Frosty and satisfying cold coffee is a fantastic beverage treat to enjoy on a warm day. This cold coffee recipe with step-by-by photos and video is a classic for preparing blended ice coffees that are perfectly sweet, creamy and frothy – just like from your favorite cafe!
About Cold Coffee Recipe
Icy cold coffee is simply the best beverage to enjoy on a hot summer day. Even though I tend to be more of a tea drinker, I do love a good cup of coffee occasionally – and this cafe-style blended coffee drink is my favorite!
Similar to what you find at nearly every local coffee shop, this shake-like cold coffee recipe is made with sugar and milk blended together with ice. It creates a refreshing and rich beverage, with a delightfully frothy layer on top.
The taste is like a lighter Frappuccino or Frappe – but you can add flavored syrups to recreate nearly any blended iced coffee flavors.
I have used instant coffee powder to make this a quick and easy recipe. You could use either the powdered or granular instant coffee.
You can also make delicious cold coffee using traditionally brewed Filter Coffee or espresso. Prepare your drip coffee or espresso per usual, and allow it to cool (at room temperature or in the refrigerator) before using to make icy blended coffee shakes.
How to Make Cold Coffee
Make Coffee Mixture
1. Firstly, add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee to a bowl. If using brewed filter coffee or espresso you can add ¼ cup directly to the blender jar as shown in step 3 below.
2. Add ¼ cup of warm water (not hot) to the instant coffee. Stir and mix very well.
Blend Coffee Concoction
3. Add the coffee solution to a blender jar.
4. Next add 3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar.
5. Blend for a minute or until the coffee solution becomes frothy and the color fades to a lighter shade of brown.
Make Iced Cold Coffee
6. Add 6 or 7 ice cubes. For a thicker blended cold coffee use just 2 to 4 cubes of ice.
7. Then pour in 2 cups of cold or chilled milk. To make this recipe, I used whole milk. See FAQs below for low fat cold coffee tips.
8. Blend once for again just a few seconds, until everything is mixed well and you get a nice frothy and foamy layer on top.
9. Pour into tall glasses and serve cold coffee immediately. The frothy top layer will settle into the beverage as it sits, so it’s best to enjoy blended iced coffee right away.
Expert Tips
- Coffee: Make use your favorite brand of instant coffee. The instant coffee can be finely ground or in granules.
- Sweetener: Add your preferred sweetener. I always add raw sugar but you can experiment with various types of sugar like palm or coconut sugar or sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.
- For a stronger coffee flavor: If you prefer a stronger and slightly bitter taste in your cold coffee, increase the amount of instant coffee to 1.5 or 2 tablespoons.
- Creamy consistency: Include about ¼ cup of light or whipping cream while blending to make your cold coffee rich and creamy. You may need to add some sugar if you include cream. So do check the taste after the coffee is blended and add more sugar as needed.
FAQs
You can swap the ice cubes for a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make a thicker and creamy milkshake-like cold coffee. Here is a full Coffee Milkshake recipe you might want to check out!
Use skimmed milk or your preferred low fat milk. If using skimmed milk or low-fat milk, then just reduce the ¼ cup water to about 2 to 3 tablespoons.
Yes, you can. Substitute your preferred plant milk, such as almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk to make a vegan-friendly blended iced coffee shake.
Do note, however, that your cold coffee will likely not be quite as rich and frothy as versions made with dairy milk.
Feel free to add a 1 ounce shot (2 tablespoons) of your favorite flavored syrup to the recipe. You can make a vanilla, hazelnut, or amaretto coffee shake – whatever you like!
For a chocolate mocha cold coffee, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder or chocolate syrup before you blend for a second time.
Yes! As written this recipe yields approximately 2 beverages that are about 8 to 10 oz each. You can double ingredients for larger drinks or more servings.
More Drinks To Try!
World Recipes
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Cold Coffee Recipe (Creamy & Cafe Style)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee – powder or granules
- ¼ cup warm water
- 3 to 4 tablespoon raw sugar or add as required
- 2 cups whole milk – cold or chilled
- 6 to 8 ice cubes or as needed – optional
Instructions
- In a blender take your instant coffee, raw sugar, add warm water.
