10 Ways to Upgrade Your Iced Coffee

Ahhh. Iced coffee. A jolt of chilly goodness in a cup. You might love it plain, or you might be wondering what to put in iced coffee to level up. Either way, you’ve come to the right place, because we’ve got ideas – SO MANY IDEAS (sorry, caffeine buzz) – for what to add to your iced coffee for the ultimate upgrade.

Way back when, I used to think iced coffee was basically regular ol’ brewed coffee, poured over ice. Which is a little … watery. But oh no. Iced coffee, when done right, is rich. Complex. Almost chocolatey.

It’s all about the cold brew. The best beans you can find, freshly ground, mixed with water, and steeped at room temperature for a few hours. Serious buzzy nectar right there. I mix mine with a bit of cream (oftentimes this dairy-free creamer) and I’m a happy coffee hound.

It’s nice, though, to shake things up now and then, am I right? Variety is the spice of life after all. So once you’ve had your fill of ever-so-delicious plain iced coffee, here are 10 ways to upgrade your iced coffee.

1. Flavor Your Iced Coffee with Simple Syrups

So many flavors, so little time. The most common way to add flavor to your iced coffee is with a simple syrup. Vanilla is always a winner. But what about fresh mint? Or pumpkin? Cinnamon dolce?! The flavor options really are endless.

Recipes to try:

• Creamy Vanilla Iced Coffee + Homemade Vanilla Syrup
• Cinnamon Dolce Iced Coffee
• Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee & Healthier Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup
• Maple Vanilla Iced Coffee
• Fresh Mint Iced Coffee from How Sweet It Is

2. Flavor Your Iced Coffee with Sauces

Just like syrups, sauces can, of course, add big flavor to iced coffee. Caramel, chocolate, or – holy moly – butterscotch. Yum! It takes a bit for them to dissolve, but sometimes it’s better keeping them separate. Iced coffee with caramel sauce drizzled in but not stirred, for instance, is one of the best things on the earth.

Recipes to try:

• Homemade Chocolate Syrup
• Chocolate Iced Coffee
• Iced Caramel Coffee – The Redhead Baker
• Homemade Butterscotch Caramel Blended Iced Coffee – Valerie’s Kitchen

3. Blend Your Iced Coffee

Grab that coffee, ice, and cream and throw it in a blender, and you’ve got a glass of frosty goodness right there. So many variations – including smoothie x coffee hybrids!

Recipes to try:

• Toasted Coconut Coffee Smoothie
• Frozen Mexican Hot Chocolate Mocha
• Blended Chocolate Coconut Iced Coffee – Running to the Kitchen

4. Spike Your Iced Coffee

Okay, you knew this had to happen. Booze and coffee are natural companions when hot, so why not when cold?

Recipes to try:

• Iced Coffeetini
• Chocolate Stout Frap-brew-ccino from The Beeroness
• Irish Cream & Mint Iced Mocha from The Frugal Foodie Mama

5. Freeze Your Iced Coffee Into Ice Cubes)

Okay, here’s where it gets really good. Freeze leftover cold brew (or brewed coffee) in ice cube trays, then use those in your favorite iced coffee beverage. No watered down coffee – just more flavor and more caffeine! Double win.

My favorite way to use my coffee ice cubes? Stack a bunch in a glass and pour vanilla almond milk over the top. Let it melt just a little and stir. Yummm. You can do this with any milk, but recently I tried Silk’s new nut-based beverage, Nutchello, and DANG if this doesn’t make for the best summer afternoon pick-me-up ever. I actually love all three Nutchello flavors this way (Caramel Almond + Cashew, Dark Chocolate + Walnut, & Toasted Coconut + Cashew) but I think my favorite is the Caramel Almond. (P.S. Nutchello is surprisingly low in calories and not crazy with the sugar, either, which is a nice bonus).

Recipes to try:

• Mocha Ice Cubes for Iced Coffee – Everyday Maven
• Latte Ice Cubes – Imma Eat That

6. Freeze It into Dessert

Ice cream, granita, and sherbert, oh my. As if iced coffee wasn’t ice cooold enough (sorry, I was channeling Outkast for a moment there), frozen with sugar and awesomeness is even cooler than being cold.

Recipes to try:

• Granita al Caffe Con Panna – Manu’s Menu
• Vietnamese Iced Coffee Ice Cream – How Sweet It Is
• David Lebovitz’s Mocha Sherbert – Saveur

7. Float Your Iced Coffee

Most everyone loves coffee ice cream, but how about separating them? A scoop of ice cream + coffee = boom. (So sorry to say “boom” – it just felt right here).

Recipes to try:

• Coconut Gelato Iced Coffee Affogato from Nutmeg Nanny
• Iced Coffee Float from Mind over Batter
• Salted Caramel Affogatos from Chocolate Moosey

8. Shake Your Iced Coffee

Bon Appétit suggests adding coffee, ice, and a little simple syrup to a cocktail shaker and shake like a pro. It’ll come out frothy and creamy. It’s called a Caffe Shakerato, and if that isn’t the best name ever then my name is Hildegard. (Actually, that used to be my bar name back in the day, but I digress).

9. Add Fruit to Your Iced Coffee

I know frut + coffee might sound weird, but once I tried Orange Spice Iced Coffee, I was a convert. I mean, if you think about it, iced coffee often tastes almost chocolatey – and fruit and chocolate go well together, so hey – why not?!

Recipes to try:

• Orange Spiced Iced Coffee
• Fresh Raspberry Iced Coffee – Running to the Kitchen
• Blackberry Iced Coffee – How Sweet It Is
• Frozen Banana Coffee Frappe from Confessions of an Over-Worked Mom

10. Add Rice to Your Iced Coffee

You read that right! If you’ve had horchata, you know how delicious that creamy rice drink can be. Well, some folks are mixing horchata and cold brew together and holy yum.

Recipes to try:

• Toasted Coconut Cold Brew Horchata – Hola Jalapeno
• Cochata – The Kitchn
• Coffee-Cinnamon Horchata – Serious Eats

That’s it! Now go, get your buzz on!

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