How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Like Starbucks

Save money and make your own cold brew coffee at home! This simple recipe will become a new year-round coffee favorite.

Cold brew coffee is EVERYWHERE right now. Even in the cooler months, I’m all about iced coffee.  Have you fallen on the bandwagon yet?

In case you didn’t know, cold brew coffee is different than just plain iced coffee–it’s actually brewed in cold water. The stronger coffee holds up when ice is added, since it’s cold to begin with. No more watery iced coffee!

It all starts with coarse ground coffee. Buy your favorite whole bean variety and barely grind it. As you can see above, a few almost whole beans are completely fine for cold brew coffee.In a large pitcher with a lid (I use a round one from Dollar Tree), place filtered water and coffee. Let it sit overnight to two days in the refrigerator. Slowly filter the mucky coffee water into a new pitcher. Voila: cold brew!

I love the strong cold brew with a bit of flavor from SweetLeaf Sweet Drops. Sugar free, made from Stevia, it adds TONS of flavor to your coffee. Finish with some cream and you have yourself a fab iced coffee. Something like this runs $4-5 at Starbucks, you’ve made at home for pennies.

The SweetDrops run between $8-10 for a bottle, but a little goes a LONG way. I love to add a drop to my hot cocoa or oatmeal, too! Aside from ordering online, I’ve found the drops at local health food stores and even once at Meijer! The Vanilla and English Toffee are my favorites.

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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Like Starbucks

Ingredients

• 10 cups filtered water
• 2 cups coarse ground coffee
• To flavor: SweetLeaf Sweet Drops

Instructions

1. In a large pitcher with a lid, pour in filtered water. Add coarse ground coffee.
2. Allow pitcher to "brew" in the refrigerator for 12-48 hours.
3. In a clean pitcher, strain coffee with a filter or fine mesh strainer.
4. Store up to 5 days in fridge, shaking before serving.

Once you become addicted, you’ll want to have one pitcher “brewing” while you’re enjoying the other filtered one. After being filtered, you can store the cold brew coffee in your refrigerator for up to 5 days, gently shaking before use. Even though it’s cold, I still pour it over ice. It is a bit stronger than general iced coffee, just a heads up!

Have you ever tried cold brew coffee? What would you use Sweet Drops for?

Disclaimer: I received a sample of Sweet Drops to make this recipe, but all opinions are my own.

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