Quick Summary: Homemade Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
- Makes about 4 cups of concentrate from 1 cup coarsely ground coffee and 4 cups cold water
- Steeps 12–24 hours in the fridge, no cooking, no specialty equipment
- Just 3 ingredients: coffee, water, and a pinch of salt
- Keeps in the fridge up to 2 weeks
- Dilutes 1:1 with water or milk to serve
Cold brew from a coffee shop runs four to five dollars a cup. Homemade cold brew coffee concentrate costs closer to fifty cents, and it takes about five minutes of hands-on work. The rest is just waiting.
This recipe uses three ingredients: coarse ground coffee, cold water, and a pinch of salt. No cold brew maker, no French press, no specialty pitcher required. A jar with a lid and a fine mesh strainer will get you there.
Follow the ratio below exactly for your first batch. Once you know how you like it, you can start bending the ratio to taste.
Why Make Cold Brew Concentrate at Home
A grande cold brew at a coffee shop costs four to five dollars before tax. A batch of homemade cold brew coffee concentrate made from one cup of coffee costs closer to two dollars total, and it makes about four cups of concentrate. Diluted, that stretches into eight or more servings.
Concentrate also means control. You decide how strong it is, how long it steeps, and what you dilute it with. A batch keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks, so one Sunday session covers coffee for the rest of the week.
There's no cooking involved and no equipment you don't already own. That's the whole appeal of a homemade cold brew coffee concentrate: it asks less of you than a regular pot of coffee, not more.
What You'll Need: 3 Ingredients, No Specialty Equipment
Coarsely ground coffee. Use a medium-dark roast if you want a smooth, chocolatey flavor. Grind it yourself for the freshest taste, or buy coffee pre-ground for a French press.
Cold, filtered water. Tap water works in a pinch, but filtered water gives a cleaner flavor since coffee is mostly water.
A pinch of salt. This is the ingredient most people skip, and it's the one doing the most work. A small pinch smooths out bitterness without making the coffee taste salty. It's an old diner trick, and it holds up here too.
If you don't already have a large jar with a tight lid, something like a half-gallon wide-mouth mason jar works well and doubles as your storage container after straining.
[AAWP block: Ball Wide Mouth Half Gallon Mason Jar]
A fine mesh strainer speeds up the straining step considerably. Look for one sized to sit across the mouth of a pitcher so you can pour straight through it.
[AAWP block: OXO Good Grips Fine Mesh Strainer]
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
Step 1: Grind the coffee coarse. If you're using whole beans, grind them to a texture like coarse sea salt. Pre-ground coffee works too, as long as it's labeled for French press or cold brew, not drip.
Skillet Frame Prompt: Close-up overhead shot, natural home kitchen, high-definition. A hand pouring coarsely ground coffee from a grinder into a large glass jar, the grounds settling into a loose, rough pile with a texture like coarse sea salt, no fine powder visible. Late afternoon light through a kitchen window catches the jar on a wood countertop.
Step 2: Combine the coffee, water, and salt. Add the grounds to the jar, pour in the cold water, and add the pinch of salt. Stir well until every ground is fully wet.
Skillet Frame Prompt: Eye-level shot, natural home kitchen, high-definition. A wooden spoon stirring dark coffee grounds into cold water inside a large glass jar, the water turning deep brown as it mixes, a few loose grounds still floating on the surface. Overhead task lighting above a white kitchen counter.
Step 3: Cover and steep in the fridge. Put the lid on the jar and set it in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. A longer steep makes a stronger, bolder concentrate.
Skillet Frame Prompt: Close-up shot, natural home kitchen, high-definition. A lidded glass jar of steeped coffee sitting on a refrigerator shelf, the liquid dark brown and fully settled with grounds resting at the bottom. Cool, even light from the fridge interior, light condensation visible on the glass.
Step 4: Strain the concentrate twice. Pour the steeped coffee through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pitcher. Line the strainer with a coffee filter or cheesecloth and strain a second time for a clear, grit-free concentrate.
