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Last verified 17 September 2026

Easy 8 min total 318 cal 126 mg caffeine

Copycat Cold Brew Recipe

How to build the 7 Brew Cold Brew at home: 5 ingredients, 8 minutes, 318 calories a serving, and roughly $2.21 cheaper per drink than the $4.86 you would pay at the window. This is the recipe I keep coming back to when I am not standing in line.

8 minprep
nonecook
318calories
$2.65cost per serving
Cold Brew: Coffee Classics

What you are aiming for: a Cold Brew off the board. The stand's Medium is 318 calories; this version comes in at 318.

A Cold Brew is a coldbrew build. Cold brew is a patience recipe, not a technique recipe. Coarse grind, cold water, 12 to 16 hours, and critically, no squeezing the grounds at the end. That is the single thing that makes home cold brew bitter.

What it should taste like. Slow-steeped coffee served cold. Should taste smooth and low-bitterness, with a chocolatey undertone. If it tastes harsh, the steep was too short.
The basics

At a glance

Recipe and cost summary for a homemade Cold Brew.
DetailValue
Prep time8 minutes
Cook timeNo cooking
Total time8 minutes
DifficultyEasy
Yield1 drink (16 oz)
Calories (per serving)318 kcal
Sugar39 g
Caffeine126 mg
Home cost$2.65
Stand price (Medium)$4.86
You save$2.21 (45%)
What you need

Ingredients

  • 120 ml cold brew concentrate
  • 90 ml whole milk
  • no syrup.Drink it clean
  • a cold foam cap
  • Ice

Equipment

  • 1 L jar
  • Fine-mesh sieve
  • Paper filter
  • 16 oz glass
Method

How to make it

  1. Combine 100 g of coarsely ground coffee with 800 ml of cold filtered water in a jar. Stir once, cap it, and leave it out for 12-16 hours (or in the fridge for 18).
  2. Strain through a sieve, then again through a paper filter. Do not press or squeeze the grounds. That is what makes home cold brew bitter.
  3. Fill a 16 oz glass with ice and pour 120 ml of cold brew concentrate over it.
  4. Stir in no syrup.Drink it clean. Cold liquid dissolves sugar slowly, so give it a proper 20 seconds.
  5. Float whole milk on top and let it fall through the drink in ribbons, then add a cold foam cap.
  6. Cold brew keeps 5 days refrigerated. This is the one to batch on a Sunday.
Why this works: Cold brew is a patience recipe, not a technique recipe. Coarse grind, cold water, 12 to 16 hours, and critically, no squeezing the grounds at the end. That is the single thing that makes home cold brew bitter.
Getting it right

Tips that actually matter

  • Grind coarse, like raw sugar. Fine grounds over-extract and go muddy.
  • Never press or squeeze the grounds when straining.
  • It keeps 5 days in the fridge:batch it once a week.
Mix it up

Variations

  • Vanilla cold brew: 2 tsp of vanilla syrup.
  • Cold brew with sweet cream instead of milk.
  • Nitro-style: charge it in a whipped cream siphon for the cascade.
The cost

What it costs to make at home

Ingredient cost breakdown for a homemade Cold Brew against the stand price.
ComponentEstimated cost
120 ml cold brew concentrate$0.55
90 ml whole milk$0.48
no syrup.Drink it clean$0.35
a cold foam cap$0.35
Ice$0.35
Total per serving$2.65
Stand price (Medium 24 oz)$4.86
Saving per drink$2.21

Costs assume supermarket prices and a syrup bottle amortised over roughly 25 drinks. The first drink is more expensive than $2.65 because you are buying the bottle; by the fifth drink you are clearly ahead.

Versus the stand

How this recipe compares

Across all 46 copycat recipes on this site, this one is the 20th fastest at 8 minutes and the 31st lightest at 318 calories. 16 calories above the 302-calorie average.

Same technique (coldbrew)

More Coffee Classics recipes

Ordering it instead? A Cold Brew costs about $3.85–$5.86 at 7 Brewdepending on size, with 171–439 calories. Unofficial fan guide. Not affiliated with 7 Brew Coffee. Prices and nutrition are estimates: confirm at your local stand.

prices & nutrition are estimates. Confirm at your stand

Frequently asked questions

How do you make a Cold Brew at home?

Build it as a coldbrew — combine 100 g of coarsely ground coffee with 800 ml of cold filtered water in a jar. stir once, cap it, and leave it out for 12-16 hours (or in the fridge for 18). Then fill a 16 oz glass with ice and pour 120 ml of cold brew concentrate over it. Total time is about 8 minutes and the recipe makes 1 drink (16 oz).

What is in a 7 Brew Cold Brew?

120 ml cold brew concentrate, 90 ml whole milk, no syrup — drink it clean, a cold foam cap, ice.

How many calories are in a homemade Cold Brew?

About 318 calories for a Medium-equivalent 24 oz serving, with 39 g of sugar and 126 mg of caffeine. That is 16 calories above the 302-calorie average across all 46 recipes on this site, ranking 31 of 46.

Is it cheaper to make a Cold Brew at home?

Yes — roughly $2.65 per serving at home against about $4.86 at the stand, a saving of $2.21 (45%). The saving is smaller than it looks because you are buying syrup by the bottle, but it pays back within about five drinks.

How long does a Cold Brew take to make?

8 minutes of prep — 8 minutes total. That ranks 20 of 46 recipes on this site by total time. Difficulty: Easy.

Can you make a Cold Brew without an espresso machine?

Yes — this build does not need espresso at all. Combine 100 g of coarsely ground coffee with 800 ml of cold filtered water in a jar. Stir once, cap it, and leave it out for 12-16 hours (or in the fridge for 18).

What should a homemade Cold Brew taste like?

Slow-steeped coffee served cold. Should taste smooth and low-bitterness, with a chocolatey undertone. If it tastes harsh, the steep was too short.

prices & nutrition are estimates — confirm at your stand

7 Brew Menu Editorial Team

Menu research & nutrition editors — We rebuild the 7 Brew board drink by drink from the official 7 Brew menu, stand pages and published prices. Everything here is a compiled estimate, not a lab value — prices and hours change, so confirm at your stand.

About the 7 Brew Menu Editorial Team · How we research & verify