Here’s a cold brew concentrate recipe that’ll have you mixing up glass after glass of refreshing cold brew to enjoy on a hot summer’s day. This homemade recipe is way more delicious than a premade concentrate from local grocery stores, and best of all, you can whip up a batch using 2 simple ingredients: water + coffee.
There is nothing more thirst-quenching than sipping on a tall glass of cold brew; it’s a whole mood, and so is this smooth concentrate.
If you're a fan of Starbucks' cold brew concentrate, you will be happy to know that making your own cold brew coffee concentrate is not only super easy but also very affordable.
Keeping this concentrate in your fridge rather than a complete cold brew batch is also a great way to save fridge space. In addition, this coffee concentrate will keep and stay fresh for longer than classic cold brew.
For a decaf version, check out our decaf cold brew recipe. Or if you own a french press, check out our French Press Cold Brew.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It’s super simple to make and there's no expensive or complicated equipment needed.
- Making your own coffee concentrate is more affordable than buying a store-bought brand.
- Time saver as one batch of concentrate goes far.
- Perfect solution if you have minimal storage in your fridge.
What is cold brew concentrate?
Cold brew concentrate is the undiluted form of cold brew coffee. It is a much more concentrated version of classic cold brew, with higher caffeine content.
With cold brew concentrate, you get to choose if you want to make a strong coffee or a weaker one, which is great for when you have people around with different taste preferences.
It's also super customizable- you can choose whether you top it up with water or milk from glass to glass, making it a more flexible option to have in the fridge.
Cold brew concentrate ratio
- When making: The coffee to water ratio for cold brew concentrate is 1:5. That means for 1 part water you'll need 5 parts coffee.
- When serving: The cold brew concentrate dilution ratio when serving the cold brew will depend on how strong you like your coffee. Start with a dilution ratio of 1:1, meaning you'll dilute 1 part concentrate with 1 part water or milk of choice and work our way up from there. We usually prefer a dilution ratio of 1:2 (1 part concentrate, 2 parts water/milk)
It's important to note that the grounds to water ratio works by weight and not volume. When using a ratio of 1:5 this means we'll use 6oz ground coffee and 30oz water.
Ingredients
- Coffee Beans: To make up a batch of cold brew coffee concentrate, you will need coarsely ground coffee beans. There are different opinions, but we prefer a medium or dark roast instead of a light roast for our DIY concentrate. The idea is that a darker roast lends itself to a sweeter flavor in the cold brew process. But really, play around and do what you think tastes best! You can grind your beans or pick up your favorite pre-ground coffee beans at the grocery store.
- Water: Good quality filtered water is the other important element in this recipe.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make cold brew concentrate
This coffee recipe requires only 2 ingredients and a couple of simple steps! Below you'll find detailed step-by-step instructions.
Step 1: Grind beans. Pour your whole beans of choice into your coffee mill.
Grind until you have medium-course grounds. Your local coffee shop or supermarket will happily grind them for you if you don’t have a grinder.
Step 2: Brewing vessel. Pour your coffee grounds into your jar.
Step 3: Water. Top with filtered water.
Stir the mixture well.
Step 4: Extraction process. Cover the lid of the jar and steep the coffee at room temperature for 12-24 hours; we find 16 hours ideal for the brewing process.
Step 5: Strain. You can do this in one of three different ways. You can either use a fine paper coffee filter, a cheesecloth or a nut milk bag (our favorite choice).
Pour the coffee through the nut bag into a clean wide-mouth mason jar.
Step 6: Serve over ice and top with cold water if you like black coffee
or milk (see our serving suggestions below).
How to use cold brew concentrate
There are many different ways to use cold brew concentrate such as diluted with water, milk, cream or a combination of the three. You can also serve it over ice and create a delicious iced cold brew coffee. It can also be used instead of regular coffee in baking recipes, smoothies or cocktails.
Note however, that cold brew coffee concentrate is not the same as finished cold brew coffee and always needs to be diluted. Otherwise, you'll end up with a super bitter-tasting coffee that's very high in caffeine.
The dilution ratio will depend on how strong you like your coffee. We love a dilution ratio of 1:2, meaning you add 1 part concentrate and 2 parts water, milk or a combination of the two to a serving glass.
