Homemade Cold Brew Coffee

Ever wondered how to make cold brew coffee?  It’s much easier than you think!  This Homemade Cold Brew Coffee is a fantastic base for frappuccinos, iced coffee recipes, or great to heat up as a traditional brew.  Smooth, not bitter, and a must-know for every coffee lover!

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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee in 3 Easy Steps

Do you love a good cup of joe?  If so, you’re definitely in good company!  I’ve been a coffee lover for as long as I can remember.  

My grandma gave me a mini coffee maker to put in my dorm room when I went off to college, and I’ve never looked back.  Normally, I’ll brew up a traditional hot pot of coffee, but when the weather gets especially hot, a delicious cold brew is definitely where it’s at!

I recently made and posted a recipe for Vanilla Bean Iced Coffee that is absolutely incredible!  (I recently made this drink for some of my fellow food bloggers at a Bed and Breakfast retreat.)  This super simple coffee recipe tastes just like something you would order from your local barista, but without the gigantic price tag and the snark from the person taking your order.  

Don’t get me wrong, I love treating myself to a specialty drink at my local coffee house, but on many mornings I either don’t have time to run out and get something, or would rather stay in my pajamas and enjoy a good cup of joe at home.

What are the advantages to making your own cold brew coffee?

A big advantage to making your own Cold Brew is saving money versus buying it at the coffee shop.  I’ve noticed that grocery stores are now carrying bottled cold-brew, but even this gets to be a bit pricey.  

With this super-simple 3-step cold brew method, you’ll have an amazing coffee concentrate right at home in your fridge, and it will be pennies on the dollar what you would normally spend buying it already prepared.

So, let’s get to it!  Here are the three super-easy steps to making a good quality Cold Brew Coffee right at home.

Step 1: Grind coffee and place in a jar.

I purchased whole-bean coffee to grind when I need it.  You don’t need a fancy coffee grinder – I use my Blendtec Designer Series Blender, fitted with the Twister Jar to grind the beans.

Which coffee beans are best for cold brew?

Dark roast is typically best for homemade cold brew coffee.

I do a rough grind of the beans, however, I know many recipes out there will also call for an espresso grind (very fine.)  The rough grind has always worked well for me and produces a really smooth, flavorful brew.  Feel free to experiment with what you like best, based on your coffee preference. If you prefer, feel free to purchase ground coffee, and go with the body preference that you like for hot brewed coffee.  (Light versus bold roasts.

Step 2: Add water to the ground coffee and refrigerate.

To your jar add the ground coffee – the ratio of water to coffee will be 1 part ground coffee to 3 parts water.  In this instance, I used 1 cup of ground coffee, and three cups of cold, filtered water.  Simply add the water to the jar with the coffee, add a tight fitting lid, and refrigerate.

You’ll refrigerate the cold brew coffee for 12-24 hours.  As you can see from the photo below, the beans will slowly sink to the bottom of the jar, and begin to steep.  For this brew I let is steep for about 18 hours.  Feel free to go a little longer for a stronger brew.

Step 3: Filter the coffee.

Using a coffee filter or even a wet paper towel, pour the cold brew through to filter out the coffee bean grind.  As you can see, I don’t have a specialty cold brew coffee pot.  I’m  using just a simple water pitcher, along with a small colander to hold the coffee filter in place.

Once you’ve poured out the contents of the jar, let it set for a few minutes for the concentrate to completely drain out.

When all of the liquid has been drained from the grounds, place the cold brew into a clean jar, with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate.

Your cold brew is now ready for your favorite iced coffee drink or frappuccino. A typical serving for the concentrate is about 4 oz., or 1/2 cup of concentrate.  Your cold brew will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Cold brew is also fantastic added to ice cream, and makes a great addition to breakfast smoothies and overnight oats!

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Here are a few coffee recipes that would be great with my homemade cold brew coffee:

• Iced Caramel Latte
• Iced Vanilla Latte
• Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
• Skinny Starbucks Eggnog Latte Recipe
• Almond Joy Mocha Frappuccino
• Easy Peppermint Mocha
• Starbucks Copycat Salted Caramel Mocha
• Cinnamon Mocha Iced Coffee at Real Housemoms

Cheers to making your morning amazing one cup of coffee at a time!

Enjoy! ~Erin