How To Make Cold Brew Coffee

Making cold brew is easier than you might think, and is the sure way to make iced coffee that's not watery or bitter.

By
Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen headshot
Emma Christensen
Emma Christensen is the General Manager for Simply Recipes, the author of three books on home brewing and a graduate from The Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. 
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Updated January 16, 2024
Emma Christensen headshot

If you crave a good iced coffee in the summer, but loathe the way so many end up tasting watery or overly bitter, then there's only one solution: cold brew coffee. This method guarantees a smooth and icy cup, every time.

Making cold brew coffee is no great secret, nor does it require the ninja-level skills of a trained barista in order to master. You don't even need much special equipment beyond a large container for making the coffee and a strainer.

Cold Brew Coffee being poured into a glass with ice

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Steps for Making Cold Brew Coffee

Here's how it works: Grind the coffee coarsely, which you can do yourself at home or wherever you buy the beans. Combine the grounds with water, then let it steep overnight, or for around 12 hours.

During this time, the coffee slowly infuses into the water, creating a strong, concentrated brew. Strain the next morning, and you're ready to go.

Why Should You Cold Brew Your Coffee?

This coffee-making method has a few things going for it:

  • The slow infusion pulls all the great coffee flavor from the beans (and, yes, the caffeine - not to worry!).
  • But it also leaves behind most of the compounds that can make coffee taste bitter and sour.
  • This means that cold brewed coffee is incredibly smooth and almost sweet-tasting. Perfect for iced coffee.
Two Glasses of Cold Brew Coffee, One without Cream and One with Creamer

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

You can also adjust the concentration of your cold brew coffee, making it stronger or less strong to suit your taste. Start with one cup of beans steeped in four cups of water. This will make a fairly concentrated coffee on its own, but it's perfect for pouring over ice or mixing with milk - or both. If that ratio of beans to water isn't quite to your taste, adjust it up or down until you hit the perfect balance for you.

I also really love that this method for making coffee actually saves me time in the morning. I make a big batch over the weekend, starting it on Saturday or Sunday night and straining it the next morning, and then stash it in the fridge for an easy coffee fix all week long.

How to Serve Cold Brewed Coffee

Cold brewed coffee can be served iced or piping hot, dealer's choice. You follow the same method for making the coffee either way, and then either serve it over ice or warm it up in the microwave for a hot cup. When warming it for hot coffee, I often add a splash of water to dilute the coffee before warming. But this, again, is a matter of personal taste.

A creamer being Poured into a Glass of Cold Brew Coffee

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Too strong for your taste? Iced coffee does make a particularly strong cuppa joe! If you're serving it iced, the ice is meant to melt and dilute the coffee a little. If it's still a bit too much for you, just dilute your glass with some water or milk to taste.

Ready to give cold brew coffee a try? Below is everything you need to know to make your own batch at home.

Tips for Success

  • Make sure your beans are coarsely ground: Beans that are ground to a sandy powder, like for drip coffee, can result in an over-infused coffee and make the strained coffee gritty and muddy. Your beans should look like coarse cornmeal, or even slightly rougher.
  • Use filtered water, if possible: This is just good coffee advice in general, really. Your cup of coffee will have a cleaner, sweeter flavor if you use filtered water to make it.
  • Steep for at least 12 hours: It's fine to cut this time a little short, but don't get too stingy. The coffee needs this full time to fully infuse the water. Straining too early can give you a weaker cup of coffee. Also be careful of over-steeping, which can start to extract some of those bitter flavors we're hoping to avoid. I'd say not to steep for more than 15 hours or so.
  • Chill your cold brew with coffee ice cubes: Want a totally undiluted coffee experience? Make coffee ice cubes to chill your iced coffee!
A glass of Ice Cold Brew Coffee with a pitcher in the background

Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker

Try These Other Hot Weather Drinks!

Putting Spent Grounds to Good Use

So many of us hate seeing things go to waste. Our readers have shared helpful ideas for using those grounds after you've made your cold brew.

  • Sue: "We sprinkle our used grounds on our flower bed mulch. When the sun warms it the smell of coffee is awesome."
  • Chris: "I put the grounds around plants that slugs and snails like. They don’t like coffee. Be careful though as coffee grounds retain water longer. Be sure not to over water as well as make sure the plant can handle more acidity. Works great around hydrangeas and other shrubs that like a lot of water."
  • blaphsemousbutler: "It also deters moles and voles. I thought that was a myth but it has worked on our farm and you can tell where I put it and where I didn't. I just sprinkle it around the area so it can leach into the soil over time."
  • Shanby: "With a few additions you can make your own coffee body scrub or face mask. It keeps well in glass jars if mixed in with some oil like coconut or almond."
From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee

Prep Time 10 mins
Steeping time 12 hrs
Total Time 12 hrs 10 mins
Servings 3 servings
Yield 3 cups or so

If you normally have your coffee ground when you buy it, ask for it to be ground on a coarse setting. You'll need a scant cup (or 4 ounces) for this recipe.

You can also make cold-brew coffee in a French press. Steep the coffee overnight, then press to separate the grounds from the coffee. Transfer the coffee to a bottle or jar for longer storage.

Adjusting coffee strength: This recipe makes a fairly strong cup of coffee. To make it less strong (or stronger, if that's what you like!), just adjust the amount of coffee beans to your suite your taste.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (113 grams) whole coffee beans

  • 4 cups (907 grams) water

Special Equipment

  • Coffee or spice grinder
  • Cheesecloth or flour sack cloth

Method

  1. Coarsely grind the coffee

    Grind the coffee beans on the coarsest setting on your grinder, or in short 1-second pulses in a spice grinder. The grounds should look like coarse cornmeal, not fine powder. You should have just under 1 cup of grounds.

    Coffee beans in a grinder

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
    Coffee beans that have been ground in a grinder

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
  2. Combine the coffee and the water

    Transfer the coffee grounds to the container you're using to make the cold brew. Pour the water over top. Stir gently with a long-handled spoon to make sure the grounds are thoroughly saturated with water.

    Coffee grounds being poured into a jar

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
    Water being poured into the jar holding the coffee grounds

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
    A wooden spoon stirring the water and coffee grounds mixture

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
  3. Steep overnight

    Cover the jar with a lid or a small plate to protect it from dust and bugs. Let the coffee steep for about 12 hours. The coffee can be left on the counter or refrigerated; steeping time is the same.

    A glass jar with a lid that has the words "cold brew" written on top of it

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
  4. Strain the coffee

    Line a small strainer with cheesecloth or flour sack cloth and place over a large measuring cup or bowl. Pour the coffee through the strainer.

    Coffee grounds mixture being strained through a cloth

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
    A measuring cup with strained cold brew coffee

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
  5. Store the coffee

    Transfer the coffee to a small bottle or jar and store in the fridge for up to a week.

    Cold brew being poured into a glass

    Simply Recipes / Emma Christensen
  6. Serve the coffee

    Dilute the coffee with as much water or milk as you prefer. Serve over ice or warm for a few minutes in the microwave.

    Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

    Two glasses with ice and cold brew coffee in them

    Simply Recipes / Michelle Becker
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
0 Calories
0g Fat
0g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3
Amount per serving
Calories 0
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 13mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 0mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.