brewed coffee, so it’s gentler on your stomach. People who get heartburn or have a sensitive stomach tend to find cold-brew a little easier to digest.
However, since we use more coffee grounds per ounce of water to make cold brew than we do for conventional hot coffee, cold brew typically has a higher caffeine count than regular hot or iced coffee.
Also, if you’re buying ready-to-drink cold brew coffee, make sure to read the labels because some versions have more sugar and sodium than you may think.
Cold brew coffee ratio
There are many different ratios for cold brew from 1:4 to 1:8. I typically use 1:5 ratio. How much is that in ounces or grams?! Here’s how much coffee you need:
cold brew coffee ratio ounces:
6 oz coffee + 32 oz water (makes 4 cups concentrate/ 8 servings)
12 oz coffee + 64 oz water (makes 16 servings)
1 pound coffee + 85 oz water (makes 20 servings)
cold brew coffee ratio gallon:
1 gallon water (4 quarts) + 24 oz coffee (makes 32 servings)
cold brew coffee ration in grams:
170 grams coffee + 900 grams of water
340 grams coffee + 1800 grams of water
453 grams coffee + 2400 grams of water
The best water for cold brew
Use fresh, filtered water for the best taste. Don’t use ice cold water from the fridge, but make coffee with room temperature water instead. If the water is too cold, the coffee won’t taste as good.
Should I steep cold brew coffee in fridge or room temperature
Keep the coffee out at room temperature while steeping. Once the process is done and you have the concentrate ready, pop it into the fridge to chill.
How should I store cold brew concentrate
You can keep cold brew concentrate in the fridge, for 7 – 10 days.
Cold brew coffee grind size
The best grind size for cold brew is coarse like sea salt or breadcrumbs. You want it somewhere between drip and French press grind. Regular pre-ground coffee is also fine, just don’t use very fine, espresso grind since it’s almost impossible to filter.
You must give the cold brew a try. It’s super refreshing and summery and satisfying.
P.S. make extra!
