I finally figured out how to make great-tasting iced coffee at home easily, and let me tell you, this has been saving me so much money! The iced coffee I used to make at home tasted… well.. not great. It just didn’t have that nice, fresh coffee flavour and sometimes even had a weird after-taste. Slowly but surely, I figured out all of the keys to making it taste like coffee shop coffee (you know- the good coffee), and I’m sharing them all here with you today. This post is not only about how to make iced coffee that tastes great at home, but these tips will make it healthier too!

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It’s currently 29 degrees Celsius in our home, so if I’m having coffee, it must be iced. I’ll come home from walking my dog in the morning drenched in sweat, only to sweat even more once I’m inside. I have to plop myself down in front of a fan immediately.

In the past, I’d then frequently end up heading over to the nearest coffee place to grab an iced coffee or iced latte because I just couldn’t bear the idea of drinking a hot coffee. This iced coffee recipe has been saving us!

These are the KEYS for making great-tasting iced coffee at home:

Filtered water: Use FILTERED water to make both the coffee and the ice with. It doesn’t matter which filter you use, as long as it’s filtered. We have a reverse osmosis under-counter filter system in order to remove fluoride, and it creates the BEST-tasting water. I recommend reverse osmosis if you can (for the best flavour), but even if you use a pitcher filter like a Brita or ZeroWater, the coffee will taste a lot better. Just don’t use regular tap water.
Stainless steel ice cube tray: If using an ice cube tray, use a stainless steel one. Do not use silicone- they make the ice taste gross from my experience. (I absolutely love our stainless steel iced cube tray… it’s totally worth the slight learning curve to know how to use it properly). And make sure you use the FILTERED WATER to make the ice too. This makes a BIG difference for flavour when the ice starts to melt.
Fresh coffee: Use FRESH coffee, not the coffee that was made 5 hours ago and has been sitting in your coffee pot on the counter. I use a stainless steel french press to do this… you’ll see how below.
Make it strong: Make the coffee STRONG… unless you like your iced coffee to taste really watered down, make it strong so that when the ice melts, it still tastes good. The right ratio for me is to use 1/3 more coffee than I normally would for hot coffee. So if we use 6 scoops of coffee normally, I use 9 when making this iced coffee. This is the coffee we use most often.
Transfer to glass jars: If using a stainless steel french press, transfer the freshly made coffee into jars to cool, rather than letting it sit in the french press for hours. This maintains the best flavour and prevents it from taking on any metallic type of taste from the stainless steel. Don’t skip this!

I’ve got a few more important recipe instructions described in the recipe card, so make sure to read that for the full recipe.

Take it to-go

If you want to take this coffee to-go, I highly recommend getting an insulated stainless steel tumbler like this. It keeps the ice frozen for hours! I’ve been able to use mine to bring this iced coffee with me anytime I’m heading out the door… no need to stop for iced coffee! I’ve even been finding that it’s super helpful to use at home too, and I end up using way less ice overall because it stays frozen for so long.

Using my stainless steel to-go tumbler at home!

The Best Healthy Iced Coffee at Home

This method of making iced coffee at home allows you to enjoy that fresh coffee shop flavour at home for a much smaller price tag. It tastes great, even when the ice melts a bit. This method will give you a concentrated coffee brew that you can easily make ahead of time and store in the fridge to use the next day. I make it using a french press for best flavour and to avoid microplastics, but use your favourite coffee maker if needed.

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Prep Time:1

Cook Time:15

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: canadian

Keyword: drinks, summer

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

1 stainless steel ice cube tray (do not use silicone)
1 french press (I use a large stainless steel one)
1 kettle for boiling water

Ingredients

4 cups filtered water
9 tbsp organic ground coffee
1/4 cup almond milk (per serving) (or your favourite milk/cream- adjust to suit your taste)

Instructions

Refer to the recipes notes section below for KEY TIPS that give the iced coffee good flavour.
Brew your coffee with the French press- put the ground coffee into the French press, add boiling water, and allow to steep for 10 minutes (reduce time if desired, but 10 minutes is what I like to do). Press the coffee.
4 cups filtered water, 9 tbsp organic ground coffee
After the coffee has finished steeping/brewing, pour all of it into heat-safe glass jars or coffee mugs to allow it to cool off more quickly. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes, or longer if desired (this helps to take the "edge" off the heat before we pour it over ice). This step is important if you are using an insulated stainless steel French press like mine. Leaving the hot coffee sitting in the insulated French press for hours causes the flavour to change, and keeps it hot for hours.
To serve right away: After the coffee has cooled slightly from sitting in the glass jars or mugs, completely fill a glass with ice made from filtered water. Slowly pour the (still warm) coffee over the cup of ice, leaving some room for your desired milk or cream. Top it off with your milk of choice, and stir together if desired. If you like it sweet, add a drizzle of maple syrup over the top.
1/4 cup almond milk (per serving)
To serve later: With any leftover coffee, leave it sitting in the jars/mugs you poured it into to cool down more. Once it has cooled enough, transfer it to the fridge. I like to transfer it to glass jars with lids. You now have a concentrated and flavourful coffee that can be used the next day. Just pour over ice (you don't need to add as much ice if the coffee is already cold), and add your desired milk!

Notes

Filtered water: Use FILTERED water to make both the coffee and the ice with. We have this reverse osmosis under-counter filter system in order to remove fluoride, and it makes the BEST tasting water. I recommend RO if you can, but even if you use a pitcher filter like a Brita or ZeroWater, the coffee will taste a lot better. Just don’t use regular tap water.
Stainless steel ice cube tray: If using an ice cube tray, use a stainless steel one. Do not use silicone- they make the ice taste gross. Remember to use the FILTERED WATER to make the ice too. This makes a BIG difference for flavour when the ice starts to melt.
Fresh coffee: Use FRESH coffee, not the coffee that was made 5 hours ago and has been sitting in your coffee pot on the counter. I use this stainless steel french press in order to make a large batch of coffee at one time.
Make it strong: Make the coffee STRONG… unless you like your iced coffee to taste really watered down, make it strong so that when the ice melts, it still tastes good. The right ratio for me is to use 1/3 more coffee than I normally would for hot coffee.