How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
Published 8/29/2022
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Learn how to make cold brew coffee in the comfort of your own home. All you need is your favorite coffee grounds, water, a filter, and a mason jar. It’s easy to make and perfect for any day of the week.
Homemade Cold Brew
Did you know that cold brew coffee is super easy to make? There are only two simple steps (steep + filter) that you need to take before you will have yourself a big glass of cold brew.
There are a few tips and tricks between those two steps that will make homemade cold brew in the comfort of your own home easy and delicious.
Reasons we love cold brew coffee
- You can make cold brew coffee at the beginning of the week and drink it all week long.
- It’s easy to make.
- It makes a sweet, light, and less acidic coffee.
- You can make many different coffee drinks with cold brew coffee.
- Its a delicious caffeinated drink on a hot day.
Tools You’ll Need
There are only 2 ingredients a few tools that you will need to make homemade cold brew coffee at home! Here are few things we recommend getting before you start making cold brew coffee.
What container do I use for cold brew coffee?
The best part of cold brew coffee (other than it tastes delicious) is that it is no fuss and very easy to make. When it comes to the container you should use to mix your cold brew coffee, you have a couple of options.
- You can use a cold brew coffee coffee container which works pretty much the exact same as a french press. Feel free to use either of those.
- Add your coffee grounds and water to a pain old 32-oz. mason jar with a cover!
Ways to Filter Cold Brew
You want a smooth and coffee ground-free cold brew coffee. That means you want to make sure you filter the cold brew coffee through something that is strong enough to catch the coffee grounds but that won’t soak up all your delicious cold brew coffee.
Here are a few different ways you can filter your cold brew coffee after you have let it steep.
- Basket Coffee Filters
- A very thin tea towel
- French Press (includes a fine sieve
- A very fine sieve
Cold Brew Coffee Ratio
The ratio for cold brew coffee is 1:3 (1 cup coffee grounds to 3 cups water).
We tested many different ratios for this cold brew coffee recipe and loved the 1:3 ratio because the coffee turned out stronger but not too bitter. 1:4 was slightly too diluted for us, but below we’re sharing ways to make it less strong!
Make it stronger or weaker
If you are a looking for a stronger batch of cold brew coffee that doesn’t mean you should let your cold brew coffee sit longer. Why? If you let cold brew coffee sit too long it can become bitter.
For stronger cold brew coffee – Add less water and more coffee grounds.
For weaker cold brew coffee– Use our 1:3 ratio and then when you’re ready to serve, dilute the cold brew with more water, to taste.
All About the Coffee Beans
There is only one other ingredient other than water in this cold brew coffee recipe; coffee beans! Here is everything you need to know about coffee beans for cold brew and how to prepare them for homemade cold brew coffee.
- The last thing you want in your cold brew coffee is for it to be bitter or mucky. We suggest using coarsely ground coffee rather than finely ground coffee. If you end up with fine coffee, be sure you use a coffee filter.
- You can use any type of coffee bean for cold brew coffee. Use your favorite coffee to give it a personal twist!
- Use whole bean coffee beans so the coffee grounds are fresh.
Our Favorite Coffee Beans
There are so many delicious coffee beans out there. Below are some of of our tried and true favorite coffee brands!
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
- Grind Coffee Beans – Place 1 cup of whole coffee beans into your coffee grinder. Grind the beans to a coarse grind and then place coffee grounds in a large jar or french press.
- Add Water – Pour 3 cups of water over the coffee grounds. Mix until the grounds are wet and let sit for 5 minutes. The coffee grounds will likely float to the top. Mix one more time and then cover.
- Let it Sit – Place the cod brew in the refrigerator and let it sit for 12-18 hours.
- Strain the Water– Filter the water through a coffee filter, a thin dish towel, or a dish towel with a fine sieve.
- Enjoy- Serve 1/2 cup of cold brew over 1/2 cup of ice. Serve black or add your favorite creamer and/or sugar.
quick tip!
1 cup of whole bean coffee will yield around 1 cup of coarsely ground coffee. So, if you buy your beans pre-ground, use 1 cup.
Tutorial
French Press Coffee
Start the day off right with the perfect cup of French press coffee! In this post, we’ll teach you how to use a French for coffee ready in less than 10 minutes.
