Cold Brew Coffee (Recipe & Tips!)
Learn how to make cold brew coffee with this simple recipe! Your first batch will turn out great. Find everything you need to know about cold brew here.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 28, 2024
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I know, fall is coming and everyone’s excited about pumpkin spice lattes. But, it’s still blazing hot outside and I’ve been working on my cold brew coffee game all summer. I’ve become a self-proclaimed cold brew aficionado, so hear me out!
Homemade cold brew coffee is:
- Smooth, slightly sweet and super refreshing
- Easy to make
- More affordable than buying at a coffee shop
- Ready-made for busy mornings
- Easily heated up if you’re in the mood for hot coffee
You can make cold brew on the weekend, then pour your coffee from the fridge every morning. No boiling water. No fussing with a coffee maker.
As someone who is 100% not a morning person, cold brew coffee is a total game changer.
Let’s make some cold brew!
Fun Facts about Cold Brew Coffee
Cold brew can be strong.
This depends on a lot of factors, including the beans used, steeping time, and dilution. The dilution is the factor that is the easiest to control. Don’t drink cold brew concentrate straight—it’s highly caffeinated!
Cold brew is less acidic.
If regular drip coffee or espresso upsets your stomach, cold brew might not. The only way to know is to try it, and you’ll have more control over the end result if you make it yourself.
You can heat up cold brew and drink it hot.
Indeed, it’s true, and it’s very good. The flavor stays about the same.
Cold brew takes longer to make than drip coffee.
Since the water is cold, it needs to steep for about 12 to 18 hours to soak up the coffee’s color, flavor and caffeine. The cold extraction process brings out fewer of coffee’s bitter compounds, which produces a sweeter and smoother result.
Coarsely-ground coffee makes the best cold brew.
No coffee grinder at home? No problem. Just grind your coffee at the grocery store using their big coffee grinder machine, with the dial set on the coarse/French press option. I’ve provided approximate amounts of ground coffee to use if you don’t have a scale for a more accurate weight measurement (don’t worry about it).
Use any coffee variety you enjoy to make cold brew.
Any variety will work, and you’ll find that it tases less bitter when its steeped in cold water instead of hot. It would be fun to compare a glass of cold brew coffee with hot coffee of the same variety.
Basic Cold Brew Coffee Ratio
Here’s the deal: This ratio is flexible. A kitchen scale will come in handy if you have one, but it’s not necessary. You’re making cold brew concentrate, and you can dilute the concentrate to taste once it’s finished.
- Per 1 cup of water, you’ll need 1 ounce (by weight) coarsely ground coffee. That’s about 1/4 cup whole coffee beans, which yields roughly 1/2 cup ground coffee. If you’re accustomed to the metric system, 1 ounce is equal to 28 grams.
- You’re going to end up with a little less concentrate than the amount of water you used, since some of it will be absorbed by the coffee grounds. However, you’re going to dilute it with an equal amount of water, so you will be doubling your final yield. Clear as mud? I mean, coffee? Good.
Examples
- Let’s make cold brew coffee in a common 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar (affiliate link). In the jar, you’ll combine 3 ounces coarsely-ground coffee (that’s about 3/4 cup whole coffee beans turned into 1 1/2 cups coarsely-ground coffee) with 3 cups of water.
- After steeping and straining the mixture, you’ll have about 2 1/2 cups of cold brew concentrate, which is enough for 5 cups of cold brew. You’ve just made enough coffee to last you from Monday through Friday!
- If you have a 2-quart jar, simply double the amounts offered above.
- If you have an extra-large French press like I do, you can use 5 ounces of coffee (about 1 1/4 cups whole coffee beans turned into about 2 1/2 cups coarsely-ground coffee) and 5 cups water. You’ll end up with about 4 1/4 cups concentrate, or enough for 8 1/2 cups of cold brew.
