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    Home / Recipes / Coffee Shop Drinks

    Iced Coffee Using Instant Coffee

    Sep 5, 2023 · Updated: May 2, 2025 by Dee Dine · Affliate links disclosure.

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    homemade iced coffee in a glass with a straw.

    Learn how to make easy iced coffee using instant coffee in 1 minute, refreshing and delicious with an easy homemade vanilla simple syrup.

    homemade iced coffee in a glass with a straw.

    How to make easy iced coffee using instant coffee quickly and for less than a dollar. I sweeten this instant iced coffee with a healthy vanilla syrup made with brown sugar in the microwave but you can use sugar.

    Like my fancier pumpkin lattes - iced pumpkin spice latte and my hot pumpkin spice latte, and my caramel frappuccino, this homemade iced coffee recipe requires no machine or stove.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This
    • Ingredients
    • Substitutions
    • Step by Step Instructions
    • Recipe Tips
    • Variations
    • Make Ahead & Storage
    • FAQS
    • More Coffee or Cold Drinks
    • 📖 Recipe
    adding milk to an iced coffee.

    Why You'll Love This

    • Quick to make using instant coffee. Iced coffee, first created in Algeria in the 1800s, can be made many ways but the fastest way is to use a quality instant coffee.
    • Flexibility. Use a caffeinated or decaffeinated instant coffee, and the sweetness level can be customized. Use your favorite milk.
    • Healthier. You can choose the ingredients you add. Make it using whole foods, quality brands, dairy-free, gluten free, or paleo.

    Ingredients

    homemade iced coffee ingredients with text.
    • Cold coffee. Make a cup of instant coffee by stirring granuales into room temperature water. Chill the coffee in the freezer or make it well ahead of time and refrigerate to chill.
    • Milk. Choose your favorite. Cashew milk or almond milk have a higher fat content and will make the drink creamy and richer in healthy fats. Oat milk has lower fat thus makes a low calorie iced coffee.
    • Homemade vanilla simple syrup. Stir up water, brown sugar, vanilla and salt, and microwave one minute to dissolve. Use regular brown sugar or coconut sugar to keep it refined sugar free.
    • Ice. Make ice with water or if you time ahead of time, freeze some fresh coffee in ice cube trays to use so that when the ice melts, your iced coffee is still strong in flavor.
    • Salt. Surprised? A tiny pinch of salt will transform your iced coffee into a delicious drink.

    See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

    Substitutions

    Instead of coffee. Instead of coffee, use hot chocolate instead and chill that in place of coffee.

    Instead of vanilla simple syrup. Instead of a simple syrup made with brown sugar and vanilla, simply add brown sugar, or agave or even date paste.

    Step by Step Instructions

    For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.

    👉Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email below and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox.

    Step 1: Mix up instant coffee. Add instant coffee granules to a cup of room temperature water to make 1 cup of coffee. Chill the coffee in the freezer for 10 minutes.

    brewed coffee.
    overhead of simple vanilla syrup in a cup.

    Step 2: Make the vanilla simple syrup. Put water, brown sugar, vanilla and salt into a heat-safe cup, stir, and microwave for about 15 seconds. Stir again.

    adding ice to a glass for iced coffee.

    Step 3: Put the vanilla simple syrup into the freezer to chill 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add ice to the glass of coffee.

    pouring coffee and syrup for homemade iced coffee.

    Step 4: Pour in the coffee, and then pour in the simple vanilla syrup.

    adding milk to an iced coffee.

    Step 5: Pour in the milk, give it a stir and taste. Add a bit more syrup if needed.

    Recipe Tips

    • Be sure the coffee, milk and vanilla simple syrup are sufficiently chilled.
    • If you plan on allowing the ice to melt, make coffee ice cubes ahead of time and use those instead of water ice.
    • The creamier milk you choose, the creamier iced coffee texture.
    • Don't skip the vanilla in the vanilla simple syrup - it brings the flavor of a processed coffee shop syrup without the additives.

