Cold Coffee Recipe (Cafe Style)
Updated: August 20, 2023, By Swasthi
Cold Coffee just like your favorite coffee shop! You just need 3 to 4 basic ingredients & 5 mins to whip up this super delicious, creamy & frothy Iced coffee. This post shows you how to make Cold Coffee at home with easily available ingredients like instant coffee, milk and sugar. To make it richer you can also use ice cream or whipping cream but honestly you don’t really need them if you are using full fat milk.
About Cold Coffee
Cold Coffee is a popular chilled beverage made with coffee, sugar and milk/water. It is made in so many different ways across the world with varying ingredients like whipping cream, ice cream, coffee syrup etc.
Since this recipe uses milk, I have used a blender to create a thick and frothy cold coffee. However you can also use a mason jar or a milk frother or a shaker bottle to froth it.
In a lot of cafes, Cold Coffee is served with a topping of ice cream & garnished with chocolate syrup. You can also design your serving glass with some melted chocolate and then pour the prepared drink to it. Lastly garnish with ice cream and some chocolate syrup.
Upscale restaurants make this with espresso but for a home version you can use any kind of coffee you prefer including cold brew, instant coffee or filter coffee made from ground coffee beans. So choosing a good coffee to suit your taste is very crucial here.
First coffee decoction/ instant coffee is made which is of higher strength than made for normal coffee since cold coffee is diluted with ice later. So depending on the kind of coffee used adjust the quantity to suit your taste.
Later, chilled milk is blended with the coffee mixture until it turns thick and frothy.
Cold Coffee without Blender
If you do not have a blender, then simply make this in a mason jar or shaker bottle. Make the coffee mixture in the jar and then pour the chilled milk. Secure it and shake it for 1 to 2 minutes. Take care not to over do as you may end up with butter separated on top.
The other way is to simply make the coffee in your serving cup and then pour the chilled milk. Use a milk frother and froth it until you see some froth on top, typically for 1 minute.
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Photo Guide
How to make Cafe Cold Coffee (Stepwise photos)
1. If you want to garnish your serving glasses with chocolate, melt chocolate chips or use chocolate syrup. Pour 1 tablespoon chocolate across the inner side of the serving glass. Keep them in the fridge for 5 mins.
2. Add 1½ to 2 tablespoon instant coffee granules or powder. You can even use ¼ cup strong cold brew or filter coffee decoction.
3. Add 4 tablespoons fine sugar or powdered sugar. Adjust to taste.
4. Add 4 tablespoons warm water to the blender jar. Skip water if using cold brew or filter coffee.
5. Run the blender until the coffee becomes frothy meaning sugar and coffee has dissolved completely.
6. It turns frothy as shown in the picture.
7. Add 1½ cup chilled milk.
7. Add 4 to 6 ice cubes & 2 scoops vanilla ice cream (optional). I do not like diluted cold coffee so I prefer to use milk cubes instead of ice cubes. This will give you a thicker drink and richer like the one with ice cream.
8. Blend until frothy. Do not over do else you will end up with butter on top.
Then pour it to the garnished glass. If you want you can top with ice cream and drizzle some chocolate syrup.
Serve cold coffee immediately.
Pro Tips
- The strength of the coffee decoction or instant coffee mixture must be higher than it is made for normal coffee since the drink is diluted with ice later. So it becomes flavorless unless you add a good amount of coffee to suit your taste.
- Use full fat chilled milk as this helps to create a thick froth over your drink. If you are not using pasteurized milk, then heat the milk, cool it and chill in the refrigerator. Then use it in the recipe.
- Here I have used milk ice instead of regular ice cubes. It kind of gives you a extra rich iced coffee similar to adding ice cream. You can also use regular ice cubes but I feel the taste dilutes as the ice cubes melt. It’s a personal choice and feel free to use what you like.
Faqs
Yes both are same. It is just coffee that is served cold with ice. However there are numerous variations to make it & actually means different in every country. Some versions have milk while others don’t. Indian cold coffee is similar to a coffee shake.
