Learn how to make super smooth cold brew coffee at home. With our simple recipe, you will make a delicious cold brew concentrate that you can mix with cold water or milk later!
We’ve been coffee fanatics for ages, so it was only a matter of time before some coffee recipes made their way onto Inspired Taste. And what better way to kick things off than with a simple, foolproof guide to cold brew?
Cold brew is truly a game-changer. It’s incredibly easy to make—just mix coffee grounds with water and let it steep. But the real magic is in the flavor. Forget watered-down iced coffee. Cold brew is much more flavorful, rich, and smooth than plain coffee. As a bonus, it lasts in the fridge for two weeks! You have to try it!
Key Ingredients
- Coffee: For the best cold brew, use freshly ground coffee beans. Aim for a coarse grind, like coarse sand. You can use the coarsest setting on your grinder or ask your local coffee shop to grind it for you (just let them know you’re making cold brew!).
- Water: Use cold, filtered water for the best flavor.
- French Press: I use my 34oz French press to make this recipe, but if you do not have one, no worries! You can use any large container (like big mason jars). The great thing about the French press is that once the coffee is brewed, you can press down the plunger to filter out the coffee grinds. If using another container, pour the finished cold brew through a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter to remove the grounds.
How to Make Cold Brew
You need to know that homemade cold brew takes time. It’s straightforward, but the brew takes 12 to 20 hours. Making it the night before is ideal—5 minutes of hands-on time, then just leave it to brew.
To make cold brew coffee, add coarse coffee grinds to a vessel that will hold around 34 ounces (we use our 34-ounce French press). Pour cold (preferably filtered) water over the coffee. Gently stir, then cover. Now, you wait. Remember, this takes a while: 12 to 20 hours.
We like to put everything into the French press the night before and let it sit overnight. In the morning, filter the coffee and pour out the coffee concentrate. Since we use our French press, we just press the filter down. You’ll still need to filter out the coffee grinds. Cheesecloth over a fine mesh strainer is a good option.
Now that you have cold brew concentrate, you can experiment with the ratio of water to concentrate. A 1:2 ratio of coffee concentrate to water is ideal when served over ice. You might prefer 1:3, though. It all depends on how strongly you take your coffee.
Following our cold brew recipe below and using a 1:2 concentrate-to-coffee ratio, you’ll have 48 ounces of coffee or eight 6-ounce cups. Again, you may tweak the final ratio a bit, but that gives you a good idea of where to start.
Bonus! The concentrate lasts in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Although, I can’t imagine it lasting that long. It tastes too good. We drink it way more quickly than that!
Now you have amazing homemade cold brew, how about some coffee-house treats to go alongside it. I especially love these blueberry muffins, pumpkin scones, and these cranberry scones!
Perfect Homemade Cold Brew
- PREP
- TOTAL
Cold brew takes 12 to 24 hours (we recommend 16) but is completely worth it. Just 5 to 10 minutes of hands-on time the night before pays off big in the morning with a rich, ultra-smooth coffee concentrate that you can mix with water (or milk) for a great cup of iced coffee.
Our ideal cold brew ratio is 1 part coffee concentrate to 2 parts water (mixed and served over ice), but you may find that’s too strong (or, if you’re a serious coffee drinker, too weak), so play around with a ratio that works for you. One more note: Cold brew is highly caffeinated—more than your regular cup of hot coffee.
You Will Need
6 ounces (170g) whole coffee beans, about 1 ½ cups whole beans or 2 cups coarsely ground coffee
28 ounces (830ml or 3 ½ cups) cold filtered water
Directions
- Make Cold Brew Concentrate
1Grind the coffee beans very coarsely. If using a home grinder, choose the coarsest setting.
2Add ground coffee to a 34-ounce French press and cover with water. (If it doesn’t look like all of the water will fit into your French press without overflowing—ours is filled right to the top—use a different container or reduce the water by a few ounces.)
3Gently stir the coffee and water — some coffee experts say metal can affect the brew, so use a non-metal utensil if you can. Cover with the lid of the French press — without pressing down. Or, cover with plastic wrap.
4Set aside at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours (we recommend 16 hours). Then, filter the cold brew concentrate by pressing down on the French press filter. Transfer the concentrate to another container and refrigerate until ready to use. (See tips below if you do not have a French press.)
- Make Coffee from Concentrate
1Fill a glass with ice, then combine 1 part of the concentrate with 2 parts of water. Stir, then adjust to taste with additional concentrate or water. Enjoy!
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing the Concentrate: Store the cold brew concentrate in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays.
- Whole Beans vs. Ground Beans: Since we’re such coffee lovers, we have a home coffee grinder (Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder). We grind whole beans using the coarsest setting, which looks similar to coarse salt. If you do not have a grinder, ask the barista at a local coffee shop to grind the beans for you — again, ask for a very coarse grind.
- No Kitchen Scale: If you don’t have a kitchen scale at home, we’ve given approximate amounts in American cups for the coffee. This can vary since some coffee beans are heavier than others, but it is a good starting point.
- No French Press: If you do not have a French press large enough for this, simply use a pitcher or food-safe vessel that will fit the coffee and water. Cover it while it brews, and then use a fine mesh strainer covered with cheesecloth set on top of a bowl to filter out the concentrate.
- Why are only 2 cups of concentrate and not 3-1/2 cups? In our recipe, we call for adding 28 ounces (or 3-1/2 cups) of water, yielding approximately 2 cups of richly flavored cold brew concentrate. When we first experimented with cold brew, we were surprised at how much water seemed to “disappear.” That’s just a part of making cold brew coffee—the coffee expands over time and absorbs or traps some of the water added.
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Thanks, for your instructions. YUMMY!
I do not know the ratio to the coffee but take a 11 oz. bag of coffee to 10 cups of cold filtered water and let it steep out for 15-19 hours and it will make a lighter coffee you will like. Trust me on this because I have tried it many different ways and this is the best so far. Make a little over 2 quarts.
These are great tips. I have tried the cold brew in the past and I probably got the ratio wrong, because it was extremely strong. I didn’t realize that cold brewed coffee was stronger. I am going to give it another try.
I just discovered your site and see some other recipes I am going to check out.
Thanks!
Great post guys!