How to Make Smooth, Balanced Cold Brew at Home

Name: How to Make Smooth, Balanced Cold Brew at Home
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 h
Total time: 12 h
Yield: 4 - 8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 c. Coffee beans; 4 c. Filtered water

The right coffee to water ratio will make all the difference.

By Eva BleyerPublished: Jul 12, 2026

Be the first to review!

Jump to recipe

hiroyuki nakai//Getty Images

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Yields:

4 - 8 serving(s)

Active Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

12 hrs

Total Time:

12 hrs

Cold brew coffee is made by steeping coarsely ground coffee in cold or room-temperature water for an extended period, rather than brewing with hot water. The result is a smooth, balanced iced coffee that's perfect for cooling off on a hot summer day or enjoying as an easy morning pick-me-up. While grabbing a cold brew from your favorite coffee shop is convenient, the cost can add up quickly. The good news? It's easy to make delicious cold brew at home.

As a certified barista and kitchen product expert in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab, I've spent the past five years working with our coffee experts to test nearly a dozen of the best cold brew machines through hands-on evaluations and blind taste tests. That experience has given me a deep understanding of what makes great cold brew, from grind size and brew time to coffee-to-water ratio and filtration. Read on for our foolproof recipe for café-worthy cold brew concentrate.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Ingredients

1 cup Coffee beans
4 cups Filtered water

Directions

Steps for Making Cold Brew Coffee
1. Step 1Coarsely grind your coffee beans in a coffee grinder.
2. Step 2Add ground coffee beans to desired vessel*.
3. Step 3Pour water over ground coffee.
4. Step 4Stir water and ground coffee to ensure complete saturation.
5. Step 5Cover your vessel and let it steep in the refrigerator or on your countertop for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
6. Step 6Strain the cold brew from the coffee grounds using a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a new vessel.
7. Step 7Serve desired amount of cold brew over ice with cold water or dilute with hot water for a hot coffee.
8. Step 8Store remaining cold brew in the refrigerator for a couple of days or up to two weeks for optimal flavor.

This recipe produces a concentrated cold brew, if you prefer your cold brew to not be as strong, dilute 1:1 with filtered water.

*There are four main ways to make cold brew coffee.

French press: If you're not ready to invest in a cold brew-specific coffee maker, it can be made using a French press. After steeping coffee grounds in your French press, filter the cold brew through the built-in stainless steel filter. Keep in mind that the method may yield a cold brew with sediment, which you could double-filter through some cheesecloth.
Mason jar or cold brew pitcher: There are many non-electric cold brew-specific pitchers and makers on the market, like the Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker, which allow you to make cold brew, filter out the grounds with a fine-mesh filter, and store cold brew all in one device. However, you can also use any large mason jar or pitcher you already have and filter the grounds out with a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. This method has yielded full-bodied cold brew in our lab and home testing.
Electric cold brew maker: Designed to speed up what is typically a slow process, electric cold brew makers offer a choice of brew strength and take 5 to 45 minutes to brew. In cold brew maker testing, we found that although faster, most electric cold brew makers fall short in creating the deeply robust flavors that the above methods do.
Cold brew bags: Newer to the market, these bags offer pre-packaged ground coffee that resembles a teabag. No need to choose the right beans, grind them to the right size, and weigh them out yourself. You just need to place a cold brew bag into a pitcher or glass of water, let it steep, and there you have cold brew coffee with very little mess. While we've found this method to be more expensive, it's great if you want to take the guesswork out of making cold brew coffee at home.

Single-origin beans are great for cold brew.

Single-origin coffee comes from a single farm or growing area, rather than a blend of beans from multiple places. Cold brew's slow extraction allows the natural flavor of single-origin beans to shine. However, if you cannot find single-origin beans, a medium to dark roast you enjoy will work well, too. One thing to keep in mind is that the cold brew method enhances richer, chocolaty notes rather than the floral or fruity notes accentuated by hot-brew methods.

Regardless of the bean type, use coarsely ground coffee. Some brands sell pre-ground beans specifically for cold brew, but you can also grind whole beans yourself or ask your local coffee shop to do it for you. A coarse grind filters more easily, allows for better extraction, and produces a smoother, less bitter brew with less sediment.

Pro-tip: If you love your local coffee shop's cold brew, ask what beans they use and brew with those at home.

The ideal coffee-to-water ratio for cold brew coffee is 1:4.

This means that if you want to make a single cup of cold brew, use 1/4 cup of ground coffee with 1 cup of water. If you want to make a larger batch, use 1 cup of ground coffee with 4 cups of water.

You can get creative with your cold brew.

You may have noticed that your favorite coffee shop has cold brew infused with different flavors. You can add cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract or beans, chicory root, brown sugar, shredded coconut, or even mint leaves into your cold brew while it's steeping. This will infuse your cold brew with your favorite flavor without using a sugary flavored syrup.

Cold brew can take anywhere from five minutes to 24 hours to make.

Non-electric cold brew coffee makers take about 12 to 24 hours; for electric cold brew makers, it's about five to 45 minutes. Experiment with different steep times to determine which one tastes the best to you.

You can choose to dilute your cold brew.

Since cold brew is concentrated, most people prefer to dilute it 1:1 with cold water and serve over ice. You can experiment with how strong you want your cup of cold brew, adding different amounts of water. If you prefer an iced latte-style cold brew, I recommend adding cold brew concentrate to milk instead of diluting it with water. Or if you prefer a hot cup of coffee, you can dilute your concentrate with hot water as well.

Cold brew storage time varies.

Recommendations for how long you can store cold brew concentrate vary, ranging from a couple of days to up to two weeks. Over time, however, the coffee will naturally oxidize, causing its flavor to become less fresh and flavorful. Refrigeration slows this process, but it can't stop it entirely.