Recommended Steeping Time
The steeping time is flexible as well. I’ve read suggestions for “overnight or 12 hours,” and “at least 18 or up to 24 hours,” so do what works with your schedule. Starbucks steeps their cold brew for 20 hours.
If you accidentally steep yours longer (even 24+ hours), it’s ok. Your concentrate may taste a little more bitter than it would have, but it’s probably fine. It may also be extra-strong, so you might want to dilute with some extra water.
How to Strain Your Cold Brew
Once you’re done steeping the coffee, you’ll need to strain the coffee grounds out of the water. A fine-mesh sieve or French press filter isn’t sufficient (you’ll end up with murky, sludgy concentrate). Most methods will suggest using cheese cloth, but I hate cheese cloth! It’s difficult to work with and seems so wasteful.
I played around with other options and found two that work great. See my photos for examples of each. Choose one:
- Thin paper coffee filters: Use the “basket” paper filters that splay out in a round seashell shape like you see here. Make sure your filter is made of very thin paper, not a thicker material that will take forever to filter through. These are the filters I used.
- A vintage handkerchief: Yes, really—any small, thin, clean, lint-free, cotton cloth like a cocktail napkin will do. It should be large enough to cover your sieve when draped across it. I found my handkerchief at the bottom of my photo props, and I love that it’s easy to wash and reusable (although you could end up with a light coffee stain, so don’t use your favorite white one).
To strain, simply place the coffee filter into a small fine-mesh sieve, or drape your cloth over the sieve. Place it over a pitcher or liquid measuring cup, and pour the concentrate through it. That’s it!
Have I convinced you to try making cold brew coffee at home? It’s so much cheaper than buying it from the coffee shop! Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comments.
Want to change it up? Try making cold brew iced tea. Like cold brew coffee, it’s more smooth and less bitter.
Looking for more recipes to ease your morning routine? Here are 23 make-ahead breakfasts.
Watch How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
Cold Brew Coffee
Let’s make cold brew coffee! It’s easy to make, and it’s so nice to have coffee ready to go. This recipe is written for a 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar; you can scale it up or down using 1 ounce* (28 grams) coffee per 1 cup water. The quantities provided will produce about 2 ½ cups concentrate, which is enough for 5 cups of cold brew.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces (85 grams) coarsely-ground coffee (that’s about ¾ cup whole coffee beans turned into about 1 ½ cups* coarsely-ground coffee)
- 3 cups water (filtered water if you have it)
Instructions
- In a 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar, combine the coffee and water. Stir to combine. I like to let my mixture rest for about 5 minutes and stir it again; the coffee grounds seem to gain more water exposure this way.
- Put a lid on your container and refrigerate it for 12 to 18 hours.
- When you’re ready to strain your cold brew, place a thin paper coffee filter or a small, thin cotton napkin, cloth or handkerchief over a small fine-mesh sieve. Pour the concentrate through the prepared sieve into a liquid measuring cup or pitcher. Let it rest for a few minutes to let the last of the cold brew trickle down.
- To serve, fill a glass with ice and fill it halfway with water. Then fill the rest of the glass with cold brew concentrate, and stir to combine. Cold brew concentrate will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, although I find that it has the best flavor within the first week.
Notes
*Measurement note: These are ounces by weight, not by volume. This is always the case with non-liquid measurements. “1 ½ cups coarsely-ground coffee” is the least exact measurement I can offer (the volume of the ground coffee depends on the exact coarseness of your grind)—but it will work. Just adjust the concentrate-to-water ratio to suit your liking as your pour your glass of cold brew and you’re all good.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
So simple and much easier to store than a huge bulky container! We make this every week during the summer.
Most straight forward cold brew instruction that I have found so far. Thank you for this.
I agree. My daughter buys the concentrate. I knew there had to be a cheaper way. You explanation was as clear as mud. Lol. Thank you so much.
