Vanilla Iced Coffee

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I love iced coffee.

Vanilla Iced Coffee

I could chug it until I get the shakes.

Vanilla Iced Coffee

And sometimes I even do.  Both chug it AND get the shakes.

Vanilla Iced CoffeeBut it’s well worth the jitter fingers.

My method & “recipe” for making Iced Coffee:

Brew coffee as usual

Drink all the hot coffee you want and take whatever is left over and put that in the refrigerator.  That becomes tomorrow’s chilled coffee for iced coffee.

I don’t recommend making iced coffee with freshly brewed hot coffee.  I do it in a pinch but the hot coffee melts the ice, it gets watered down, and it’s not ideal.

You can also add excess coffee to ice cube trays and freeze.  The resulting iced coffee cubes are excellent to use as the ice for iced coffee.

I never just pour extra coffee down the sink.  It either becomes iced-coffee-coffee or iced-coffee-cubes.

Take the sufficiently chilled/refrigerated coffee, add ice to it.

Add any of the following is of interest to you (or none of this):

milks: half and half, milk, nut milk, flavored creamers (I have previously discussed my love of Coffeemate French Vanilla)

sweeteners: stevia, liquid stevia (I find that liquid stevia is far superior to powdered stevia when working with cold beverages) and NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia Drops are my go-to; real sugar (however there can be dissolving issues whereas “artificial” sweeteners like Splenda, Equal, Sweet ‘n Low will dissolve much better); or use a simple syrup (i.e. 1 part sugar to 1 part water dissolved in boiling water), honey, or agave.

others: vanilla/hazelnut/almond/cocoa bean extract, vanilla bean scrapings, cinnamon

dessert-like iced coffee: cocoa powder, whipped cream/Cool Whip, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate or caramel sauce drizzles on top or lining your cup with chocolate or caramel sauce first

I use lots of French Vanilla Coffeemate, a splash of half & half, and a few drops of NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia drops.

 

NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia drops

Some people shake the whole mixture up in something like a Blender Bottle or a martini shaker or by inverting an empty glass over the top of the full glass with the coffee + ice cubes, but I just stir with a spoon or my straw.

I have to have a straw for iced coffees!

I love the local coffee in Aruba.

local coffee in Aruba

I can drink it hot…

coffee

…or cold.

Vanilla Iced Coffee

I can suck one of these down in a hurry.  Times two.

Vanilla Iced Coffee overhead

I love coffee, in general.

I’ve reviewed dozens of coffee brands

…from TJ’s

Canister of Dark Sumatra Whole Bean Coffee

to Starbucks

to flavored Smores Coffee

And I’ve posted about Caffeine AddictionOh well. But I do love coffee, caffeine and all.

I came up with a Vegan Caramel Macchiato recipe because I was sick of paying for them!  Very pricey little habits at Starbucks, and those aren’t vegan, of course. Even if you don’t have an espresso maker, brew some strong coffee, buy a cheapie milk frother, add your caramel sauce and you’re done.
Vegan Caramel Macchiato

 

Overhead of Vegan Caramel Macchiato in mug

Vegan Caramel Macchiato

Overhead of Vanilla iced coffee in glass

Close up of top of glass of coffee

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Comments

  1. I never throw extra coffee away either! Just like you, I drink some hot and then the rest goes in the fridge for iced coffee! In fact, I’m drinking an iced coffee right now (with NuNaturals Vanilla Stevia drops) – so refreshing and delicious! :)

  2. I love your love for coffee! It’s one of the reason I adore your blog! I am crazy about coffee. I really try to stick to 16 oz of iced coffee per day as too much caffeine doesn’t mesh well with my body chemistry. I drink iced coffee year-round – even in the ice cold NY winter. I L.O.V.E. The richer and more full-bodied the coffee the more I love it. Gosh I could go on and on about my love for coffee but I will stop there. Hope you’re enjoying yourself in beautiful Aruba! I stayed at the Hyatt there when I was 11 and it was awesome.

