Easy Cold Brew Coffee Recipe (2024)

Cold brew is a really simple way to make coffee that is rich in flavor, smooth, and easier to digest! Follow this easy cold brew coffee recipe to make yours at home.

You can make cold brew at home in just a few simple steps! After you prepare it you have to let it sit for at least 12 hours before you drink it. (So it takes planning ahead!) By following this cold brew coffee recipe, you can make your coffee just once during the week and enjoy it the rest!

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Feature photo: Flickr: Abi Porter

What’s so great about cold brew?

1. It’s easier on digestion.

In my recent post, The Best Coffee for Sensitive Stomachs, I recommended that anyone with sensitive digestion (like me!) should try making cold brew coffee at home. Cold brew coffee is actually about 70% less acidic than traditionally brewed coffee, and it doesn’t make your stomach produce excess acid as much as normal coffee either. Overall, it’s just much easier on the stomach. But a lot of people don’t knowhow to make cold brew, so I decided to share a cold brew coffee recipe here on the blog!

2. The taste.

Whereas traditional iced coffees are usually made hot, then they’re cooled and poured over ice, cold brew is made with cold water from the start. Iced coffees tend to be more watery, and weaker in flavor. But cold brew is made to be strong in flavor, and tends to taste less bitter than iced coffees. This cold brew recipe makes a concentrate that you can add water or milk to, according to your desired boldness (and caffeination) levels.

3. You can drink it hot or cold.

Although cold water is used to brew the coffee, cold brew coffee can easily be prepared and enjoyed hot once it’s brewed! Since this cold brew recipe makes aconcentrate, you can simply add hot water or milk to the concentrate instead of cold, and drink it hot.

4. You don’t need fancy equipment to make it.

Although buying a special cold brew coffee maker would make it somewhat easier, you actually don’t need anything more than a big enough container to hold the coffee while it steeps, a fine mesh strainer, and some coffee filters or cheesecloth. Alternatively, you can make cold brew in a French press as well! More on the brew process later.

So let’s talk about how we make it! Here’s my cold brew coffee recipe.

Step one: Grind 1 cup of coffee.

You want it as coarsely ground as possible. We’re talking breadcrumb coarseness. If it’s too finely ground, it will be difficult to filter out all the sediment. Preferably, your coffee is fresh, organic, and your favorite roast.

Step two: Stir grounds with 4 cups of cold water in your container of choice.

Again, you can use a 32-ounce French press, bowl, jar, or container (preferably glass). If you want to get something specifically designed for making cold brew, I recommend this Cold Brew Coffee Maker from Amazon.It has a really nice design, and your coffee will only be in contact with glass and stainless steel, not plastic like many brewers. Plus, the reusable steel filter doesn’t require any paper filters, reducing waste significantly.

Easy Cold Brew Coffee Recipe (1)Easy Cold Brew Coffee Recipe (2)

Step 3: Cover, and let it soak for at least 12 hours.

There’s no rushing this part of the process. Let the coffee steep for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours. The wait is worth it I promise!

Step 4: Filter the grounds out of the coffee.

If you made the cold brew in a French press, simply lower the plunger and pour. If you made it in a bowl or container, lay cheesecloth or a coffee filter in a mesh sieve, and slowly pour the coffee and grounds through the sieve and into another container.

Step 5: Enjoy! Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Add water, ice, or milk to your cold brew concentrate to taste, and enjoy!

My recipe was adapted from Food52 and Downshiftology’scold brew recipes.

Easy Cold Brew Coffee Recipe (3)

Print

Easy Cold Brew Coffee

Prep Time

5 mins

Steeping Time

12 hrs

Cold brew is a really simple way to make coffee that is rich and smooth in flavor, and much less acidic than traditionally brewed coffee, so it's easier to digest!

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy, summer

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Cassandra

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coffee beans
  • 4 cups filtered water

Instructions

  1. Coarsely grind 1 cup of coffee.

  2. Stir grounds with 4 cups of cold water in your container of choice - a French press, jar, bowl, or container will all work.

