Getting coffee on the go is getting more and more expensive. With the cost of living increasing, many of us are cutting back on some of life's less necessary expenses. However, you can save a bit of money without skimping on flavor.
This iced coffee recipe tastes almost identical to Dunkin' Donuts' brew, but it costs a fraction of the price. In this guide, you'll learn how to make Dunkin' iced coffee and five Similar chilled beverages…
What You’ll Need to Make an Iced Coffee Like Dunkin' Donuts
You don't need many ingredients to make this Dunkin' Donuts copycat iced coffee.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients
- 100% arabica coffee
- Water
- Ice
- Whole milk
- White sugar
Equipment
- Coffee grinder (if using whole beans)
- Espresso machine
- Large serving glass
- Tablespoon
Coffee Recommendations
Dunkin' Donuts uses 100% arabica coffee to make its iced coffees. Arabica coffee is known for its smooth, mild flavor profile and natural sweetness. It’s the perfect choice for milky iced coffees such as those served at Dunkin' Donuts.
We recommend the Cafely DaLat (100% arabica) for this Dunkin' iced coffee recipe. The best flavors are produced from freshly ground beans, but if you don't have a coffee grinder, our high-quality pre-ground coffee is the next best option.
How to Make a Dunkin' Iced Coffee: Step-by-Step
Making a Dunkin' iced coffee is pretty straightforward. In fact, the process is pretty much the same as making a regular iced coffee with espresso — it just involves a bit more sugar.
Here’s how to make Dunkin' iced coffee at home:
1. Prepare Your Espresso Machine
Start by turning on the espresso machine to heat it up. Most machines will take at least 30 seconds to warm through. Fill the water reservoir with clean, filtered water.
2. Grind the Coffee
Take around 18 grams of Cafley DaLat or a similar 100% arabica coffee and grind it to a fine consistency. The ground coffee should have the texture of sand or table salt.
3. Brew the Espresso
Fill the portafilter of your espresso machine with ground coffee and tamp it down with firm, even pressure. Lock the portafilter into the group head and begin the extraction. You will need around 30 seconds to produce a double shot of espresso.
4. Sweeten the Espresso
Add two to three tablespoons of sugar to the double espresso and stir to create a thick, coffee-like syrup. This sounds like a lot of sugar — and it is — that's why Dunkin' Donuts' iced coffee tasted so good.
5. Cool the Espresso
Let the espresso and sugar combination cool to room temperature (20 to 30 minutes)
6. Assemble the Iced Coffee
In a glass, add ice, followed by the sweetened espresso. Fill the rest of the glass with whole milk and stir to combine.
7. Serve and Enjoy
Serve the iced coffee with a straw and enjoy it while cold.
Five Alternative Iced Coffee Recipes
If you enjoyed our Dunkin'’ Donuts recipe, try these similar chilled coffee recipes:
1. Regular Iced Coffee
Regular iced coffee is essentially the same as a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee. However, it can be made with less sugar and concentrated brews of any kind instead.
Follow the same recipe as above, but adjust the sugar, add syrups, and add different coffee to your taste.
You can make regular coffee with espresso, moka pot coffee, French press coffee, drip coffee, and pour-over brews. Simply adjust the coffee-to-water ratio to produce a more concentrated brew.
2. Vanilla Iced Coffee
Vanilla iced coffee combines the dark, rich flavors of coffee with the sweet tropical notes of vanilla and the creaminess of milk. This brew has coffee shop qualities that can be created at home. You can make this brew with store-bought vanilla syrup or take it to the next level with our Madagascan vanilla syrup recipe.
You will need:
- Cafely DaNang Coffee
- Water
- Ice
- Whole milk
- Vanilla syrup
Here's how to make barista-style vanilla iced coffee:
- Brew the coffee — First, brew a strong concentrated coffee using an arabica and robusta blend such as Cafely DaNang. French press, moka pot, espresso, or drip coffee works for this. Just make sure to brew a strong coffee that's around 60 mL in volume.
- Cool the coffee — Cool the shot of concentrated coffee down until it reaches room temperature. You can speed up this process by pouring the coffee from one cup to another or adding a single ice cube.
- Assemble the iced coffee — In a tall serving glass, add ice, followed by the coffee. Then, add one to two tablespoons of vanilla syrup and stir. Fill the rest of the glass with whole milk and stir again to combine.
- Garnish and serve — Add a dollop of whipped cream (optional) and serve with or without a straw. Drink while ice-cold.
3. Iced Mocha Coffee
If you love hot mocha coffee and Dunkin's iced coffee, you’ll love an iced mocha. This indulgent chocolate-flavored chilled beverage is relatively easy to make but it requires a bit more effort compared to the other brews on this list.
Here’s what you’ll need to make an iced mocha coffee:
- Cafely DaLat Coffee
- Cocoa powder
- White sugar
- Water
- Ice
- Whole milk
- Whipped cream
Here’s how to make an iced mocha step-by-step:
- Brew the coffee — Brew a strong double shot of espresso using an espresso maker, moka pot, or Aeropress. We recommend the Cafely DaLat 100% Arabica coffee for an iced mocha.
