How to Cold Brew Coffee at Home in 5 Easy Steps (+ Recipes!)
Learning how to cold brew coffee for the best flavor and quality involves an easy 5-step process of measure, grind, steep, strain, and store! Simply measure and grind your quality coffee beans, then pour water over them and leave them to steep for 12 hours (or until your ideal flavor is achieved). Next, strain the grounds, and then store your homemade cold brew in the refrigerator until you’re ready to drink. The concentrate will taste best within one week, but lasts up to two weeks.
For the step-by-step cold brew process, as well as six mouth-watering cold brew recipes, read on!
This article you will learn:
Why Cold Brew at Home?
The cold brew coffee trend is here to stay. While brewing cold brew at home comes with a host of perks like money and time-saving benefits, the best reason for DIY cold brew is the ability to custom-tailor it to your exact flavor and quality preferences!
When you purchase cold brew from your local coffee shop or grocery store, let's face it, you're limited to the few options on the shelf. Perhaps you like an intensely bold brew, but all that's available is a disappointingly weak brew. Or maybe your favorite type of cold brew packs a strong punch of caffeine. Or maybe decaf cold brew is your jam...good luck finding that! There are so many ways to customize cold brew to your unique preferences so when you do it yourself, you can create your perfect cup of cold brew!
What's more, DIY cold brewing also gives you full control over the quality and health benefits of your cold brew. Most coffee beans contain harmful toxins like mold and mycotoxins, which can lead to troubling side effects like fatigue, brain fog, jitters, and in the long term, cancer. Though choosing high-quality coffee beans is important for any type of brew, it's particularly crucial for cold brew. Cold brewing requires you to soak your beans for up to 12 hours, which not only extracts the delicious, smooth coffee flavor, but also pulls out those health-harming toxins, too. For a cold brew that delivers both incredible flavor and up to 200% more health-supporting antioxidants than your average cup of coffee, we recommend our mold and mycotoxin-free Clean Coffee!
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How to Cold Brew at Home
Making cold brew at home is likely far easier than you think it is. And it doesn’t require the purchase of special equipment.
The cold brew concentrate recipe below will result in eight 8 oz cups of your perfect cold brew. If you want to make a larger batch, however, it's easy! Simply double or triple the recipe, but just make sure you have correctly sized containers!
When you’re ready for a glass of your cold brew, combine ½ cup of cold brew concentrate with ½ cup of cold filtered water, non-dairy milk, or full-fat milk, add a few ice cubes, and enjoy!
You will need:
- ¼ cup coarsely ground coffee beans
- 4 cups of filtered water
- A coffee grinder (buy ground coffee beans if you don’t have a grinder)
- 40 oz or larger container with lid for brewing
- 32 oz or larger container with lid for storage
- Strong paper towels
- A strainer or sieve
Homemade Cold Brew Concentrate in 5 Simple Steps:
1. Measure
Start with a 1:4 grinds to water ratio and then adapt to your own taste. Light roast beans will result in a lighter coffee, whereas dark roast will create a stronger, darker brew.
You can also adjust the strength and caffeine content of your brew by experimenting with the grinds to water ratio. The small the ratio, the more of a punch your coffee will pack.
And as we mentioned above, it's important to use high-quality coffee beans like our new Clean Coffee to keep your flavors pure and maximize the health benefits of your brew.
2. Grind
If using whole beans (recommended for maximum flavor), grind them coarsely. Why a course grind? If you grind them too finely, your cold brew will be cloudy and sludgy.
If purchasing whole beans and grinding at the store, make sure the grinder is set to “coarse” or “french press.”
3. Steep
Pour ¼ cup of coarsely ground coffee beans into a 40 oz or larger container with a lid. Then, pour 4 cups of filtered water over the grinds and stir gently.
Cover and let the container sit for a minimum of 6 hours, but no more than 12. If the cold brew sits longer than 12 hours, acidity will build, which means the flavor will change. It’s still drinkable, but it won’t be as enjoyable.
This is another point in the brewing process where you can customize your cold brew to your flavor preferences. The longer the brews, the stronger and more acidic the flavor will be. Once the 6 hours have passed, taste test your cold brew every hour or two to discover your perfect brew length.
4. Strain
Once your coffee has finished steeping, strain the coffee grounds from the cold brew. There are a couple of ways you can do this:
- French Press: Pour the mixture into the French press and press down to strain. Then pour into your storage container.
- Paper towels and kitchen tools: Place a strong paper towel or two in a small spaghetti strainer, a funnel, a pour-over coffee maker, or a baking sieve. Place your strainer of choice over your 32 oz cold brew storage container. Slowly and carefully pour the cold brew through, making sure it does not overflow or spill out the sides.
- Cheesecloth and nut milk bags: You can use either of these materials in place of paper towels in the above set up, or in the case of the nut milk bag, use it all by itself.
5. Store
Use a 32 oz container (or larger) to store the concentrate. We recommend a pitcher with a tight-fitting lid because it’s easy to pour a little into a cup and go each morning.
After straining, store the cold brew concentrate in the fridge for up to two weeks. The flavor might start changing after about a week, but the concentrate is still safe to use.
Homemade Cold Brew Coffee Recipes
Classic Cold Brew
To use the cold brew concentrate, add water, non-dairy milk, or full-fat milk in a 1:1 ratio over ice. For example, mix ½ cup of cold brew concentrate with ½ cup of filtered water in a tall glass with ice and enjoy. Add more or less concentrate to suit your flavor preferences.
Cold Brew Cubes
If you’re pushing that 2-week deadline on the concentrate or you just hate it when melting ice cubes water down your cold brew, make cold brew ice cubes. Concentrate ice cubes will hold their flavor longer and create a stronger daily glass. They also make a great summertime blended beverage or dessert treat!
Hot Brew
Don’t forget that cold brew can also be served hot! Warm up your daily coffee and retain all the flavors of a slow cold brew.
Keto Cold Brew
For an energizing, fat-fueled Keto Cold Brew use our Creamy MCT Oil and Collagen Peptides. Simply add 1 tbsp of Creamy MCT Oil and 1 scoop of Collagen Peptides to your cold brew and stir until evenly combined. It's that easy!
The MCTs in our Creamy MCT Oil convert to ketones within minutes and the Collagen Peptides add protein, resulting in a brew that will give you long-lasting energy and keep you full until lunchtime!
Iced Keto Americano with Cold Brew Coffee and MCTs
Featuring brain-boosting fat from pure coconut MCTs, this rich and creamy iced keto americano will maximize your focus, increase your mental clarity, and infuse you with steady energy to supercharge your productivity!
Ingredients
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a cup and stir with a spoon until evenly combined.
For variations and tips to maximize your Americano, check out the full recipe!
Keto Iced Coffee: Low Carb Salted Caramel Cold Brew with MCTs
this rich, low carb salted caramel cold brew will not only satisfy your taste buds, but it will also increase your ketone production, boost your energy, and get your metabolic fire roaring!
Ingredients
Ingredients
In a glass, mason jar, or insulated travel mug, combine all ingredients and mix with a spoon until evenly combined.
Check out the full recipe for tips to make this the most delicious coffee drink ever!
UP NEXT: From Black to Decaf: 8 Incredible Health Benefits of Coffee
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