Buck the Coffee Shop: 5 Iced Coffee Drinks to Make at Home

Iced coffee—nature’s one-hour energy! Joe’s versatile beverage percolates us through meetings, baseball games, and the spring cleaning you really don’t want to do. 

We make our coffee at home all of the time. Everyone knows how to brew that beautiful bean pot. But sometimes the coffee shop comes calling for your wallet. Turns out, made-to-order coffee’s expensive! In 2020, even in a down year, Starbucks’ net revenue reached $20 billion. All of that juice sure adds up quickly, costing you valuable time and money. 

Why not make your own?

You are your own tastemaker. Sure, this is a blog about DIY Starbucks coffee items. That doesn’t mean you can’t make these drinks your own. With Memphis Ice’s Ice-O-Matic pearl ice dispenser, you can make as much iced coffee and specialty drinks as you want right from your own home (and with Starbucks switching to pebble ice, you'll get the same flavor, texture, and experience—for less!).

5 DIY Iced Coffees Sure to Put a Zip in Your Step

Running late never tasted so bold. Chug the shock your system needs with the classic doubleshot on ice. Simple, satisfying, effective. That midweek wall won’t know what climbed over it.

Mocha is so nice to say. Give it a try. Mocha. Mo ka. Mocha! Don’t you just want to dance? Alright, maybe the office’s not the best place to let it all out. At least tap your leg or something. 

The iced cafe mocha is a great excuse to eat just the right amount of whipped cream. Any recipe telling you whipped cream is optional is lying to you. Do not trust it. 

Ingredients

• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup strong brewed cold coffee
• 2 generous squirts of chocolate syrup
• Mason jar with lid full of ice
• Optional (not really) whipped cream

Directions

1. Squirt your chocolate sauce into an empty mason jar
2. Add your cubed, or peal ice, from your home ice machine
3. Pour your coffee and milk over top
4. Seal the lid and give it a few good shakes until the chocolate sauce is fully incorporated
5. Top with mandatory whipped cream, a thick chocolate drizzle, and enjoy

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Chase the secret berry blossoms. For the uninitiated, the pink drink is a popular secret menu item over at the siren’s brew. It’s so popular that most Starbucks baristas know the open secret drink by name. 

Ingredients 

• ⅓ cup boiling water
• 2 açai green tea bags
• 1 spoonful of honey
• 4-5 strawberries, sliced
• 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice, to taste
• ½ cup of pearl or cubed Ice 
• 1 cup coconut milk

Directions 

1. Put the tea bags in a glass filled ¼ of the way with boiling water
2. Steep for 7 minutes
3. Stir in the honey
4. Take out the tea bags.
5. Add half the strawberries and lemon juice
6. Memphis Ice it up
7. Fill with coconut milk and stir
8. Top with strawberries

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Sugar, ice, and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little drink. But the barista added an extra ingredient to the concoction: whipped cream! 

Thus, the fabled frappuccino was born.

These sweet treats can add up fast. Why not blend it at home whenever you want? Get frapped in the AM, the PM, or any M of your choosing. This recipe makes the vanilla bean variant, a simple classic. Don’t be afraid to be creative with your frap, though. You have full and total permission to get frappy with it. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup ice
• 1 ½ cup milk
• 3 scoop vanilla bean ice cream
• 1 tsp sugar
• ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
• Whipped cream (optional) (not really)

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients except whipped cream until blended
2. Transfer to serving glass and top with whipped cream

Easy, right? 

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The espresso that’s shaken, not stirred. New, vegan, and satisfying, the iced brown sugar oat milk espresso is worth the work. Keep in mind the authentic version packs a whopping 255mg of caffeine— that’s a lot of bean power! Consider bringing that down a notch, for your heart’s sake. 

Ingredients

Brown sugar syrup

• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼  tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla

Iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso 

• 1-2 shots espresso*
• 3 tbsp brown sugar syrup
• ⅓ cup oat milk
• ice cubes
• cinnamon for dusting

*If you don’t have espresso, use 1-2 teaspoons of instant coffee

Directions

Brown sugar syrup

1. In a saucepan, add your brown sugar, water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon
2. Simmer and stir until sugar dissolves 
3. Take off the eat and store in a jar; chill the mixture 

Iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso

1. Brew shots of espresso or dissolve instant coffee in cold water
2. Fill a large jar, like a mason jar, with pearl ice
3. Add espresso shots and tablespoons of brown sugar syrup
4. Close the lid, shake for 30 seconds, until frothy
5. Add oat milk and top with ground cinnamon
6. Serve and enjoy

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We hope you learned something new and fun about making iced coffee at home. Don’t be afraid to make iced drinks your own: add unique flavors, try different preparation techniques, and maybe even use different types of ice in your recipes. 

Request a quote today for more information on why an under-counter ice machine is right for you. Whether you rent or buy, Memphis Ice offers the tools and knowledge you need to stay cool all year long.