Easy Cold Brew Coffee

The warmer summer months on the horizon have me wanting nothing more than sipping a chilled Cold Brew Coffee on my patio while I read a good book. And I want that for you too! Carving out time for ourselves in the midst of busy life is so important.

One thing is certain, the cold brew coffee recipe shouldn’t be the thing that holds you back from doing this. With this easy recipe you are going to be able to make this regularly. This recipe has just a few simple steps; you’ll never go back to buying it.

What is Cold Brew Coffee

Cold Brew Coffee is a lot like it sounds. While regular coffee is made by pouring hot water over coffee grounds and allowing them to steep and then strain, cold brew uses cold water.

Because we are using cold water, the coffee needs to steep in the cold water for much longer than traditional coffee, but the results are delicious cold coffee. If you love iced coffee, chances are good you will enjoy cold brew coffee.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

This simple cold brew method will have you making this perfect drink every day.

Step 1: Add Coffee Grounds to a Mason Jar

I recommend using 1/2 cup of grounds to approximately 4 cups of filtered water. That being said, if you would like your coffee stronger, you can add more. If you would like a less intense coffee taste, you can add less.

If you don’t have a mason jar, you can use any container that seals well.

Step 2: Cover with Cold Water

Add four cups of cold water to the coffee grounds.

Step 3: Refrigerate for 24 Hours

This refrigeration time will give the coffee time to steep, but is not so long that you will miss out on that fresh coffee taste. The time in the fridge will pull out the perfect coffee flavor from the grounds without any bitterness.

Step 4: Strain the Coffee

Use a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth. Pour the steeped coffee through the cheesecloth. While this can be done without a cheesecloth, this is the best way to ensure that the final coffee is grounds free.

Typically you can find cheesecloths at the grocery store in their baking aisle with the other kitchen products for under $5. I love using them for my Watermelon Margarita too. If you can’t find them, a coffee filter or paper filter would work great as well.

Step 5: Pour Over Ice and Enjoy

I love adding simple syrup and creamer to my cold brew, but you could certainly enjoy it as is. Please note that it will be difficult to sweeten this with granulated sugar, since it won’t have the heat to dissolve it.

Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee

Cold Brew and Iced Coffee are both cold beverages made from coffee, but that is where their similarities end. The way they are made is completely different. Iced Coffee is brewed hot like traditional coffee. It is then chilled before being served.

As mentioned above, cold brew is made from steeping ground coffee with cold water over a 24 hour period.

We like making coffee ice cubes so that when we serve iced coffee it doesn’t get diluted, and that would work great here as well.