Louisiana Woman Blog

  • Home
  • Appetizers
  • Side Dishes
  • Main Dishes
  • Sweets-recipes
  • Contact Us
  • Classic Cajun Cooking And More
  • Modern Footer
  • About
  • DISCLAIMER
  • Privacy Policy
  • form
  • Recipe Index
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Appetizers
  • Side Dishes
  • Main Dishes
  • Sweets-recipes
  • Contact Us
  • Classic Cajun Cooking And More
  • Modern Footer
  • About
  • DISCLAIMER
  • Privacy Policy
  • form
  • Recipe Index
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Appetizers
  • Side Dishes
  • Main Dishes
  • Sweets-recipes
  • Contact Us
  • Classic Cajun Cooking And More
  • Modern Footer
  • About
  • DISCLAIMER
  • Privacy Policy
  • form
  • Recipe Index
×
Home » Drink

Homemade Cold Brew Coffee

Published: Jun 27, 2017 · Modified: Aug 10, 2024 by Louisiana Woman · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Try this concentrated Homemade Cold Brew Coffee for a tasty treat any time of day. It's easy to make: steep water and coarse-ground coffee in the refrigerator for a sweet, smooth, rich flavor. Enjoy it poured over ice, or add a splash of cream with your favorite sweetener.

Another cold drink recipe to help cool things off is this Easy Old-Fashioned Homemade Root Beer, and this Easy French Vanilla Coffee Punch Recipe made with cold-brew coffee. They are both easy to prepare!

I’m an Amazon Associate. The Louisiana Woman Blog contains affiliate links with Amazon, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. Thank you! 

What Is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew seems to be making a grand appearance everywhere. Either in coffee shops or bottled on grocer's shelves. It's not the ice coffees most places offer, which is regular hot brewed coffee poured over ice.

Not at all! It's a brewing process that produces a chemically different outcome, with a milder, sweeter, smoother taste.

The Japanese have been making coffee this way for years which was introduced to them by the Dutch in the 1600s. (Just in case ya' wanna know!)

Cold brew coffee has gained popularity since I first tried it a few years ago at CC's Coffee House in Monroe, Louisiana. I noticed a boxed contraption sitting on their shelf. The friendly lady behind the counter said it was a cold brew coffee maker. Then she offered me a sample of the maker's product. I was pleasantly surprised to find a mellow coffee flavor without any bitterness.

A cup of CC's cold coffee.

Making Homemade Cold Brew Coffee

To make cold brew, you don't have to have a lovely contraption like the one I saw at CC's, but you may need a coffee grinder. Cold brew coffee is best with course-ground coffee. Which is usually made for French press coffee makers and is sometimes hard to find. A coffee grinder can get you the perfect coffee grinds you need.

The first step is choosing a medium to a light roast coffee bean. Then, grind the beans on the lowest setting of your grinder or just enough to result in a course ground. The outcome you want is smooth and mild, and using a finer ground or a dark roast will produce a sharper taste.

Coffee grounds poured into a glass jar.

Next, place the grounds into a glass container with a lid and pour the room temperature water over the ground beans. I use filtered or bottled water for the best results.

Mix well with a spoon and close the lid tightly.

Now, place the container in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You can steep the coffee on the counter at room temperature for 12 hours, but for the best flavor, use the refrigerator method. It gives a deeper, smoother taste.

The last step is to strain the beans with a sieve, then again a second time with a coffee filter inside the strainer. You don't want any leftover coffee grinds in your drink. Don't push the concentrate through; just let it drip naturally. The coffee will be clear and uncloudy.

Straining coffee into a pitcher from a jar.

The Results

After 24 hours of steeping, you get a flavorful, mild coffee drink. The reason for its non-bitter taste is that cold water brewing reduces the heavy oils and acid on the coffee grounds normally released by the hot water method.

Another benefit of this method is that while traditionally made hot coffee loses its flavor quickly, the cold waterway stays fresher longer. It can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Also, as a concentrate, the coffee can have as much as twice the amount of caffeine depending on the coffee-to-water ratio. I say that's a plus!

Note: In making Homemade Cold Brew Coffee The caffeine content increases during the brewing process along with the taste. What a bonus! Trying to avoid caffeine? You can use decaffeinated coffee grounds and still enjoy this special coffee drink.

I enjoy regular hot brewed coffee, but sometimes too much of the high acid drink hurts my stomach. To remedy that, I drink a cold brew coffee or a low-acid hot brewed coffee called Puroast House Blend. I get a satisfying hot cup of coffee with caffeine and without the stomach ache. Blessed!

Coffee Is Served

Two glasses of homemade cold brew coffee with straws.

