You’ve come to the right place. I’m going to show you How to Make Iced Coffee. Watch the video showing you How to Make Iced Coffee, then scroll to the bottom of this post so you can print out the recipe and make it at home. You might also be interested in a more authentic way of making Iced Coffee: How to Make Cold Brew Coffee. Be sure to check out that post because that recipe makes really great iced coffee too! Oh, and Boozy Iced Coffee is another favorite (cocktail-style).

close up photo of iced coffee

I’m not much of a coffee drinker. No sirree. No caffeine needed. My body is hard-wired to have an abundance of natural energy from the moment I wake up. I guess I’m lucky that way. I do love the flavor of coffee though… coffee candies and coffee ice cream and even those foo foo frozen coffee drinks that contain your total allotted calorie consumption in just a dozen sips.

That’s why on one rather sweltering afternoon recently, I grabbed my husband’s mug o’ coffee that had been sitting untouched on the counter all day long, and I made myself a rather delicious version of Iced Coffee.

tall, empty glass sitting on a wooden board with a spoon alongside

How do You Make Iced Coffee?

You’ll need a tall glass and a spoon long enough to reach the bottom of that glass.

Tall glass of ice sitting on a wooden board with a spoon alongside

Fill that glass full to the rim with ice. If you really want to get serious about your iced coffee, you can make ice cubes out of coffee too. Then you won’t get that “watered-down” effect.  And if you’re into that flavored sort of coffee then go for it.

pouring coffee into a glass of ice to make iced coffee

Pour room temperature (or chilled) coffee into the glass.

iced coffee sitting on a wooden board with a spoon alongside

Fill it almost to the top.

pouring cream into iced coffee and cream spilling on the board with spoon sitting on the side

Pour in the white stuff. Here’s where you get to make a big decision. Do you want to go all out and make this a decadent treat? If so, then add cream or half & half. If you want to go a little lighter, use whole milk or fat-free half & half. And lighter still, use nonfat milk.

tall glass of iced coffee sitting on a wooden board

Take a moment to watch the swirls sink to the bottom and mix in with the coffee. It’s a magical moment. 🙂

sprinkling a spoonful of sugar into a glass of iced coffee

Add a couple spoonfuls of sugar (if you like sweet)… or whatever sort of sweetener you usually add to your coffee. In the recipe notes below, I share how to make sugary simple syrup in case you prefer to use that instead of granulated white sugar.

overhead shot of iced coffee with a spoon in it sitting on a wooden board

Stir it all up!

overhead shot of iced coffee on a wooden board

Anticipate drinking your creation.

glass of iced coffee with a purple straw sitting on a wooden board

Add a purple straw. If you’re a straw person, that is. And drink up!

Things you can buy to help you make the perfect iced coffee:

  • MY FAVORITE GLASS MUGS: I absolutely love these glass mugs and I use them for both coffee and tea. They’re microwavable and large.
  • TALL GLASSES: I use these for iced tea and iced coffee and any drink where I want to add ice in a tall glass.
  • TALL PLASTIC GLASSES: I also have this set of plastic, non-breakable glasses since we have a pool area and use them outside often in warmer weather. They are dishwasher safe.
  • TALL SPOONS: These are a must if you use the tall glasses!
  • SILICONE ICE CUBE TRAYS: Even if you have an ice maker built-in to your refrigerator, you would totally love these ice cube trays. I love the shape of the cube molds (they look pretty in a glass), and they come out super easy with bendable silicone. You may also choose to make ice cubes out of coffee, so these are perfect for that.
  • COFFEE STIRRER STICKS: We have a little coffee station in our kitchen, and since I don’t always like to get our spoons dirty… these wooden stirrer sticks come in handy.
  • GLASS MEASURING CUP: You might already have one of these in your kitchen, but it’s definitely a must-have (I’m pretty sure I have 3 or 4).
  • RE-USABLE STRAWS: I use these for everything I drink these days. This set comes with a straw cleaner, which is a nice thing to have!
  • MY FAVORITE NO-CALORIE SWEETENER: I just started using this sweetener for tea and coffee, and I’m obsessed with it. No aftertaste!

bottle of sweet cream coffee creamer

Here’s the cool part (at least I think this is kind of cool…). You’ve seen these flavored coffee creamers, right? You can always use this stuff in your iced coffee. It’ll cover both your cream and your sweetener. And if you get this particular brand… then you’ll be getting a coffee creamer with a photograph that yours-truly took! Yep, those cupcakes that you see right there– those are my White Wedding Cake Cupcakes that I posted on the site a couple of years ago.

