Cold Brew Coffee (Recipe & Tips!)
Learn how to make cold brew coffee with this simple recipe! Your first batch will turn out great. Find everything you need to know about cold brew here.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2025
Cold brew makes the best iced coffee, no doubt about it. It might seem intimidating to make your own, but it’s actually quite simple once you learn how. Today, I’ll guide you through the process from start to finish.
Homemade cold brew coffee is:
- Smooth, slightly sweet and super refreshing
- Easy to make with basic kitchen equipment
- More affordable than buying at a coffee shop
- Ready-made for busy mornings
You can make cold brew on the weekend, then pour your coffee from the fridge every morning. No boiling water. No fussing with a coffee maker.
As someone who is 100 percent not a morning person, homemade cold brew coffee is a total game-changer.
Let’s make our own cold brew!
Fun Facts about Cold Brew Coffee
Cold brew takes longer to make than drip coffee.
Since the water is cold, it needs to steep for about 12 to 18 hours to soak up the coffee’s color, flavor and caffeine. The cold extraction process brings out fewer of coffee’s bitter compounds, which produces a sweeter and smoother result.
Cold brew can be strong.
This depends on several factors, including the beans used, steeping time, and dilution. The dilution is the factor that’s easiest to control. Don’t drink cold brew concentrate straight—it’s highly caffeinated.
Cold brew is less acidic.
If regular drip coffee or espresso upsets your stomach, cold brew may not. The only way to know is to try it, and you’ll have more control over the end result if you make it yourself.
Coarsely-ground coffee makes the best cold brew.
No coffee grinder at home? No problem. Just grind your coffee at the grocery store using their big coffee grinder machine, with the dial set on the coarse/French press option. I’ve provided approximate amounts of ground coffee to use if you don’t have a scale for a more accurate weight measurement.
Cold Brew Variations
Use any coffee variety you enjoy to make cold brew.
Any variety will work, and you’ll find that it tastes less bitter when steeped in cold water instead of hot. It would be a fun experiment to compare a glass of cold brew coffee with hot coffee of the same variety.
You can heat up cold brew and drink it hot.
Indeed, it’s true, and it’s very good. The flavor stays about the same.
Make it decaf.
Maybe you’re watching your caffeine intake or craving an afternoon coffee treat without the buzz. You can brew cold brew with decaffeinated coffee—I’ve tried it with this brand, which uses the Swiss water extraction process to remove over 99 percent of the caffeine.
Turn your cold brew into a makeshift iced latte.
Instead of diluting your cold brew with water, pour in an equal amount of your milk of choice. It tastes like an extra-smooth iced latte. I love it with whole milk, creamy almond milk or even pistachio milk. Another option is to add a splash of half-and-half or heavy cream instead.
Basic Cold Brew Coffee Ratio
This ratio is flexible. A kitchen scale will be helpful if you have one, but it’s not necessary. You’re making cold brew concentrate, and you can dilute the concentrate to taste once it’s finished.
- Per 1 cup of water, you’ll need 1 ounce (by weight) coarsely ground coffee. That’s about 1/4 cup whole coffee beans, which yields roughly 1/2 cup ground coffee. If you’re accustomed to the metric system, 1 ounce is equivalent to 28 grams.
- You’ll end up with a little less concentrate than the amount of water you used, since some of it will be absorbed by the coffee grounds. However, you’ll dilute it with an equal amount of water, so you’ll double your final yield. Clear as mud? I mean, coffee? Good.
Examples
- Let’s make cold brew coffee in a standard 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar (affiliate link). In the jar, combine 3 ounces coarsely-ground coffee (about 3/4 cup whole coffee beans turned into 1 1/2 cups coarsely-ground coffee) with 3 cups of water.
- After steeping and straining the mixture, you’ll have about 2 1/2 cups of cold brew concentrate, which is enough for 5 cups of cold brew. You’ve just made enough coffee to last you from Monday through Friday!
- If you have a 2-quart jar, simply double the amounts offered above.