I haven’t tried cold brew yet, but I’m getting weary of the Mr Coffee method. The concisely organized information in this article has helped me decide to go ahead and give it a whirl…
Following your instructions after prepared you want to use 4oz of concentrate equals 1 cup of cold brew
For straining, I like to use flour sack towels. They’re the perfect size and the mesh is fine but not so fine that it takes forever to strain. You can also twist and squeeze like crazy and get every last drop!
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad that works well, Whitney. I appreciate your review.
I use a handkerchief! A clean one As far as the measurements go, I just use the *coarse* setting on the store’s grinder and measure out three dry cups of it when I get home. It tastes lovely, thanks for the great recipe!
There is no way that grinding 1/4 cup of beans yields 1/2 cup of ground coffee. I would love to try your recipe, but that direction gives me zero confidence that you have even tested this recipe.
Hi Linda, I can assure you that I tested this recipe several times and the measurements are correct. Please see my note on the measurements.
Yes it does..I just did it. Plus a pinch more.
Seriously! 5 cups of cold brew lasts all week! Even with ice that’s a mighty small cup of cold brew! Come on… we who make this love coffee and 5 cups wouldn’t last most of us more than 2 days
I’m new to coffee, and can only drink cold brew. So I just made my first batch of concentrate and put it in the fridge to steep (brew). It was a -lot- of grounds compared to the water. It seemed sludgy. Is this normal? I have a Mr. Coffee burr grinder, and set it to the coarsest setting.
I appreciate your site, and tips on coffee!
Hi Mark! How did you strain it?
Hello! With coffee filters. The end result was great. It’s just really sludgy in the jar. Tastes great though. Would any greater ratio of water to grounds result with similar coffee? Most sites recommend a 4-1 ratio of water to grounds. This recipe creates perfect tasting coffee though.
Kate, I’ve been buying one of the commercial brands for the past few months (spoiling myself), but I’ve made cold brew for years. My go to recipe to make a quart of concentrate has been 5.5 cups of water and 5.5 ounces of beans, which I grind and mix and leave for 20 hours or more. I strain with coffee filters but I don’t have the kind you recommend-just the V shaped filters that work in drip machines. I’m happy with my method and since I don’t want to weather the weather, will be grinding shortly.
Thank you for sharing, Gayle.
Followed this recipe exactly and we love the concentrate! Will be making it often now. Thanks for sharing this easy-to-make recipe.
You’re welcome, JD! I appreciate your review.
I am excited to try this but have never made cold brew before. How much water do I add to the concentrate per cup? I see it makes 5 cups worth but do I just add one cup of water per cup/serving?
Hi Michelle! Use a standard glass, fill it with ice and then half cold brew concentrate and half water. You can change the ratio based on your liking too!
As a cold brew lover, I have had the link to this recipe saved in my email for almost 4 years…& finally have the pitcher/mason jar, & everything I need for it in my Amazon cart ready-to-go, & am finally going to be making it asap. As others have said, I saved this recipe because it is so straight-forward & concise, & takes out the intimidation factor. Plus, for some reason I don’t care for the pitchers that come with infusers built-in, and this recipe could not be simpler. I hope my first batch comes out good! (I am going to try flavored coffee beans, & am curious as to how the cold-extraction method will make those flavors come about vs making it in a traditional drip coffee maker). :D
Thank you! I’m glad you loved it, Kristen.
Thank you for sharing this easy, straightforward recipe. I made my first batch using toasted almond coffee and it is delish! Way better than anything in the store. For straining, I had trouble with a coffee filter and a fine mesh sieve. I switched the coffee filter for Go Nuts Nut Milk Bags and that worked so much better for me. I wanted to share those Go Nuts bags in case that is helpful for you or other readers.
You’re welcome, Melissa! I appreciate your review.
If I make this in a large French press, will it really chill in the fridge and come out with good results? Has anyone tried it this way yet? Figure it would avoid the straining procedure.
Hi Toby! I recommend this best as is.
