There is something so amazing about that first sip of coffee shop iced coffee. Why is it that a Starbucks iced coffee tastes so much better than one you make at home? There has to be a secret! We set out to find out what that secret is.

After lots of trials, we created an incredible iced coffee that is just as good, if not better, than any drink you can get at your local Starbucks.

We think we cracked the code! Give our Starbucks iced coffee recipe a try and you will never need to buy expensive iced coffee ever again.

What is Iced Coffee?

Iced coffee is simply brewed coffee that has been chilled. Iced coffee can be sweetened, flavored or mixed with milk. It is usually served over ice with a straw.

There are lots of different ways to order an iced coffee, just as there are a lot of ways to order a hot coffee. The way you like your iced coffee may be quite similar to the way you like your hot coffee. And, just like you can customize your hot coffee, you can also order an iced coffee at Starbucks to be created just the way you like it!

Ingredients in a Starbucks Iced Coffee

Ice and extra strong brewed coffee concentrate is what you’ll get when you order an iced coffee at Starbucks. However you can customize your drink to be the way you want it. Ask for an iced coffee with skim milk, with cream or with your favorite non dairy milk. If you ask for sweetened iced coffee, you will get a drink with added simple syrup. You can ask for sugar free sweetener or a flavored sweetener as well. All options will work!

Our copycat Starbucks iced coffee recipe is made light and sweet. This is how it is ordered most often and we wanted to go with the most popular version. Here are the ingredients we use to make our iced coffee recipe:

Water- You need water to brew the coffee. We use cold water to make cold brewed coffee concentrate so the drink is extra strong. This brewing method does take a little longer but the flavor and strength of the drink is worth it.
Coffee- Choose your favorite brand of ground coffee. Any kind will work! Just be sure to use finely ground coffee, not whole coffee beans.
Sugar- We sweeten our coffee concentrate with just a little sugar, adding a small amount of sweetness in a very easy way. We don’t add too much sugar to the coffee concentrate, allowing you to adjust the sweetness of the drink later on.
Simple syrup- Adding simple syrup to the cold brewed coffee is the best way to make it as sweet as you’d like. Simple syrup dissolves right into the drink and you can easily add a little more or a little less based on your personal preferences. You can buy simple syrup or make your own with our easy to follow recipe.
Half and half- half and half adds a rich, creamy taste to the iced coffee. It instantly cuts the strong coffee flavor and makes it taste almost like a dessert. Feel free to use your favorite non dairy milk or skip the half and half all together.

These ingredients may look pretty familiar. They are essentially what you need when you make any kind of coffee drink. It's really all about how you put it all together!

How to Make Iced Coffee Like Starbucks

So how do you take all those simple ingredients and put them together to create a perfect iced coffee? What is the best way to make iced coffee? Here is what you need to do:

Start by making the coffee concentrate. Pour the cold water over the coffee grounds in a large pitcher or big mason jar.
Boil the remaining water and stir in the sugar. Pour this syrup into the water and coffee grounds and then cover the pitcher and let the mix sit for 24 hours.
Strain the coffee grounds and discard them.
Store the brewed coffee concentrate in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy it.
To make an iced coffee, pour ½ cup of the coffee concentrate into a glass filled with ice.
Add your favorite sweetener and milk then stir.
Enjoy while cold!

Isn’t making your own iced coffee so much easier than going to Starbucks and paying tons of money for a simple drink? And this recipe makes enough coffee concentrate to make 10 drinks! Keep the coffee concentrate in the fridge and you can quickly make yourself a Starbucks iced coffee whenever you’d like!

You Asked, We’re Answering

Do you have questions about how to make iced coffee? Hopefully we can help! Leave your specific questions in the comment section below and we will try to get back to you ASAP. In the meantime, take a look at these frequently asked questions and answers and you may be surprised by what you learn.

What is a good iced coffee from Starbucks?

There are quite a few different iced coffees on the Starbucks menu and they change all the time. Here are a few of the most popular iced coffee drinks at Starbucks.

Starbucks cold brew coffee
Iced caramel macchiato
Iced chocolate shaken espresso
Salted Caramel cold brew
Starbucks nitro cold brew coffee
Iced white chocolate mocha

Is Starbucks iced coffee the same as espresso?

No, they are not the same. Iced espresso is made with robusto espresso shots. Iced coffee is made with chilled brewed coffee. While they are both cold coffees, they are made differently and taste different, too.

What is Starbucks most popular drink?

The caramel macchiato and the caramel frappuccino are two of Starbucks most popular drinks. The pumpkin spice latte is a fall classic that has an almost cult-like following. Nitro cold brew is also quite popular currently as a new, trendy cold coffee.

How do you order Starbucks iced coffee sweet?

If you want your iced coffee to be sweet, ask for simple syrup or flavored syrups to be added to the coffee. Syrups will dissolve into the iced coffee easily, making it sweet and flavorful.

Starbucks Iced Coffee Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Recipe by Mocktail.net

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Ingredients

Iced Coffee Concentrate:
5 cups water
8 ounces coffee grinds
½ cup sugar
Iced Coffee:
Ice
½ cup iced coffee concentrate
1 Tbsp simple syrup
1 Tbsp half and half

Directions

Bring one cup of water to a boil and stir in the sugar to dissolve it.
Pour the coffee grind into a large pitcher then add the remaining 4 cups of water to the pitcher.
Pour in the sugar syrup and stir.
Cover the pitcher and place it in the fridge for 24 hours.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and place a coffee filter inside the sieve.
Pour the coffee mix through the coffee filter in the sieve, straining out all the coffee grinds.
Keep this coffee concentrate in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Fill a tall glass with ice.
Pour ½ cup of the coffee concentrate into the glass.
Add 1 tablespoon of the simple syrup to the glass along with the half and half.
Stir and then enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Any kind of milk will work in this iced coffee recipe. You can easily make it dairy free by using oat milk, soy milk or almond milk.
• Use stevia or erythritol to make the coffee concentrate and also to sweeten the iced coffee.
Tools:
• Measuring spoon
• Measuring cup
• Large pitcher or half gallon Mason Jar
• Fine mesh sieve
• Coffee filters
• Small pot
• Airtight container