- If you have an extra-large French press like I do, you can use 5 ounces of coffee (about 1 1/4 cups whole coffee beans turned into about 2 1/2 cups coarsely-ground coffee) and 5 cups water. You’ll end up with about 4 1/4 cups concentrate, or enough for 8 1/2 cups of cold brew.
Watch How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
Recommended Steeping Time
The steeping time is flexible as well. I’ve read suggestions for “overnight or 12 hours,” and “at least 18 or up to 24 hours,” so do what works with your schedule. Starbucks steeps their cold brew for 20 hours.
If you accidentally steep yours longer (even 24+ hours), it’s ok. Your concentrate may taste a little more bitter than it would have, but it’s probably fine. It may also be extra-strong, so you might want to dilute it with some extra water.
How to Strain Your Cold Brew
Once you’re done steeping the coffee, you’ll need to strain the coffee grounds out of the water. A fine-mesh sieve or French press filter isn’t sufficient (you’ll end up with murky, sludgy concentrate). Most methods will suggest using cheesecloth, but I hate cheesecloth! It’s difficult to work with and seems wasteful.
I played around with other options and found two that work great. See my photos for examples of each. Choose one:
- Thin paper coffee filters: Use the “basket” paper filters that splay out in a round seashell shape, as shown here. Make sure your filter is made of very thin paper, not a thicker material that will take forever to filter through. These are the filters I used.
- A linen or cotton napkin, or a rag made from a t-shirt: Any thin, clean, lint-free, cotton or linen cloth will do. It should be large enough to cover your sieve when draped across it. Don’t use something precious, because it could develop a coffee stain or smell. Wash it and reuse it!
To strain, simply place the coffee filter into a small, fine-mesh sieve or drape your cloth over it. Then, place the sieve over a pitcher or liquid measuring cup and pour the concentrate through it.
Have I convinced you to try making cold brew coffee at home? Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comments.
If you want to try something different, try making cold brew iced tea. Like cold brew coffee, it’s smoother and less bitter.
If you’re looking for more recipes to ease your morning routine, here are 23 make-ahead breakfasts.
Cold Brew Coffee
Let’s make cold brew coffee! It’s easy to make, and it’s so nice to have coffee ready to go. This recipe is written for a 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar; you can scale it up or down using 1 ounce* (28 grams) coffee per 1 cup water. The quantities provided will produce about 2 ½ cups concentrate, which is enough for 5 cups of cold brew.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces (85 grams) coarsely-ground coffee (that’s about ¾ cup whole coffee beans turned into about 1 ½ cups* coarsely-ground coffee)
- 3 cups water (filtered water if you have it)
Instructions
- In a 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar, combine the coffee and room-temperature water. Stir to combine. I like to let my mixture rest for about 5 minutes and stir it again; the coffee grounds seem to gain more water exposure this way.
- Put a lid on your container and refrigerate it for 12 to 18 hours.
- When you’re ready to strain your cold brew, place a thin paper coffee filter or a small, thin cotton napkin, cloth or handkerchief over a small fine-mesh sieve. Pour the concentrate through the prepared sieve into a liquid measuring cup or pitcher. Let it rest for a few minutes to let the last of the cold brew trickle down.
- To serve, fill a glass with ice and fill it halfway with water. Then fill the rest of the glass with cold brew concentrate, and stir to combine. Cold brew concentrate will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, although I find that it has the best flavor within the first week.
Notes
*Measurement note: These are ounces by weight, not by volume. This is always the case with non-liquid measurements. “1 ½ cups coarsely-ground coffee” is the least exact measurement I can offer (the volume of the ground coffee depends on the exact coarseness of your grind)—but it will work. Just adjust the concentrate-to-water ratio to suit your liking as your pour your glass of cold brew and you’re all good.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
When I grind 3/4 cup coffee beans I only get About a cup’s worth Coffee grounds not a cup and a 1/2. Should I do only 2 cups of cold water instead of the 3?
If you have a kitchen scale, I have found 62 grams is perfect.