  3. Cover your container, and let it soak at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

  4. Filter the grounds out of the coffee. If you made the cold brew in a French press, simply lower the plunger and pour. If you made it in a bowl or container, lay cheesecloth or a coffee filter in a mesh sieve, and slowly pour the coffee and grounds through the sieve and into another container.

  5. Add water, ice, or milk to your cold brew concentrate to taste, and enjoy! Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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Easy Cold Brew Coffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the perfect ratio for cold brew coffee? ›

A ratio of 1:8 of coffee to water will produce a nice coffee ready to drink after around 24 hours at a coarse grind. Another option is to create a much stronger cold brew (named cold brew concentrate), by using a ratio anywhere from 1 part coffee to 4 parts water, up to around 1 part coffee to 2 parts water.

How do you make cold brew coffee for beginners? ›

Combine your coffee grounds and water in a large jar or pitcher. Cover and let it sit at room temperature or in your refrigerator. After steeping, strain the mixture using a fine-mesh sieve or coffee filter to remove the grounds. Your cold brew concentrate is now ready to be diluted with water or milk.

How many cups of coffee grounds for 1 gallon of cold brew? ›

The recommended coffee-to-water ratio for cold brew is usually 1:8. Therefore, for 1 gallon (128 fluid ounces) of cold brew, you would need approximately 16 ounces (1 pound) of coffee grounds. However, you can adjust the amount based on your personal preference for the strength of the cold brew.

Can you use regular ground coffee for cold brew? ›

A coarse grind size is ideal for cold brew — similar what you'd use for a French press. The coarseness will allow water to evenly saturate the grounds for a nice even extraction. If the grounds are too fine, they tend to float together in a dense mass and won't be evenly saturated with water.

What not to do when making cold brew coffee? ›

Cold Brew Common Mistakes You Would Never Make
  1. Using the Good Beans. ...
  2. Grinding the Beans Too Fine. ...
  3. Using the Wrong Ratio. ...
  4. Freaking Out about the Water Temperature. ...
  5. Not Diluting the Concentrate. ...
  6. Storing it Too Long in the Fridge.
Jun 16, 2016

Can I make my own cold brew coffee at home? ›

Cold-brewed coffee is actually dirt simple to make at home using a Mason jar and a sieve. You just add water to coffee, stir, cover it and leave it out on the counter overnight.

How many scoops of coffee grounds for cold brew? ›

How Many Scoops of Coffee do I Need for Cold Brew? You can use around 6-7 scoops (12-14 tablespoons) of coffee grounds per quart of water to make cold brew coffee. By weight, that's around 85 grams of coffee per quart of water.

How much coffee do you use for 4 cups of cold brew? ›

For a ready-to-drink cold brew, use 70 grams of coffee (about ¾ cup) per 4 cups of water. Adjust the brewing time according to your preference.

Should you brew cold brew in the fridge? ›

Should I Cold Brew On The Counter Or In The Refrigerator? Either way is safe and works, but they require slightly different things from you. Cold water extracts things from the grounds more slowly than hot water (duh). If you brew using refrigerated water, it's even colder, requiring more time.

Can you use folgers for cold brew? ›

It's easy: Just steep the grounds of your favorite Folgers® coffee roast in cold water and let the mixture chill overnight. Your tomorrow self will thank you.

What's the difference between cold brew and iced coffee? ›

Cold brew is steeped in water, without heat, for 10-24 hours while iced coffee is brewed hot and then poured over ice.

Do you use hot or cold water to make cold brew coffee? ›

It's brewed with cold water instead of hot water and must be steeped overnight. Making cold brew coffee requires a bit of patience, but we promise it's worth it for a smoother, sweeter coffee.

Is cold brew just coffee and water? ›

Cold brew coffee is usually made by steeping coffee in water for a number of hours at cold or ambient (room) temperature. This slow, low temp brew makes cold brew taste very different from hot brewing the same type of coffee beans: mild chocolate and mellow, low acidity fruits are common flavor notes.

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