    Variations

    • Spice it up. Add cinnamon, or pumpkin pie spices, or gingerbread spices.
    • Chocolate mocha ice coffee. Add a spoonful of unsweetened cocoa, or melt up some chocolate chips and stir those in.
    • Coffee milkshake. Stir in a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream to turn your iced coffee into a coffee milkshake.

    Make Ahead & Storage

    • Make ahead. Make a bottle of instant coffee and store refrigerated in jars for two days, or freeze as ice cubes for up to three months.
    • Storage. Store your cold iced coffee in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 days. It can also be frozen in ice cube trays and thawed as needed.

    FAQS

    What is the best way to make iced coffee?

    The best way to make iced coffee is to brew coffee, chill it, add ice, sweetener, milk and shake.

    How do you make iced coffee using a pod coffee maker?

    Brew your favorite coffee, let it chill, make your vanilla syrup or just choose a sweetener, add ice, milk, stir and enjoy!

    What's the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?

    Cold brew coffee is coffee that is cold steeped in coffee grounds, whereas iced coffee is simply coffee brewed in a machine and cooled in the refrigerator and served over ice.

    Can you make coffee with just cold milk?

    Yes, replace the water with cold milk in this iced coffee recipe. You can use instant coffee or freshly brewed coffee. Either way, be sure the coffee and the milk are very cold, mix and pour over ice.

    More Coffee or Cold Drinks

    • pumpkin spice latte in two mugs with whipped cream.
      Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte
    • pouring oatmeal smoothie
      Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Smoothie (without banana)
    • iced pumpkin spice latte with a pour of milk.
      Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte
    • a glass of watermelon juice with lime leaf
      How to Make Watermelon Juice

    If you tried this iced coffee using instant coffee recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

    📖 Recipe

    homemade iced coffee in a glass with a straw.

    Iced Coffee using Instant Coffee

    Created by Dee Dine
    Learn how to make easy iced coffee using instant coffee in 1 minute, refreshing and delicious with an easy homemade vanilla simple syrup.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved! Rate Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1
    Calories 103 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 10 to 12-ounce coffee glass
    • 1 pyrex measuring cup

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup coffee chilled
    • 1 cup ice
    • ¼ cup milk
    • 3 tablespoon water
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
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    Instructions
     

    • Brew the coffee. Either use a brewing machine, or boil water and add instant coffee granules to make 1 cup of coffee. Put the coffee in the freezer for at least 10 minutes or make it ahead of time and refrigerate to chill.
    • Make the syrup. Add water, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a heat-safe cup, uncover and microwave for about 15 seconds. Stir again.
      3 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla, ¼ teaspoon salt
    • Add ice to the glass and pour in the chilled coffee.
      1 cup coffee, 1 cup ice
    • Pour in the simple vanilla syrup. Give it a stir.
    • Add the milk. Give it a stir and taste. Add a bit more syrup if needed.
      ¼ cup milk

    Video

    Notes

    Instead of a simple syrup made with brown sugar and vanilla, you can use maple syrup or agave or even date paste.
    Be sure the coffee, milk and vanilla simple syrup are sufficiently chilled.
    Don't skip the vanilla in the vanilla simple syrup - it brings the flavor of a processed coffee shop syrup without the additives.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 103kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.04gSodium: 633mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 123IUCalcium: 111mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Coffee Shop Drinks

    • foamed milk poured into cloud coffee cocoa.
      Iced Cloud Coffee with Cocoa
    • blueberry latte.
      Iced Blueberry Latte (Blueberry Coffee)
    • iced strawberry latte made with cold foam.
      Iced Strawberry Latte (Strawberry Coffee)
    • coffee syrup in a bottle.
      How to Make Coffee Syrup (Coffee Concentrate)
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    homemade iced coffee in a glass with a straw.
    dee dine

    My name is Dee Dine and I’m a two-time cookbook author and certified nutritionist. Here you’ll find clean healthy recipes made with few ingredients, dairy free, & gluten free. About Dee →

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