Last verified 17 September 2026
Copycat Cold Brew Recipe
How to build the 7 Brew Cold Brew at home — 5 ingredients, 8 minutes, 318 calories a serving, and roughly $2.21 cheaper per drink than the $4.86 you would pay at the window. This is the recipe I keep coming back to when I am not standing in line.
What you are aiming for — a Cold Brew off the board. The stand's Medium is 318 calories; this version comes in at 318.
A Cold Brew is a coldbrew build. Cold brew is a patience recipe, not a technique recipe. Coarse grind, cold water, 12 to 16 hours, and critically — no squeezing the grounds at the end. That is the single thing that makes home cold brew bitter.
At a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 8 minutes |
| Cook time | No cooking |
| Total time | 8 minutes |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Yield | 1 drink (16 oz) |
| Calories (per serving) | 318 kcal |
| Sugar | 39 g |
| Caffeine | 126 mg |
| Home cost | $2.65 |
| Stand price (Medium) | $4.86 |
| You save | $2.21 (45%) |
Ingredients
- 120 ml cold brew concentrate
- 90 ml whole milk
- no syrup — drink it clean
- a cold foam cap
- Ice
Equipment
- 1 L jar
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Paper filter
- 16 oz glass
How to make it
- Combine 100 g of coarsely ground coffee with 800 ml of cold filtered water in a jar. Stir once, cap it, and leave it out for 12-16 hours (or in the fridge for 18).
- Strain through a sieve, then again through a paper filter. Do not press or squeeze the grounds — that is what makes home cold brew bitter.
- Fill a 16 oz glass with ice and pour 120 ml of cold brew concentrate over it.
- Stir in no syrup — drink it clean. Cold liquid dissolves sugar slowly, so give it a proper 20 seconds.
- Float whole milk on top and let it fall through the drink in ribbons, then add a cold foam cap.
- Cold brew keeps 5 days refrigerated — this is the one to batch on a Sunday.
Tips that actually matter
- Grind coarse, like raw sugar. Fine grounds over-extract and go muddy.
- Never press or squeeze the grounds when straining.
- It keeps 5 days in the fridge — batch it once a week.
Variations
- Vanilla cold brew: 2 tsp of vanilla syrup.
- Cold brew with sweet cream instead of milk.
- Nitro-style: charge it in a whipped cream siphon for the cascade.
What it costs to make at home
| Component | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 120 ml cold brew concentrate | $0.55 |
| 90 ml whole milk | $0.48 |
| no syrup — drink it clean | $0.35 |
| a cold foam cap | $0.35 |
| Ice | $0.35 |
| Total per serving | $2.65 |
| Stand price (Medium 24 oz) | $4.86 |
| Saving per drink | $2.21 |
Costs assume supermarket prices and a syrup bottle amortised over roughly 25 drinks. The first drink is more expensive than $2.65 because you are buying the bottle; by the fifth drink you are clearly ahead.
How this recipe compares
Across all 46 copycat recipes on this site, this one is the 20th fastest at 8 minutes and the 31st lightest at 318 calories — 16 calories above the 302-calorie average.
Same technique (coldbrew)
More Coffee Classics recipes
Verified · prices & nutrition are estimates — confirm at your stand