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This cold brew coffee recipe uses a simple formula: coarsely ground coffee, cold water, and a long steep of 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. You will end up with a concentrate that you dilute to taste, giving you a smooth, chocolatey cup that keeps for about a week or more when stored properly. The method takes almost no skill, but a few numbers matter a lot, and this guide covers each one.
What Makes Cold Brew Different
Hot brewing extracts flavor quickly, usually in four to six minutes, and heat pulls out acids and bitter compounds along with the sweeter, rounder notes. Cold water extracts much more slowly. Over many hours it draws out the sugars and oils you want while leaving a lot of the sharp, sour edges behind. That is why cold brew tastes softer and often reads as less acidic than a hot pour-over from the same beans.
The trade-off is time. You are planning a day ahead, not a morning ahead. If you want a quick cup, How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home covers some shorter variations, but the recipe below is built around the classic overnight steep.
What You Need Before You Start
Gather these before you measure anything:
- A food scale that reads in grams. Volume measures like cups vary too much with grind size to be reliable.
- A coarse grinder setting, or pre-ground coffee labeled for cold brew or French press.
- A container with a lid, such as a large glass jar or a pitcher with a tight seal.
- A fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth, a nut milk bag, or paper filters.
- Filtered water, ideally at room temperature or cold.
- A clean spoon or stirring stick.
If you are still deciding on equipment, Home Coffee Equipment: What You Need and What Can Wait lists what is essential and what can wait.
The Core Cold Brew Coffee Recipe
This is a starting formula for one batch of concentrate. It makes roughly 1 liter of concentrate after filtering, which dilutes into about 2 liters of finished drink.
Ingredients and Measurements
- Coffee: 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) coarsely ground coffee
- Water: 800 grams (about 800 milliliters) cold or room-temperature filtered water
- Ratio: 1:8 by weight, which is a common starting point for concentrate
Step 1: Grind Coarse
Set your grinder to a coarse setting, roughly the texture of raw sugar or coarse sea salt. This matters more than most beginners expect. Finer particles extract faster and fill the filter with sediment, which can make the concentrate cloudy and bitter. If your coffee is pre-ground, check the bag. Anything labeled for French press or cold brew should work well. For a broader look at settings, see Coffee Grind Size by Brew Method: A Practical Chart.
Step 2: Combine Coffee and Water
Put the grounds in your container first, then pour the water over them. Pour slowly so all the grounds get wet. Some grounds will float, and that is fine. Stir gently with a spoon for about 10 seconds to break up clumps and make sure everything is saturated.
Step 3: Steep
Cover the container and place it in the refrigerator. Steep for 12 to 16 hours for a balanced cup. Going to 20 or 24 hours produces a stronger, more concentrated result, but it can also pull more woody or heavy flavors. Steeping at room temperature speeds extraction, but it also raises the risk of spoilage and over-extraction, so the refrigerator is the safer default. Manufacturers of cold brew systems typically specify similar windows, and the range above matches common home recipes.
Step 4: Filter
Strain the mixture in two passes. First, pour it through a coarse mesh strainer or nut milk bag into a second container to remove the bulk of the grounds. Second, filter it through a paper coffee filter, or a fine cloth, to catch the fine sediment. Filtering slowly is worth the wait. If the concentrate looks murky, filter again. A clear concentrate tastes cleaner and stores better.
Step 5: Store and Dilute
Refrigerate the concentrate in a sealed container. Dilute it before serving. A common ratio is 1 part concentrate to 1 part water, though many people prefer 1:2 or 1:3 for a lighter drink. Fill a glass with ice, pour the concentrate over, and top with cold water or milk. Adjust the ratio until it tastes right to you.
Cold Brew Ratios and Timing at a Glance
Once you have made the basic recipe once, you can adjust it. This table summarizes how the variables change the result.
| Variable | Lower Setting | Higher Setting | Effect on the Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee-to-water ratio | 1:10 (weaker concentrate) | 1:6 (stronger concentrate) | More body and intensity at higher coffee amounts |
| Steep time (refrigerated) | 10–12 hours | 20–24 hours | Longer steeps extract more, sometimes with heavier notes |
| Grind size | Extra coarse | Medium-coarse | Finer grinds extract faster and can cloud the concentrate |
| Dilution after brewing | 1:1 with water or milk | 1:3 with water or milk | Controls final strength and perceived sweetness |
Choosing Coffee and Water for Better Results
Cold brew gives you a lot of room to taste the beans, so it is worth choosing carefully. Medium to dark roasts produce the classic chocolate and nut profile that many people associate with cold brew. Lighter roasts can work well too and bring out fruit and floral notes, though they may need a slightly longer steep or a higher dose to reach full flavor. Coffee Roast Levels Explained: Light, Medium and Dark describes how roast level changes flavor and body.
