A café-worthy drink comes together in minutes – faster than a Starbucks drive-thru and more economical too. You can use this recipe as a guide, choosing an easy-to-make syrup, and adjusting the coffee strength, sweetness, and creaminess to taste.
A recent New York Times article asked the following question: Does anyone drink hot coffee anymore?
I love iced coffee, but for the record, I also enjoy wrapping my cold hands around a mug of hot coffee.
Apparently though, cold drinks account for 60% of Starbucks’ beverage sales – in the dead of winter. Other times of the year, that figure is 75%.
Some people claim that hot coffee is too hot at first, and then the window of enjoyment is brief before it’s lukewarm and less enjoyable.
Others assert there are more ways to customize iced coffee, or that it’s just plain fun. There was even a mention of special gloves purchased to hold iced coffee when frost is in the air. (That’s commitment!)
The popularity of iced drinks among Gen Zers (those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s) is leading the shift, but more people of all ages are enjoying a chilled cup of Joe.
Need a modern-day version of proof? The hashtag #hotcoffee has about 60 million views on TikTok, while #icedcoffee has a whopping six BILLION.
Fun trivia aside, a great cup of coffee, whether iced or hot, can be whipped up at home – and for a fraction of café prices. Crazy as it sounds, it’s not unusual for these drinks to exceed six dollars!
Following is how I most enjoy a chilled cup of coffee. You can make your own Cold Brew, which is smooth and delicious, but there are store-bought and homemade shortcuts. (Details in the recipe card.)
Similarly, you could purchase the syrup (Torani is a popular brand and what many cafés use; Starbucks syrups are made by Fontana), although a homemade version is cheaper and fresher tasting too.
My favorite flavorings for ice coffee are Vanilla Simple Syrup and 7-Minute Salted Caramel Sauce. You may omit the salt from the caramel sauce, but I think it adds something special to iced coffee – and any dessert you use it on. For added convenience, the easy recipes don’t require a candy thermometer and will keep in your fridge for weeks.
Just like Starbucks, you can choose your milk of choice and adjust the level of sweetness to taste. Don’t like a lot of ice? You can adjust that as well.
And if you’d like to savor your perfect cup of coffee without it getting watered down over time. Make coffee ice cubes! Ice cubes made of coffee are also a great way to quickly chill hot coffee without diluting it when you don’t have cold brew on hand. I keep a bag in my freezer so they’re there when needed.
What’s in a pump of syrup?
How much syrup should I use? If you’re familiar with Starbucks drinks, you’re familiar with pumps. The standard for a grande (16-ounce) coffee, for example, is four pumps. When I did my due diligence, I learned that one pump is equivalent to one tablespoon. In other words, a grande vanilla iced coffee or latte contains one quarter cup of syrup. I enjoy sweet, but not too sweet, so that explains why I always ask for half the usual amount of sweetener when ordering one to go.
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Vanilla or Caramel Iced Coffee (or caramel-vanilla!)Prep Time: 3 minutesTotal Time: 3 minutes Yield: 1 serving
A café-worthy drink comes together in minutes – faster than a Starbucks drive-thru and more economical too!
Use this recipe as a guide. Like your coffee a stronger? Reduce the milk – or add an extra splash for a weaker blend. Similarly, the vanilla and caramel may be adjusted up or down to create your ideal beverage.
INGREDIENTSFor vanilla iced coffee:
- Ice
- 2 tablespoons Vanilla Simple Syrup*
- 1 cup Cold Brew Coffee or your favorite strong brewed coffee, chilled**
- ¼ – ⅓ cup (60-80ml) half & half, whole or 2% milk, oat milk, or other milk of choice (or up to ½ cup if you prefer a creamier beverage)
For caramel iced coffee:
- Ice
- 2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce*
- 1 cup Cold Brew Coffee or your favorite strong brewed coffee, chilled**
- ¼ – ⅓ cup (60-80ml) half & half, whole or 2% milk, oat milk, or other milk of choice (or up to ½ cup if you prefer a creamier beverage)
- Optional: a pinch of sea salt stirred into the coffee for a salted caramel option; whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for topping
INSTRUCTIONSFill a glass with ice. Add vanilla or caramel syrup (or half and half) and coffee and stir to combine. (If using homemade caramel sauce and it’s cold, gently warm to melt before adding to coffee.)
Top with half & half or milk of choice, stir again, and enjoy!