The cold brew can be served in several different ways. Either as is or diluted with milk or water. You can add sugar, sweetener, flavored syrup, or flavored creamer. The possibilities are endless. You may also like it heated up for a mild cup of joe. I prefer mine cold with a little cream and stevia, but I also like it with nothing but ice. It's that good!

Recipes You Might Like With Cold Brew Coffee

  • No-Sugar Sweet Potato Pie
  • Bread Pudding With Pumpkin Pecan Praline Sauce
  • French Toast Or Pain Perdu (Lost Bread)
  • Couche-Couche, A Cajun Delicacy
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Water pouring into a glass jar.

Homemade Cold Brew Coffee

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Cold brew coffee steeps long and slow with water and coarse ground coffee beans in the refrigerator resulting in a concentrate that is slightly sweet, smooth, and rich in taste.

  • Total Time: 24 hours
  • Yield: 4 cups 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • ¾ cup coarse ground medium or light roast coffee
  • 4 cups water, preferably filtered and at room temperature

Instructions

  1. Place coffee grounds in a 2-quart glass jar.
  2. Add water and stir well; screw the lid on tightly.
  3. Place the jar in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
  4. Pour the coffee through a sieve to separate grounds from the cold brew into a pitcher.
  5. Strain a second time using a coffee filter to filter coffee again without forcing it through; coffee should be clear and cloudless.
  6. Enjoy right away or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a full 24 hours to steep cold brew in the refrigerator, you can add warm water to speed up the non-refrigerated brewing process. Eight to ten hours left on the kitchen counter should be long enough.
  • The recipe can be increased as much as possible if you have a large enough container.
  • Author: Louisiana Woman
  • Prep Time: 24 hours
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Steep
  • Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @louisiana_woman on Instagram and hashtag it #louisianawomanblog

Find it online: https://louisianawomanblog.com/2017/06/27/cold-brew-coffee/

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes
Cold brew coffee poured through a filter.

Be sure to sign up for my emails to keep in touch. 

If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the reply box below. 

You know I love hearing from you! Have a nice day!

"Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there."  

Will Rodgers

More Drink

  • A large. silver punch bowl filled with punch on a silver platter with silver punch cups.
    Easy French Vanilla Coffee Punch Recipe 
  • A glass of iced drink with lemon slice and sugar cookies.
    Easy Old Fashioned Homemade Root Beer

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Holly says

    June 27, 2017 at 3:53 pm

    Just started making this a few months ago. It is beyond delicious and by far beats the iced coffees you can purchase. I add stevia, cashew milk (25 calories per cup and no non-dairy aftertaste), and if I'm feeling frisky, a squirt of Ghiradelli chocolate syrup and just endings. I enjoy my hot tea first thing, then this in a go-cup for work. I'm glad you shared as I picked up a few tips I didn't know!

    Reply
    • Louisiana Woman says

      June 27, 2017 at 3:59 pm

      Thanks for the tip about the cashew milk and the chocolate syrup fix for the friskies. Sounds divine!

      Reply
  2. Leah says

    November 28, 2017 at 7:26 pm

    I make my cold brew in a Toddy with chicory coffee. I find it is a bit thicker than other cold brews, but I only use a quarter of what I would normally pour. I mix mine with vanilla soy milk and it doesn’t need any sweeter with it. It’s very strong (this will def. put pep in your step) and it has a very low acidity level!

    Reply
    • Louisiana Woman says

      November 28, 2017 at 7:55 pm

      Sounds great! I will give it a try. I like chicory.

      Reply

At Louisiana Woman Blog, I share recipes and stories about life in South Louisiana. The food here is authentic and easy to prepare. I hope you enjoy a taste of my rich Cajun heritage with recipes that preserve the precious culture of South Louisiana.

More about me →

Popular

  • A large glass bowl of layers of salad ingredients of peppers, corn, onion, bacon, cheese, and cornbread.
    Easy Layered Southern Cornbread Salad
  • A sliced, cooked beef brisket on a white plate with a bunch of fresh parsley.
    Easy Oven-Barbecued Brisket Recipe with BBQ Sauce
  • A square piece of cornbread on a bowl full of black eye peas and a slice of jalapeno pepper on top of the bread..
    Boudin Cornbread Recipe With Fig Pepper Jelly Topping
  • Collage of 40 photos of Louisiana recipes.
    40 Best Louisiana Recipes From Louisiana Woman Blog

Here are more of the homepage's trending recipes.

  • A Crawfish Fettuccine served in a glass casserole dish.
    Crawfish Fettuccine
  • A bowl of dip with saltines sitting on a platter of crawfish.
    How To Boil Crawfish: With Helpful Tips
  • A plate of hush puppies and dip.
    Best-Ever Hush Puppies
  • A pot of boiled shrimp.
    Easy Boiled Shrimp Recipe

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates.

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © Louisiana Woman Blog 2024