Water matters as well. Chlorinated or heavily mineralized tap water can flatten or distort flavor in a concentrate that sits for half a day. Filtered water is a sensible baseline. For a closer look at how water quality and temperature affect extraction, read Water for Coffee: Quality, Filtering and Temperature.
Freshness also counts. Beans that are a few weeks past roasting will still make good cold brew, but the flavor is less vivid. How to Store Coffee Beans So They Stay Fresh explains how to keep beans from going stale between batches.
Recommended Gear
A few tools make the process easier and more consistent. You do not need any of them, but each one solves a specific problem.
- A digital kitchen scale: Weighing coffee and water keeps your ratio the same from batch to batch, which volume measures cannot do reliably. Check price on Amazon
- A burr grinder: Burr grinders produce a more uniform particle size than blade grinders, which makes coarse grinding more consistent and reduces sediment. Check price on Amazon
- A dedicated cold brew maker: Some models use a built-in filter and a spigot, which simplifies straining. Owners often report that these designs reduce cleanup, though the basic jar method works just as well. Check price on Amazon
- Nut milk bags or reusable cold brew filters: These fine-mesh bags catch sediment without the cost of disposable paper. Check price on Amazon
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Grinding too fine. This is the most frequent problem. Fine grounds turn the concentrate muddy and bitter, and they clog filters. Stay coarse.
- Measuring by volume. A scoop of light, fluffy grounds weighs far less than a scoop of dense, dark ones. Weigh your coffee.
- Steeping at room temperature for too long. A day on the counter can over-extract and encourage spoilage. Keep the steep in the refrigerator unless you have a specific reason not to.
- Skipping the second filtering pass. Sediment left in the concentrate keeps extracting and can make the finished drink taste gritty.
- Diluting with warm water. Warm water melts the ice and waters down the drink quickly. Use cold water or milk.
- Storing for too long. Concentrate is best within about a week. Label the container with the date.
Tips for Consistent Cold Brew
- Write down your coffee weight, water weight, steep time, and dilution ratio the first few times you brew. That record lets you repeat what you liked.
- Change one variable at a time. If the concentrate tastes weak, add a few grams of coffee next time instead of changing three settings at once.
- Stir the mixture gently halfway through the steep if you notice a dry crust forming on top. This is optional, but it helps extraction stay even.
- Taste the concentrate on its own before diluting. It should taste strong and smooth, not sour or harsh. Adjust the dilution to suit the drink, not the concentrate.
- For a sweeter drink, add simple syrup or a splash of milk after diluting rather than sweetening the concentrate, so you can control each glass.
Cold Brew Coffee Recipe FAQ
Can I make cold brew with regular ground coffee?
You can, but results are better with coarse grounds. Regular medium grounds extract faster and can make the concentrate bitter and cloudy. If you only have finer coffee, reduce the steep time to around 12 hours and filter carefully.
How long does cold brew concentrate last?
Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, concentrate is generally best within about a week. Once diluted with ice, drink it the same day for the best flavor.
Why does my cold brew taste sour?
Sourness often means under-extraction, which can happen with a very short steep or an overly coarse grind. Try a longer steep or a slightly finer grind. Check the freshness of your beans as well, since stale coffee can taste flat or off.
Is cold brew stronger than iced coffee?
Cold brew concentrate is usually more concentrated than hot coffee, but once you dilute it to a normal drinking strength, the result can be similar in caffeine to a standard cup. Caffeine content varies with the coffee, dose, and dilution, so check specific product information if you track intake closely. If you have health concerns about caffeine, consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Can I heat cold brew concentrate?
Yes. Dilute a portion of concentrate with hot water or warm milk for a hot drink. Heating a full batch repeatedly is not recommended, because it reintroduces the bitter, sharp notes that cold brewing avoids.