Serving Suggestions
- Diluted with water: If you prefer black coffee, dilute the concentrate with water. Start with a 1:1 ratio and work your way up from there. Taste and adjust. If the coffee is still too strong for your taste, simply add more water. We prefer a 1:2 ratio (1 part concentrate with 2 parts water (e.g. ¼ cup of cold brew and ½ cup water or milk)).
- Diluted with milk or cream: Instead of water, you could dilute the coffee concentrate with your milk or choice.
- Diluted with water & milk: Our favorite way to enjoy this cold brew! We usually enjoy ¼ cup cold brew with ¼ cup water and ¼ cup barista oat milk.
- Iced Cold Brew: We highly recommend serving this concentrate diluted over some ice cubes (especially during the summer!).
Variations & flavors
- Decaf: If you’re looking for a buzz-free version, try this decaf cold brew recipe.
- French Press: Check out our French Press Cold Brew recipe if you want to use a french press.
- Caramel Cold Brew: Try this cold brew concentrate in our Skinny Iced Caramel Macchiato as a great option and a treat. Or simply stir some Homemade Caramel Sauce into your coffee before topping it up with milk or water.
- Vanilla Extract: For a vanilla version, pop in a few drops of pure vanilla extract and savor that dreamy flavor.
Top Tips
- Coarse ground coffee. The result will be a rich, smooth flavor without the bitter compounds of a finer grind. Course coffee grinds are also much easier to strain than medium or finer ones.
- Filtered Water. If you’re passionate about good cold coffee drinks, then use fresh filtered water when making your coffee concentrate.
- Grind in batches. To get a consistent set of grounds, grind the beans in batches, especially if you have a small coffee grinder.
Equipment
- Coffee grinder: this will be necessary if you want to grind your own beans.
- Large Jar or Pitcher (wide-mouthed) with a lid.
- Fine mesh sieve.
- Coffee filters, cheesecloth, or nut milk bag (our favorite).
Storage
- To store: Store the concentrate in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge for up to 10 days. Tastes best within the first 7 days in my opinion.
- To freeze: I like to freeze any leftover concentrate in ice cube trays. That way you can defrost individual portions.
FAQ
Cold brew concentrate is the undiluted version of cold brew. To transform the concentrate into a batch of cold brew- water, milk, or cream is added to dilute it.
Simply put, iced coffee drinks are brewed hot at first and then served cold with ice, whereas cold brew is steeped and brewed in room temperature water and is not heated at any point during its process.
Cold brew coffee concentrate is not the same as finished cold brew coffee and always needs to be diluted. Otherwise, you'll end up with a super bitter-tasting coffee that's very high in caffeine.
Because no hot water is involved with cold brewing, the oils are not extracted, so there is hardly any acidity in the process. It's the heating of the coffee when making hot coffee that brings out the bitterness compounds of the beans.
More coffee recipes
📖 Recipe
Cold Brew Concentrate Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz = 2 cups coarsely ground coffee
- 30 oz = 3¾ cups water
Instructions
- Grind your coffee beans to a coarsley grind (see step-by-step photos).
- Put the ground coffee into a wide-mouthed mason jar or container.
- Add the water and give it a good stir.
- Close the lid and let steep at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
- To strain the cold brew, place a cheesecloth, nut milk bag (our favorite) or a thin paper filter over a fine mesh sieve. Pour the cold brew through the sieve into a large pitcher or jar.
- Serve diluted with water and/or milk. We prefer a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio (1 part cold brew concentrate, 2 parts water or milk, eg. ¼ cup coffee & ½ cup water or milk) but see our serving suggestions for more details and options.
Video
Tips & Notes
- How to use cold brew concentrate: The dilution ratio will depend on how strong you like your coffee. We love a dilution ratio of 1:2, meaning you add 1 part concentrate and 2 parts water, milk or a combination of the two to a serving glass. Please check out our serving suggestions above for more details.
- Coarse ground coffee: For best results, use coarsely ground coffee.
- Grind in batches. To get a consistent set of grounds, grind the beans in batches, especially if you have a small coffee grinder.
- Filtered Water: We recommend using fresh filtered water when making your coffee concentrate.
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