Easy Cold Brew Coffee Recipe (2024)

Cold brew is a really simple way to make coffee that is rich in flavor, smooth, and easier to digest! Follow this easy cold brew coffee recipe to make yours at home.

You can make cold brew at home in just a few simple steps! After you prepare it you have to let it sit for at least 12 hours before you drink it. (So it takes planning ahead!) By following this cold brew coffee recipe, you can make your coffee just once during the week and enjoy it the rest!

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Feature photo: Flickr: Abi Porter

What’s so great about cold brew?

1. It’s easier on digestion.

In my recent post, The Best Coffee for Sensitive Stomachs, I recommended that anyone with sensitive digestion (like me!) should try making cold brew coffee at home. Cold brew coffee is actually about 70% less acidic than traditionally brewed coffee, and it doesn’t make your stomach produce excess acid as much as normal coffee either. Overall, it’s just much easier on the stomach. But a lot of people don’t knowhow to make cold brew, so I decided to share a cold brew coffee recipe here on the blog!

2. The taste.

Whereas traditional iced coffees are usually made hot, then they’re cooled and poured over ice, cold brew is made with cold water from the start. Iced coffees tend to be more watery, and weaker in flavor. But cold brew is made to be strong in flavor, and tends to taste less bitter than iced coffees. This cold brew recipe makes a concentrate that you can add water or milk to, according to your desired boldness (and caffeination) levels.

3. You can drink it hot or cold.

Although cold water is used to brew the coffee, cold brew coffee can easily be prepared and enjoyed hot once it’s brewed! Since this cold brew recipe makes aconcentrate, you can simply add hot water or milk to the concentrate instead of cold, and drink it hot.

4. You don’t need fancy equipment to make it.

Although buying a special cold brew coffee maker would make it somewhat easier, you actually don’t need anything more than a big enough container to hold the coffee while it steeps, a fine mesh strainer, and some coffee filters or cheesecloth. Alternatively, you can make cold brew in a French press as well! More on the brew process later.

So let’s talk about how we make it! Here’s my cold brew coffee recipe.

Step one: Grind 1 cup of coffee.

You want it as coarsely ground as possible. We’re talking breadcrumb coarseness. If it’s too finely ground, it will be difficult to filter out all the sediment. Preferably, your coffee is fresh, organic, and your favorite roast.

Step two: Stir grounds with 4 cups of cold water in your container of choice.

Again, you can use a 32-ounce French press, bowl, jar, or container (preferably glass). If you want to get something specifically designed for making cold brew, I recommend this Cold Brew Coffee Maker from Amazon.It has a really nice design, and your coffee will only be in contact with glass and stainless steel, not plastic like many brewers. Plus, the reusable steel filter doesn’t require any paper filters, reducing waste significantly.

Step 3: Cover, and let it soak for at least 12 hours.

There’s no rushing this part of the process. Let the coffee steep for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours. The wait is worth it I promise!

Step 4: Filter the grounds out of the coffee.

If you made the cold brew in a French press, simply lower the plunger and pour. If you made it in a bowl or container, lay cheesecloth or a coffee filter in a mesh sieve, and slowly pour the coffee and grounds through the sieve and into another container.

Step 5: Enjoy! Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Add water, ice, or milk to your cold brew concentrate to taste, and enjoy!

My recipe was adapted from Food52 and Downshiftology’scold brew recipes.

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