To make iced coffee at home the Coffee & Cream way, brew the coffee strong, cool it fast over plenty of ice, then add cold milk and sugar or syrup to taste. With Nescafé or any instant coffee, dissolve the coffee and sugar in a little hot water first, then add the ice and cold milk.
Brew it stronger than a hot cup
Ice melts into the drink and thins it, so use about double the coffee you would use for a hot cup. Fill the glass with ice first, then pour, so the coffee cools in a few seconds. If you have coffee left over, pour it into an ice tray and freeze it. Coffee cubes melt back into coffee, so the last sips stay as strong as the first.
Sweeten with sugar or a syrup. Monin Caramel, Monin Vanilla and Monin Hazelnut are the usual picks, and Monin Sugar Free Caramel and Monin Sugar Free Vanilla give the same flavors with no sugar. For a cocoa iced coffee, stir Hershey's chocolate syrup into the same base.
Iced latte with espresso or a capsule
An iced latte is a short, strong shot, a full glass of ice, and cold milk. Pull a double espresso, or brew two espresso capsules. Dolce Gusto pods such as Espresso Intenso or Espresso Palermo Intenso work in this recipe. Capsules for Nespresso Original machines do too. If your machine is not Dolce Gusto, the capsule compatibility guide shows which capsules fit.
- 60 to 80 ml espresso (a double shot, or two espresso capsules)
- 150 ml cold milk
- A tall glass of ice
- 10 to 20 ml syrup if you want it sweet
- Brew the double espresso, or two capsules, into a small cup.
- Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in the cold milk.
- Pour the espresso over the milk and ice.
- Stir once. Add syrup if you want it sweeter.
Use sweetened condensed milk in place of the syrup and the glass becomes a Spanish latte. The iced Spanish latte recipe has the amounts.
Foam is optional. A milk frother such as the Nespresso Aeroccino 3 or the Hibrew M3A can put a little foam on top. Dolce Gusto pods brew on a Dolce Gusto machine such as the Mini Me or the Piccolo XS. For a portable option, look at the iKape Portable Electric Espresso Maker Hot/Cold. When the shot comes from an espresso machine, use espresso ground coffee.
Iced coffee with Nescafé or any instant coffee
Dissolve the granules in a little hot water so they melt before they hit the ice. Plain instant coffees such as Davidoff Café, Jardin and Bon Aroma Gold are in the instant coffee collection.
A 3 in 1 sachet such as Cafe Crown Ulker Classic 3in1, Alicafe Original 3 in 1 or Alicafe Salted Caramel 3 in 1 already has sugar and creamer in it. Tora Bika Cappuccino and Tora Bika Creamy Latte sachets make iced coffee the same way. Dissolve one sachet in a little hot water, add ice, and top up with cold milk for a longer glass. Taste it before you add any sugar.
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee (about 4 grams)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, or 10 to 20 ml syrup
- 30 ml hot water
- 150 ml cold milk
- A glass of ice
- Put the instant coffee and sugar in a cup, add the hot water, and stir until it dissolves.
- Fill a glass with ice and add the cold milk.
- Pour the dissolved coffee over the top and stir.
You do not need a mixer or a whisk for this one. A spoon dissolves the coffee.
Frappé in a blender
A blender frappé is strong coffee, milk, ice and sugar, blended until the ice is crushed and the drink is thick. Let hot coffee cool to room temperature, or chill it in the fridge, before it goes in the blender. Warm coffee melts the ice and thins the frappé.
- 60 ml strong coffee, or 2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 30 ml hot water and cooled
- 120 ml cold milk
- 8 to 10 ice cubes
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, or 15 ml syrup such as Monin Vanilla, Monin Caramel, Monin Hazelnut or Hershey's chocolate
- Add the cooled coffee, milk, ice and sugar or syrup to the blender.
- Blend until the ice is crushed and the texture is even.
- Pour into a tall glass and drink it before the foam settles.
For iced coffee with ice cream, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the blender and leave out the sugar.
Cold brew
Cold brew steeps with no heat. Stir coarse coffee into cold water, then leave it in the fridge. The cup tastes smoother than hot coffee poured over ice.
- 40 grams coarse coffee
- 320 ml cold water
- A jar with a lid
Keep the ratio at about 1 to 8, so 40 grams of coffee goes into 320 ml of water. Grind whole beans coarse for this. A fine espresso grind or a Turkish grind makes the brew cloudy and hard to strain.
- Stir 40 grams of coarse coffee into 320 ml of cold water.
- Cover it and leave it in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours.
- Strain through a fine sieve, a paper filter, or a French press.
- Pour over ice. Add cold milk if you want it softer. Keep the rest covered in the fridge.
If you want a capsule, Roast Maestro Cold Brew coffee capsules are compatible with Nespresso Original machines. The De'Longhi Dedica Duo in espresso machines is an espresso and cold brew machine.
Iced americano, no milk
An iced americano is espresso, cold water and ice. Brew it stronger than a hot americano, because the ice still melts.
- 60 to 80 ml espresso (a double shot, or two espresso capsules)
- 120 ml cold water
- A glass of ice
- Syrup if you want it sweet
- Fill the glass with ice and add the cold water.
- Brew the espresso and pour it over the ice.
- Stir. Leave it black, or add 10 to 20 ml of syrup.
A Dolce Gusto Americano or Lungo pod brews a long cup on its own, so it replaces both the shot and the cold water. Brew it straight over a full glass of ice, and stop it a little early if you want it stronger.
FAQ
What are the ingredients in iced coffee?
Coffee, ice, cold milk, and sugar or syrup. An iced americano is espresso, cold water and ice. Add caramel, vanilla, hazelnut or chocolate syrup when you want a flavor.
Can I make iced coffee with Nescafé?
Yes. Dissolve the Nescafé and sugar in a little hot water, then add ice and cold milk. Any instant coffee works the same way. A 3 in 1 sachet already has sugar and creamer, so taste it before you add more.
How do you make iced coffee with milk?
Brew the coffee stronger than a hot cup, cool it over a full glass of ice, then add cold milk. A latte takes about 60 to 80 ml of espresso and 150 ml of milk. Instant coffee takes the same milk after you dissolve it in a little hot water.
Is iced coffee just hot coffee poured over ice?
Mostly, yes, as long as you brew it stronger so the glass stays strong after the ice melts. Cold brew is the method with no heat at all. Coarse coffee sits in cold water for 12 to 18 hours, then you strain it.
What is the best way to make iced coffee?
For a glass in a few minutes, brew the coffee at double strength, pour it over plenty of ice, and add cold milk. If you can leave coarse coffee in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours, cold brew is smoother. If you have instant coffee, dissolve it with sugar in a little hot water first.
Get the coffee from instant coffee, espresso ground coffee or whole beans, and the capsules from Dolce Gusto pods or capsules for Nespresso Original machines. Sweeten it with a syrup, and add foam with a milk frother when you want it.