Recently, a friend of mine (ahem, Ashley) introduced me to iced coffee at our brand new Dunkin Donuts up the road. I had never been to a DD but I had heard excellent things about their super strong coffee. & if you know anything about me…you know that I have one vice and that is coffee. I drink water & coffee. STRONG coffee. So I gave it a whirl one hot summer day & was she ever right! YUM! But I knew I could do it better myself. It was a wee bit bitter for my taste and still cost me a couple of dollars per cup. Way better than pricey sugarbomb frappucinos, which I am not entirely fond of, but still not perfect. So I hopped to figuring out how to make my own.
WHAT YOU NEED
- coffee. preferably something strong & robust. (I used my faaaaaaaavorite Philz coffee, a cult classic home in the Bay Area. I’ll head to Local here in SA when I run out)
- cream
- flavoring (if you wish, I like mine with a dash of coconut. YUM)
HOW YOU MAKE IT
- I used the Pioneer Woman’s Iced Coffee recipe but I upped the coffee to water ratio on my second batch. Like I said, I like it STRONG. Be sure to steep it at room temp and definitely overnight, or it will be bitter.
- Since I don’t mess around with the strength of my coffee (I call my dad’s version “coffee flavored water”…yuck) I freeze some of my concentrate in my old baby food cubes (remember those?!) and use them as the “ice” in my coffee. I recommend filling each cube only half full, or they will not thaw fast enough to melt into your drink.
- After I pour the concentrate in, and add the cubes, I add a splash of cream and a little less than one pump of coconut & then it’s bottoms up! HAPPY NAPTIME.
- I enjoy mine in a starbucks tumbler & use the lines on it to measure out the amounts of liquid in my drink so I have consistency. :)
& that is all!! Yummmooo. Just the perfect perk for a hot summer’s day!

My husband has gotten way into making HUGE quantities of homemade coldpress coffee – his last batch was 3 GALLONS. We go through a lot in our household! He uses beer brewing equipment (but not used for beer ever) and puts them in growlers or beer bottles to store them, they keep for about a month in the fridge. He actually has discussed this at great length with people at local coffee shops around Minneapolis/St. Paul, the favorite being Dunn Bros :) I really need to bring some into work but need to find a more work-appropriate container than a beer growler…
Ahhh….I miss Local coffee. I was so excited by all the little places that popped up in San Antonio in the past year or so. Anyway, we make our own coffee at home too – but I’ve never made iced coffee. Maybe we’ll give it a go. After all…it’s already reaching 80 degrees in Orange County ;)
Oh THANK-YOU!! I am in the early throws of pregnancy (fingers crossed this one sticks). A cup of hot coffee will not stay down! It won’t even go down. (Sobbing) then I had an iced coffee & it was my hallelujah moment. It actually settled my stomach! I’ve been trying to replicate it at home with limited success. So I know what I’m doing today!
This sounds great! I have just been doing iced lattes all summer with espresso. I have discovered that a honey latte is really tasty (adds just a tiny amount of sweetness with the lovely flavor of good honey). I’ll have to try a dash of coconut next time.
Just made another batch of our iced coffee last night. I am crazy about it. I love the convenience. We store ours in a beverage dispenser so I just open the door, and fill my cup. Way too great!! I add a splash of half & half, but nothing else. Thinking I will get some of the coconut flavor. Where did you find it? And now I have to make those ice cubes, what a great idea!!
I LOVE iced coffee but hate paying for it at DD. THANK YOU for posting this!!! Definitely gonna give this a try. :)
I LOVE iced coffee. It has been my favorite for about 4 years now and I make my own a lot. Look I to getting a Toddy Maker. Total time saver. I think William Sanoma carries them.
Sounds awesome, thanks for that and keep up good work!