In my mind, the arrival of summer necessitates iced coffee. Add homemade almond milk into the mix and it’s just about one of the best drinks to come out of my kitchen! And of course, cheaper than what the high-end coffee shops charge. I don’t drink much coffee year round (I’ve always been a tea drinker), but when the weather gets hot and steamy iced coffee just seems so right. Mind you, iced tea is great too and I’ll be experimenting more with that this summer.
The problem is, I’ve always been a bit lazy when it comes to coffee making. I don’t like to drag out our big coffee maker just for myself (Eric doesn’t like coffee) and I find using the grinder and single serving French press a drag in the clean up department. [Why do the damn coffee grinds have to get everywhere?] If I wasn’t washing 6 billion dishes everyday it might be a different story, mind you. This method I’m sharing today will forever change the way that I enjoy my iced coffee, not to mention save me time and dish washing. I really can’t argue with that!
DIY Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
Cold Brew Coffee has been around for a very, very long time and it seems to have made a recent comeback, at least from what I’ve seen popping up online in recent years. A recent Kitchn post reignited my interest in making it at long last.
Thankfully, making coffee concentrate couldn’t be easier. All you do is soak freshly ground coffee beans in water for 12 hours or so. The coffee concentrate develops overnight – sans heat! – and after straining, you can use this concentrate to make iced coffee or even mix it with boiling water to make hot coffee. Since there is no heat used in the process, it produces a smoother and less acidic coffee. Some argue that the end result is less complex tasting (or even bland) compared to traditionally brewed coffee, but I personally find it perfect for iced coffee.
When I first heard about this idea, I thought it was genius because I could make a big batch of concentrate on the weekend and enjoy coffee during the week without the daily clean up! Brilliant if you ask me. The concentrate will keep in the fridge for around 1.5 weeks too, so you don’t have to make it that often.
What’s the perfect ratio?
The coffee beans to water ratio depends on how concentrated you want it and how much you want to make. I looked at NYT and The Kitchn for inspiration and I ended up using an amount somewhere in the middle. I didn’t want just a single serving nor did I want a huge batch for a crowd. Depending on how strong you like your coffee, feel free to play around with the ratios to suit your own needs. I found a 1 cup coffee to 4-4.5 cups water ratio produced great results for iced coffee.
As for using the concentrate to make hot coffee, I’m still experimenting with it. I found that I needed a 1:3 ratio of coffee concentrate to boiling water for it to be hot enough (when adding a splash of almond milk), but that was using the chilled concentrate. Some people suggest using room temp concentrate, but I can’t see myself waiting in the morning for it to warm up. Others suggest a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio of concentrate to boiling water, but I didn’t find that produced a piping hot cup. However, if you drink your coffee black a 1:2 ratio is probably perfectly hot enough. Further experimentation is required! Have fun fiddling around with your perfect cup.
Yield: Around 4 cups concentrate
Ingredients:
- 1 cup coffee beans, ground (medium-coarse grind) *use decaf if desired
- 4-4.5 cups water
1. In a large pitcher or jar, stir together the ground coffee and water. Place in the fridge for 12 hours, or overnight. I actually left mine for about 24 hours by mistake, and that worked fine too.
2. Strain out the ground coffee using a fine mesh sieve and a cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. You might have to strain it a couple times.
3. Use this coffee concentrate to make iced coffee (dilute with milk, see my drink below) or hot coffee (dilute with boiling water). If drinking black coffee, a 1:2 ratio of concentrate to boiling water is probably sufficient, but play around with the amounts to suit your needs.
Other uses for coffee concentrate:
Freeze it into ice cubes and add it to smoothies or iced coffee. Or just pour some concentrate straight into a smoothie.
Use it for baking – I can see myself using some of this in my chocolate cupcakes, for starters. Oh yea!
Camping!
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Speedy Almond Milk Iced Coffee
Yield
1 serving
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
This is my go-to homemade almond milk iced coffee. I find a 1:1 ratio of coffee concentrate and almond milk is really tasty. Feel free to adjust this to your own taste buds depending on how strong you like it!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coffee concentrate (from above)
- 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought almond milk
- Liquid sweetener, to taste (I use a drizzle of maple syrup)
- 3-4 large ice cubes
Directions
- Stir together the coffee concentrate and almond milk. Add sweetener to taste if desired. Add ice cubes and enjoy.
Tip:
Tip: You can also make coffee ice cubes to use in your iced coffee so it doesn’t get watered down by regular ice. I personally drink it so fast the ice cubes don’t really have a chance to melt, so I don’t bother with the coffee cubes! Coffee ice cubes would be ideal if serving to a large crowd in a pitcher though.
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I didn’t want to end this post without mentioning the horrible flooding in the Calgary region (and beyond) over the past several days. I have a lot of family in the area and I’m so thankful that they are ok, however there are tens of thousands of people who are still evacuated from their homes or are going back to find their house (or business) completely destroyed by water damage. A Facebook group has been set up to help pet owners reunite with their pets in the Calgary area. Stay safe everyone.