More Facts About Cold Brew Coffee
Cold Brew Coffee is Less Acidic
Why is cold brew coffee less acidic? When coffee grounds are mixed with hot water an oil is released and that is the acid in hot coffee. There is no hot water used in cold press coffee so it is a bit easier. on your stomach.
How to Serve Cold Brew Coffee
Do you like your cold brew coffee black and strong? Go ahead and serve it over ice. If you like your coffee with cream or a little bit sweeter below are some ways to add flavor to your cold brew coffee.
- Add 1- 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to your cold brew coffee
- Serve your cold brew with 1-2 teaspoons of homemade simple syrup to sweeten things up.
How long does cold brew last?
Cold brew coffee can last up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
The Best Store bought cold brew
Don’t feel like making your own cold brew? Our favorite store bought cold brews are Chameleon Cold Brew Concentrate or Stumptown Cold Brew.
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarsely ground coffee beans, ~1 cup whole beans
- 3 cups water
Optional
- cream
Instructions
- First, grind your whole bean coffee. Make sure to use a medium-coarse setting. Grind around 1 cup of whole beans to get 1 cup of coarsely ground coffee.
- Combine coarsely ground coffee beans and water in a large jar or bowl. Mix to combine until all coffee grounds are wet.
- Let sit for 5 minutes. The coffee grounds will likely float to the top. After 5 minutes, mix again.
- Seal your jar and either let it brew on the counter or in the refrigerator for a minimum of 12-18 hours.
- In the morning, place a tea towel or 2 pieces of cheesecloth on top of a fine mesh sieve and sieve the grounds.
- Serve cold brew coffee over ice and enjoy.
Tips & Notes
- The 3 to 1 ratio is a stronger cold brew. You can always dilute your cold brew before serving with some cold water if you don’t like it as strong.
- Storage: store cold brew in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I love this recipe and now I just need to find my french press. I know its somewhere buried in a drawer. This will save me so much money from visiting the store with the mermaid logo 🙂
Since I love my coffee strong I use 1 and half cup of bean and grind them in my coffee grinder and brew them for 16 hours!
I just tried it after coming across with your recipe and the taste was so DELICATE! Thanks for sharing!
I use my tupperware cold brew maker & love having fresh cold brew at home that tastes as good as the coffee shop!
10/10 Recipe!
I love Cold Brew and I usually make myself to last me a couple of days.
My current setup – Fellow ODE Grinder, Hario Cold Brew Bottle ~ 13 Hour brew.
I made an app to track your Home Cold Brews! Simply create a new brew, add categorization, slide the timer to your desired length, and you’re off! You will get also notified when your brew is done so you can take it out at the time you want.
Try out Brewli 🙂 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brewli-cold-brew-tracker/id1606796873
SUPER RECIPE!!!! I am gonna try this week. Thanks
Can’t wait to make this! Having to go to McD’s every day to get my fix is okay;however, every iced coffee is a box of surprises. They never keep to the formula and sometimes they out in extra dairy to not have to make extra coffee 😩
Great recipe!!!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Your recipe is far too weak for me, but a lot of people do not like coffee, just as it is, and put cream, sugar and other things to hide the taste. I love my coffee, drink a lot of it from morning to night. I never waste my money by buying it when I am out somewhere, because I know it will not be up to my standards. I make coffee the way my Swedish and Norwegian grandparents and my mother made it. I was just a tot when I started drinking coffee. At the time, it was more cream and sugar than coffee, but by the time I was 12 years old, I was drinking it the same way my grandparents and my parents drank it, black and strong. Whether I am making hot brewed coffee, cold brewed, or using my French Press, I use distilled water and four heaping tablespoons of the darkest roast possible, freshly ground, to a 5 ounce cup of coffee. I drink it black, no cream, no sugar or sweetener. I cannot stand namby-pamby coffee.
Haha, good story there! I know Finland is known to be the highest coffee consumer; and well, Im sure the countries around it are close in numbers.
I’m from Mexico and unfortunately coca-cola is the prominent drink. Funny thing is WE all drank coca cola as tots instead of coffee lol 🤦♀️
Just to clarify… I can do this in my french press and after waiting the 12-18 hours I can press the coffee? and then transfer it to another container for use ?