This French press cold brew coffee recipe will give you silky smooth, less acidic coffee that's perfect for hot summer days! With just two ingredients and minimal effort, you'll enjoy a cafe-quality cold brew at home for a fraction of the price. Prepare it once and enjoy delicious iced coffee all week!
If you love coffee drinks, try my Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew or Chocolate Cream Cold Brew next!
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Cold brew isn't just regular coffee poured over ice – it's an entirely different brewing method that extracts flavor in cold water over time. The result is remarkably smooth coffee without the bitterness or acidity of hot-brewed coffee. Plus, making it in a French press means no paper filters are needed – just press and pour!
One batch makes enough concentrate for an entire week, saving time and money. Whether you enjoy it plain over ice or use it as a base for fancier coffee drinks, this French press cold brew method is a game-changer.
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Ingredients & Substitutions
You need just two simple ingredients to make this delicious cold brew coffee:
- Coffee beans. Use coarsely ground coffee for best results. Medium to dark roast works exceptionally well for cold brew, creating rich flavor without bitterness. Light roast can work too if you prefer milder coffee. I recommend grinding beans just before brewing for maximum freshness.
- Water. Always use cold, filtered water. Tap water can contain impurities that affect taste. The quality of your water directly impacts your cold brew, so don't skip this step! Never use hot water – it will extract bitter compounds.
See the printable recipe card for exact measurements and a full list of ingredients.
How To Make French Press Cold Brew
Quick Overview
- Grind coffee beans coarsely.
- Combine with cold water in French press.
- Steep in refrigerator overnight.
- Press plunger and strain.
- Dilute and serve over ice.
Step by Step Instructions
- GRIND: Coarsely grind 1 cup of coffee beans. Think sea salt texture, not fine powder. This takes about 4-5 seconds in a coffee grinder.
Quick Tip from Jeri
Too fine a grind will make your cold brew bitter and difficult to filter. When in doubt, go coarser!
- COMBINE: Place the ground coffee in your French press and add 4 cups of cold, filtered water. Stir gently to ensure all coffee grounds are wet. Place the plunger lid on top but don't press down.
- STEEP: Place your French press in the fridge and let steep for at least 12 hours or overnight. For a stronger concentrate, you can steep up to 24 hours.
- PRESS: After steeping, slowly press the plunger down about 3 inches to separate the grounds from the liquid. Don't press all the way – this helps reduce sediment.
- STRAIN: Pour the cold brew concentrate into a clean jar or container. For extra-smooth results, rinse the French press, return the coffee, press all the way down, and transfer it back to your storage container.
- SERVE: To enjoy, fill a glass with ice, add equal parts cold brew concentrate and water or milk, and stir. Add sweetener if desired.
☕ Can I Make Cold Brew Without A French Press?
Yes! You can easily make homemade cold brew without a French press. You can also use a large mason jar or a pitcher. To make it in a mason jar, follow the step-by-step instructions:
- In a large mason jar, pitcher, or large container, mix together 1 cup coarse-grind coffee beans and 4 cups water.
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours.
- Strain the coffee through a fine mesh strainer or paper filter to remove the grounds.
- Serve over ice, and enjoy!
Top Tips
- Grind matters: Use the coarsest setting on your grinder. Finely ground coffee will make your cold brew bitter and murky.
- Perfect timing: For your first batch, start with a 12-hour steep. You can adjust future batches to be stronger (longer steep) or milder (shorter steep).
- Double filtering: For extra-smooth cold brew with zero sediment, strain it twice – once with the French press plunger and again through a fine-mesh strainer or coffee filter.
- Coffee-to-water ratio: The 1:4 ratio (1 cup coffee to 4 cups water) creates a perfect concentrate. Adjust to your taste preferences in future batches.
What to Serve with Cold Brew
This versatile cold brew concentrate can be used in countless ways:
- Dilute with an equal amount of water or milk for traditional iced coffee.
- Use in coffee cocktails like an Espresso Martini.
- Add flavor with homemade simple syrup or maple syrup.
Storage Instructions
Store your cold brew concentrate in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Glass containers work best for maintaining flavor.
Pro tip: Freeze leftover cold brew in ice cube trays to add to iced coffee without diluting it!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Use a large mason jar or pitcher to steep the coffee, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter.
You may have used too fine a grind, steeped too long, or used hot water. Coarse grind and cold water are essential.
For stronger coffee, steep longer (up to 24 hours) or use more coffee grounds. For weaker coffee, dilute more when serving or use fewer grounds.
Medium to dark roast beans with chocolate, nutty, or caramel notes work nicely. Single-origin beans from Colombia, Guatemala, or Ethiopia are good too.
Printable Recipe
Easy French Press Cold Brew Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup coffee beans coarsely ground
- 4 cups cold filtered water
For Serving:
- ice cubes
- cold water or milk
- sweetener optional
Instructions
- GRIND: Coarsely grind coffee beans to a sea salt-like texture (about 4-5 seconds in a coffee grinder).1 cup coffee beans
- COMBINE: Place ground coffee in French press. Add cold filtered water and stir gently to ensure all grounds are wet. Place lid on top but don't press plunger down.4 cups cold filtered water
- STEEP: Place French press in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. For your first batch, start with 12 hours.
- PRESS: After steeping, slowly press the plunger down about 3 inches to separate the grounds from the liquid.
- STRAIN: Pour cold brew concentrate into a clean container. For extra smoothness, rinse the French press, return the coffee, press the plunger all the way down, and transfer it back to the storage container.
- SERVE: To drink, fill a glass with ice and mix equal parts cold brew concentrate and water or milk. Add sweetener if desired. Enjoy!
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Notes
- Use the coarsest grind setting possible - finely ground coffee will make your cold brew bitter.
- Filtered water makes a significant difference in taste.
- For stronger coffee, steep longer (up to 24 hours).
- For a cleaner brew, strain twice through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Store concentrate in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
- Each cup of beans makes approximately 4 cups of concentrate, which makes 8 cups when diluted.
- No French press? Use a mason jar to steep, then strain through cheesecloth.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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