  3. I always make “extra” coffee with the intention of having some for iced coffee the next day but I always end up drinking it all! I didn’t think to freeze them though! I won’t ever toss even my little bit that I have left. Thanks for the tips!

  4. Gotta have my coffee every morning. Dunkin Donuts Dark Blend is my favorite, and thank you for the iced coffee tutorial. I order iced coffee at coffee shops, but for some reason never make it at home. This will change! :)

  5. Coffee ice cubes?! I’m making that! I’m an espresso drinker, so iced coffee always seemed maybe too meh to me – I’ve never tasted it but your pics always made me want to try! I love cold coffee, though, same with my mum, half the coffee while it’s piping hot – the rest when it’s gotten totally cold, haha…

    I used to take my coffee thin with milk – I had an ulcer and when my stomach upset continued I thought that was a good idea. Turns out I’m crazy lactose intolerant, ha! One of nature’s little happy accidents…I always like espresso better than anything so now I am back to straight up single espresso, all black no sugar – yeeees! I am making this the summer I will try your iced coffee with coffee ice cubes. Not yet, though – sitting here in a sweater, will be saving it for when (if?) it gets hot out!

  6. i think you just changed my life with the mention of FREEZING ice coffee into coffee cubes! omg that is so freakin simple and I cannot believe i never thought of it!! yes I love iced coffee and always brew then chill THEN dirnk…never drop cubes into hot coffee, it tastes like watered down somethinggg, but certainly not coffee! thank you for the tips! i love iced coffee and live off of it in the summer time! i usually always have some chilling in my fridge!

  7. During the winter, I was obsessed with hot coffee and coconut cream. Just last week, I became obsessed with iced coffee (with coffee cubes ;) ) with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. SO good. And I especially love blending the iced coffee cubes to make a iced coffee slushy ;)

  8. Once again a post that you were nervous about posting (Blogging 101) was very well received by your readers. Hurrah! Love it when that happens.

    I’m not a coffee drinker. In fact, I don’t even like the smell of coffee. More for the rest of you :)

  9. I love, love, love iced coffee too! SO glad its summer because thats my favorite time to drink it!! Definitely going to make some iced coffee cubes :)

  10. Funny that you mention iced coffee…I have been craving them like crazy lately and have been loving making my own, too! Sure, a trip to Starbucks is always a bunch of fun, but making them at home is super easy and doesn’t cost a dime. :D I love Nunaturals in mine!

  11. That looks so darn good. My favorite summertime drink is an iced latte. I actually just by a doppio espresso (double shot of espresso) from Starbucks and make up my own latte at home.

  12. I LOVE iced coffee! Much more than hot coffee. Like you, I could drink it until I get the shakes… or until my tummy starts to protest. So delish! That second pic is perfect and I think you should submit it. :) Iced coffee is so refreshing in warm weather. Something about it… yummm! I think I’ll buy one next time I’m out. Although, Starbucks isn’t nearly as good as Coffeemate or International Delight, lol.

    I noticed that my mom’s ID is made with palm oil, no longer with hydrogenated oils, so that’s a plus! It’s a health food now, LOL. ;)

    1. thanks for lmk which pic you liked! i was going to submit them actually :) and would have but had to make a groc store run, deal with the local bank down here, ya know, “fun” stuff. lol

      submitting is later’s project. :)

  13. I LOVE iced coffee. Sipping on it as a I type actually. I love your idea for the iced coffee iced cubes!

  14. I love iced coffee but it never turns out tasting good when I’m at home. I’ll have to try this!

  15. I can’t stand the stuff, no matter what you do to it. I once had them add extra shots of sweetener, caramel flavoring, anything to try and mask the taste. And ALL I can taste is coffee. My best friend lives on the stuff and one Christmas she got some sort of gingerbread concoction, she swore that she couldn’t taste the coffee at all and it tasted like drinking a gingerbread cookie. I practically spat it out after I tasted it! Gingerbread my butt! It was all coffee. Blech, blech, blech. But caffeine and me do not mix anyway, so I guess it just was not meant to be!