Success! Ground my own ‘cheap’ coffee beans (1 1/4c), added 40 oz cold water to 50 oz French press, stirred and left out plunger. Covered with plastic wrap and put in fridge for 15 hrs. Plunged then strained with cotton fabric and very few grounds were in liquid. My iced coffee recipe: 3/4c cold brew, 3/4 cup water, 1/4 c oat milk, 4 ice cubes, sprinkle of stevia. Cheers!
So easy and delicious! I used the measurements for a 1 qt mason jar and the only thing I did differently was use a cold brew mason jar filter inside my mason jar and then strained a 2nd time using a coffee filter in a fine mesh seive. I will be keeping a stock of this in my refrigerator at all times.
Thank you C & K love it!!
I’m happy to hear it!
Great, simple, easy to follow recipe! Thank you!
i like the coffee
Hi there! Do I have to add water to the coffee concentrate when serving in a glass, or will adding my milk/creamer be fine?
Hi, You don’t have to add as much water as stated. You can play around with the ratio and see what fits your tastes best!
Can this be diluted with milk/creamer instead of water?
Hi Diana, I like it as stated. You can play around with the ratios if you like to fit your tastes. Let me know what you think!
How many millilitres of the coffee would you use when making this with almond milk. For example if I use 200ml of almond milk, how much coffee should I use, (i don’t like it strong)
I am unsure as I don’t know what the concentrated stuff equals to a teaspoon of instant for example.
Amy
I bought bags that I put the coffee grounds in that tie and then put the bag in jar of water. So far, no grounds got out of bag. Works great
Wonderful to hear, Mar! Thank you for your review.
Thanks for your recipe.
Question, how do you get more ground coffee than you started with beans? I do not get more ground coffee by the cup measure than I start out with beans. I get a little less.
Smaller particles take less space not more.
I recommend people always use a kitchen scale for measuring coffee. When I switched to weighing my coffee I learned that, depending on how coffee is processed in the bean, makes a difference in the proper amount to use. Some beans have more oil and are denser, some are very dry and less dense. This makes the proper amount very by volume. By weight the results are much more consistent.
Thanks again.
Do you filter the whole jar after the 18 hours and then store the filtered coffee in the fridge?
Yes, store the concentrate in the fridge.
It does not have to be made in the fridge. Counter top is fine. Use cold water. Refrigerate after it’s done brewing and is strained. The Toddy system is the easiest and best!
This worked really well! My grinder can only do a fine grind but it still was super delicious. I ended up using cheesecloth to strain and that gave my a really nice final product. My coffee filters were too thick, I think, and the coffee wasn’t getting through. I’m really happy and will use this technique again!
This article is filled with answers to my ample questions. I am starting a new blog and this article will be a bookmark for my future reference. Thanks for sharing this informative article.
Fairly easy, better tasting than store-bought, and less expensive. I used to add instant coffee to store-bought iced coffee to add more coffee flavor. This makes a better iced coffee. Truly less bitter with cold brewing.
Thank you
You’re welcome, Laureen!
I’m trying to figure out this cold brew game. You say to mix your concentrate with water, do people or coffee shops ever use milk instead of water?
I believe cold brew is brewed with water, but you can add milk to it when serving. I think ratio depends on preference.
I want to master the cold brew method as it has got to be better and cheaper than drip or even single-serve. But I do not like cold coffee. What is the best way to heat it up? I’ve heard to just add hot water, or nuke it – I want easy and fast. I’m not functioning enough in the a.m. to spend a lot of time making my first cup of coffee. Any tips on heating up the cold brew would be greatly appreciated!
You could gently reheat in the microwave or stove top. Or just make a fresh brewed pot of coffee :)
Love this recipe and the directions!! just tried my first pot….delicious!
Thanks so much~~~
Great to hear, Nora!
Thank you for the clear instructions. However, it’s easier to use the metric system for this. I use a 1:10 ratio, e.g. 50g of coffee in 500ml (500g) water. A digital scale is useful for measuring the coffee, or you can estimate – 1 heaping tablespoon coffee is approx 10g.
