The Best Iced Coffee Ever

This iced coffee is simply the best, thanks to one unexpected key ingredient: sweetened condensed milk! This frothy, creamy beverage is perfect on a hot summer day.

Cold coffee = meh. However, with a few simple tweaks, you can make the most delicious iced coffee ever. No fancy ingredients. No need to make even simple syrup! My recipe only has a handful of ingredients that you likely have right now in your home.

On those hot summer days, I love switching out my regular coffee for a perfect iced coffee, but I don’t always want to spend the money to buy one from my favorite coffee shop.

Luckily, this iced coffee is a cinch to make, and you don’t need specialty coffee like cold brew or espresso—just regular brewed coffee works great! You can even use instant coffee if you like! 

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Blend all of the ingredients together and pour them into a tall glass for the perfect sweet, cool beverage.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• Perfect way to use up that pot of leftover coffee from breakfast.
• This simple recipe makes THE best iced coffee ever, in my opinion!
• A coffee drinker favorite recipe.
• No need to use any kind of vanilla syrup or buy any specialty ingredients.
• Ready to enjoy in minutes.
• Sweet, creamy and cold.
• Serve in a mason jar if you want to get fancy, but any kind of glass will work.
• No fancy equipment needed. Just a blender!

Ingredients

The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.

• Brewed coffee: All you’ll need for this is freshly brewed coffee from your pot of coffee, but instant will also work.
• Sweetened condensed milk: This is the secret ingredient that will make your coffee sweet and creamy.
• Milk: A little bit of milk ups the creamy factor for the coffee. Use whole milk to make it extra creamy.
• Vanilla extract: A hint of vanilla extract is where we get our vanilla flavor from!
• Ice cubes: To cool the hot coffee down.
• Cinnamon: A dash of cinnamon at the end makes this extra yummy.

How to Make Iced Coffee

Follow along to learn how to make iced coffee. It’s the BEST!

• Step One: Combine all the ingredients in a blender.

• Step Two: Blend until ice is crushed and drink is mixed. Serve immediately.

What to Serve with It

• Baked goods are a great option! Try my Banana Cake, Shoofly Pie or Pineapple Cake.
• Fresh fruit is a light option. I love a bowl of fresh berries or even my Rainbow Fruit Salad.
• Sandwiches. Pair with a yummy sandwich for lunch like my Honey Banana Grilled Cheese Sandwich or a Chicken Salad Sandwich.
• Pancakes with maple syrup. I love my Cinnamon Banana Pancakes for breakfast with an iced coffee instead of a regular cup of coffee.
• Chocolate is always a great idea. Try my Chocolate Mousse Cake or Chocolate Zucchini Cake.

Variations and Substitutions

• Use your favorite coffee. I like strong coffee (love my dark roast coffee), but you can use milder coffee beans to make your coffee.
• Pick the milk of your choice. Use coconut milk, almond milk or oat milk instead of cold milk.
• For a super creamy version, use heavy cream.
• Make coffee ice cubes instead of regular ice cubes by adding coffee to an ice cube tray and freezing.
• Make an iced latte instead by using espresso shots instead of regular ground coffee that’s been brewed.
• Add a pump of chocolate syrup instead of vanilla extra to make a chocolate iced coffee.
• Don’t blend the ice cubes in the blender with the rest of the ingredients. Add them to a large glass and pour the coffee mixture over top.
• Try coconut extract instead of vanilla extract.

​Storage Instructions

​Fresh is best for making a great iced coffee. I recommend making it when you are ready to drink it. You can store it in the fridge if you need to for a day or so, but make sure it’s covered so it doesn’t absorb any strange smells from the fridge.

Can I Freeze?

I don’t recommend freezing iced coffee. Make it fresh!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Use freshly brewed hot coffee for the best taste.
• ​Use strong coffee since you’ll be diluting it quite a bit with ice and other ingredients and you want to still taste the coffee.
• Make it when you’re ready to drink it for the most optimal experience.

Flavorings and Syrups to Try

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• Vanilla. I use vanilla extract, but you could try vanilla syrup if you wish.
• Caramel. Add a teaspoon or so of caramel sauce. Butterscotch sauce would also be tasty.
• Hazelnut. Hazelnut syrup will give a nutty flavor.
• Chocolate. Add a squeeze of chocolate syrup for a rich mocha flavor.
• Peppermint. Add peppermint syrup for a refreshing minty flavor.
• Coconut. Add coconut extract or coconut syrup for a tropical vibe.
• Almond. Almond syrup will bring a beautiful nuttiness.
• Maple. Maple syrup will add an amazing slightly earthy taste.

Can You Make It with Hot Coffee?

Absolutely! While you can cool coffee overnight or use cold brew, hot coffee works just fine here. The ice cubes included in this recipe will cool it down. 

Is It Just Cold Coffee?

Not really, no. It’s typically made by brewing hot coffee by whatever method you choose, and then cooling the coffee down with ice cubes. Adding the extra ingredients like milk and sweetened condensed milk tones down the bitterness and strength of the coffee making it more yummy to drink.

FAQ

More Coffee Recipes You’ll Love

• Cinnamon Cappuccino
• Coconut Coffee Milkshake
• Dulce de Leche Coffee Milkshake
• Maple Latte
• Gingerbread Latte
• Nutella Coffee Milkshake
• Maple Coffee Milkshake
• Cinnamon Roll Coffee Milkshake

You’ll also like this Shirley Temple drink.

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