Cold coffee can be the most satisfying beverage on a hot summer day. It is refreshing and tasty, making it a delightful treat in warm weather. With so many coffee shops around us, it is easy to grab a glass of cold coffee anywhere and anytime. And if you know how to make cold coffee at home, you can simply enjoy this brew in the comfort of your home, any time you like.
Cold coffee can be enjoyed using a variety of options, and can be prepared just the way it is served at cafés. You can make it as sweet or as strong as you prefer. You can also add any flavour you like and concoct it to your liking.
Ingredients of Cold Coffee
• Milk
The base ingredient of cold coffee is milk. If you like a thicker, creamier cold coffee, you can use full fat milk. If you prefer it light, you can use skimmed or light toned milk. You can even use plant-based milk of choice such as oats milk, almond milk or coconut milk.
• Coffee powder
The coffee powder you use depends on your tastes. Regular instant coffee powder will make a refreshing glass of cold coffee. However, if you prefer a specific brand or type of coffee, you can use that, too.
• Water
Warm water is required to beat or whip the coffee.
• Sugar or any other sweetener
You can use sugar, coconut sugar, honey or maple or agave syrup to sweeten your cold coffee. If you are avoiding sugar, this ingredient can be skipped.
• Ice
About 5 or 6 cubes of ice are required while blending the cold coffee.
• Whipping cream (optional)
A rich and creamy top layer can be made with the help of whipping cream.
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)
It adds thickness to the cold coffee and can be used if you desire a richer and creamier consistency.
Nutritional Value of Cold Coffee
Cold coffee can be your healthy drink of the day. Good quality milk is packed with essential nutrients such as calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin D. It also provides protein to the body. Consuming dairy products such as milk is known to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and strengthen bone health.
In case you are averse or allergic to dairy, plant-based milk options are available in plenty nowadays. Oats milk, almond milk, soy milk and coconut milk are only some of the options. All these vegan options are known to contain less sugar and fat. They are free of hormones and healthy alternatives to dairy-based milk.
They can easily be substituted for cow milk and used in daily routine. Cold coffee made with plant-based milk is both nutritious and tasty.
To make your cold coffee healthy, you can skip the sugar and use alternatives such as maple or agave syrup.
How to Make Cold Coffee
If you want to know how to make cold coffee at home, you do not need too many ingredients or any fancy equipment. The ingredients of cold coffee suggested above and a basic blender or mixer is enough.
Coffee Concoction
If you are using instant coffee for making the cold coffee, take one spoon of the coffee powder in a bowl. Add about one fourth cup of warm water to it. Stir it well. If you are using a brewed coffee, add it directly to the blender.
Adding the Sweetener
Turn this coffee and water concoction into the blender. Then, add sugar or another sweetener into the blender. Ground sugar mixes faster, so it might be a good idea to grind and keep sugar in an airtight jar, if you want to use this cold coffee recipe to make cold coffee regularly. You can also add maple or agave syrup as the sweetener. Some people also use honey. If you prefer your coffee without any sweetener, you can skip this step.
The Blend
Blend this concoction until it becomes smooth. The colour of the liquid will change slightly. Due to the darkish brown of the coffee, it should be a lighter shade of brown, and should also start looking a bit frothy.
Adding Ice
If you prefer your cold coffee chilled or iced, add ice cubes to the bender at this stage. Add ice cubes as per the consistency you desire. If you like your blend to be thick, add fewer ice cubes.
Milk It Up
Next, bring out the milk. Choose the milk you drink – full fat, low fat or plant based. Add it to the blender and blend once again. The concoction should be smooth and well-blended. You will see a foamy layer form on the top.
Toppings or Flavours
Add any toppings or flavours you fancy. Keep them ready beforehand so you do not waste time in preparations once the coffee is blended.
Serve
Serve the cold coffee immediately. If you leave it for some time, the frothiness will begin to disappear.
Make Your Cold Coffee Fancy
If you are looking to serve cold coffee to your friends or family and would like to make it look slightly fancier, here are some ideas.
• Top it with whipped cream
You can use either homemade whipped cream from fresh full-fat milk or store-bought whipped cream. Once your cold coffee is ready to be served, add a generous helping of the whipped cream on top and serve.
• Top it with ice-cream
Vanilla, coffee or even chocolate ice-cream can add a touch of extravagance to an otherwise plain glass of cold coffee.
• Add a garnish
Top the cold coffee with a chocolate wafer stuck on the side of the glass. Or squeeze out some chocolate syrup on top of the cold coffee. You can also sprinkle some chocolate chips or sprinkles over the cold coffee once it is ready.
Variations of Cold Coffee
Many people enjoy the regular coffee with a slight variation. This can be easily done by adding a flavour to the cold coffee.
• Hazelnut cold coffee
You can add hazelnut syrup to the coffee to make it hazelnut cold coffee.
• Caramel cold coffee
Add caramel syrup to make it caramel-flavoured cold coffee. Caramel syrup can be made at home by caramelising some sugar and making it into a syrup.
• Chocolate-flavoured cold coffee
Simply add cocoa powder in the blender and make it a chocolate-flavoured cold coffee. Make it as strong or light as you like by varying the amount of cocoa powder you use.
• Cinnamon cold coffee
Add about half a spoon of cinnamon powder to the cold coffee and you get cinnamon-flavoured cold coffee.
• Vanilla-flavoured cold coffee
Add two teaspoons of vanilla essence to the concoction to get vanilla-flavoured cold coffee.
Notes and Special Instructions on Making Cold Coffee
Consistency of Cold Coffee
For those who prefer a rich, creamy taste, use full fat milk. You can also add whipped cream on top or vanilla ice-cream. If you add too many ice cubes, it will dilute the beverage, so put in only a couple of cubes of ice.
Sweetness
The sweetness of the cold coffee depends entirely on the taste and preference of the drinker. If you prefer sweeter coffee, add more sugar or other sweetener. You can also completely skip the sweetener, if you do not consume any.
Type of Coffee Used
If you use instant coffee to make your cold coffee, you need to blend it with some warm water first. However, if you are using brewed coffee, you can directly add the coffee to the blender.
Serving
Cold coffee is best when it is served soon after being prepared. This is because it will lose its frothiness, if not served immediately.
Conclusion
Cold coffee is a refreshing beverage to serve in hot weather. It is simple to make at home and can turn out as good as your favourite café serves it. You can make it as fancy or as simple as you like. The trick to serving the perfect cold coffee is serving it fresh. Keep all the ingredients ready, so that you can concoct the drink easily right before it has to be presented. Add some flavours or toppings to add a bit of extravaganza, if you please.
FAQs
Can cold coffee be vegan?
Yes. Cold coffee can be vegan. Simply substitute cow milk for any plant-based milk, such as oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk or soy milk.
Is it easy to make flavoured cold coffee at home?
Yes. Using the above cold coffee recipe, you can make any flavour of cold coffee by adding the flavour of your choice while blending the coffee.
How can the cold coffee be made richer and thicker?
You can make the cold coffee richer, creamier and thicker by adding vanilla ice-cream and skipping the ice cubes. Ice cubes dilute the concoction.