How to make a gallon of cold brew coffee

I also don’t discriminate on what kind of coffee it is that I need either. I like it hot, I like it cold, I like it sweet or un-sweet. To me it’s all amazing and equally as good.

Lately, though, I’ve been on an iced coffee kick and for some reason just can’t seem to get enough.

Now, in years past, if I’ve wanted iced coffee I would just brew a hot cup and then pour it over ice. Uh… not the best way to do things for a few reasons: 1) once the hot coffee hits the ice, it begins to melt; 2) the strength of the coffee flavor is diluted; and 3) the “iced” coffee isn’t as cold as it should be with sorta half-melted ice cubes floating around and half of the coffee still mildly warm.

No good.

The next logical solution would then be to brew it, stick it in the freezer (or fridge, but I’m impatient so the colder it gets, the faster, the better) and let it cool to desired temperature then pour it over ice.

This method was a little better than the previous but still not very grand.

Then I discovered “cold brewing.”

It’s without the heat of traditional brewing and the coffee doesn’t have a possibility of turning bitter or acidic because of the temperature hitting the beans.

I have been using this method for a few months now. Let me tell you, the coffee that is produced is amazing beyond belief and I can have cold coffee whenever I want without the wait. Yay!

And I can make my Cafe Mocha Protein Shake whenever I want too! Double Score!

So here we go… start with a 1/2 pound of your favorite coffee and empty it into a container big enough for a gallon of water.

Then add 1 gallon of water and stir so that the grounds aren’t floating on the top anymore and they are all soaked.

Then put a lid on it and let it sit for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, take out a strainer, coffee filter, and second container to hold the marvelous finished coffee.

Paper towels work well too, if you don’t have a coffee filter handy… as I didn’t for some reason I had run out of them, I guess.

Pour the coffee/ground mixture through the strainer and coffee filter (paper towel in my case) until you’ve strained all the grounds out.

You can do this with just the strainer but you will get stray grounds in the bottom of your coffee sometimes. If you’re ok with that, then ok.. but I like it grounds free.

Right about now, you can have some of you would like… just pour it over ice with your favorite sweetener (or not).

But if you want true iced coffee then stick your newly created coffee into the fridge for a couple hours and let it get nice and cold.

After a couple hours, then you can make your prefect glass of iced coffee.

YUMMY!

Easy Cold Brew Iced Coffee

4.34 from 12 votes

Make a large batch of cold brew coffee, simply, for all your iced coffee needs!

Yield 1 gallon

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!

Prep Time 1 d

Total Time 1 d

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients  1x2x3x

• 1/2 lb ground coffee
• 1 gallon water

Instructions 

• In a large container mix ground coffee and water. Cover and place in fridge overnight or for 24 hours.

• Line a fine mesh strainer with a coffee filter and set over your second pitcher or large container and pour coffee ground/water mixture through strainer. Discard grounds (or use them in your rose or hydrangea bushes like I do).

• Place finished coffee in fridge to use as needed.

• To make iced coffee, pack glass full of ice. Fill glass 2/3-3/4 full of cold coffee. Add your choice of sweetener and cream/milk. Enjoy!

  Smooth rich flavor, the perfect balance of acidity and natural sweetness with that beautiful zip of caffeine, and all you need are two ingredients - water and coffee beans! Cold brew coffee is a super simple, easy, and delicious way to up your coffee game during the warmer months or even year-round!

  Hi, I'm addicted to cold brew coffee and I'd really love to share that passion with you.

  The second the weather starts to get warmer in April grab a container, coffee grinder, and favorite beans because it's time to start brewing that liquid gold.

  

  It's so so so easy to make and the coffee is just chefs kiss.

  Best of all, what you're actually making is cold brew concentrate so you can adjust the caffeine/boldness of the coffee just by adding water.

  When you're running around after 2 small kids and juggling 2 restaurants and 1 food blog…that adjustable caffeine strength is a serious bonus.

  

  Also, coffee that's brewed cold is waaaaaaaaaay better than hot coffee turned cold.

  Are you the kind of person that loves a cup of hot coffee but the second it gets cold it's garbage? Trust me, I've tried microwaving my cuppa but it's just not the same after that. So if you're on that team you are absolutely going to love this method of brewing.

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

  Iced coffee is hot brewed coffee that's then cooled off and poured over ice. Cold brew coffee is cold water, coffee beans, and time then strained and served over ice.

  

  Why is cold brew coffee special?

  The number one reason is that the quality of the coffee is superb thanks to the gentle brewing of time and cold water.

  Because the beans aren't subjected to harsh boiling water, the coffee that's produced is less acidic and has a more natural sweetness.

  

  
The number two reason you're going to love is that you just pour water over grinds and shove it in the fridge.

  The number three reason is that gives a little bit more boost in the caffeine department.

  Tips for brewing

  The grind of the beans matters.

  For cold brew coffee, you want a coarse grind on your beans.

