McDonald’s Iced Coffee

Is McDonald’s iced coffee your guilty pleasure? I know it’s mine! Save yourself a trip to the drive-thru and make your own with this copycat recipe.

There’s something about that first sweet and crisp sip of McDonald’s iced coffee that convinces you to take on the day. Or for an afternoon brew, to finish strong.

Make your sweet coffee treat at home and enjoy your favorite iced coffee at any time of the day. Keep a pitcher in the fridge for those caffeine emergencies!

This is a great beverage to share with friends. Next time someone’s over, offer them a cup of iced coffee instead of your regular brew. How fancy!

McDonald’s Iced Coffee

McDonald’s iced coffee is known for its sweet vanilla flavor and smooth coffee finish. Even coffee haters seem to love a cup!

You can’t tell a difference between a cup from Mickey D’s and the more expensive specialty shops. Now you can make this gourmet drink at home!

Coffee this good has to be hard to make, right? No! This coffee couldn’t be easier.

Other than the time it takes to chill, you’re only a few minutes in the kitchen away from your first cup.

You won’t even need any fancy equipment! Your coffee maker is the only appliance required to make this delicious brew. 

The ingredients list is also very simple. Most likely, you have everything you’ll need already in your kitchen. 

Get out your grounds and let’s get brewing! This iced coffee may be your new go-to when you need a caffeine boost.

Ingredients

The ingredients for McDonald’s iced coffee couldn’t be simpler. You may not even need to write this recipe down! 

It’s a good thing. Once you taste this iced coffee recipe, you‘ll be making it a lot!

Water: A vital ingredient in most coffee recipes, plain and simple water is used to brew the coffee that is the backbone of this recipe.

Bottled, filtered, or straight from the tap, humble water plays a significant role in your iced coffee creation.

Coffee Grounds: It would be hard to make coffee without coffee grounds! Make this coffee with your preference of brand and roast.

Decaf? Hazelnut? Dark? All types of ground coffee are appropriate for this recipe.

Sweetened Condensed Milk: The secret sauce! Sweetened condensed milk is what takes this coffee beverage from bland to bold.

This ingredient takes the place of sugar and creamer in your coffee cup. It’s a catch-all ingredient.

Ice Cubes: It wouldn’t be iced coffee without it! Serve McDonald’s iced coffee in glasses with a few ice cubes to keep that cool temperature.

Tips for the Iced Coffee

If you would like to start your day with a cup of this iced coffee, it could be helpful to brew the coffee the night before.

Let it cool, then store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

You can use any kind of ice cube in this recipe and may want to adapt the size of the cube to meet your needs.

Crushed ice is an easy addition if you have it on hand. Some refrigerators offer a crushed ice option, or you can easily buy it in a bag.

Because crushed ice is smaller, it’s easier to drink the coffee without your ice cubes getting in the way.

Medium ice cubes are standard to every ice maker and work well in this recipe. Drop a few in your glass and let them do the mixing for you!

You can also use large ice cubes if you have them on hand. They don’t melt as quickly and will not water down your drink. 

These are a great option if you’re drinking iced coffee outside in the summer.

Instead of brewing your coffee in a traditional coffee maker, you can use cold brew instead! Make this chilled coffee right in your refrigerator.

Scoop your normal coffee grounds into thin filters made for cold brew coffee.

Then, soak the filters in water overnight in your refrigerator. 8-12 hours later, you have cold brew coffee.

Can I Use Espresso?

If you have access to espresso at home, you can use it in this recipe! Espresso is so concentrated, you’ll get a lot of coffee flavor in a little bit of liquid.

As a result, espresso chills much faster than regular coffee. If you’re in a rush, this is a quick way to get your iced coffee!

Pour your espresso shots over the ice cubes and let the cubes work their magic.

The espresso melts the ice cubes, and that ice water cools the espresso to “iced coffee” temperatures.

What Can I Add to McDonald’s Iced Coffee?

Dress this iced coffee up just like your favorite craft coffee order. From flavored syrups to whipped creams, the possibilities are limitless.

Try a caramel syrup for an iced caramel macchiato. You could also use chocolate syrup to go for more of a mocha flavor.

Flavored extracts are great additions! Try vanilla for a classic taste, or mint extract for a refreshing flavor. 

You could even combine the mint extract with the chocolate syrup for some girl scout cookie vibes.

Non-dairy milk makes a great substitution for the sweetened condensed milk. Just add some simple syrup if you like your iced coffee a bit sweeter!

For a super treat, try serving McDonald’s iced coffee over vanilla ice cream! This turns your caffeine boost into an ice cream float.