10 Easy Iced Coffee Recipes: Cold Coffee Drinks to Make at Home

As the weather gets warmer, our habits begin to change too. The daily coffee ritual often moves out onto the terrace, balcony or garden lawn. And while that morning cup of coffee is hard to replace, as the sun gets stronger during the day, we start craving something cold and refreshing. Luckily, coffee is a wonderfully versatile drink: by choosing beans suited to iced coffee, it is easy to turn it into a refreshing summer treat at home.

This article is all about getting through hot summer days without giving up coffee. This time, as you may have guessed, we will not be talking about hot drinks. Instead, it is time to discover easy iced coffee recipes and some of the most popular ways to prepare cold coffee drinks at home.

There are several ways to make iced coffee at home. For a true cold brew flavour, choose coffee beans suitable for iced coffee and steep them slowly in cold water. A cold brew coffee maker is ideal for this. And when you want something refreshing here and now, you can prepare a stronger coffee, cool it down with ice, add your favourite syrup or finish it with cold milk foam.

Before moving on to the recipes, it is worth preparing a few versatile products that will help you create different iced coffee flavours at home:

1. Brewed Iced Coffee

You will need:

• ½ cup of your favourite coffee
• 3 cups of cold water
• A pinch of sugar
• Ice cubes

Filter coffee machines or various coffee makers are perfect for brewing the coffee. Add sugar if needed and stir until it has completely dissolved. Pour in half a cup of strong coffee and mix it with cold water. Wait until the drink has cooled down fully. Add ice cubes to a coffee glass or cup, then pour in the drink. You can top it with whipped cream if you like.

When making iced coffee, it is worth choosing coffee that stays expressive even with ice, milk or syrup. Single-origin or more distinctive coffees are great for simpler recipes, while richer blends or flavoured coffees work well for sweeter, milk-based drinks. Explore more options here.

Coffee for Different Iced Coffee Recipes:

2. Cinnamon Iced Coffee

You will need (6 servings):

• ¾ cup of ground coffee
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 3 cups of cold water
• 1 tin of condensed milk
• Ice cubes

Mix the ground coffee and cinnamon together. Brew the mixture in a coffee maker. Pour the condensed milk into a coffee jug or container, using as much as you like depending on taste, then mix it with the brewed coffee until smooth. Pour the coffee into glasses or cups filled with ice cubes.

3. Simple Iced Coffee for One

You will need:

• ⅓ cup of warm water
• 2 teaspoons of coffee
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of milk or coffee cream
• Ice cubes
• Whipped cream

Brew the coffee in a coffee maker, pour it into a coffee glass, add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Add the ice cubes. Top with whipped cream. Chocolate works especially well here, so you can decorate the drink with chocolate shavings and nuts.

Many of these iced coffee ideas can easily be adjusted to suit your taste: choose vanilla one day, caramel the next, or add chocolate syrup when you want a richer drink. Syrups are a quick way to give iced coffee extra sweetness and a more defined flavour.

Syrups for Iced Latte, Mocha and Caramel Coffee:

4. Coconut Iced Coffee Drink

You will need (5–6 servings):

• 1 tin of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons of coffee
• 1 tin of condensed milk
• Ice cubes

Brew the coffee in a coffee maker. Mix the coffee with coconut milk. A coconut-flavoured drink will also work well. Add the condensed milk and stir well until smooth. Add ice cubes to a coffee glass and pour the coffee drink over them. You can decorate it with marshmallows, coffee or chocolate shavings.

5. Creamy Iced Coffee

You will need (5–6 servings):

• 1 tin of condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons of coffee
• Ice cubes
• Whipped cream

Brew the coffee in a coffee maker. Mix it with the condensed milk until smooth. Add ice cubes to coffee glasses, pour in the coffee drink and top with whipped cream.

By now, you may have noticed that we mention coffee glasses more often than cups. The reason is simple: seeing the layers of iced coffee ingredients slowly blending together is part of the pleasure. That is why clear coffee glasses make the drink even more enjoyable.

6. Peanut Butter Mocha

You will need (2 servings):

• ½ cup of chocolate soya milk or low-fat chocolate milk
• 1 tablespoon of coffee
• 1 pot of chocolate yoghurt
• ⅓ cup of chocolate powder or cocoa
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• Ice cubes
• Cinnamon, for serving

Brew the coffee in a coffee maker. Mix it with the chocolate milk until smooth. Add the chocolate yoghurt, chocolate powder, peanut butter or milk caramel with nuts, then add the ice cubes. Blend everything with a mixer until the drink becomes thick, then pour into glasses. Decorate with chopped nuts if you like.

If you want a thicker, creamier iced coffee, you can also use frappé or cold drink mixes:

7. Iced Latte Recipe

You will need (4 servings):

• 2 tablespoons of coffee
• ½ cup of cold water
• 3 cups of cold water
• 1 tin of condensed milk
• Ice cubes

Brew the coffee in a coffee maker. Mix it with the cold water and condensed milk in one container. Add the ice cubes and blend until the drink becomes thick. Pour everything into coffee glasses.

If you prefer your iced latte with a softer texture, try adding milk foam. Cold milk foam gives the drink a lighter mouthfeel, helps create beautiful layers in the glass and works especially well with iced latte-style drinks, syrups and ice. For this kind of foam, a milk frother with a cold foam function is particularly useful.

Milk Frothers for Cold Milk Foam:

8. Iced Vanilla Latte Recipe

You will need (6 servings):

• 1 cup of strong brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
• 1 tin of condensed milk
• ⅓ cup of vanilla sugar
• Ice cubes

Mix the coffee, condensed milk and vanilla sugar in one container. Stir until smooth. Add ice cubes to coffee glasses and pour in the drink.

9. Iced Mocha Coffee

You will need (2 servings):

• ¼ cup of strong coffee
• ¼ cup of chocolate syrup
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup
• ¼ cup of cold milk
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate shavings, for decoration

Pour the coffee, chocolate syrup, vanilla syrup and cold milk into one container. Mix well until smooth. Add ice cubes and blend with a mixer until thick. Pour the drink into a coffee glass, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

10. Iced Caramel Coffee

You will need (2 servings):

• ¼ cup of strong coffee
• ¼ cup of caramel syrup
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup
• ¼ cup of cold milk
• Whipped cream
• Ice cubes

Pour the coffee, caramel syrup, vanilla syrup and cold milk into one container. Mix well until smooth. Add ice cubes and blend with a mixer until the drink becomes thick. Pour the drink into a coffee glass, top with whipped cream and drizzle with caramel syrup.

If iced coffee is something you prepare at home more often than just on the hottest days of summer, it is worth exploring coffee machines with iced coffee or cold brew functions. We cover them in more detail in our separate guide: coffee machines for iced coffee and cold brew.

Enjoy!