Frozen coffee is an easy treat that can be made with any leftover coffee. It is a delicious and customizable drink perfect for any occasion.
What is frozen coffee?
We’ve all heard of iced coffee, but frozen coffee is still a relatively new creation with lots to explore. It is served at most modern coffee shops and coffee chains. Frappuccinos, frappes, and iced cappuccinos are all forms of frozen coffee.
This coffee has a slushy consistency. They are thinner and more liquidy than a milkshake but creamier than an ICEE. Most of the time, it is made from coffee that was initially brewed hot.
Like how iced coffee is made, frozen coffee is brewed with a machine drip brewer and starts off as a hot beverage. The coffee is allowed to cool in a refrigerated environment and is then blended with ice to freeze it.
It is important to allow the hot coffee to cool off before blending it with the ice. Doing this will allow the coffee to maintain its frozen texture and leads to fewer technical complications. It can be hard to get the ingredient ratio correct but once you do, it is the perfect treat.
This coffee is made from hot coffee that has been cooled off, whole milk, ice, and additional flavorings. Whipped cream is often added on top to give it a pleasing aesthetic while adding to its creamy flavor.
Most coffee shops and coffee chains use blenders to properly crush the ice and blend the ingredients to perfection. Blenders are the easiest way to make this coffee. Because the machine does most of the work, this coffee is an easy beverage to make and customize.
There are hundreds of frozen coffee flavors to choose from. Some of the most notable flavors include caramel, mocha, white mocha, vanilla, and hazelnut. Getting creative with your frozen coffee can upgrade any plain coffee.
How to Make the Best Frozen Coffee?
Although it is not difficult to make, it contains a few steps that are very different from other brewing methods. It is a very cold coffee that is usually made from hot brewed coffee.
Cooling down hot coffee is difficult to do without ruining its flavor or integrity. Coffee that cools on a counter will lose a lot of flavors and will often have a sour or extra bitter taste to it. This does not make good frozen coffee.
Coffee that has been cooled off with ice cubes is not ideal either. This is because the hot coffee begins to melt the ice cubes resulting in a very watery coffee. Yuck. The best way to cool off hot coffee is by refrigerating it for a couple of hours.
This means that this coffee does take a bit of preparation and foresight, but your tastebuds will thank you for it. Once the coffee has been adequately cooled off, it is a simple matter of blending all the ingredients and adding delicious toppings.
There are many ways to add flavors to homemade frozen coffee. One of the simplest and most hassle-free ways to make flavored frozen coffee is by purchasing coffee syrups. Coffee syrups come in nearly every flavor imaginable and have a long shelf-life.
Coffee syrups can be used for frozen coffee, iced coffee, hot coffee, and even lattes or espresso. These flavorings are great to have on hand if you are a fan of sweetened coffee. Although coffee syrups are incredibly easy, they cost more money than making your own.
Homemade coffee syrups take 10 minutes to make and last just as long as the store-bought kind. The best part about homemade syrups is that you know exactly what is in them. There are not any strange preservatives or additives to worry about.
Homemade coffee syrups can also be personalized. Frozen coffee is a wonderful way to experiment with flavors and how better to experiment than by making your own syrups? Whether you make your own syrups or buy them from the store, your frozen coffee will turn out delicious.
Delicious Frozen Coffee Tips
Use Cold Brew
Yes, we are making this coffee, but that coffee must be brewed somehow, right? Instead of making frozen coffee with hot brewed coffee, try using cold brewed coffee instead. Hot brewed coffee requires time to cool down and is easily watered down with too much ice.
This isn’t a problem with cold brew. Cold brew coffee does not use heat during its brewing process, so it doesn’t need to cool down. This means that the flavor is preserved.
Cold brew coffee has a stronger taste than hot brewed coffee so it is harder to water down with ice. Not only does it have a strong and mellow taste, but it is naturally sweet. Cold brew coffee is the perfect brew to use for frozen coffee.
Make Coffee Ice Cubes
One of the biggest challenges with making cold coffees is the flavor strength. It is so easy to accidentally water down coffee by adding too much ice. This is an even easier mistake to make with frozen coffee.
Instead of using regular ice cubes, make ice cubes from coffee. After you have had your morning coffee fill, use the leftover coffee to make these ice cubes. They can wait in your freezer until you crave the delicious sweetness of iced coffee.
Using enough coffee ice cubes, you could avoid using liquid coffee altogether. Just add the coffee ice cubes, the milk, and the flavorings to the blender and enjoy!
Use Whole Milk
This tip seems like a no-brainer, but it is worth mentioning. Any coffee beverage sweetened with whole milk tastes ten times better. Whole milk is thick and creamy. It is the perfect addition to your frozen coffee.
Not only will it bring out the naturally bitter coffee flavors, but whole milk will create a slightly thicker frozen coffee. It is made with 2% milk has the texture of slushy, but a frozen coffee made with whole milk has the texture of a Wendy’s frosty. Delicious.
Best Frozen Coffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold coffee (strong)
- 1 cup ice cubes
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons flavored syrup (optional)
- Whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the cold coffee, the ice cubes, the whole milk, and the syrups.
- Pour the blended coffee into a tall glass and top with whipped cream and any additional garnishes.