Cold Brew Recipes: 7 Easy Ideas to Make at Home

Cold brew is one of the easiest ways to enjoy refreshing coffee at home.

Unlike ordinary iced coffee, which is generally brewed hot before being cooled or poured over ice, cold brew is prepared by extracting ground coffee with cool or room-temperature water over a much longer period.

The result can be smooth, full-flavoured and extremely versatile.

Once you’ve prepared a batch, you can drink it black, add milk, serve it over ice or use it as the base for all kinds of cold brew recipes.

You don’t need specialist equipment either. A jar, coffee, water and something to filter the grounds are enough to get started.

Below are seven easy cold brew recipes you can make in your own kitchen, beginning with the basic brew that you’ll need for many of the other drinks.

Before you start: how to make cold brew

Before experimenting with flavours, you’ll need some cold brew.

One simple starting ratio is approximately 1 part coffee to 8 parts water by weight for a ready-to-drink brew. For example:

• 100g coarsely ground coffee
• 800g (approximately 800ml) water

Combine the coffee and water in a suitable container, making sure all of the grounds are saturated.

Cover and leave it to brew for around 12–18 hours.

You can brew at room temperature or in the fridge, although extraction will differ depending on temperature and time. Once you’re happy with the flavour, strain the coffee carefully through a fine filter.

Our complete guide to making cold brew coffee goes into the brewing method in more detail.

The National Coffee Association’s cold brew guide also provides useful background on preparing and storing cold brew.

With your base coffee ready, it’s time to try some cold brew recipes.

1. Classic cold brew over ice

Let’s begin our cold brew recipes with the simplest option.

A well-made cold brew doesn’t necessarily need syrups, cream or extra flavours.

Ingredients

• 200ml cold brew coffee
• Ice
• Water to taste, if required
• Milk or a milk alternative, optional

Method

Fill a glass with ice and pour over the cold brew.

Taste it before adding anything else.

If you’ve prepared a stronger brew or concentrate, dilute it gradually with cold water until you reach the strength you enjoy.

Alternatively, add a splash of milk.

That’s it.

Of all our cold brew recipes, this is the best one for understanding how the coffee itself tastes before introducing other ingredients.

Try changing the beans, roast or brewing ratio between batches and see how the flavour develops.

2. Vanilla cream cold brew

Some cold brew recipes are all about indulgence, and vanilla works particularly well when you want a sweeter, creamier coffee.

Ingredients

• 200ml cold brew
• Ice
• 50ml milk or milk alternative
• 1–2 teaspoons vanilla syrup
• Optional cream for a richer drink

Method

Add ice to a tall glass.

Pour in the cold brew followed by the vanilla syrup and stir.

Add your chosen milk and taste before adding any more syrup.

For something richer, use a small amount of cream or lightly whipped cream on top.

This is one of the easiest cold brew recipes to customise because you can adjust the sweetness and creaminess independently.

If you use plant-based milk, our guide to the best milk alternatives for coffee can help you choose one.

3. Chocolate mocha cold brew

Chocolate and coffee are a classic combination, and they work just as well cold.

Ingredients

• 200ml cold brew
• Ice
• 50ml milk
• 1–2 teaspoons chocolate syrup
• Optional cocoa powder
• Sweetener, if required

Method

Put the chocolate syrup into a glass.

Add a small amount of cold brew and stir thoroughly to combine before pouring in the remainder.

Add ice and milk.

For a stronger chocolate character, lightly dust the top with cocoa powder.

You can also add a tiny amount of vanilla syrup if you prefer a sweeter mocha.

Our guide to coffee and chocolate pairings has more ideas if you’re a fan of the combination.

Among these cold brew recipes, mocha is particularly easy to turn into an indulgent dessert-style coffee.

4. Coconut cold brew

Coconut gives cold brew recipes a creamy, tropical character that’s ideal for warmer weather.

Ingredients

• 200ml cold brew
• Ice
• 50–75ml coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla syrup, optional
• Toasted coconut flakes, optional

Method

Fill a glass with ice and add the cold brew.

Pour in the coconut milk and stir gently.

Taste before deciding whether it needs additional sweetness.

If you want a more dessert-like drink, add a small amount of vanilla syrup and garnish with a few toasted coconut flakes.

Be aware that different coconut drinks vary considerably in richness. Coconut milk sold specifically as a drink will generally produce a lighter result than canned coconut milk or coconut cream.

Experiment until you find the balance you prefer.

5. Cinnamon cold brew

If you prefer your coffee less sweet, cinnamon provides plenty of character without requiring large amounts of syrup.

Ingredients

• 200ml cold brew
• Ice
• 50ml milk or milk alternative, optional
• A small pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or another sweetener, optional

Method

Pour the cold brew over ice.

Add milk if desired.

Stir in a small amount of cinnamon and taste.

Use cinnamon sparingly because too much can dominate the coffee and won’t dissolve completely into a cold drink.

If you’d like some sweetness, a little maple syrup can complement the spice.

Cold brew recipes don’t always need to be elaborate. A single additional flavour can completely change the finished drink.

6. Orange cold brew

Coffee and citrus might sound like an unusual combination, but fruitier coffees can work particularly well with orange.

Ingredients

• 200ml cold brew
• Ice
• A strip of fresh orange peel
• Optional small splash of orange juice
• Tonic water, optional

Method

Fill a glass with ice and pour over the cold brew.