I was just trying to find an easy way to make iced coffee at home this past weekend. Can’t wait to try this!
Trader Joe’s has a Columbian Instant Coffee for $3 and everyone that swares they hate instant coffee (Seattlites are very particular about their coffee) loves this. Nothing beats the smell of a just brewed cup of coffee but for iced coffee or a quick cup of coffee, company stopping over or road trips this is great. Its now used at the Mechanics, Dr.’s office, gym, and P.T. offices I go to. You don’t waste brewing a pot that no one drinks and hot water gives it that fresh brewed taste and smell. Also dissolves in cold liquid well. I have actually done something similar to the above recipe and its really really good, esp for friends that don’t do dairy fresh almond and coconut milk go so well as they curdle in hot coffee and it takes away the commerodery if having coffee with friends if only a few can participate. Doing it this way I have a choice of other beans not just Columbian. Looking forward to making this for Brunch tomorrow.
This looks like a perfect pantry staple for summer time. I’m not sure how much I would drink iced coffee (unless it was decaf) but I have been making almond milk more often so maybe I’ll try this. I would definitely use it in baking. I love how quick it is!
Mmmm…iced coffee is the best! Love this recipe!
Wow that is such a good idea! And perfect for making coffee cakes too! Mmm. xxx
I have been a complete coldbrew coffee convert ever since coming across the NYT article (although I now use my own ratio of water to coffee grounds). It is such a revelation – I actually prefer the taste of the coffee that way, definitely less acidic and smoother! And yes, it is so convenient to have iced coffee on standby – making my morning cup of coffee is now a question of seconds, all I need to do is grab a large glass, put in some ice cubes, pour in some coldbrew, add a splash of rice or almond milk, maybe a little maple syrup and bam, the day can start!
Isn’t it life changing? I don’t know what took me so long!
It is! I resigned myself from really enjoying a frap or iced latte from Starbucks. This is really good!! Thank you, Angela!! Can’t wait for your book to come out! I didn’t miss that, did I? Would love if you could come back soon to the Chicagoland area!
This might just convert me to a coffee drinker! Seems like the perfect pick-me-up for a hot and humid summer day like today. I also love the coffee ice cube idea to avoid a watered down drink…one of my favorite tips for flavorful iced drinks!
I love Ice Coffee, I am doing cold tea as well. I deiced that since it has been 108 degrees for the past few weeks, I should stop drinking hot coffee and tea.
This makes me really excited! Although I don’t drink coffee too often, I LOVE ice coffee and I just brought home a ton of fresh coffee from the Philippines! I am definitely reserving some of it to make this!
Great idea. I love iced coffee but I don’t like when I have to ice hot coffee because it gets too watery. And it takes too much time to wait for a hot coffee to cool down in the fridge/freezer. This is perfect and quick for when I am running out the door in the morning!
I feel the same way about making coffee. My go-to drink is green tea because its easier for me to steep tea rather than worry about dragging out the coffeemaker. Even in the summer, I just drink iced green tea. I’l have to try this method, it sounds like a great way to make iced coffee!
This is exactly how I make my coffee! :) Sometimes I put it all in a blender with some ice and a bit of cinnamon and I get a frappucino type drink.
I’m not usually a coffee drinker either but this sounds really good! Cold brew sounds interesting. I am a huge iced green tea lover and drink it everyday so I’m curious to see what you come up with next! Sorry to hear about the flood, that is awful so many people have lost their homes.
I absolutely love iced coffee, year round. In college, even on snowy days, you could find me with an iced mocha and mittens. This is perfect!
This is amazing! The only coffee maker I have is a Keurig, which only makes 1 cup at a time. Not ideal for iced coffee (or even hot coffee for that matter)! Now I can make it without crowding up my countertops with yet another small appliance. Thank you :)
Aww man I wish I had this recipe when my girlfriend was here the other day. I’m not a coffee drinker but she is. I’ll bookmark it for next time! But I’ll definitely use the concentrate for my batch of Jeni’s Dark Chocolate ice cream I need to make! :-)
oh man, i am definitely trying this out! it looks so simple but so good!
Rebecca @ tr[i]b[e]cca
I love iced coffee! I drink it all the time. Been trying to drink less coffee (but that’s not really working too well…haha) and in the meantime, I love my iced coffees! Gorgeous images. And the concentrate is a good idea. And with the homemade almond milk, mmmm, I would even call this healthy that way :)
Can you make a recipe for vegan Thai iced coffee? This is close I think, but misses the absurdly creamy dessert-like texture. Here’s a nonvegan version:
http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaidesserts/r/thaiicedcoffee.htm
PUHLEASE make a vegan version! everything you make is so delicious and ever since I got back from SE Asia I’ve been craving a vegan version of this!!
Yes I’ve heard about this! People rave about this coffee…I must try it. I do have a vegan condensed milk on my blog made from coconut milk so it sounds like the perfect pairing…
Yummmm. I’ve been all about the iced coffee lately! Perfect for summer!
I love ice coffee, but never can make it good at home. Thanks for this post. Definitely going to try it!