How to make Cold Brew Iced Coffee, 2 Ways

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Do you love cold brew but don't love ponying up for expensive bottles of the stuff? Here's how to make cold brew iced coffee, with or without a toddy maker.

Do you love cold brew but don’t love ponying up for expensive bottles of the stuff? Here’s how to make cold brew iced coffee, with or without a toddy maker.

Do you love cold brew but don't love ponying up for expensive bottles of the stuff? Here's how to make cold brew iced coffee, with or without a toddy maker.

Ever wonder why your favorite coffee shop makes the perfect iced coffee, while yours is watered down? It’s because they use cold brewed coffee. Cold brew is made the same way as regular coffee, with coffee and water. The difference is that rather than using hot water, cold brew, as the name implies, is made with cold water. Cold water and about eight hours.

Related: Pour-Over Coffee Made Easy

Sure this stuff isn’t as instant as a cup o’ hot joe, but it sure is delicious and very satisfying on a hot summer day. If you want to save a buck and make your own cold brew from your favorite responsibly-grown beans, I’ve got two methods for you to choose from.

Method 1: Use a toddy maker.

How to make Cold Brew Iced Coffee, 2 Ways

I’m not super into spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so I purchased a Toddy maker. It is simply a large plastic container with a filter and a plug. You layer ground coffee and water as the instructions say, and 8 hours later you have the most beautiful, delicious coffee you’ve ever tasted. So worth it.

Method 2: How to Make Cold Brew Iced Coffee without a Toddy Maker

Do you love cold brew but don't love ponying up for expensive bottles of the stuff? Here's how to make cold brew iced coffee, with or without a toddy maker.

If you don’t want to spend the money on a toddy maker or want to make smaller batches of cold brew, it’s totally doable. Here’s how to make cold brew iced coffee with supplies you already have in your kitchen. This method is adapted from The Pioneer Woman to brew smaller batches. You can increase the amounts to make more cold brew.

Ingredients + Supplies

  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons coffee grounds
  • 4 cups of water
  • large jug that holds at least 5 cups of liquid
  • reusable coffee filter
  • pitcher with a lid to hold your cold brew – needs to hold at least 4 cups of coffee and have a narrow enough top that the coffee filter will sit on top without falling in

Method

  1. In your large jug, combine the water and coffee grounds. Give them a good stir.
  2. Stick the jug into the fridge, and let the grounds steep for 8 hours.
  3. Place your coffee filter into the top of your pitcher, then slowly pour the coffee/water mixture into your filter. You’ll need to do this in rounds, waiting for the cold brew to filter into the pitcher before pouring more from your jug.
  4. Once you’ve filtered everything, you’re ready to drink! Fill a glass with ice, pour cold brew over, and lighten with your creamer of choice.

Image Credits: Cold brew bottle by Liz Thompson, Toddy Maker via Amazon, Cold Brew in a Mason Jar via Shutterstock

5 thoughts on “How to make Cold Brew Iced Coffee, 2 Ways”

  1. Andrea Devon Bertoli

    You can also make it in a french press. Add the grinds, the water and let sit overnight. Press in the morning!

  2. I have been using a toddy maker for many years, and I still love it. I re-use the grounds the next day with half the amount of water, and then mix the two together and it works out great. Whatever doesn’t fit into my coffee jug in the fridge I put in ice cube trays and keep in the freezer, so that even when I run out of coffee syrup, I have the cubes; I use about four of them per cup.
    To me, when it’s freshly made, it reminds me of hot chocolate!

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