Hi Jenna. I, too, ground 3/4 cups of whole beans and got 7/8 cups of course grinds. I am trying that amount with 3 cups of cold water to see how it is. How did your coffee turn out using the 2 cups of water?
Hi Kate, thanks for this post, it brought back sweet memories of when my parents made cold brew from a toddy back in the 70’s. That was the only coffee made in our house, they just heated up the water and it was ready on the spot every morning and then iced coffees in the afternoon. Clean delicious tasting coffee,Yum. Your directions and photos are great and have inspired me to get to it. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I hope you love it, Michele.
WOW !!!!!!!! You are my friend for life!
Perfect absolutely perfect! Thank you !
You’re welcome, Michelle! Thanks for your review.
I’ve been loving the sweeter taste of cold brew lately and bought some cold brew bags at Trader Joe’s. It’s delicious, but more than I wanted to spend. My sewing machine was out for some mending, so I took two filters, pressed them flat, sewed all but a 2 inch opening, filled with 62 grams of ground coffee, (that’s how much the Trader Joe’s one had) and sewed the last 2 inches up. I placed it in my 1quart jar, filled with filtered water and the next morning…perfection!!
Thanks for sharing, Deborah! Always nice to have something to look forward to in the morning.
I’m pretty sure you mixed up your whole coffee beans and coarsely ground coffee ratios.
In which universe does grinding coffee beans yield twice the original volume? Not in this one. Could you please just state the volume of ground coffee needed, since clearly no one is going to be using whole beans. This glaring error calls into question the whole issue of the how much coffee to use .
These are ounces by weight, not by volume. This is always the case with non-liquid measurements. “1 ½ cups coarsely-ground coffee” is the least exact measurement I can offer (the volume of the ground coffee depends on the exact coarseness of your grind)—but it will work. Just adjust the concentrate-to-water ratio to suit your liking as your pour your glass of cold brew and you’re all good.
This recipe is spot on. Delicious!
Hooray! I’m glad you love it.
Hi Kate, can you please explain your statement about cheesecloth being wasteful? Is that just a personal feeling about using cheesecloth or are you only using it one time and then disposing of it? Cheesecloth is easy to clean and after making multiple mason jars full of the wonderful concentrate I have found that my cheesecloth has taken on the look of the Shroud of Turin, except mine is real hahaha. The lint free cheesecloth, purchased from Amazon for a fair price and it provided much more than I need for cold brewing, is cleaned after every use a air dried. The extra cheesecloth may eventually tempt me to try my hand making fresh cheese, which may be the one time use.
Like a few of the other questioners, I wonder why you have not gone with weight versus cup size. Going by weight allows you to be precise each and every time versus cup size where some beans may be of a different shape or not always equal.
When I make my Brew I use 8 oz by weight of coarse ground coffee, 1500ml of reverse osmosis water and let sit in a 2qt Mason jar inside my refrigerator for 20 hours. Using the beans I purchase at Costco produces a chocolatey flavor with no acidic taste. When I do the cheesecloth filter I noticed that I lose about 200 to 250 ml of water which I then replace with with a 100g of pure cane sugar dissolved in 200 mL of water to make a simple syrup. Once the simple syrup has been added I then top off with the remainder of another 500 mL of RO water or what it may take to fill the Mason jar.
This allows for an 11oz container to taken to work every morning to enjoy with breakfast and cost just under $7 per week to have the best, and I like it on the strong side, coffee I have had since living in Germany during H.S and the US Army plus some left over for one weekend brunch.
For the 2 quart preparation, I measured out 1.5 cups of coffee beans and it turned into 1 cup of coffee beans. It was still tasty though.
Thanks for sharing, Melissa!
So I made this recipe yesterday, and I’m going to try it this morning hot. Do I still do a 50/50 ratio? I’m sure it will depend on how strong a coffee I prefer. I can’t wait to give it a try!
This is cold brew, so you really want to serve as recommended otherwise, it might be on the stronger side.
