Last verified 17 September 2026
Copycat Panda Cold Brew Recipe
How to build the 7 Brew Panda Cold Brew at home — 5 ingredients, 8 minutes, 297 calories a serving, and roughly $2.56 cheaper per drink than the $5.21 you would pay at the window. This is the recipe I keep coming back to when I am not standing in line.
What you are aiming for — a Panda Cold Brew off the board. The stand's Medium is 297 calories; this version comes in at 297.
A Panda Cold Brew is a coldbrew build. Panda is white chocolate and caramel, and the reason it works over cold brew rather than espresso is that cold brew has no bitterness to fight the sweetness. Treat it as a dessert drink.
At a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Prep time | 8 minutes |
| Cook time | No cooking |
| Total time | 8 minutes |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Yield | 1 drink (16 oz) |
| Calories (per serving) | 297 kcal |
| Sugar | 30 g |
| Caffeine | 150 mg |
| Home cost | $2.65 |
| Stand price (Medium) | $5.21 |
| You save | $2.56 (49%) |
Ingredients
- 120 ml cold brew concentrate
- 90 ml whole milk
- 1 tbsp white chocolate syrup and 1 tbsp caramel syrup
- a whipped cream cap
- Ice
Equipment
- 1 L jar
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Paper filter
- 16 oz glass
How to make it
- 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).
- 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.
- Fill a 16 oz glass with ice and pour 120 ml of cold brew concentrate over it.
- Stir in 1 tbsp white chocolate syrup and 1 tbsp caramel syrup. Cold liquid dissolves sugar slowly, so give it a proper 20 seconds.
- Float whole milk on top and let it fall through the drink in ribbons, then add a whipped cream cap.
- Cold brew keeps 5 days refrigerated — this is the one to batch on a Sunday.
Tips that actually matter
- White chocolate first, then caramel — caramel on top floats and looks better.
- Cold brew, not espresso. Espresso bitterness fights the white chocolate.
- This is sweet. Cut both syrups by a third on a second attempt.
Variations
- Panda mocha: warm it up and use espresso instead.
- Iced panda breve with half-and-half.
- Add 1 tsp of vanilla to round it off.
What it costs to make at home
| Component | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
| 120 ml cold brew concentrate | $0.55 |
| 90 ml whole milk | $0.48 |
| 1 tbsp white chocolate syrup and 1 tbsp caramel syrup | $0.35 |
| a whipped cream cap | $0.35 |
| Ice | $0.35 |
| Total per serving | $2.65 |
| Stand price (Medium 24 oz) | $5.21 |
| Saving per drink | $2.56 |
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.
How this recipe compares
Across all 46 copycat recipes on this site, this one is the 23rd fastest at 8 minutes and the 23rd lightest at 297 calories — 5 calories below the 302-calorie average.
Same technique (coldbrew)
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