How to Make Iced Coffee with Milk at Home

There's nothing better than a glass of cold, creamy iced coffee on a warm Aussie day. But you don't need to head to a cafe and spend your hard-earned cash to get a good one. Making a delicious homemade iced coffee with milk is incredibly simple, and you probably already have everything you need.

Let's get into it.

The #1 Rule for Great Iced Coffee

Before we start, you need to know the most important secret: never pour hot coffee over ice.

If you do, the ice melts instantly, leaving you with a sad, watery drink. To avoid this, your coffee needs to be strong and cool. That's it. Remember that, and you're already halfway to the perfect iced coffee.

Choose Your Adventure: Pick Your Method

How you make your coffee will depend on what you have in your kitchen. We've got a simple plan for everyone.

Using a coffee pot, plunger, or any basic brewer.

This method is a simple, no-fuss way to make a batch of chilled coffee you can keep in the fridge and enjoy all week.

What You’ll Need:
• Freshly brewed coffee (make it a little stronger than usual)
• Your favourite milk - full cream, almond, oat, whatever you like
• A tall glass filled with ice cubes
Here’s the plan:
  1. Brew it stronger than usual. Make your coffee the way you normally do, but add an extra scoop of grounds so the flavour doesn’t get watered down by the ice and milk.
  2. Let it cool properly. This is where most people go wrong. Don’t rush it. Let the coffee cool on the bench first, then pour it into a jug and pop it in the fridge for at least an hour.
  3. Put it together. Fill your glass with ice, then pour in the chilled coffee until the glass is about two-thirds full.
  4. Add the good stuff. Top it up with cold milk, give it a quick stir, and you’re done - easy iced coffee with milk.

Iced Latte Using an Espresso Machine

If you’ve got an espresso machine, here’s how to make a café-style iced latte at home - quick, strong, and delicious.

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 - 2 shots of fresh espresso
  • Cold milk (any type you prefer)
  • A glass filled to the top with ice

Step-by-Step Game Plan:

  1. Brew the Espresso
    Pull a single or double shot of espresso using your machine.
  2. Fill the Glass
    Pack your glass completely with ice. This is important - the full glass of ice helps cool the hot espresso quickly without watering it down too much.
  3. Pour & Finish
    • Pour the hot espresso directly over the ice. You might hear a satisfying crackle.
    • Immediately top up the glass with cold milk.
    • Give it a quick stir, and you’re done!

Iced Coffee with Instant Coffee (No Machine Needed)

No espresso machine? No stress. You can make a frothy, café-style iced coffee in under a minute.

What You’ll Need:

  • 2 tsp instant coffee
  • 2 tsp sugar (optional, for sweetness)
  • 2 tbsp warm water
  • Cold milk
  • Ice

Your Game Plan:

  1. Shake it up
    Add instant coffee, sugar, and warm water to a small jar. Close the lid tightly and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds until it becomes a thick, light-brown foam.
  2. Fill your glass
    Add ice to your glass until it’s full.
  3. Combine & enjoy
    Pour the whipped coffee mixture over the ice, then top with cold milk. Give it a quick stir - creamy iced coffee, done.

Let's Talk About Sweetness

Ever noticed how sugar doesn't mix well into a cold drink? You're not wrong. It just sinks to the bottom.

The best way to sweeten your iced coffee is to make a simple syrup. Mix equal parts white sugar and hot water in a mug and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool, and you've got a liquid sweetener that will mix in perfectly.

Pro-tip: If you're using the espresso or chilled brew method, stir your sugar into the coffee while it's still hot. It will dissolve much better.

Quick Questions Answered

What's the best milk to use? For the creamiest result, use full-cream milk. For dairy-free, oat milk is super creamy and delicious. But honestly, whatever milk you have in the fridge will work fine!

How do I make it really creamy? Use full cream milk, or even add a tiny splash of cream. The instant coffee method also creates a very creamy texture thanks to the foam.

What's the right ratio of coffee to milk? A good starting point is two parts coffee to one part milk. So, fill your glass two-thirds with coffee, then one-third with milk. But you should play around with it and find what you like best.

How do I stop it from getting watery at the end? Make coffee ice cubes! Just pour some leftover cooled coffee into an ice cube tray and freeze it. When they melt, they add more coffee flavour instead of just water. This is the secret to a perfect iced coffee recipe with milk.