I always thought the thing about cold brew was you could drink it hot or cold. I did try it hot 1/2 strength but decided that I didn’t like it that way. It’s just like reheated coffee, which I am not nuts about. It was okay cold, but the flavor you get really depends on the flavor of the coffee you choose and the flavor of the creamer you use—plus if you use a sweetener. It was okay but not as good as my Starbucks Nitro cold brew.
Made this last week with Starbucks blond roast and it was delicious. Making another batch currently – I didn’t have a way to strain it and ended up using an old T-shirt which worked perfectly!
Thank you for sharing, Allie!
Do you have any favorite coffee brands or styles that you recommend using? I live in the Kansas City area as well so local shops like Black Dog Coffee and Broadway Coffee are on the table!
We have so many great local Kansas City options! It’s really hard to choose, but beans from both those shops would be great.
Tried cold brew from a coffee shop for the first time this summer and instantly fell in love. It was quickly getting quite expensive (coffee shops are ridiculously expensive here in Finland :/ ), so in hopes of not blowing up my monthly budged I stumbled across your recipe. Had my first cup of homemade cold brew today and oh my was it good! <3 Thanks for the awesome recipe! :)
I’m glad this could be a better solution for you, Allegra!
This recipe is perfect! I love cold brew so much more than regular iced coffee because of its bolder flavor. I never knew it was actually pretty simple to make, as long as you plan ahead. I think I’ve found my weekly recipe staple to enjoy all summer long!
Great to hear, Melissa! Thanks for your review.
I just made your cold brew recipe and was thrilled discover that it’s excellent! Just as good, and maybe even better, than cold brew sold at expensive coffee shops around town. I’ll be tripling the recipe for my next batch so I have even more on hand. Thank you very much for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for sharing, Jeff!
Just tried your recipe for cold brew and it came out great! I filtered with my pour over coffee maker so it ws super easy and then used the coffee concentrate to make an iced latte with butterscotch syrup and almond milk and it was better than the cafe! Thank you :-)
You’re welcome, Libbie!
I make so many things homemade (hummus, nut butter, almond milk, etc.) but for some reason have never made cold brew, despite intending to. Just mixed up a batch and I can’t wait to enjoy it tomorrow- I’ll report back! Thanks Kate!
What did you think, Caitlin?
Aaah! I had my first glass yesterday- my only regret was drinking it so late in the day. I was wired haha! It was SO tasty!!
Love cold brewed coffee and especially love it over coffee ice cubes! I just make up a couple trays of cubes so my iced coffee never gets diluted. Also, I use a fine mesh filter basket from an old coffee maker to strain my brew. It fits nicely over my pitcher.
Thank you for sharing, Leah!
i plan on trying your recipe, only using 1/2 as much measurements & will use my 1 cup coffee maker’s removable strainer basket which is what I do for hot coffee; it fits nicely over many different cups & makes making a cup of coffee at work.. “minimalist” easy!
Thank you for sharing!
Some tips I’ve developed over years of making cold brew. 1st, don’t try to sweeten it with solid sugar or sweeteners. Make a simple syrup and use that instead. Just dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 1 cup of water and heat on your stove until they’re completely dissolved. Then store in the fridge. I’ve never tried this with alternative sweeteners like sweet an low or stevia, but I imagine it would work the same. Second, when filtering it I use a multiple stage filter to speed up the process. I use a French press filter and run it through a few times to get as much particulate as possible, then I run it through a finer filter like a paper coffee filter to get the finer stuff. I’ve also let it settle and just poured the coffee off the top in a pinch, but this method works better with a very large batch
Thanks for sharing your take, Joel!
People are rude. “Your measurements are wrong.” Just try it and see how it tastes. You’ll enjoy it. Great recipe…God is good. And for those that don’t think so, remember He created coffee.
Thank you, Bradley!
I love your recipes!! Huge thanks for giving approximate quantities for us Americans who measure by volume, not weight. In this case I found that 3/4 c. whole coffee beans made 7/8 c. medium-course grinds, not 1.5 cups of grinds. I decided to use the amount I got with 3 c. cold water–we’ll see how it turns out!
