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Iced coffee is one beverage java junkies can count on for a frosty hit in the spring and summer. But not everyone can have a barista make their iced Americano or mocha frap every day for $3.50 to $5 a pop — that’s gonna hurt when it all adds up.
The good news is that there is no need to go the expensive route because you can make high-quality and impressively flavored iced coffee right at home with your favorite K-Cup and your Keurig. Yes! Keep reading to learn how to make iced coffee with a Keurig for a refreshing treat every day.
How to Make Iced Coffee with a Keurig Right in Your Kitchen
Iced coffee is exactly as the name suggests: Aromatic coffee poured nicely over ice cubes in glass. So simple and perfect! This irresistible beverage was first created around the mid-1800s by French colonial troops stationed in Algeria.
Back then, soldiers used to mix coffee syrup and cold water to counter the Sahara’s hot environment, and it was very refreshing. We’ve come a long way since then, and it is possible to overcome the hot summer temperatures or enjoy a weekend with iced coffee prepared at home.
It is pretty simple, as I’ll demonstrate in this guide. Just have your Keurig on hand and then follow the steps listed in this post to make iced coffee with your favorite flavor.
A Brief Word about Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker
Keurig has stood out on the market because of its outstanding commitment to making high-quality beverage products, such as coffee makers. If you love iced coffee, Keurig now has a special surprise for you, the K-Elite Coffee Maker. It comes with a dedicated “iced coffee” button that brews a stronger cup of hot coffee so that the flavour remains potent even when you pour it on ice or add milk. It’s pretty cool.
When making iced coffee at home, the latest Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker would be a perfect option, but any Keurig model will still work. Use the following steps to make iced coffee to keep you refreshed and awake all day!
How to Make Iced Coffee Using a Keurig in Six Steps
This process of preparing iced coffee is pretty simple, and you can be through in about five minutes. Do not worry if it takes a bit longer or the results are not perfect at first; you will develop the skills to make excellent iced coffee through more practice.
What You Need
To make the process of preparing iced coffee with a Keurig simple, here are the main things that you require.
- Keurig coffee making machine (any model should be okay)
- 8oz measuring cup or jar
- Drinking grass (preferably the tall ones of 120oz-160oz)
- 2 K-Cups
- Ice cubes — optional if you will be following our bonus recipe for making coffee ice cubes to use with iced coffee
- Stirrer or long spoon
- Chocolate syrup, stevia, sugar, caramel, and milk or creamer. These ingredients are optional.
Step 1: Prepare Your Keurig Coffee Making Machine
Once you have gathered all the items listed above, it is time to get down to work. Start by turning on your Keurig coffee maker and setting it to brew the smallest cup size available.
It might also be a good idea to start with two small cups for a solid flavor to overcome possible dilution from melting ice. A strong flavor will also give you the satisfaction of knowing that you can achieve your preferred intensity when preparing iced coffee.
Make sure that the machine has ample water when prepping it to brew your coffee.
Step 2: Select the Preferred K-Cup
It is vital to point out that the strength of the coffee you get depends on the selected type. The good thing is that there are many coffee options out there, from Arabica to Robusta, and it is up to you to pick what you want. We recommend you go for an “extra bold” type of dark roasted coffee for a rich flavor. However, a milder roast would be okay for a person who prefers lighter-tasting coffee.
Once you have identified the preferred coffee, move on and select the K-Cup of choice. There are many types of K-Cups, and you can select either the disposable or reusable types. Suppose you are very conscious about conservation like us. In that case, it is advisable to go for the reusable K-Cups because they deliver greater value for money and help you to cut down the waste getting into the environment.
Step 3: Time to Brew Your Coffee
Place a K-Cup with coffee in position and a large cup onto the tray for easy pouring. Once the setup is ready, hit the button to brew the smallest cup. This gets you the strongest, most concentrated brew. This is to counter the dilution that’ll happen afterward when we add stuff to the coffee.
