Homemade Cold Brew

I love a good coffee, but one thing I don’t love is the price of paying for one from a coffee shop. This homemade cold brew is smooth, delicious and so easy to make. You’ll be kissing the coffee shops good-bye and saving money too!

Sometimes it seems like the coffee shop must have this super special way of making coffee that is way better than my homemade attempts, and then other times you pay $6 for a coffee only to have it not be very tasty and leave you feeling a little sad.

I love homemade lattes, but sometimes I want something super quick and easy that doesn’t require firing up my espresso machine. That’s where this homemade cold brew saves the day.

It is smooth and bold without being bitter, and doesn’t require any special equipment making it perfect for someone who doesn’t want to invest in an expensive machine. Now let’s get in to this homemade cold brew recipe!

Why You Will Love This Homemade Cold Brew Coffee

Simple – With the only ingredient being ground coffee and filtered water, this recipe is easy for anyone to make.

Customizable – Since this is just black coffee, you can make this coffee just the way you want whether you like syrup, cream, both or none!

Delicious – The smooth taste of cold brew truly can’t be beat. This recipe is consistently delicious and beats the dice roll we take on coffee out hands down.

What is homemade cold brew?

Cold brew is a type of coffee made by steeping coarsely ground coffee in cold water for a long period of time, usually 12-24 hours.

Because the coffee isn’t made using heat, the taste is less bitter than traditionally-made cold coffee. Cold brew can be used as a concentrate and diluted with water or milk, or served as is over ice (my preferred method, but I like strong coffee).

What is the difference between homemade cold brew and iced coffee?

Some people will refer to cold brew as iced coffee and vice versa, but they are made with completely different methods and offer very different flavor profiles.

Iced coffee is made by brewing hot coffee over ice and then chilling the coffee in the refrigerator. Cold brew is made without any heat over a longer period of time and is often far stronger in taste and less acidic than iced coffee.

What coffee is best to use for this homemade cold brew coffee recipe?

You can use medium or dark roast to make cold brew, depending on how strong you like your coffee.

More important than the roast of the coffee you use is the grind size. It is very important that cold brew is made with coarsely ground coffee to prevent the coffee from becoming over extracted and giving it a bitter taste.

Whole bean coffee is best to use because you can guarantee the proper grind size by grinding it yourself. Pre ground coffee is often ground for a coffee maker, which is too fine for the cold brew method.

I love the taste of my homemade cold brew with dark roast coffee, but that’s what is so wonderful about this recipe is that it is completely customizable to your liking.

Ingredients

Coarsely ground coffee
Filtered water

Tools You Will Need

Coffee grinder
Glass jar – I use these gallon jars and lids for my cold brew. They are also great for storing dry goods.
Nut milk bag – these are made with 100% unbleached cotton and are super affordable

How to Make Homemade Cold Brew

Step 1 – In a coffee grinder, coarsely grind 4 cups worth of coffee. You can do this by quickly pulsing the coffee grinder about 5-6 times or if you are using an automatic grinder with settings, be sure to set it to the coarsest setting.

Step 2 – Fill a gallon jar with filtered water, leaving enough room for the water level to rise once you add the coffee.

Step 3 – To the nut milk bag, put the ground coffee inside and lower into the gallon of water. Fold the nut milk bag over the outside of the jar and secure with a rubber band or an elastic fabric cover. If you do not have a fabric cover, secure with the rubber band and place the jar lid on top to keep anything from going into the jar.

Step 4 – You are now ready to start the brewing process. You can do this at room temperature or in the refrigerator. I prefer the refrigerator method and allow it to brew for 24 hours. If you are using the countertop method, I would suggest tasting the coffee after 12 hours to ensure it does not become too strong.

Step 5 – Once the brew time is complete, remove the nut milk bag (you can save the grounds for your garden or compost).There will be some room left in the jar, fill the rest of the way up with filtered water. Your homemade cold brew is now ready to enjoy! You can use this as a homemade cold brew concentrate if you don’t like your coffee as strong, or you can drink it as is!

For a visual on how to make this homemade cold brew recipe, check out these step by step images

Homemade Cold Brew Coffee Drinks Ideas

I am a simple coffee girl personally, and usually take just a little sweetener and cream, but here are some flavor ideas you could try out with your homemade cold brew…

Salted maple cold brew – make this with maple syrup, a pinch of salt and cream
Honey & cream – a spoonful of honey with a splash of cream for a natural sweetened pick me up
Vanilla cold foam cold brew – sweetener of choice, a splash of vanilla extract with a cold foam from heavy cream, a dash of maple syrup and a pinch salt whisked up and poured on top