Learn how to make Perfect Iced Coffee with this easy cold-brewed coffee concentrate recipe- all the flavor of sweet iced coffee without the bitterness of burned hot brew for perfect iced coffee anytime!
Coffee Concentrate
You’ll Need:
1 Quart sized Mason Jar
1 cup Coffee grounds (unbrewed, not leftovers!)
Water to Fill
Add 1 cup freshly ground coffee to the mason jar and add enough water to completely fill the jar (about 3 1/2 cups). Let the grounds settle and absorb and top off with additional water.
Cap the jar and place it in the fridge for at least 12 hours. The coffee will “brew” without the bitterness associated with hot brewed coffee.
If you prefer the “bite” of hot brewed coffee, leave the jar on the counter overnight, rather than refrigerating it. It adds a certain kick or slight bitterness that is often found in Hot brewed coffee.
Once the coffee has set overnight or for at least 12 hours, Strain the brew carefully, reserving the coffee grounds to make another batch. (They can be reused once & still maintain excellent flavor).
I recommend using a tea infuser to strain as it works great to catch the coffee grounds and prevent a cloudy end product. Once you’ve reused the grounds once to make more concentrated coffee, don’t toss them out, here are 21 more ways to use them!
To Make an Iced Coffee
Ice
2 oz Coffee Concentrate
1 Tbs Sugar (more or less to your preference)
Milk or half & half or skim
Fill Glass with Ice, add 2 shot glasses of concentrated coffee, fill 1 shot glass with HOT water and add 1 Tbs of sugar to the hot water, stirring to dissolve.
Pour that onto the glass, fill to the top with milk. Stir and voila, you’ve just copied Starbucks Iced coffee for about 1/10th of the price.
The coffee concentrate can last in the fridge up to 2 weeks, however in our house it rarely lasts more than 3 days as it’s a favorite in the summertime!
Boozy Mocha Popsicles
This delicious cold brew coffee is perfect for making boozy mocha popsicles!
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / yekophotostudio
i am trying the iced coffee concentrate on the husband since he likes this stuff. will let you know if he does.
i’m not a big iced coffee drinker, but i think i’m going to give this one a try and maybe add some chocolate syrup to it… 🙂
i love this one i like decaf and not too many places have it. now i can make my own.
this was great. i am trying to cut down on my budget and so i have not gone to starbucks in months…..but i make this at home and for a variety i add either caramel or chocolate syrup.
i tried this today and it was a huge hit! we used the leftover coffee grounds to make the anti-cellulite cream! loving this site :party1:
oooohhhhhhh……. iced coffees, i am back!! no more starbucks (which i haven’t been able to afford for about a year now!), now i am a stay-at-home iced coffee drinker!
yeah baby! i will let you know how it all works out. love you guys!
:cloud9:
i normally do not drink coffee, unless it is iced coffee at church. with that being said i do not own a coffee maker and have never bought a thing of coffee. but i bought one when i saw this and made it this morning and it is yummy!
thanks so much for the recipe and i am glad i do not have to buy a coffee maker. i did however have some issues straining it, but i bought a pack of coffee filters and used one of my small strainers that fits over my cup.. this was after i kept dumping the filter full of grounds on my ice (twice).
lol!
i love that brand of coffee! i buy it at aldi and use it in reusable kcups for our kuerig. i never buy kcups any more.
i am a hardcore iced coffee drinker and i brew cups of this, mix sugar in while still hot, chill in the freezer, then add ice and milk. i’m planning to try your idea too. 🙂
i made this last night and just had my first cup – so delicious! i added a dash of vanilla extract for a yummy french vanilla variation! highly recommended!
also i do not have a tea strainer, but i placed two layers of cheese cloth over the mouth of the jar and secured it with a rubber band. flipped it over and all the liquid drained into a separate container! i put the concentrate into a travel coffee mug for easy pouring and kept the grinds in the mason jar, refilled with water for round two!
i just made this last night!! i added some powdered white mocha that i had instead of the sugar and it is soooooo good!!! starbucks is losing me as a customer!!!
i had bought an espresso machine and just couldn’t get the hang of it and it always tasted bitter. glad i didn’t pay much for it and i will be putting it up for sale on a garage sale site on fb. i have my second batch of concentrate “brewing” in the fridge right now.:coffeebath:
i have a bag og ground coffee i am going to do this with. we usually use whole beans and grind as needed.
i use the flavored creamers for my iced coffee but i don’t like that bitter taste of the brewing!,:caffeineoverload: i’m going to try this recipe.
do you use a quart size jar?
i overlooked the size jar and looked at it again and saw you use a quart, so my question has been answered 🙂
i think a coffee filter, either paper or the reusable insert kind, would work great as a strainer.
use 2oz of the concentrate with 2Tsp cocoa and add Vanilla ice cream. Blend in your blender and it makes an awesome Mocha Shake. 🙂
this is amazing! i’ve been looking for a recipe like this because i love coffee, but hate the bitterness i get from hot brewing. thank you!
note to self- break up the coffee grounds sitting on top before you pour… yup i was cleaning up coffee and grinds all over my sink, counter, and floor early this am.
i am very happy with using cooled brewed coffee and adding sugar free or fat free french vanilla coffeemate or other brands of creamer. add ice cubes. sometimes i purposely brew stronger coffee and let it cool to use in iced coffee.
It doesn’t work. Its not nearly strong enough to make a flavorful drink
Can you use pint mason jars instead?
Sure-just cut coffee and water in half.
I think another way you can use this, if you live with some one who likes pathetically weak coffee, you can make this concentrate and add some to your normal cup of coffee so you can have stronger coffee.
You could try letting it sit longer, or using more grounds. Do keep in mind some people like weaker coffee than others this is a good starter recipe, might take 2 cups of coffee for your taste, maybe a cup and a half.
How many ounces is a full severing of ice coffee does this recipe make?