  Too fine of a grind will lead to a bitter brew because the beans are over-extracted. The coarse grind also helps after straining so you don't end up with a ton of sediment on the bottom of your batch even after it's strained.

  

  Reach for the fresh beans!

  Pick up a bag at the store to brew rather than those old beans you found in the back of your cabinet that definitely belonged to the last person who lived there.

  Use the right ratio of beans to coffee - don't worry it's not rocket science! I've broken it all down in the recipe card below.

  Use room temp to cold water unless you're in a rush.

  You'll need 12 to 14 hours to steep the beans but if you don't have time for that you can kick start the process by using hot water then sticking the batch in the fridge for about 6 to 7 hours. I don't love this method because the hot water can bring a little acidity but it's a nice option if you got a late start on your brewing and need it for the morning.

  

  How to make cold brew coffee

  In a large container pour cold or room temp water over your grinds. Give them a mix and store in the fridge for 12 hours. Strain it and you’re done. You’ve got cold brew concentrate.

  From there, when you go to pour yourself a cup you can add water or add water to the concentrate batch. Then just make your coffee the way you normally do - I’m a little milk and a touch sweet kinda gal - drop in the ice and sip on your brewed beans.

  Once you have your cold brew concentrate you can make things like nitro cold brew or Vietnamese cold brew - they're both ridiculously tasty!

  And with it almost being cherry season, I would like to highly encourage you to make these chai cherry muffins to munch on with your morning coffee!

  

  What's your favorite way to drink your cold brew? What beans did you use?

  If you made this recipe I would love to hear about it in the comments below and don't forget to leave a star rating!

  

  Cold Brew Coffee

  Skip the coffee shop and make your cold brew coffee at home for a smoother, less acidic, and more flavorful iced coffee.

  5 from 2 votes

  Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate

  Course: Drinks

  Cuisine: American

  Keyword: cold brew coffee, iced coffee

  Prep Time: 10 mins

  Brew Time: 12 hrs

  Total Time: 12 hrs 10 mins

  Servings: 10 servings

  Calories: 1kcal

  1x2x3x

  Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

  Equipment

  • cheesecloth

  • container for brewing

  Ingredients

  • ▢12 ounce bag coffee beans (whole beans)
  • ▢12 cups water (96 ounces, cold or room temp)

  Instructions

  • Find your ratio. The amount of coffee beans you need varies depending on how much coffee you want to make in one batch. The general rule is 1 pound of coffee beans to 1 gallon of water, but most whole bean coffee comes in 12 ounce bags. A large batch is a great option if you have a container large enough and there are 2 to 4 people in the house drinking the coffee. Here is a list of ratios to follow. Just remember, you will need space for both the water AND the coffee beans.-16 ounces coffee beans (1 pound): 1 gallon water/128 ounce/16 cups-12 ounce coffee beans: 96 ounces water/12 cups-8 ounces coffee beans: 8 cups water/64 ounces-4 ounces coffee beans: 32 ounces/ 4 cups water

  • Grind the beans. Use a coarse grind for the beans. I set my grinder to the 'percolator' setting. The beans should resemble kosher salt after grinding.

  • Make the cold brew. Place your ground coffee in the bottom of a large container. Pour cold or room temp water (filtered is best!) over the grinds, give it a stir, cover it and place it in the fridge.

  • Let it steep. Your beans and water should steep for 12 to 14 hours. It doesn't have to be exact.

  • Strain and drink. Strain the cold brew concentrate through a fine cheesecloth strainer. You can add water to the concentrate batch or leave it as concentrate and add water when you make a glass. My recommended ratio is 2 parts cold brew concentrate, 1 part water, then add your preferred milk and sweetener if desired.

    How much coffee do you use for 1 gallon of cold brew?

    The basic formula for cold brew is one pound of ground coffee beans to one gallon of water. Unless you're running a small café out of your kitchen (or just plan on being really productive), you likely won't need to make that much. A more home brewing-friendly ratio is a quarter-pound of beans to four cups of water.

    What is the best ratio for cold brew coffee?

    Most people prefer to drink cold brew with a concentrate-to-water ratio between 2:1 and 1:1. If you like stronger coffee, use the 2:1 dilution ratio. We prefer a little less intense, so we would go with 1:1.

    How do you make large amounts of cold brew coffee?

    How to Make Large Batch Cold Brew Coffee Step by Step:.

    Grind your coffee beans on the coarsest setting. ... .

    Place your coffee grounds in a 22 quart container and add 3.5 gallons of water. ... .

    Let your coffee steep for 18 to 24 hours..

    The following day, strain your mixture through a chinois and cheesecloth..

    How many scoops of coffee make a gallon?

    However, a rough estimate would be around 16 scoops of coffee to make a gallon. One tablespoon of ground coffee contains about six ounces of water. One pound of coffee beans should be combined with one gallon of water, according to Bon Appetit.