How to Make Iced Coffee: Recipes, Tips and Tricks

Amidst sweltering heat waves, sips of chilled coffee trickle across my taste buds. Throughout many languid summer seasons, I have experimented with how to make iced coffee at home. And at this point I think I’ve got it fully dialed.

Naturally, I’m here to share with you a cuppa of my perfect iced coffee recipes! As you can tell from that terrible pun, this year’s heat has affected my brain just a little. Still, I’ve got enough of my wits about me to give you a crash course in how to make iced coffee. Let’s do this!

Iced Coffee vs Cold Brew Coffee: What’s the Difference?

Tantalizingly, there are a variety of ways to make a simple, delicious iced coffee at home. With only a few exceptions, we’ll begin with a fresh, hot cup of brewed coffee. To start, let us lay some ground rules for making iced coffee. Starting with what iced coffee isand what it is decidedly not.

It is worth noting, while cold brew is a type of iced coffee, iced coffee is not a cold brew. Cold brew is actually brewed cold. Go figure, right? Anyway, I’ll tell you how to make it properly a little later.

Another thing: iced coffee is not the stale, leftover coffee that you’ve let sit out on your counter. Not even with a smattering of ice cubes thrown in. I do say, watered-down iced coffee is as useless as gum on a boot heel. And it won’t taste much better!

How to Make Iced Coffee: Basic Pour-Over Method

My best iced coffee recipe has the power to put some pep in your step when you need it! And, without stirring up a hornet’s nest, I’ll let you in on what that leftover coffee is truly good for.

Ingeniously, you may pour cold coffee into ice cube trays to make coffee ice cubes! Trust me, reserve at least one ice cube tray for a cold coffee hack.

To begin, my pour-over iced coffee recipe for two calls for the following kitchen tools:

Chances are, you already have these four ingredients on hand:

Here’s how to brew your refreshing pour-over iced coffee:

Voila! Enjoy your delicious iced coffee! Of course, do play with the potency as you fancy.

Other Preparation Methods for Homemade Iced Coffee

Cold Brew Iced Coffee Method

For those who love iced coffee and are stellar at planning ahead, here is my obligatory nod to cold brew. Incidentally, for a more in-depth exploration, check out my cold brew coffee guide 2023. Please be aware, this coffee recipe calls for a 12 hour brewing time. 

Taking it even further, I’d like to impress upon you my French press method for cold brew. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself there!

For this cold brew method, I recommend a medium to dark roast coffee:

Happily, the brewing process is wholly straightforward:

AeroPress Iced Coffee

Not on everyone’s barista radar is the AeroPress, a perfect single-serve coffee maker. Taking a fresh pot to a new level, the AeroPress consists of a brewing chamber, a plunger and a filter cap. Here’s my spin on a speedy iced coffee!

Simple instructions for a strong coffee:

Super Automatic Iced Coffee

When it comes to fully automatic espresso machines, quite a few manufacturers have jumped on the iced coffee bandwagon.

Perhaps the best example is the Jura Z10, which makes cold brew faster than a greased pig! I have dubbed this function with the fitting name of Swiss Iced Coffee. It’s definitely not true cold brew, but it’s mighty tasty all the same. All you bring to the table are a tall glass and ice cubes.

Other notable machines with cold extraction functions include the DeLonghi Dinamica Plus and the DeLonghi Eletta Explore. The latter even offers a cold foam function for what it’s worth.

Iced Coffee from a Drip Coffee Maker

There’s nothing to stop you from brewing double strength coffee in any automatic coffee machine and using that as your iced coffee base.

Still, some models in my drip coffee maker guide 2023 have built-in iced coffee functions. This takes the guesswork out of the equation, and these machines adjust their brewing parameters accordingly.

Notable examples include the Ninja CM401 and the DeLonghi TrueBrew. There’s even the Mr. Coffee Iced Coffee Maker if hot coffee just isn’t your thing.

How to Make Homemade Flavored Iced Coffee: 3 Recipes

Now, you might say I have a bee in my bonnet when it comes to iced coffee cocktails. To follow are a few artful ways to add flavor and sweetness to your iced coffee. Adding vanilla syrup, vanilla extract, citrus juice or cinnamon sticks lends irresistibly sweet tones. 

Iced Latte Macchiato

Be my guest; take it easy on your pocketbook without licking the red off of your candy! Oh, and if you don’t have a home espresso machine, you can get away with using strong coffee from a moka pot. Here’s all you’ll need for my vanilla iced coffee:

To stir up any preconceived notions, our mason jar is going to become a cocktail shaker:

Vietnamese Iced Coffee (Cà Phê Đá)

Homemade Vietnamese iced coffee is traditionally made using a specialty coffee phin. This resembles a metal pour-over filter with a cup. Who knew strong coffee and condensed milk could float your boat?

If you love iced coffee, you haven’t truly lived until you’ve tried this version. Still, you’ll need to be patient – the brewing method takes a while. Here’s how to make iced coffee the Vietnamese way:

Affogato al Caffè

You don’t have to be completely sinful to enjoy a love affair between espresso and gelato. And yet, for a truly wicked flavor, start with a generous scoop of vanilla or pistachio:

The trick is to be faster than a barefoot jackrabbit and enjoy this before it melts:

Final Thoughts

Essentially, learning how to make iced coffee is as simple or complex as you want it to be. Suit your fancy by preparing a two-minute drip coffee from an “Over Ice” function! Or plan ahead for a 12-hour French press cold brew.

Either way, there’s nothing quite as refreshing and invigorating as iced coffee on a hot afternoon. For more ways to flavor iced coffee, I invite you to delve into my cold alcoholic coffee drinks. Any of those will rock your world on a steamy evening!

How to Make Iced Coffee FAQ