- Blend for a minute or until the coffee solution becomes frothy and the brown color lightens a bit.
- Add 6 to 7 ice cubes. For a thick cold coffee, you can reduce the ice cubes from 2 to 4.
- Pour 2 cups cold milk.
- Whole milk gives a slightly thicker consistency and is richer. You can opt to make the cold coffee with skimmed milk or low-fat milk. If you decided to add either, then reduce the ¼ cup water to about 2 to 3 tablespoons.
- Blend for 1 to 2 minutes or until the milk is mixed evenly with the coffee concoction and you see a nice frothy layer on top.
- Pour in glasses and serve cold coffee. The frothy top layer will settle into the beverage as it sits, so it’s best to enjoy blended iced coffee right away.
Video
Notes
Ingredients and Recipe Notes
- Coffee: Use your favorite brand of Instant Coffee. The instant coffee can be finely ground or in granules.
- Sweetener: Use your preferred sweetener. I always add raw sugar but you can experiment with various types of sugar like palm or coconut sugar or sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.
- More coffee: If you prefer a stronger and slightly bitter taste in your cold coffee, increase the amount of instant coffee to 1.5 or 2 tablespoon.
- Scaling: This recipe yields approximately 2 beverages that are about 8 to 10 oz each. You can double ingredients for larger drinks or more servings.
Variations
- Make a rich Coffee Milkshake: You can swap the ice cubes for a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make a thicker and creamy milkshake-like cold coffee. Here is a full Coffee Milkshake recipe you might want to check out!
- Make it rich and creamy: Add about ¼ cup of light or whipping cream while blending to make your cold coffee rich and creamy. You may need to add some sugar if you include cream. So do check the taste after the coffee is blended and add more sugar as needed.
- Make it low fat: Use skimmed milk or your preferred low fat milk. If using skimmed milk or low-fat milk, then just reduce the ¼ cup water to about 2 to 3 tablespoons.
- Make it vegan: Substitute your preferred plant milk, such as almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk to make a vegan-friendly blended iced coffee shake.
- Make flavored blended cold coffee: Feel free to add a 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) shot of your favorite flavored syrup to the recipe. You can make a vanilla, hazelnut, or amaretto coffee shake – whatever you like!
- Make Mocha Cold Coffee: For a chocolate mocha cold coffee, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder or chocolate syrup before you blend for a second time.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Cold Coffee recipe from the blog archives was first published in May 2015. It has been updated and republished on April 2023.
Hi Dasanna,
Tried Cold Coffee recipe yesterday.
Was really delicious.
Thankyou…..
welcome priya. glad to know this.
Hello dassana. I wanted to ask you if whether it will taste good if we replace auger with milkmaid. In some households it is prepared that way. M glad I came across this site. Your recipes are amazing.
what is auger? do you mean agar agar? and in which recipe?
I think she/he meant to type ‘sugar’. 🙂
i could not figure out this one. thanks ya 🙂
what you are is saying is probably right.
I want to thank you for this great recipe….coz I was not happy with the traditional way of putting everything together in blender and just blend it…that way it was just too much froth separated out from milk, so essentially that froth had no taste. Finally I thought to search online if there is any good recipe and voila! here I was!! It turned out awesome..
I enjoyed to see the coffee being beaten in mixer and changing color. Only lil thing that I noticed is may be water is not required even 1/4 cup (coz then my coffee turned out too watery). SO next I added just few tablespoons (may be like 2-3) and wow it was all awesome after. Thanks once again!
thanks you abbi. i agree i have made coffee by adding everything in the blender. the result was sometimes instant coffee grains not dissolved and a bland tasting froth. we did not have a thin coffee, as the milk i used was a full cream milk. i think if using skimmed milk or a low fat milk, then the amount of water can be reduced. i will update in the post too. 1/4 cup water is about 4 tbsps. so as you mention 2 tbsp should be fine.
Thanks! Love your recipes and the detailing. The food always turn out great! Do you also have recipe for good strong hot coffee? My beau is a coffee lover and I have tried various things buts its never like the cafes…. Wud b happy if u have something!
Keep it up
welcome pooja. i have a recipe for a good strong hot coffee. i will share it soon probably during indian monsoons.
Thanks, its awesome.
welcome neelam