NOTESFor a vanilla caramel iced coffee, use half vanilla syrup, half caramel.
*To adjust sweetness: Start with 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon syrup if you prefer a lightly sweet drink and increase by up to an additional tablespoon if you prefer a sweeter drink.
**The cold brew recipe is perfect if you’d like to keep a pitcher on hand. For an easy store-bought shortcut, Dunkin’ sells cold brew pouches, which steep in a pitcher of water overnight and are quite good. Similarly, most grocery stores now sell 48-ounce jugs of Starbucks cold brew and similar products. Also, I often make a pot of very strong coffee and chill it for use throughout the week.
Tip: If you like strong iced coffee, make ice cubes out of coffee, and use them in place of regular ice cubes.
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Use this recipe as a guide. Like your coffee a stronger? Reduce the milk – or add an extra splash for a weaker blend. Similarly, the vanilla and caramel may be adjusted up or down to create your ideal beverage.
- Ice
- 2 tablespoons Vanilla Simple Syrup*
- 1 cup Cold Brew Coffee or your favorite strong brewed coffee, chilled**
- ¼ – ⅓ cup (60-80ml) half & half, whole or 2% milk, oat milk, or other milk of choice (or up to ½ cup if you prefer a creamier beverage)
- Ice
- 2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce*
- 1 cup Cold Brew Coffee or your favorite strong brewed coffee, chilled**
- ¼ – ⅓ cup (60-80ml) half & half, whole or 2% milk, oat milk, or other milk of choice (or up to ½ cup if you prefer a creamier beverage)
- Optional: a pinch of sea salt stirred into the coffee for a salted caramel option; whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for topping
Fill a glass with ice. Add vanilla or caramel syrup (or half and half) and coffee and stir to combine. (If using homemade caramel sauce and it’s cold, gently warm to melt before adding to coffee.)
Top with half & half or milk of choice, stir again, and enjoy!
For a vanilla caramel iced coffee, use half vanilla syrup, half caramel.
*To adjust sweetness: Start with 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon syrup if you prefer a lightly sweet drink and increase by up to an additional tablespoon if you prefer a sweeter drink.
**The cold brew recipe is perfect if you’d like to keep a pitcher on hand. For an easy store-bought shortcut, Dunkin’ sells cold brew pouches, which steep in a pitcher of water overnight and are quite good. Similarly, most grocery stores now sell 48-ounce jugs of Starbucks cold brew and similar products. Also, I often make a pot of very strong coffee and chill it for use throughout the week.
Tip: If you like strong iced coffee, make ice cubes out of coffee, and use them in place of regular ice cubes.
Love saving money and enjoying the best flavors! Thank you for the great recipes. Do you have a non milk caramel sauce recipe?
A fabulous way to make quick iced coffee is doing a extra strong pour over into only ice, or brewing your double strength coffee into the brewing container with only ice. Torani has a cozy lavender syrup which is nice for a latte, a London Fog (Earl Grey) latte, or my summer favorite, Lavender lemonade. Monin Lavender syrup is strong like Lavender. Hear you can make your own but haven’t got that far yet, my Lavender is just now blooming well. Recipe for a good Lavender home made syrup Ann?
You can buy Blonde Espresso by the pound from Starbucks and make your own Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso with brewed Blonde Espresso (or of course espresso shots if you have the equipment), some cinnamon powder and medium brown sugar/ your own brown sugar syrup, shake with ice, add oatmilk. So good
Hi Carol, Thank you for your comment and all the delicious suggestions. I don’t have a lavender syrup recipe, although it wouldn’t be difficult to adjust my vanilla syrup recipe but using lavender in place of the vanilla (or in addition to for a double infusion!). As for a non-milk caramel sauce – if I were to try, I’d use canned coconut milk or a non-dairy eggnog. The latter may seem strange (and may not be available year-round) but it’s thick enough to stand in for the cream and doesn’t end up tasting like eggnog. I’ve used it here: https://fountainavenuekitchen.com/7-minute-holiday-caramel-sauce/
Yes, thank you! Will try some caramel sauce soon. I made a butterscotch sauce with coconut milk and it was very good (if you can’t have milk version). Doing some reading, and some fresh and dried lavender together seem to have a reported complexity. I want my Lavender plants to get busy so I’d have enough to make a couple tries worth of syrup. It seems several ways to make it and I would be pretty excited to get around to just one recipe.
Report back if you try. I might need to add lavender to our garden next summer!