How To: Make Cold Brewed Coffee (A Tutorial)
Save money by making your own iced coffee at home with this recipe for rich cold brewed coffee concentrate.
The temperature is rising. Sure, it’s happening slowly, but it’s on its way up.
As soon as spring shows signs of warmth, I break out the essential tools to make cold brewed coffee concentrate. And, by “essential tools,” I mean ground coffee, a gallon pitcher, a mesh sieve, and some paper towels. All things you probably have laying around the house.
Cold brewed coffee concentrate is just about the easiest recipe you’ll ever make. And, you’ll be glad you did, because it will save you a ton of money. I braved up and calculated how much money I spent in one week for coffee at my local coffee house: thirty dollars. Yikes!
I’m what you would call a coffee junkie. I can easily take down 2-3 cups a day if I’m not careful. It’s hard to resist the rich, dark lure of a properly brewed cup of fresh coffee.
I’m less than functional without my morning juice. Picture a blob on the couch, eyes half opened and mouth agape–that’s me without my coffee. It’s not pretty.
I prefer my coffee strong over ice with extra cream. Here’s how I make my cold brewed coffee:
Pour 2 1/2 cups of freshly ground coffee into a gallon pitcher. I prefer a dark, full-bodied roast.
Fill your pitcher with cold water. Cover and allow the coffee to rest at room-temperature for 12 hours. I usually make my coffee the night before so I can strain it the next morning.
Place a mesh sieve over a large bowl. Line the sieve with a double layer of paper towels. I prefer Scott Towels because they’re durable. They stay strong and don’t fall apart during the straining process, and I only have to strain the coffee once as oppose to twice.
I shopped my local Kmart for my Scott products. Check out Kmart’s Shop Your Way Rewards for great coupon offers on Scott Tissue products this week. 
Strain the coffee through the paper towel lined sieve.
After you strain your coffee, store the pitcher in the refrigerator to chill. One pitcher makes enough coffee to last me an entire week.
When I work from home, my morning routine consists of one glass of iced coffee and a FaceTime session with my grandparents. After that, I’m ready to party hard in the kitchen.
When I have to go into the office, I fill my gigantic to-go cup to the brim and pray that one cup will get me through the day.
Squirrel uses my coffee weakness against me. Every morning he insists on teasing me before I’ve had my coffee. I often think about kicking him in the shin.
This picture says it all. I have a cabinet dedicated to coffee essentials. My favorite flavor combo is the Almond Joy: two pumps of coconut syrup, two pumps of almond syrup, a hefty squirt of chocolate syrup, and extra cream.
Cold Brewed Coffee Concentrate
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups ground coffee
water
Directions:
Add ground coffee to a one-gallon pitcher.
Fill the pitcher with water. Stir to combine and place the lid on the pitcher.
Allow the coffee to rest at room-temperature for at least 12 hours.
Place a mesh sieve on top of a large bowl. Line the sieve with a double layer of paper towels. Strain the coffee.
Pour the strained coffee into a clean pitcher. Top off the pitcher with water and stir. Place the lid on the pitcher and refrigerate.
Pour coffee over ice and add your favorite coffee additions.
Disclosure: This recipe was developed for the lovely folks at Kmart and Scott Brand. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting my recipes and site while I work with brands I adore.
33 Comments on “How To: Make Cold Brewed Coffee (A Tutorial)”
This is crazy – I was just thinking this morning how I wanted cold coffee but didn’t know how. And I also thought no one would understand how naive I was in the coffee world – and then you post a tutorial for me! I cannot wait to try this Jennie!
Mary Frances, you’re going to love this coffee. It’s super bold and rich. I love playing around with coffee flavors. I promise, the process is simple.
Fabulous! Chilled coffee at the ready for an entire week…for all sorts of coffee drinks during the spring and summer. You are a genius! Thanks for sharing, Jennie! Pinning (of course)!
Thanks, Stacy. All I have to do is add my coffee additions and stir. It fits easily in to my busy routine. Thanks for pinning.
I’ve never seen coffee made this way! So interesting. I’ve got to try it at home, and those picture are so beautiful. Who knew coffee making could look like art??!
HI Nicole! I take my coffee making extremely seriously :) I’m a coffee junkie. Without it, I would be sad and lonely. Definitely give it a try. I have no doubt you’ll have a coffee addiciton after the first sip.
