Craving a delicious iced coffee when you’re not supposed to! Then it’s time to make it happen. Here’s a detailed guide to help you out throughout the process.
I hope you’re having a wonderful day. We’re here to make it even better! So, let’s make something much more delicious today. Recently, I’ve been trying different kinds of iced coffee. Since then, I’ve been stuck with this luscious, creamy, icy caramel coffee. It’s absolutely refreshing, and I assure you if you’re a caramel fan, you’ll absolutely love this recipe.
Since all the ingredients are so easy to find, they might already be in your kitchen. This coffee is easy to make and a great way to enjoy cafe-style coffee in the comfort of your home. If you have some brewed coffee at home, some sugar, milk, creamer,and ice, you’re already good to go. You can just focus on how you like it or how strong or smooth you want to drink it.
This is my go-to coffee recipe since I love caramel iced coffee so much. It tastes just like store-bought or sometimes even better than that. As a coffee lover, this might be your best treat on a hot summer morning. This quick and easy recipe is ideal for hot days or when you need a cold pick-me-up in the afternoon. Since we’ve been going for iced coffee drinks, you can also try this straight, smooth cold brew or go for some creamy iced latte!
WHY YOU SHOULD TRY THIS RECIPE
Now that you’re here let’s just admit that you’re addicted to coffee—and maybe, well, probably just caffeine as a whole. But that’s okay. Since this drink is super low in acid and has a delicious amount of caffeine, this caramel iced coffee is enjoyable if you live in a hotter climate.
- This drink is easy to make and budget-friendly. You don’t need to spend money on something that costs a fraction of what you’d pay at a coffee shop. With the basic ingredients you likely already have, it’s affordable and convenient.
- This caramel iced coffee is incredibly convenient. You don’t need to drive and wait for your creamy, caramel-flavored iced coffee. You can enjoy it whenever you want.
- The drink tastes incredibly smooth and is highly customizable. You can tailor it to your taste using your favorite coffee beans and preferred brewing method. Plus, you can make it as strong or weak as you like. It doesn’t have much of the intensity and bitterness, so It’s definitely worth trying.
In my humble opinion, you should try this recipe. Why not? You don’t need a fancy grinder, a bulky espresso machine, or a lot of equipment. It’s smoother on your palate, gentler on your stomach, and incredibly easy to make. Most importantly, you don’t need to drive anywhere—you can make it at home. It’s cost-efficient, saves you time, and is actually more fun and cheaper than buying it in the store. Let’s dive into this!
FIVE BASIC INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
With these basic ingredients, which you might have at home, you can give it a try and treat yourself to a sip of sweetness.
Strongly Brew Coffee: First and foremost, you will need some strongly brewed coffee. You can use any coffee grounds you prefer; there’s no hard rule. But if you want to beat that Starbucks version yourself, you can use caramel-flavored ground coffee or your regular coffee and store-bought cold brew.
Caramel Sauce: If you want that sweet syrupy punch, you’ll also need some caramel syrup or sauce. It’s super easy to make it yourself at home, and you can even store it for further coffee customization.
Milk: You can add your preferred milk, such as full milk, soy milk, almond milk, or coconut milk. You can use pretty much whatever you want to.
Ice: You need to use fresh ice cubes to get that refreshing, cold, icy flavor that will soothe your soul. The ice cubes should be bigger so they won’t melt that easily, and your coffee won’t be watered down quickly.
Whipped Cream: To get that luscious, thick, creamy iced coffee, add whipped cream on top.
CAFE-LIKE CARAMEL ICED COFFEE
BREW YOUR COFFEE
First, prepare strong coffee using your preferred brewing method. If you have a coffee machine or cold brew coffee, use it. If you don’t have a coffee machine, you can make strong coffee with an AeroPress, French press, Moka pot, or even instant coffee. Many other brewing techniques are available if these methods don’t work for you.
HOMEMADE CARAMEL SAUCE
Add one cup of sugar to a saucepan over medium heat to make caramel sauce. Whisk it constantly for three to five minutes until it melts. Next, add five tablespoons of butter and continue whisking. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit after about two minutes. Once the butter and sugar are fully melted, pour in one cup of cream and stir until the mixture smooths out and combines. Transfer the caramel sauce to a heatproof bowl and let it cool. Enjoy your delicious homemade caramel sauce!
ASSEMBLE THE DRINK
Since we’ve already brewed our coffee, Let’s mix all the ingredients together. You’ll need a tumbler or a tall glass; mix your cold coffee and creamer real well together, then pour the caramel sauce or caramel syrup. You can even drizzle it all over your cup. Then add a bunch of ice in there (you can put your coffee ice cubes if you don’t want that diluted taste in your coffee), then add the mixture of coffee and syrup over ice, and then add the milk of your choice. Top it off with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle with caramel sauce. And that’s it, enjoy!
CAN YOU USE HOT BREW IN ICED COFFEE?
If you don’t let the coffee cool before pouring it over ice, it won’t taste as expected. Pouring a steaming hot cup of coffee over ice will result in a watered-down taste due to the dilution from the melting ice. Obviously, you don’t want this. So, you have two options: either end up with bland-tasting coffee, let your coffee cool by leaving it out, or put it in the refrigerator.
WHAT SHOULD YOU USE? ESPRESSO OR REGULAR COFFEE
Yes, you can definitely use an espresso instead of brewed coffee in this recipe. Making iced coffee with espresso gives completely different results than using cold brew. It’s stronger, punchier, and more sharp than cold brew. However, it tastes much better when you use cooled-down strong coffee. When you add espresso instead of regular coffee, it typically turns into a latte. Although espresso blends well with caramel, it creates a delicious, creamy, and satisfying iced coffee. You’ll also notice that the espresso tastes sharper and has less natural sweetness than when you drink it hot.