After the brew is finished in the machine, replace the K-Cup with a new one, and hit the same button again. So at the end of this step, you should have around 12 ounces of strong brewed coffee.
Step 4: Flavor the Coffee to Taste
What flavor do you prefer for your coffee? Like other drinks, you can add your preferred flavored syrup or extract to your coffee — hazelnut, vanilla, caramel — the choices are myriad! You can even experiment with combining flavors — vanilla maple, anyone?
This is also where you’ll add some cold milk. Again, you can have your pick from whole, low-fat, soy, or almond. You’re body will thank you for it because you’ll be adding some extra protein and other nutrients to your drink. If you’re doing the dairy route that means more calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A and 12, and riboflavin, among others. Milk also comes in handy to help cool the coffee before you can make the final pour.
Step 5: Get Your Glass and Ice Ready
Get a tall glass to use with the ice cubes for a cool and relaxing treat. When using ice cubes, it is important to understand they melt very fast to form water and dilute the coffee you are preparing. To counter this challenge, consider using pre-prepared coffee ice cubes. Instead of diluting the coffee, they help to enhance the flavor and just make your iced coffee nice and strong.
Step 6: Pour the Coffee Over Ice
This step comes last because the ice melts pretty fast when add in a hot liquid such as coffee. So, pick some ice cubes and place them in a drinking glass. Then, add coffee while stirring with a long spoon for even thickness. Now, it is time to drink and enjoy the buzz.
There you go! It is actually possible to prepare iced coffee with Keurig coffee makers. The process is also amazingly fast and gets quality results.
Check out the entire process by Alice Z here.
One More Thing: How to Make Coffee Ice Cubes
Making iced coffee in the way I described is so easy and fun. But though it’s quite yummy and moderately strong, you might feel that the ice melts pretty fast and considerably lessens your drink’s coffee hit. You may have started with pretty strong coffee with a strong coffee flavor, but it fades away with the addition of milk and the ice cubes melting.
One of the best methods of addressing this issue is using coffee ice cubes instead of plain ice. You will be adding more coffee into your drink as they melt rather than just water. Here are three main steps of making coffee ice cubes:
Step 1: Start By Brewing a Batch of Coffee Using a Keurig Coffee Maker
Brew enough to fill your desired number of ice trays. If you want the coffee ice cubes to have the same strength as your drink, it is advisable to make your brew settings consistent.
Step 2: Pour Coffee Into Ice Cube Tray
What shape do you want the ice cubes to have? Do you prefer rectangular, circular, oval, or prism-shaped ice blocks? Make sure to get ice cube trays of the preferred shape and pour the coffee you have just made.
Step 3: Freeze for About 6 Hours
Place the ice cube trays in your freezer and leave for about six hours. To ensure your coffee ice cubes are ready on time, it is advisable to prepare them the previous night before going to bed. By the time you will be preparing coffee the following day, be it noon or afternoon, there will be plenty of coffee ice cubes.
Final Thoughts
Iced coffee is irresistible, and this post has demonstrated that you do not have to spend that much to get your fix, nor do you have to have serious barista skills. You can easily DIY it at home and come up with something super delicious.
The six steps we have outlined on how to make iced coffee with a Keurig machine are all that you need. However, it is important to note that if you are brewing coffee directly over the ice, a glass cup is not recommended because the drastic cold to hot temperature difference might crack your glass tumbler. Instead, it would be best if you considered transferring your coffee after the temperatures get homogenized.
The entire process of making this iced coffee, from preparing the machine to pouring the coffee into a glass of ice cubes, allows you to customize and personalize your drink to your specific preferences. Furthermore, you can mix it up and experiment with other flavors and flavor combos instead of simply relying on the few ready-made coffee options.
We hope this guide spiced up your coffee game. With a good Keurig coffee maker, the world of iced coffee is one you can so readily conquer.
The Keurig is such a versatile machine. Check out this tutorial on how to make espresso with a Keurig.