- Cool the coffee — Cool the brew down until it reaches room temperature. Naturally, this will take around 30 minutes, but the process can be sped up by pouring the coffee back and forth between two cups (aeration).
- Prepare the chocolate syrup — In a stovetop pan, add two to four tablespoons of white sugar, two tablespoons of cocoa powder, and a small amount of whole milk. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring continuously until a thick chocolate syrup has formed. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Form the chocolate milk — Add one cup of chilled milk to the syrup slowly, stirring continuously until a rich chocolate milk has formed.
- Assemble the iced mocha — Add ice to a tall serving glass. Then, pour in the espresso shot, followed by the chocolate milk. Stir the brew to combine.
- Garnish and serve — Add a dollop of freshly whipped cream or a squirt of whipped cream from a can. Garnish with a couple of coffee beans and chocolate shavings (optional). Serve with a straw and enjoy while cold.
4. Caramel Iced Coffee
Caramel iced coffee is incredibly easy to make. Simply follow our copycat Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee recipe, but instead of adding sugar, add two tablespoons of caramel sauce.
Before pouring the coffee, decorate the inside of the glass with caramel — this provides a sweet and salty marbling around the iced brew. Top the beverage with whipped cream and a dash of caramel.
Caramel coffee is best served with a straw.
5. Frozen Coffee
Frozen coffee is essentially the same as regular iced coffee, but it's blended rather than served over whole ice cubes. It's thicker than a regular iced coffee but less indulgent than coffee milkshakes.
Here’s what you need to make frozen coffee:
- Coffee (arabica, robusta, or a blend)
- Water
- Whole milk
- Ice
- Sugar (optional)
Here’s how to make a frozen coffee at home:
- Brew a concentrated shot of coffee — Using your preferred brewing method, brew a strong, dark, concentrated coffee with an arabica, robusta, or blend. We recommend our Saigon OG Blend for frozen coffee.
- Cool the coffee — Cool the shot of coffee down by adding a single ice cube or pouring the coffee between two cups repeatedly until it reaches room temperature.
- Prepare the blender — Add one cup of ice, the concentrated coffee, one cup of whole milk (or a dairy-free alternative), and a tablespoon of sugar or flavored syrup (optional).
- Blend the ingredients — Slowly blend the ingredients until the ice breaks up into smaller pieces. Gradually increase the bled speed until a thick, smooth, slushy, iced coffee has formed.
- Serve and enjoy — Pour the frozen coffee into a large serving glass and garnish with whipped cream or a few whole roasted coffee beans (optional). Enjoy with or without a straw while cold and slushy.
FAQs: Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee
Want to learn more about iced coffee?
Check out the answers to the FAQs below or head over to the Cafely Blog.
1. How Much Caffeine in a Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee?
Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee contains 198 mg of caffeine (small serving) to 398 mg of caffeine (large serving). Compared to the average iced coffee, which contains 60 to 100 mg of caffeine per cup, Dunkin''s iced coffee is quite strong.
2. What’s the Best Type of Coffee for Iced Coffee?
The best type of coffee for iced coffee should be high-quality dark roast that's freshly ground. The type of bean used depends on the type of iced coffee you want to make. Arabica bean produces mild, smooth iced coffees. Robusta bean produces dark, rich, bitter coffees that pair well with sweetened condensed milk or flavored syrups.
3. What’s the Difference Between Cold Brew and Iced Coffee?
Cold brew is made by brewing coffee in cold water over 18 to 24 hours. It's a mellow brew with low acidity that's typically consumed black.
Iced coffee is made using hot-brewed coffee that's cooled and served over ice. The flavor is more intense and is often mellowed with milk and sugar.
4. Can You Store Iced Coffee in the Fridge?
Yes. You can store leftover iced coffee in the fridge. Black coffee will stay fresh in the fridge for around a week. Iced coffee with milk will last in the fridge for a couple of days.
5. What is Frozen Coffee?
Frozen coffee is a milkshake-like coffee that's made by blending coffee, ice, milk, and sugar. The result is a thick, sweet, creamy beverage with a mild coffee flavor.
6. Can You Make Vanilla Iced Coffee at Home?
Yes. Vanilla iced coffee is easy to make at home. You can make it simply by adding store-bought vanilla syrup to the coffee. Alternatively, you can make vanilla syrup from scratch using fresh vanilla pods, sugar, and water.
7. Can You Make Iced Coffee with a French Press?
Yes. You can make delicious iced coffee with a French press. Simply make a brew as usual, but reduce the amount of water used to make a concentrated brew. Allow the brew to cool, pour over ice, and dilute with milk.
8. What’s the Best Type of Milk for Iced Coffee?
The best kind of milk for iced coffee is whole cow's milk. The high-fat content makes for a creamy, indulgent beverage.
9. Can You Make Iced Coffee with Instant Coffee?
Yes. You can make iced coffee with instant coffee. Simply take a sachet of Cafley Instant Vietnamese Espresso (or similar), brew with 60 mL of water, and allow to cool. Pour the shot over ice, add milk and sugar to taste, and enjoy.
10. What Dairy-Free Milk is Best for Iced Coffee?
The best dairy-free milk for iced coffee depends on your taste. Coconut milk pairs well with robusta iced coffee and oat or almond milk with arabica coffee.
