Iced Coffee Liquid Concentrate

8 servings
8 hr 5 min

With this easy recipe, you can make your own iced coffee liquid concentrate from top-quality ground coffee.

With a bottle of this homemade coffee concentrate in the fridge, you can easily make a glass of delicious iced coffee whenever the mood hits!

A bottle of liquid coffee concentrate and two glasses of iced coffee.

Care to join me for a glass?

If you remember to make extra coffee in the morning, you can refrigerate it for iced coffee. This requires planning ahead, though, which isn’t always my strong suit.

If you want to enjoy iced coffee whenever you like, you can instead make a cold-brewed concentrate. I learned this technique from The Pioneer Woman’s blog, and it couldn’t be easier.


Ingredients You’ll Need


To make the concentrate, you’ll need just two ingredients:

1 1/3 cups ground coffee (about 1/4 pound). You can use regular or decaf coffee, flavored coffee, or whatever you like best. The finer the grind, the stronger the concentrate will be.


6 2/3 cups cold filtered water


Cooking Equipment


You’ll need:


1 2-quart glass jar or bottle with a tight fitting lid. Make sure it’s very clean.

A wire mesh strainer for the first straining.

A paper coffee filter for the second straining.


Step by Step Directions


I start with a 2-quart recycled glass bottle to make the strong brew, but you can use any size container you like and just adjust the quantities.

To begin, add 1 1/3 cups of finely-ground organic coffee to the bottle. You can use caffeinated or decaf coffee.

A glass bottle with ground coffee inside.

Then add about 6 2/3 cups of cold, filtered water (you may not need quite all of the water) and give it a good shake. Let it steep in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours if you want extra-strong concentrate.

A glass jar full of coffee concentrate and steeping the coffee in water.

The next day, strain out the larger coffee grounds in a fine-mesh strainer:

Straining out the coffee grounds.

Then put a coffee filter inside the strainer…

Preparing the filter for iced coffee

and strain the coffee mixture once again. This makes the concentrate nice and clear.

Strain the coffee through a filter

Wash out the bottle, and pour the strained coffee back in. You can store the cold coffee in the refrigerator for two to three weeks.

Making iced coffee concentrate

How to Serve Homemade Iced Coffee Concentrate

To make a perfect iced coffee, fill a glass with ice cubes and pour some of the strong coffee over it. You can drink it just like that if you’re a purist, or add milk and your favorite sweetener (I’m currently partial to organic coconut palm sugar) if you like.


Or you can be extra-decadent and stir in a generous spoonful of sweetened condensed milk and top it off with half and half. It’s so, so good…

A glass filled with iced coffee and ice.


A bottle of iced coffee concentrate and three iced coffee drinks in glasses.

About Eliza Cross

Eliza Cross is the author of 16 books, including Small Bites, 101 Things To Do With Bacon, and BERRIES. She enjoys sharing ideas to simplify cooking, gardening, and home projects. She is also the owner of Cross Media, Inc. and founder of the BENSA Bacon Lovers Society.

Iced Coffee Liquid Concentrate
Recipe details
  • 8  servings
  • Prep time: 8 Hours Cook time: 5 Minutes Total time: 8 hr 5 min
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups ground coffee (about 1/4 pound)
  • 6 2/3 cups cold filtered water
Instructions

Pour the ground coffee into the bottom of the glass jar or container.
Add the water (you may not need all of it).
Put the lid on the bottle and give it a good shake so that the coffee and water are well combined. Place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. The longer you steep the coffee, the stronger the concentrate will be.
Strain the coffee concentrate through a wire mesh strainer into a clean glass container. Press on the coffee grounds to extract the flavor, and compost or discard.
Tap the grounds out of the strainer and rinse it clean. Place a paper coffee filter inside the strainer, and pour the concentrate through the filter. Double straining it will make it nice and clear, with pure coffee flavor.
Store the concentrate in a tightly sealed glass bottle or container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
To make iced coffee, fill a glass with ice cubes and pour the coffee concentrate over. You can also add your favorite creamer, half and half, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate milk, sugar or flavored syrups if you like. Makes about 8 cups of liquid coffee concentrate.
Tips
  • You can easily double this recipe to make more concentrate. We recommend using it within 2 weeks for the best flavor.
  • For a stronger coffee flavor, let the coffee grounds steep in the water for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
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