This is the recipe I always use, it has the perfect proportion. I double it and use a 1/2 gallon mason jar.
I’m happy with this recipe and continue to use it. I now make it in an appropriately-sized french press and when the soaking is complete I just push the grounds to the bottom and leave them there. It eliminates the filtering step which I find to be a pain and then I just dump the grounds when the cold brew is gone which doesn’t take long.
Great to hear, Zachary!
I know this is going to be good. I plan to start testing batches ahead of a trip. Every year we make this trip and there is literally zero good coffee to be had anywhere nearby. I’m bringing my own from now on! I am commenting to add that to make straining faster, first strain through the fine metal sieve without the coffee filter. Dump the grounds, rinse the sieve, then put the filter in and run the pre-strained coffee through. I use a french press, but grind my beans more med-fine, not coarse, it gets more flavor out of less beans (need good beans to start with though) but makes more “mud”. I strain my french press coffee through a Melita #2 cone filter sitting on the cup. Clear with zero mud!
May I ask if you prefer the French press method versus the mason jar? Do they taste the same? I love the idea of the French press if I don’t have to constantly purchase filters. Thank you
Hi Christine, I think both methods give you a great result. If you have a French Press, it also provides a great cup of regular coffee!
Hello! I’m going to give it a try. I don’t have a grinder and there are no grinders at my supermarkets. I have pre ground espresso, it’s fine ground though. Can I use that instead? Also, I’m addicted to Starbucks frapuccino, the one that can be purchased at any store in a bottle. My favorite is the plain coffee frapuccino. I would love but if you post the knock off recipe for that! Especially since the Starbucks costs $4.00 just for a little bottle and I buy two. Thank you so much and keep up the great job you are doing!❤️
You can try it. Let me know how it turns out for you!
I have a specially made (for cold brew)sieve that fits in qt jar..
I use two cups of ground coffee to six cups water. To make filtering easier, I used filter bags, they have a draw string and are 4” x 6”. I filter after brewing too, the paper filters don’t clog as quickly!
I tried this recipe with my favourite coffee grinds. Turned out extremely bitter. Think I’ll stick to hot coffee.
This was yummy! I had some ground coffee I needed to use up and this was the answer! I added 1/8 cup half and half and then my water and topped it with whipped cream! So yummy, thank you!
You’re welcome!
I bought a 64 oz mason jar with a mesh filter in it on Amazon and that works great! Depending on the darkness of the roast, I grind 1.5 cups of whole beans for dark roast to 2 cups for light roast after dinner, and then steep overnight using room temp filtered water. It makes a perfect cold brew in the morning…and doesn’t waist money on paper filters.
Hello Kate. I’m experimenting with flavoured cold brews. So far I have only made a Mexican drink by adding honey and cinnamon sticks. Do you have any other ideas?
This recipe is a keeper.
I don’t, but that sounds like an interesting experiment!
Can pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon,etc…. be added to this cold brew coffee and much scrutinizing at the other’s posted on cold brew coffee, I’ve chosen yours (few items needed ). I’ve made it but (yes there’s a but) change a wee bit only, followed your’s very closely,much appreciated
Great recipe! I scale it up a lot since my husband and I both drink it and I love having this concentrate in the fridge. My husband drinks it straight up over ice and a touch of cream or sweetener, I dilute it half and half with water and add cream, and we’re both happy with our drinks! Thanks for posting this.
You’re welcome, Angela!
I have two mason jars cycling through my refrigerator. I have been using Starbucks ground coffee and measuring it to 3 ounces and it’s perfect. I just found Café Verona in a decaf. I use it to make coffee milkshakes or iced coffee in the afternoon and I’m hooked.
I love your insights on making cold brew coffee at home! It’s such a game changer for those hot days. The fact that it’s smoother and less acidic is a total win for my taste buds. If you’re curious about how cold brew compares to iced coffee and iced lattes in terms of strength and flavor.