White Wedding Cupcake frosted with candied pearls on top

I made those cupcakes with the pearls on top for a teacher’s wedding from my son’s school. This company liked my photo and wanted to use it for the label on their new product, so they bought it from me! Isn’t that fun?!

Enjoy your iced coffee, however you decide to make it 🙂 This is the super easy way to make iced coffee. Check out my other post: How to Make Cold Brew Coffee, for a more authentic way of making iced coffee.

If you need a few delicious treats to have with your coffee, you might consider baking some Brown Sugar Cinnamon Biscotti or Lemon Tea CakeMini Crumb Cake Bites would also be a nice goodie to munch on while sipping your iced coffee.  Butter Swirl Shortbread Cookies make good dunkers too.

If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you will find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.

tall glass of iced coffee sitting on a wooden board
4.72 from 35 votes

How to Make Iced Coffee

Easy instructions for how to make delicious, perfect iced coffee at home.
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 serving
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup ice (or coffee frozen into cubes)
  • 1 cup coffee, at room temperature or chilled
  • 2 tablespoons cream, milk or half & half
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar (or simple syrup- see Recipe Notes below)

Instructions 

  • Fill a glass with ice. Pour in coffee. Add cream and sugar (or simple syrup). Stir and drink!
  • See recipe notes below for variations and tips.

Notes

  • For accurate WW points indicated, use 2 tablespoons half & half cream and 1 teaspoon sugar.
  • Lighten things up in this drink by using nonfat milk... or fat-free half & half. Use your desired low/no calorie sweetener in place of sugar.
  • Another option is to add a flavored creamer, which will cover both the cream and the sugar.
  • If you want to use simple syrup in place of sugar, here's how to make it: In a small saucepan, bring ½ cup water and ½ cup granulated white sugar to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove the pan from heat and cool.  Chill until ready to use!

Nutrition

Serving: 1drink, Calories: 56kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 17mg, Potassium: 155mg, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 105IU, Calcium: 31mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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177 Comments

  1. James says:

    I make my iced coffee with a bodum kenya french press and i have never looked back, i havnt worked out my costs per cup but i guess it’s less than half the 1.30 price for starbucks can or emmi at. 200ml, i get about 300ml and mine taste even better as i use 4.19 cornwall clotted ice cream 1L it has become a major passion of mine, i want to buy a machine that does ice coffe as brewing is messy, fiddly and time consuming, i am so converted from hot coffee though i barely drink that anymore.. Iced coffee is natural progression for me

  2. Michelle says:

    Yum! The only thing I do differently is that I make up a batch of simple syrup to keep in a mason jar in my fridge and use this rather than sugar crystals to sweeten my iced coffee- because the sugar is already dissolved you don’t need to stir much, and you do not end up with undissolved sugar crystals stuck to your ice cubes. Simple syrup is just a 2:1 ration of sugar: water, boiled until sugar is dissolved then cooled. As a bonus, I can also use this simle syrup to make a mojito 🙂

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Thanks for the tip!

  3. Sherry says:

    Love your KISS approach! (Keep It Simple Sweety). Friends coming over this afternoon and going to try this, normally drink regular hot coffee, but it’s been hot n humid in the Heartland past few days. Thank You!

  4. james s says:

    For the milk a good idea is coconut milk, the one from the carton! It adds a slight twinge and is really nice and light

  5. Melissa says:

    I used your cupcake photo for my wedding cupcakes too!!! That’s so neat. 🙂

  6. Trisha says:

    thank you for this recipe and great pics, and hilarious comments!!! congratulations on the cupcake photo on the coffee mate bottle!!! awesome!!!

  7. Ramona says:

    I love your recipe and personality throughout!! I’m going to try this today!!

  8. James says:

    I tried some premade iced coffe by a company called “emmi” i bought at tesco express and i just wondered about all the times i BOTHERED with hot coffee, iced coffee is a dream in a cup! AWESOME and i’m very grateful for your tutorial as my drink was 1.35 for 230ml which is hugely expensive to me, i see regular 4 pint milk go for about the same, i definitely won’t be using the kettle any more ;D it was quite a revelation for me, ice coffee is so much more luxurious, i’m converted! ;D

  9. Prabhavi says:

    Yuummmmmm

  10. jsub says:

    awesome!
    I was wondering how I might do this just because, like you, I like the flavor – plus I can save a few buckage!