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Craving a coffee shop treat without needing to leave the house? Homemade Caramel Iced Coffee is the recipe you need to make! With only three ingredients this coffee recipe comes together in just a few minutes – faster than any Starbucks drive-thru you’ve ever visited!

The flavors of caramel and coffee are a perfect pairing in this iced coffee recipe. A sweet caramel simple syrup is mixed with cold coffee and topped with a splash of cream to make a seriously delicious drink you'll be enjoying in minutes!

If you love this iced coffee recipe be sure to check out my homemade vanilla iced coffee, salted caramel cold foam cold brew, and vanilla sweet cream cold brew!

Ingredients for this recipe

Caramel Simple Syrup - A homemade version is easier than can be to make, trust me.
Brewed Coffee - You can either use coffee that’s been brewed traditionally and chilled in the fridge or try it with homemade cold brew coffee.
Cream – Whatever kind you prefer! For us it’s classic half & half, but this recipe can also be made with your favorite kind of dairy or dairy-alternative.

Making Caramel Iced Coffee at Home

This is just a very brief overview, you can find more in-depth instructions in the recipe card below!

Add caramel simple syrup to a glass filled with ice. As much or as little as you want.
Pour in the coffee. Make sure to save a little room for cream, if using.
Top with cream. And enjoy!

Recipe FAQ & Tips

Can I use hot brewed coffee to make iced coffee? Yes, technically you can but I don’t recommend it. Pouring hot coffee over ice will cause the ice cubes to melt and can dilute the coffee significantly.

If you’re craving iced coffee and only have hot coffee on hand, I recommend mixing the coffee, syrup, and cream together in a glass first before adding the ice, so the coffee cools down a little bit from the syrup and cream.

It’s always best to brew your coffee and chill it in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight, before using.

I like to pour any leftover coffee from our morning brew into a mason jar and store in the fridge to make a quick iced coffee in the afternoon when I need a pick-me-up!

Alternatively, you can make your own coffee ice cubes out of leftover coffee and use them in this recipe to avoid diluting the drink!

Are iced coffee and cold brew coffee the same thing? Not entirely, no. Iced coffee means a cup of coffee that is served over ice. Cold brew coffee describes a batch of coffee that is brewed cold.

You can make this recipe with cold brew coffee, of course. You can also brew a regular batch of coffee, let it cool, and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Can I buy caramel syrup? Yes! Most grocery stores carry flavored coffee syrups in the same aisle where the coffee beans and tea are located. It can also be purchased online. Of course, I prefer the homemade version! It keeps for a long time in the fridge and the flavor is just unmatched!

How much caramel simple syrup should I use? If you’re familiar with getting an iced coffee drink from Starbucks, you may (or may not) know that one pump of their syrups is roughly equivalent to 1 tablespoon.

So if you order a tall iced coffee from Starbucks it will have 3 pumps of syrup in it, which is equivalent to 3 tablespoons.

Personally, I like a less-sweet coffee drink so I tend to only add 1 or 2 tablespoons. I always recommend starting with less simple syrup and adding more if you find the coffee isn’t yet sweet enough to your liking!

Other coffee recipes you may enjoy

Watch the recipe video!

A glass of caramel iced coffee sits on two marble coasters.

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