How To Make Iced Coffee

Iced coffee isn’t just a summertime treat. With centralized heating units bringing about an era of war on thermostats, sometimes you need an iced coffee in winter just to survive your house companion’s most recent counterattack. Or maybe it has nothing so dramatic, and you simply enjoy the refreshing sensation and bitter shock of an iced coffee. Or yet, you could be a coffee shop or restaurant owner after a recipe even Plankton would steal. Whatever the reason may be, this article will teach you how to make iced coffee in three effortless steps.

Iced Coffee Recipe

Whether you’re an avid coffee drinker making this iced coffee at home, a barista in training, or a restaurant owner looking for new coffees to put on your menu, it’s likely that you already have everything you need. In fact, the most challenging part about this iced coffee recipe will be waiting for the hot coffee to cool down.

List of ingredients:

• Coffee


• Ice Cubes


• Cream/Milk (optional)


• Sugar (optional)

Step 1: Brew

The secret of how to make a good iced coffee is all in the ingredients. So choose your bean wisely. We recommend going with a dark roast with a coarse grind because the flavor tends to survive the rapid chilling process a little better than the light to medium roasts.

Use ¼ of a cup of coffee for every one cup of coffee you plan on brewing. 

Step 2: Chill 

Once brewed, pour the pot of coffee into a pitcher or cup. We recommend leaving it out to cool for 20 minutes before putting it in the fridge. After all, you don’t want to cook your eggs. However, this comes with a caveat. Be careful not to let the coffee sit out for too long, as after 30 minutes the flavor will begin to degrade. 

Once stored in the fridge, let it chill for at least an hour, but no longer than 10. Leave the iced coffee in the fridge too long, and it won’t matter how good your ingredients were. Your coffee will be sour, acidic, and sad. 

Here’s a life hack for those making your iced coffee at home. Instead of putting your coffee in the fridge, pour a single serving into a coffee mug and pop it in the freezer. Brush your teeth or read your morning articles and return after fifteen to twenty minutes. A frosty cup and its icy cold contents will be waiting for you.

Step 3: Ice 

Pour over ice and – not so fast! Before it’s time to enjoy, you’ll want to ensure you have the correct ice-to-coffee ratio. Fill your cup with ⅓ of the way full with ice and the rest with the now cold coffee. Leave a little room at the top for your choice of cream, high-fat milk or sugar. 

Cream Ratio

To soften the bitter bite, add one tablespoon of cream for every eight ounces of coffee. Not enough? Keep adding until you reach the desired result.

Milk Ratio

High-fat milk works – and tastes – better than skim. Using skim milk can water down your beverage and doesn’t add much flavor. Pour in about 3 tablespoons over eight ounces of coffee.

Sugar Ratio

If you want to enjoy your coffee down to the last sip, add the sugar while your coffee is still hot. Sugar doesn’t dissolve well at lower temperatures, so to avoid this, add one spoonful of sugar, taste and adjust.

And that is how you make a perfect cup of iced coffee in three steps flat.

How To Make Iced Coffee from Hot Coffee

This section is a must-read if you don’t want to or have time to wait around for silly things like thermodynamic physics and Newton’s law of cooling. But taking a scalding hot pot of coffee and pouring it over ice will water down your beverage. This section will tell you exactly how to avoid that grave grievance.  

Coffee Ice Cubes

Drinking your coffee right away is the best way to ensure you’re getting the most flavor out of every cup, but how do you do that without watering it down? Pour it directly over coffee ice.

Take your leftover coffee and freeze it in an ice cube tray. Or if you’re a really serious coffee drinker who doesn’t want even a minute of the oxidation process to strip the bean of its flavor, make a fresh pot and freeze that.

Flash Brewed

If you want your iced coffee right now and, again, don’t have time to wait around for thermodynamics, there is a way to pour coffee directly over ice while minimizing the watery side effect. This is known as Japanese-style iced coffee.

To do this, brew your pot with half the water for twice the strength. Then, fill a pitcher full of ice (we recommend a 1:1 ratio of ice to coffee). Have your coffee cup on standby. Pour your extra-strength coffee over the ice, wait a minute or two, and then pour the now chilled coffee over fresh ice. Add your choice of cream, milk or sugar, and enjoy.