You’re welcome! Thank you for sharing, Jen.
honestly this was really good. i think the ratio of coffee to water has too much coffee causing it to be bitter so i reused the grounds for another batch!
Thanks for your feedback, Lexi.
Why did you say a cheesecloth is more wasteful than paper filters? That doesn’t seem right to me. Also, why do you recommend filtered water? Thanks, Marie
I have just placed my coffee into the fridge. Can’t wait for 16 hours to be over!
What did you think?!
Hey Kate! I’m really happy with your recipe! There’s a part where you did not covert your 85g of measurements when you click on different quantities.
My first brew could be drank undiluted because I used 6 cups of water for 85g of beans, when it actually should be 170g. Other than that, I’ve made my second brew! Thanks!
So I just used the recommended 85g coarse coffee plus 3 cups of water and it seemed to basically be wet coffee grounds. Did I do something wrong or is this to be expected? (I also made the mistake of using a container that just BARELY fit this volume of coffee and water. I’ll find something bigger or make a smaller batch next time).
Yes, thank you for the detailed instructions … Like they say, the devil is in the details. I will be trying this with decaf coffee. I know, what?! Ha! I discovered that caffeine trigers reflux for me. For anyone else who luvs coffee, but coffee dosen’t love them back. It is worth a try.
Thank you for sharing, Laura!
Hey thanks for this! I’ve been wondering how to make my own. Will give it a try.
You’re welcome, Susan!
As far as the measurements of the amount of coffee go, I found an easy way was to take about 1/4 of my 12 oz bag of coffee. Since I don’t have a kitchen scale, and the grounds of every bean could be different, this was an easy “guesstimate” for me and seemed to work just fine!
Thank you for your review, Amy!
This recipe helped me in the search for iced lattes! A little of this, some milk, chocolate syrup, and there it was!! Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Yvonne!
I have a bunch of pre-ground coffee I’m not a huge fan of and figured I’d make cold brew with it. It’s finely ground though – it’s that doable do you think?
It may be harder to strain out the grounds later, but should be doable. Also your brew will likely come out much stronger, you may want to cut down the steeping time or cut it with more water. I work at starbs and I’ve made coffee with fine grounds at home with success just following the above tips! Hope that helps.
My girlfriend worked for Starbucks, and we loved our results following your recipe! Thanks, Kate; your cold brew recipe is on point! We used our favorite Whole Foods coffee bean.
You’re welcome, Adam! Thanks for sharing.
One important thing to note is be careful how you pour the coffee grounds into the filter!! The grounds will float to the surface and form a big clump around the mouth of the jar (at least this happened to me both times I followed this recipe). The first time I went to pour the coffee through the filter, the clump came out as one giant ball and splashed everywhere and I had black cold brew concentrate all over me and my kitchen luckily, it was laundry day so I threw everything in and nothing was stained. So the second time I made the cold brew, I first scooped out that giant clump into the filter first and then poured the rest of the concentration over it—-and I did this inside the kitchen sink instead of on the counter just in case!! I also infused my second batch with cinnamon (3tbsp ground cinnamon added to then grounds!) which I would highly recommend
Thanks for sharing, Deanna.
It’s funny, I was a lifelong tea drinker turned iced (just cold, no ice) breve lover…mmm breves :) I never liked coffee because it’s just too bitter…until I tried cold brew! And fyi: cold brew concentrate can Easily be swapped for espresso in a pinch in specialty coffee drinks. I had tried strong brewed Italian and French roasts in a pinch only to end up with a disgusting bitter breve.
Curious how much caffeine is in a half cup of the concentrate?
Hi! I was wondering if I could make this in my French press instead? I don’t have any other big container like that except for my French press and I don’t really have a means to purchase one (unless I find one thrifted). Does the coffee need to steep with a tight lid? I wouldn’t press down until the time suggested I just need a place for it to steep.
Beans take up more mass than grounds do so I think your numbers must be backwards.
