Summer is right around the corner, the time of beaches and wonderful iced versions of all your favorite drinks. There are iced coffee drinks everywhere you look, but they're even more expensive than your regular daily coffee and many are overly sweetened.
Luckily you save a fortune on iced coffee this summer (and drink iced coffee that actually tastes like coffee) by making your iced coffee at home. You can either make cold brew coffee or try one of these awesome iced coffee recipes:
Hot Brewed Coffee
For this recipe all you'll need is your preferred coffee beans, water, your regular brewing system, and a glass carafe tough enough to withstand hot liquid.
1. Brew Your Coffee
Using your preferred brewing system, brew a batch of coffee. Make it stronger than you normally would, as some of the flavor will disappear when you cool the drink.
If you want to add sugar to your coffee, do it as soon as your coffee is brewed, because sugar doesn't dissolve very well in cold liquids.
2. Pour the Coffee Into a Carafe
This should be done immediately after you finish the brewing process. Leave the carafe out to cool to room temperature. This usually takes between 1 and 2 hours.
3. Chill
You want to refrigerate your coffee for at least two hours before you drink it.
4. Enjoy
Pour your coffee into a glass and add milk or cream as desired. You can also add 1-2 ice cubes to make it colder without watering it down too much.
Coffee Frappé
This recipe requires a blender and a little bit of extra work, but it's also extra delicious—and it doesn't cost $6 a cup when you're making it at home.
1. Pour Fresh Coffee Into a Blender
You'll probably want to give the coffee 3-5 minutes so it isn't completely steaming hot when you pour it into the blender, but don't let it sit for any longer than that. You only want to pour about a cup into the blender at a time.
2. Add Other Ingredients
Add a small handful of crushed ice and a ¼ cup of milk. You can use cream instead, but it generally doesn't work as well.
3. Blend
Start by blending the mixture for about 10 seconds, until the ice looks kind of like a crushed snowball. At this point you can add sugar or any other flavorings you want.
Once all the flavors are added, blend the mixture until it's completely smooth.
4. Serve
Pour your coffee and enjoy a cool treat on a hot day.
Final Advice
Making your own iced coffee is a great way to enjoy your summer mornings without spending a fortune. You can also experiment with your iced coffee by adding ice cream to make a smoothie or Irish Cream for a more adult treat. It's all up to you and how adventurous you want to be.