Take a strip of orange peel and gently twist it over the glass to release some of its aromatic oils before adding it to the drink.

For a stronger citrus flavour, add a small splash of fresh orange juice.

You can also replace some of the cold brew with tonic water for a lighter, sparkling drink.

If using tonic, pour it slowly to help control the foam.

This is one of the more unusual cold brew recipes, but it’s worth trying if you enjoy brighter, fruitier coffee flavours.

7. Coffee shop-style cold foam cold brew

Cold foam can transform a straightforward glass of coffee into something that feels much more like a coffee-shop drink.

Ingredients

• 200ml cold brew
• Ice
• 50ml cold milk or suitable milk alternative
• 1 teaspoon vanilla syrup, optional

Method

Pour the cold brew over plenty of ice.

In a separate container, froth the cold milk until it develops a light, airy texture.

A handheld milk frother works particularly well, although other frothing methods can also work.

Add vanilla syrup to the milk before frothing if you’d like a sweeter foam.

Slowly spoon or pour the foam over the coffee.

As you drink, the foam gradually combines with the cold brew underneath.

It’s an easy addition to many cold brew recipes and gives you another way to experiment with texture rather than just flavour.

Which coffee beans are best for cold brew?

There isn’t a single coffee bean that everyone should use for cold brew recipes.

Your choice depends on the flavours you enjoy.

Coffees with chocolate, caramel and nut characteristics can produce an approachable, rich cold brew that works particularly well with milk.

Fruitier coffees can produce brighter and more distinctive results, especially when served black.

Roast level matters too.

Darker roasting can create deeper roasted and bittersweet characteristics, while lighter roasting may retain more of the coffee’s origin character.

Our guide to coffee roast levels explains the differences between light, medium and dark roasting in more detail.

You can also explore our guide on choosing the best coffee beans if you’re unsure where to start.

Part of the fun of making cold brew recipes at home is trying the same drink with different coffees.

Should you use cold brew concentrate?

You can make cold brew either ready to drink or as a stronger concentrate.

Concentrate can be useful if you want to prepare several different drinks from one batch because you can dilute each serving differently.

For example, you might combine concentrate with water for a black cold brew, milk for a creamy version or other ingredients for flavoured drinks.

There’s no universal dilution ratio because the strength of the original concentrate and personal preference both matter.

Start with equal quantities of concentrate and water or milk if your brew is particularly strong, then adjust after tasting.

For the cold brew recipes above, we’ve assumed you’re using coffee that’s already at a strength you enjoy drinking.

Can you make these recipes with decaf?

Yes, cold brew recipes can be made with decaf coffee too.

There’s no reason your homemade cold brew has to contain regular caffeinated coffee.

Decaf beans can be used with the same basic cold-brewing method, although you may want to adjust the recipe according to the particular coffee you’re using.

This can be especially useful if you enjoy cold coffee later in the day.

Our guide to decaf coffee benefits looks more closely at why you might choose decaf.

Once brewed, you can use it in virtually all of the cold brew recipes above.

How long can homemade cold brew be stored?

It’s better to make sensible quantities rather than preparing enormous batches that sit in the fridge indefinitely.

Keep homemade cold brew refrigerated in a clean, sealed container and pay attention to changes in smell, flavour or appearance.

Once you’ve added milk or other perishable ingredients, treat the finished drink differently from plain brewed coffee and follow the storage requirements of those ingredients.

For the best drinking experience, fresh batches also give you more opportunity to experiment.

Change your coffee-to-water ratio, brewing time or beans and compare the result with your previous batch.

Cold brew vs iced coffee

Before trying more cold brew recipes, it’s useful to understand that cold brew and iced coffee aren’t necessarily the same drink.

Cold brew describes the extraction method: ground coffee spends an extended period in cool or room-temperature water.

Iced coffee generally describes coffee served cold over ice and can be prepared from coffee originally brewed hot.

That difference in extraction can produce noticeably different results.

Neither method is automatically better.

If you’re interested in comparing them with other chilled drinks, our cold coffee guide explains the main styles.

We’ve also compared hot vs iced coffee in a separate guide.

Tips for better cold brew recipes

Good flavoured drinks begin with good base coffee.

Use fresh coffee and clean brewing equipment, and avoid trying to hide an unpleasant batch underneath large amounts of syrup.

A coarse grind is a useful starting point for many immersion-style cold brew methods because it can make filtration easier, although grind size, time, temperature and ratio all interact.

Taste your brew rather than relying solely on the clock.

When adding syrups, milk or spices, begin with small quantities. You can always add more, but you can’t easily remove an overpowering flavour.

And don’t be afraid to change the recipes.

The advantage of homemade cold brew recipes is that you control the strength, sweetness and ingredients.

Make your own cold brew at home

Once you’ve mastered the basic brewing method, there’s an enormous amount you can do with it.

Drink it simply over ice, make a creamy vanilla version, add chocolate, experiment with coconut, introduce cinnamon or try something brighter with orange.

These cold brew recipes are starting points rather than rigid rules.

Adjust them to suit your preferred coffee and taste.

You can browse CoffeeHype’s range of freshly roasted coffee beans to find coffee for your next batch, available as whole beans or ground to suit different brewing methods.

Prepare a bottle, keep it chilled and you’ll have the base for a refreshing homemade coffee whenever you want one.