In the words of Jim Carrey a’la “The Mask,” somebody stop me.
Except please don’t. Because I don’t ever want to stop drinking iced coffee, and especially this vanilla iced coffee.
I can’t get enough of this stuff. And, you know, I actually used to not be a huge fan of sweetened iced coffee, but I’m converting. Because just the right touch of sweet along with a heady dose of flavor elevates plain ol’ cold-brewed iced coffee into nirvana territory. Except it doesn’t smell like teen spirit or anything. It smells, predictably, of coffee and vanilla. Thankfully.
I finally bit the bullet and ordered a ginormous bunch of vanilla beans from Amazon, and I love having them in my pantry. Working them into my iced coffee took me all of about, oh, one day after delivery, when I infused some maple syrup with vanilla beans and poured it on in.
This time, though, I just wanted vanilla. Plain, unadulterated, nothing-but-vanilla.
And creamy, heady, heavenly vanilla iced coffee.
(You know, something that would make me go crazy with the adjectives.)
So I whipped up some easy homemade vanilla syrup and added it liberally to each glass of iced coffee thereafter. And then I cried when it was gone.
Just kidding.
A little.
(On my list this week: make some more, stat).
Do More
Glazed vanilla bean cookies
Make these indulgent brown sugar cinnamon scones to serve alongside :: Got vanilla beans to spare? Make vanilla sugar or whip up some melt-in-your-mouth glazed vanilla bean cookies :: Create more flavored syrups with this terrific tutorial (Annie’s Eats)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 vanilla bean, sliced open vertically and seeds scraped
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add sugar, water, and the vanilla bean and seeds to a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil a full boil, then remove from heat. Let sit for at least 1/2 hour (up to 2 hours). Add vanilla extract. Pour syrup over a fine-mesh sieve to catch the vanilla pod and any pieces. Store refrigerated in an airtight jar; keeps up to 2 weeks.
- Ice or coffee ice cubes
- 1 cup [url href=”https://www.kitchentreaty.com/cold-brewed-iced-coffee/”]cold-brewed iced coffee concentrate[/url]
- 2 tablespoons vanilla syrup
- Half-and-half
- Fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Add coffee concentrate, 2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup (use less for a less sweet coffee), and half and half to desired point of creaminess. Serve.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, with a name like mine, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
The weather is finally(!) gorgeous here in London and this looks absolutely perfect. I’m having some friends over tomorrow night and this looks like a fabulous thirst quencher. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for yet another great recipe.
Hi Hazel! Hope you and your friends loved it (and got to enjoy the wonderful weather)! In climes like both London and here in Seattle we have to soak up every ounce of sun when we get it, eh? 🙂
Comment
Gosh, I just made a pickle of trying to reply to your comment! They were amazing! All my friends loved them. And yes, the weather here is generally dreadful. I’ve been watching the Killing which is set in Seattle – does it really rain as much as the show makes out??
Ooh, I love these photos! I need to find more ways to use vanilla beans. I have a big hoard of them too, but since I don’t bake very often, they just end up sitting around…
I’ve been dreaming up some vanilla bean drinks and popsicles … but it also feels sort of wrong. Like they’re a delicacy that calls for more precious treatment than that (even when I’ve bought them in bulk off of Amazon – ha). Like, several times I’ve wanted to scrape a bean into some pancake batter and then I’m all, no no! Vanilla beans can’t go into *pancakes*.
But maybe they just should once in awhile.
Go for the bean in the Pancakes! I grew up on Swedish Pancakes and we use a healthy dose of vanilla in the batter to compliment the sips of morning coffee between each buttery bite.
This looks — gah — amazing! Want.
These photos are mouth-watering to say the least!
Thanks so much, Mihai!
My team and I would love to publish your photos on our food porn website if you wish to submit them.
Since it’s going to be almost 100 degrees here today, I need this! I can taste it now.
100 degrees! Wow, seems early for that. I hope you were able to keep cool!
This looks delicious! I love your coffee recipes! Ps – I found out about coffee ice cubes through your blog…nothing short of life changing. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Lusine! I honestly have to hold back a little on the coffee recipes because I have a gazillion and want to post them all. Maybe I should change the angle of my blog to “vegetarians, meat-eaters, and coffee freaks CAN all live together.” 😉
This sounds magical! Yum! The vanilla syrup sounds perfect!
Thanks so much Courtney! I am sipping on an iced coffee right now but I was out of vanilla syrup. Frowny face.
I love ice-coffee – perfect for hot days!
Are the vanilla beans cheaper on Amazon? If so, can you provide the link to which vendor you bought them from? I’d love to know!
Hi Maria, I haven’t done thorough price comparison (or researched how price affects quality)
Being someone who make a three shot vanilla iced espresso every morning just wondering if you can freeze the sryup into small individual serving size ? I am getting the ice for the coffee anyways
Jim, this is a really cool idea! I’ve never tried freezing the syrup so I can’t speak to how it would work out, but I’m intrigued by the idea. I do freeze coffee and use that as ice cubes and love it – keeps it cool but doesn’t water it down. Have you seen this brilliant vanilla ice over on Oh My Veggies? Similar concept. http://ohmyveggies.com/recipe-vanilla-ice-cubes/
I was beyond frustrated with the flavor of syrups available at the stores. I ran out of syrup for my morning cup of happiness, and didn’t feel like dragging a baby out to the store just for it. So, I looked up recipes. I had everything but the vanilla bean at my house, and so I just decided to wing it. We don’t usually use white sugar, so we were just short of a cup, so I topped it off with brown sugar. And used 2 tsp of Vanilla without using a bean. This is by far the best vanilla syrup EVER!!!! I can only imagine how wonderful adding a vanilla bean to the recipe would make the vanilla flavor explode even more!!! I am never buying any of that crap from the store again!!! Thank you for making this available, and showing how easy it is to make!!! I know I didn’t follow it exactly, but I look forward to picking up some vanilla beans to make this even better!!!
So just to make sure, you only add the bean pod to the syrup when it’s boiling right? You do not add any of the seeds.
Hi Monica, thanks for asking this, I can see how it was unclear. The ingredients call for a vanilla bean, sliced open vertically and seeds scraped, but the directions just said to add the vanilla bean. You want to add both the seeds from the bean AND the pod for flavor. I’ve updated the directions to clarify. Thanks so much again for asking!
Great, thank you for the reply.
I have seen other vanilla recipes for things like extracts that only use the bean pod, so I wanted to double-check. I was planning on adding the seeds regardless, as I figured if anything it would just boost the flavor.
I use the seeds in my vanilla extract as well, and do not filter it. I figure if the seeds end up in whatever I am baking, so much the better! 🙂
Why would this syrup only last 2 week? If you refrigerate it I would think it could last for months.
Can I substitute vanilla bean paste for the vanilla beans? I have a whole tube of paste to use up!
Absolutely!
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You know, if you use less vanilla and add 8 marshmallows that have been toasted and let it cook until the marshmallows dissolves, you get marshmallow syrup. Just like Starbucks uses in their s’mores coffee
Hello! I have been on the lookout for a vanilla syrup recipe to make for at home espresso drinks that are safe for a spouse without celiac. This recipe was my first attempt, and I am not sure I got it right. What is the consistency meant to be? Mine is very liquid-y, like it didn’t really ya firm up at all. Is that ok?