Hi Sway, I know it seems different, but it’s correct. Trust me :)
So. One question. Do you store it as a concentrate or with the added water?
Store it as a concentrate. Then see step 4 when you are ready to serve. I hope this helps!
Thank You So Much for this awesome sharing! Exited to try this Tonight
I use a filter by Klein industries that fits in a 64oz wide-mouth mason jar. It works very well. I do have a little sediment in the bottom of the jar, but decanting into another container after brewing takes care of that. They sell it on amazon along with the jars, and a screw on pour lids. Makes it super easy. I just rinse out well, and pop it in the dishwasher every 3 uses or so to keep it clean.
Isn’t the whole bean to ground coffee ratio reversed? While beans take more space than ground. I thought it was weird and ran with it, only to find I needed heavier dilution. Now that I research more I see the numbers should be 1/2c whole yields about 1/4c ground. I’m brewing one now and will know in several hours.
In line with GF’s comment: I just think the parenthetical is confusing. If you’re using cups for your coffee beans/grounds, just worry about measuring out the grounds final amount; so 1 1/2 cups. Otherwise just measure out the 85 grams (regardless of grounds or whole)
“3 ounces (85 grams) coarsely-ground coffee (that’s about ¾ cup whole coffee beans turned into about 1 ½ cups* coarsely-ground coffee)”
Once you grind 3/4 cups of beans you will most definitely not have more than you started with especially since whole beans are more porous and take up more volume than the grounds do. So again just worry about the last measurement; 1 1/2 cups of grounds if you don’t have a scale. Or to be less ambiguous and confusing if you do have a scale; 85 grams will always be 85 grams regardless if it’s grounds or whole beans.
I presently moved into Oklahoma City area, and I’m wondering if you have any favorite coffee brands that you might recommend. I will really appreciate your prompt response.
Thanks
This coffee is the best ever. So smooth. I use a 2 quart Mason jar..
This was smooth AF loved it! Best cold brew recipe ive tried
I’m happy you loved it, Sheena!
What can you use to flavor the cold brew pumpkin cream ?
I’m not sure without coming up with a recipe, sorry!
Great recipe and it’s saving me a bundle of money!
Great thanks. We have an Aeropress and have been experimenting with pour-over and also making cold coffee with leftover grounds. Summer is now here, where we are, and we want to make Cold Brew Coffee our main thing. This explains thethings very, very well.
I make this now all the time but I add a pinch of salt to the brew- my dad always did this to help tone down the bitterness you can get sometimes! Thank you for all of your great recipes; my kiddos and I love your muffin recipes!!!
Thank you for sharing!
I will guiltily admit that I use regular old Maxwell House French Roast ground coffee to make my cold brew! I’m not a coffee connoisseur so the taste is okay with me. Plus I mix with a lot of milk or cream, unsweetened cocoa, cinnamon or pumpkin spices, and a bit of liquid stevia.
To strain, one of those reusable coffee filters for standard coffee makers works great. What I do is add 1 – 1.5 cups of the ground coffee with twice as much cold water, into a tall 4 cup plastic ziploc container – the kind that comes with the blue screw tops. Then I stir it around really well. I let it sit for a few minutes cuz some coffee always floats back up. Then I screw the top on and shake it all around to mix it super well!
When it’s done, I get an identical plastic container, place the filter on top (the smaller reusable coffee filters fit perfect), and slowly pour the mixture into the filter. The filter is SUPER fine mesh, and not a single ground makes it through. I pour the mixture out in a few batches and let the coffee drip into the new plastic container. Then when it’s all done, I add it to a glass jar or small pitcher for ready to drink cold brew!
Maybe it’s just me, but I found your instructions to be very confusing.
I’ve reread it several times, and I’m still confused as to the terminologies used, the ratio and amounts. If this is wrong, please let me know. I’ve mixed double the water to the volume of grounds, and put in the fridge. In the a.m. (18 hours later) I will sieve it through a fine hankerchief, and then use the concentrate in an equal amount of water to make a cup of coffee?