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    Home / Recipes / Healthy Drinks

    Easy Iced Coffee at Home with Milk

    Sep 5, 2023 · Updated: Sep 20, 2023 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 at home with milk in a glass, delicious with an easy vanilla simple syrup, refined sugar free, and an iced coffee that costs pennies compared to the cost at a specialty coffee shop.

    homemade iced coffee in a glass with a straw.

    How to make easy iced coffee at home with milk is made without a machinie and costs under a dollar. The best way to flavor cold coffee at home is with my simple vanilla syrup made with brown sugar in the microwave. Like my fancier pumpkin lattes - iced pumpkin spice latte and my hot pumpkin spice latte, this homemade easy iced coffee recipe requires no machine or stove.

    Enjoy this refreshing easy iced coffee drink with some of my favorite treats, including my samoa cookies, healthy sugar cookies, my soft chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar, and my no bake chocolate brownies.

    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. Iced coffee, first created in Algeria in the 1800s, can be made many ways but the fastest way is to use a quality instant. I make my iced coffee delicious with a quick-to-make vanilla simple syrup poured with milk into a quality instant coffee on ice.

    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. To make this iced coffee, you can brew it in a machine, or just stir up a cup of instant coffee. Either way, chill the hot coffee in the freezer for at least 10 minutes or make it well ahead of time and refrigerate to chill.

    Milk. Choose your favorite. Cashew and almond milk have a higher fat content and will make the drink richer in flavor with healthy fats. Use a lower fat milk to reduce calories.

    Vanilla simple syrup. Stir up water, brown sugar, vanilla and salt, and microwave one minute to dissolve. I used coconut sugar to keep it refined sugar free but regular brown sugar also works.

    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 brewing coffee or using instant coffee, make a cup of hot chocolate instead and chill that in place of coffee. Then you can make an iced hot chocolate, as chocolatey as my TikTok-viral chocolate smoothie.

    Instead of vanilla simple syrup. Instead of a simple syrup made with brown sugar and vanilla, you can use maple syrup or agave or even date paste .

    Regarding milk. You have your pick of milks, but you can also use canned coconut cream, or your favorite store-bought half and half.

    Step by Step Instructions

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

    Step 1: Brew the coffee. Either use a brewing machine, or the fastest method is to boil water and add instant coffee granules 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 refrigerator 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.

    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 multiple batches 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.

    Can you make the vanilla simple syrup in bulk?

    Yes, triple or quadruple the recipe or more, and refrigerate it for up to a month in a sealed jar so it is available for impromptu iced coffees.

    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

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    If you tried this easy iced 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.

    Easy Iced Coffee at Home with Milk

    Created by Dee Dine
    Learn how to make easy iced coffee at home with milk in a glass, delicious with an easy vanilla simple syrup, refined sugar free, and an iced coffee that costs pennies compared to the cost at a specialty coffee shop.
    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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.
    If you plan on allowing the ice to melt, make coffee ice cubes ahead of time and use those.
    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.

    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!

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    Buy My Two Cookbooks

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    About Dee

    Hey! I'm Dee Dine, and on my blog, I share healthy recipes with wholesome ingredients. I'm also a chocolate and ginger enthusiast, animal lover, an avid blender juicer, and am probably making no bake brownies in my Washington DC kitchen right now. Read about me → »

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

    I'm Dee! Welcome to GSG! Eating healthier and lighter, with plenty of fruits and veggies, can be delicious, especially when chocolate and desserts are involved. Here you'll find wholesome recipes that everyone will love. About Dee →

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