My husband knows to be quiet in the morning pre-coffee; I don’t envy you the teasing!
This coffee looks fabulous. Lots of cream! To make ice coffee I just brew regular hot coffee and then stick it in the fridge! Clearly I have been doing it wrong all these years!!!
My husband could learn a thing or two from your hubby. You’re not doing it wrong. I used to make my iced coffee that way a few years ago. Cold breweing your coffee yields a richer, smoother coffee. It’s amazing. Thanks, Lindsey!
Girl, shut the front door. I love iced coffee so much but you know how much it costs. I have a feeling I’m going to be making this all summer long! I’m obsessed with your gorgeous pitcher too. I love it!
Thanks, Nancy. Girl, if you make this, you’re going to save some dolla bills. I mean, a lot of dough. Plus, this tastes way than any other iced coffee I’ve ever had. The pitcher was my great grandmother’s.
Jennie, you are so smart! I made cold brew once but couldn’t get it strained very well. It never even crossed my mind to use paper towels. I’m making a batch tonight!
Aww, thanks! The paper towels work great. I used to use cheesecloth, but too many grounds escaped into my coffee. Plus, they’re cheaper.
Is this similar to iced coffee? But it looks absolutely delicious :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hi Uru,
It’s very similiar to iced coffee. I cold brew it as opposed to brewing it in the coffee pot to create a richer, smoother coffee. I refrigerate it so it’s at the ready. Thanks!
Chilled coffee at the ready when you want it! Woohoo! Thanks for sharing your How-To Jennie! Pinned!
I agree, Sommer. Woo hoo! Thanks!
YES! I’ve needed this tutorial forever! I’m a coffee drinker to the max and now that it’s warming up, I’ll be needing to put my drink o’ choice on ice. Thanks for the wonderful how-to!
Thanks, Julia. Your drink of choice is going to taste so good over ice.
You get me! We are coffee soul sisters!!! ;) This is exactly how I take my coffee. It’s embarrassing when I order iced coffee at most cafes because even though I ask them to leave room for cream I still have to dump some iced coffee out to make room for more. And can I just say that these images are gorgeous?! I wanted to on every one!
I am so excited to try this! I love cold brew! Just a few questions-
How fine or coarse is your grind?
Is there a benefit to using paper towels to strain instead of a regular coffee filter?
Hi Beth! I used a fine ground coffee in this recipe. I’ve tried both fine and medium ground for this recipe, and there’s not much of a difference. Feel free to use either ground. I’ve tried using a coffee filter once, but since I make so much coffee at one time, I found that it was too small. If you’re brewing a small batch, you can try it. It won’t change the flavor or outcome of your coffee. Happy coffee making! Let me know how you like it.
Holy cow, this tutorial is awesome Jennie! I love iced coffee and making a big batch for a week sounds like a fabulous idea! Your favorite flavor combo sounds out of this world too – almond joy everything makes my heart sing :)
Thank you so much, Kelly!
This such a cool tutorial, Jennie!
Haha, get it? Cool? I crack myself up.
I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I don’t mind a sweet iced coffee when the weather gets hot. And I did happen to stock up on a lot of clearance flavoring syrups…
You crack me up, Kim! I think your syrups need some coffee :)
Sounds soooo yummy!! Can you please tell me where you get your flavors? I LOVE my almond joy iced coffees!! Ty
Hi Diann! Thanks for stopping by. I purchased my syrups from DaVinci. They have endless flavors and fast shipping.
What a great idea! I’m so making this this summer!
You’re going to be glad you did, Dorothy. Thanks!
iced coffee = requirement for summer, or at least if i want to get through the day. and now i can make it myself instead of hiking it to the coffee shop. hooray! :)
Agreed! It’s too dang hot in the summer to drink a steaming cup o’ joe. Saving money is always fun. Thanks, Shannon!
I’m pretty sure I need a few of these pitchers in my fridge when the temperature finally gets hot here! Awesome tutorial on how to make it too!!!! It looks delish!
1.) I love cold-brew and have decided that this will be the summer I finally try it at home. So thanks so much for this tutorial.
2.) Random question – but what do you use for your black blackground, and any camera/post tricks for getting it to show up so dark black? Right now, I use a piece of black construction paper, but I can never get it to show up pure black like this.