Skillet Frame Prompt: Overhead shot, natural home kitchen, high-definition. Dark coffee concentrate pouring through a cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer into a clear glass pitcher below, the liquid catching the light as it filters through, no steam and no visible grit. Warm pendant light over a wood butcher block.
Step 5: Store and dilute. Pour the strained concentrate into a clean, lidded jar and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. To serve, mix it with an equal part cold water or milk over ice.
Skillet Frame Prompt: Close-up eye-level shot, natural home kitchen, high-definition. Cold brew concentrate pouring over a full glass of ice, the dark liquid swirling against the clear ice cubes before settling, condensation beading on the outside of the glass. Bright natural daylight beside a kitchen window.
Fixing the Three Most Common Cold Brew Mistakes
Your cold brew turned out bitter. “Bitter cold brew is the worst” is a common complaint among home brewers, and it almost always comes down to one of two things: a grind that's too fine, or a steep that ran too long. Use a coarser grind next time and pull the batch at 12 hours instead of letting it go the full 24.
Your cold brew turned out watery or weak. This is a ratio problem, not a timing problem. If you used too little coffee for the amount of water, add more grounds next time. Concentrate is supposed to taste strong on its own. That's the point of diluting it before you drink it.
Your cold brew turned out cloudy or gritty. This is a filtering problem. Strain it a second time through a coffee filter or cheesecloth, and use a coarser grind next time so fewer fine particles slip through the mesh.
Get the Free Cold Brew Ratio Cheat Sheet
Print it and stick it on the fridge: exact ratios for concentrate and single-strength cold brew, plus a steep-time chart so you never have to guess again. Sign up below to get it sent straight to your inbox.
How to Serve Cold Brew Concentrate All Summer
The basic pour is one part concentrate to one part cold water or milk over ice. If you like a stronger cup, use less water. If you prefer something milder, add more.
Milk or a milk alternative turns this into an iced latte with no extra steps. Oat milk and whole milk both work well against the concentrate's bold flavor. If you like a little sweetness, a splash of simple syrup or maple syrup dissolves more evenly into cold coffee than plain sugar does.
Since the concentrate keeps for two weeks, you can build a full week of iced coffee from a single batch. Pour, dilute, add ice, and you're done before the kettle would have even finished boiling on the old method.
A four to five dollar cup of coffee shop cold brew is really just coffee, water, and time. Once you've made a batch of homemade cold brew coffee concentrate yourself, it's hard to go back to paying for the wait. Grind a cup of coffee tonight, get it steeping in the fridge, and by tomorrow you'll have two weeks of cold brew ready to go.
FAQ
Q: How long does homemade cold brew coffee concentrate last in the fridge? Stored in a sealed jar, it keeps for up to two weeks. The flavor is best in the first week, and it turns slightly more bitter the longer it sits.
Q: What's the right coffee-to-water ratio for cold brew concentrate? Start with 1 cup of coarsely ground coffee to 4 cups of cold water for a strong, dilutable concentrate. For an even stronger batch, use 1 cup of coffee to 3 cups of water instead.
Q: Why did my cold brew turn out bitter? The grind was probably too fine, or the batch steeped too long. Use a coarse grind, close to the texture of coarse sea salt, and pull the batch at 12 hours instead of letting it go the full 24.
Q: Why is my cold brew watery or weak? It depends on the ratio you used. If you used too little coffee for the amount of water, add more grounds next time. Remember that concentrate is supposed to taste strong before you dilute it.
Q: Can I use pre-ground coffee instead of grinding my own? Yes. Just make sure it's a coarse grind, like what you'd use for a French press. Pre-ground coffee labeled for drip machines is too fine and will turn the batch bitter and cloudy.
Q: Do I need special equipment to make homemade cold brew coffee concentrate? No. A large jar with a lid and a fine mesh strainer are all you need. A French press works too if you already own one, but it isn't required.
Q: Is cold brew concentrate the same thing as iced coffee? No. Iced coffee is hot-brewed coffee poured over ice, while cold brew concentrate steeps in cold water for 12 to 24 hours and never touches heat. The cold steep is what makes it smoother and less acidic.
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