No! A lot of times Iced coffee is simply made with instant coffee & uses hot or warm water, while cold brew uses coffee grounds & is steeped in cold water. Iced coffee can be made with cold brew coffee.
Yes you can make it with any kind of coffee. You just prepare the coffee first and then blend together with other ingredients for a refreshing café style drink.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Cold Coffee Recipe (Cafe Style)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1½ to 2 tablespoons instant coffee (or ¼ cup strong cold brew or filter coffee decoction)
- 4 tablespoons fine sugar or powdered sugar (adjust to taste)
- 1½ cup full fat milk chilled
- 4 to 6 ice cubes or milk cubes
- 4 tablespoons luke warm water
- 2 to 4 scoops vanilla ice cream (optional, 2 for blending, 2 for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup or choco chips or chocolate (optional)
Equipment
- Blender with a jar capacity of over 500 ml
Instructions
- Pour a tablespoon of melted chocolate or chocolate syrup across the inner side of the serving glasses. Pop it in the fridge for 5 minutes.
How to Make Cold Coffee
- Add coffee, sugar and warm water to a blender jar. Run the machine till the mixture turns frothy to ensure sugar and coffee are dissolved completely.
- Pour chilled milk, ice cubes and ice cream (2 scoops, optional)
- Blend again for 2 minutes until the cold coffee turns frothy, thick and creamy.
- Pour cold coffee to the garnished glass. Scoop the ice cream and gently top the drink and garnish with little chocolate syrup.
Video
Watch Cold Coffee Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
I prepare cold coffee as per your instructions. My kids loved it. Thanks for sharing perfect recipe.
It’s helpful for me. Thanks a lot
Best cold coffee ever I have made and tried
Amazing cold coffee! Tried it for the second time and it tastes fantastic. I only had to use a little more coffee.
Very good test but one question what is the shelf life in refrigerator
Thank you. You can keep it for 2 days.
This was very helpful and I learnt how to make cold coffee myself. Thank you for the yummy recipes.
Glad to know Sneha.
Delicious cold coffee! Trusted this recipe and used frozen milk ice, surprisingly it tasted fantastic! So good thick, frothy and creamy. My new favorite ?
Thanks Amrita! So glad you like it
Yummy.. Cold coffee came out awesome
Thanks Shivani
Can we use chocolate essence in place of chocolate syrup
Hi Sai,
Yes you can use a few drops of chocolate essence for flavoring while blending. But essence and syrup are used for different purposes and cannot be substituted one for the other. You can use chocolate essence in preparation of ragi, puddings, plain milk, coffee, fudge, cakes etc
Love this cold filter coffee recipe. Cant wait to try it out
how much time to shake coffee to mak it frothy mine went too bad with buttery above
Hi,
It depends on the blender. If you are using a high speed blender just 50 to 60 seconds is good enough. For normal blenders, 2 mins is fine. Looks like you over blended it.
Maam I did not used blender i used bottle can u tell about bottle shaking method
Hi,
Shake it for 1 to 2 mins. I have made it many times and it takes in between 1 to 2 mins. Use full fat chilled milk. I have tried it only with homogenized milk. I am not sure if that works differently with non-homogenized milk
A week ago i made cold coffee but after shaking i saw buttery type thing above
suggest me the exact time to shake the mixture
Can’t believe milk ice can make such a good cold coffee. This turned out very good like in cafes.
Thanks Sylvia
Glad to know!
Very nice
Hi Swasthi,
I am new to your site , My husband is on a strict diet ( weight reduction process ) Can you introduce a section for people like me who wants to make healthy & tasty but fat free food ( breakfast, lunch, snacks , dinner ) as am not too sure what kind of food I should make for him which should serve his purpose as well as mine ( For him it should be in his healthy diet and for me it should be tasty 🙂 )
Hi Kanya
I have not shared any fat free food recipes.
Made today it turn out really good. Thank you mam
Welcome Digvijay
Glad to know you liked it.