Guide · Manual brewers
How to make iced coffee at home: five easy methods
Iced coffee, iced latte, cold brew, whipped coffee and frappé: simple recipes with measurements, plus the kit and shop-bought shortcuts that help.
If you’re wondering how to make iced coffee at home, the good news is that you don’t need special kit. Strong coffee, ice and milk will get you most of the way. This guide covers five methods, from a two-minute iced latte to overnight cold brew. The measurements come from BBC Good Food’s published recipes, and we’ve added UK prices for the few extras that help. We haven’t tested this in person. Read how we compare.
How to make iced coffee at home: the basics
Whatever method you choose, three things make the difference:
- Strong coffee. Ice melts and waters the drink down, so start stronger than you would for a hot cup.
- Cooled coffee. BBC Good Food’s basic recipe tells you to let hot coffee cool completely before you blend it with ice.
- Sweetener that dissolves. Granulated sugar struggles in cold liquid. BBC Good Food suggests sugar syrup or maple syrup, or stirring sugar into espresso while it’s still hot.
Method 1: classic iced coffee (any brewer)
This works with coffee from a cafetière, filter machine, pod machine or moka pot.
- Brew 200ml of strong black coffee and let it cool completely.
- Blend it with 50ml of milk and a couple of handfuls of ice.
- Sweeten with sugar syrup or maple syrup if you like.
That’s BBC Good Food’s recipe, which also says oat or almond milk can replace dairy. If you don’t have a blender, pour the cooled coffee and milk over a full glass of ice and stir.
Who it isn’t for: anyone in a hurry. Cooling the coffee takes time, so brew a batch earlier and keep it in the fridge.
Method 2: iced latte (espresso or pods)
An iced latte is the quickest option if you have an espresso machine or a pod machine.
- Brew two espresso shots.
- While they’re hot, stir in two tablespoons of sugar until it dissolves (or less, to taste).
- Pour over a glass of ice to chill the espresso.
- Add 100ml of milk and stir.
Those quantities are from BBC Good Food’s iced latte recipe. Two tablespoons of sugar makes a sweet drink, so cut it back or leave it out if you prefer.
Pod owners have extra options. T3 reported on 5 June 2026 that Nespresso had launched a summer iced coffee range for Vertuo machines, including limited-edition flavours. Limited editions come and go, and Nespresso’s UK site wouldn’t load for us on 3 Oct 2026, so we can’t confirm what’s available now.
For a café-style topping, cold milk foam works well on an iced latte. See the best milk frothers for cold foam.
Who it isn’t for: anyone without an espresso or pod machine. Method 1 or method 4 will suit you better.
Method 3: cold brew (overnight)
Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold or room-temperature water for hours instead of brewed with hot water. It takes planning, but a batch lasts several drinks.
BBC Good Food’s method:
- Coarsely grind 50g of coffee beans.
- Add the grounds and 400ml of water to a large jug.
- Leave to steep for one day.
- Filter out the grounds.
- Serve one part cold brew to two parts water, then adjust to taste and add milk or sweetener if you like.
A jug and a sieve lined with a paper filter will do, but a dedicated cold brew maker keeps the grounds contained. Hario’s Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Maker, for example, comes as a 1-litre version in Mocha. Check price at Hario UK. Hario says you fill the filter cone with coffee, add room-temperature water, stir the top grounds, then refrigerate for at least eight hours before removing the filter. See it at Hario UK.
Some bean-to-cup machines now have a cold brew setting. Currys lists Cold brew among the programmes on the Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601UK, which was £579.99 at Currys, checked 3 Oct 2026. That’s a lot to spend for iced drinks alone, but it may suit you if you want a bean-to-cup machine anyway. Read our Ninja Luxe Café review for more. See it at Currys.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants iced coffee today. BBC Good Food’s recipe steeps for a full day.
Method 4: whipped (Dalgona) coffee with instant
This is the one to try if you only have instant coffee. BBC Good Food’s method is to whisk instant coffee, boiling water and sugar for about five minutes, until the mixture is thick and fluffy with stiff peaks. It recommends a hand mixer. Pour cold milk into two glasses and spoon the whipped coffee on top.
Any jar of instant will do. Nescafé Gold Blend 190g was £8.35 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: anyone without a hand mixer or the patience for five minutes of whisking.
Method 5: frappé (blender)
A frappé is a blended, slushy iced coffee. BBC Good Food’s version blends 200ml of brewed coffee, 50ml of milk and a couple of tablespoons of sugar syrup with a handful of ice cubes, until it’s foamy and the ice has broken into slush. It suggests ice cream or whipped cream on top for a treat.
Who it isn’t for: anyone without a blender that can crush ice. Check your blender’s instructions before adding ice.
Shop-bought shortcuts
If you’d rather skip brewing altogether, supermarkets sell concentrates and sachets you can pour over ice. At Morrisons on 3 Oct 2026, we found:
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Nescafé Classic Unsweetened Espresso Coffee Concentrate, 500ml | £4.00 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026 |
| Kenco Iced/Hot Salted Caramel Sachets, 20 x 20.3g | £4.50 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026 |
Follow the dilution and serving instructions on the pack, as they vary between products.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants to control the strength and sweetness from scratch.
Which method should you choose?
- Have an espresso or pod machine? Make an iced latte (method 2).
- Have a cafetière or filter machine? Brew strong and chill it (method 1).
- Happy to plan ahead? Make cold brew (method 3).
- Only have instant? Try whipped coffee (method 4).
Where to go next
If cold brew is your thing, our guides to the best cold brew coffee makers and the best coffee for cold brew will help you pick kit and beans. For a stronger hot brew to chill for method 1, see how to use a cafetière.
FAQ
Can you make iced coffee with instant coffee? Yes. Whipped (Dalgona) coffee uses instant whisked with boiling water and sugar, served over cold milk.
How long does cold brew take to make? BBC Good Food’s recipe steeps for one day. Hario’s instructions for its Mizudashi maker say at least eight hours in the fridge.
How do you stop iced coffee tasting watery? Start with strong coffee and let it cool before you add ice, as BBC Good Food’s recipe does.
How do you sweeten iced coffee? Use sugar syrup or maple syrup, or dissolve sugar in the coffee while it’s still hot.