How to Make Iced Coffee with a Keurig

Can you make iced coffee with a Keurig? Does a Keurig make iced coffee? It’s the same question twice. And the answer is: Yes and yes!

It’s extremely easy to make iced coffee with a Keurig. All you need is a few ingredients and the Keurig iced coffee recipe below.

What You Need to Make Iced Coffee with a Keurig

To satisfy your iced coffee itch with a Keurig, you really don’t need much. In fact, all you need is:

• A Keurig coffee maker (duh!)
• A heat-resistant cup/mug/glass
• The K-cup of your choice (dark roast works best)
• Ice cubes (or frozen coffee cubes)
• Cream and/or sweetener, if desired

It’s really that simple. You don’t need fancy-schmancy equipment to make an iced coffee. A good old Classic Keurig will do just fine.

That said, Keurig does make higher end models that come with an Iced Coffee feature on them. Should you choose to fork over a few extra bucks for this feature, I recommend the Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Brewer With Iced Coffee Capability. (Yes, a bit of a mouthful).

As far as your drinking vessel goes, everyone has a favorite. So, don’t let me deter you from using your World’s Best Grandma mug if that’s what tickles your fancy – even though you’re not a grandma.

For the best experience, though, you’ll want to use a heat-resistant glass, cup, or mug.

These Unbreakable Plastic Beer Glasses make a good addition to your kitchen cupboard, particularly if you’ve got iced coffee-loving company coming over. The glasses are dishwasher safe and heat resistant.

For something a little more impressive, check out this Origami Style Transparent Heat Resistant Coffee Mug made by KAZANA.

Now, Let’s Talk K-Cups

When it comes to making iced coffee with a Keurig, a darker roast is typically going to provide a better outcome. Specifically, a darker roast is going to yield less tartness and a much richer flavor. A good quality medium roast will also do the trick.

At the end of the day, however, this all comes down to personal taste. So, by all means, choose your own adventure. But here are a few K-Cup brands that make a glorious class of iced coffee:

• Black Rifle Coffee Company: BRCC is veteran funded and operated, and delivers high-quality, roast-to-order coffee. Definitely try their AK-47 Rounds for Single Serve Brewing Machines.
• Death Wish Coffee: Death Wish Coffee says they’re “The World’s Strongest Coffee.” And while I can’t verify it’s actually the world’s strongest, it’d definitely very strong. And downright delicious. Try the Dark Roast Coffee Pods Made with USDA Certified Organic, Fair Trade, Arabica and Robusta Beans.
• Peet’s: This ubiquitous, billion-dollar coffee company actually makes amazing K-cups. Definitely try their French Roast, Dark Roast Pods for Keurig. Their House Blend is excellent too.
• Maud’s Gourmet Coffee: Maud’s Coffee & Tea produces gourmet coffee and tea in 100% Solar-Power Produced Pods. It’s fresh, artisan roasted, expertly ground and packaged. For your Keurig, try the Tall, Dark, & and Handsome Pods (unfortunately, not named after me; but let’s pretend.) They also sell an awesome dark roast variety pack.
• Green Mountain – Brew Over Ice: Yes, Green Mountain makes great K-cups specifically for brewing over ice. And while other coffee companies seemed to have jumped on this bandwagon, Green Mountain holds strong as one of the best tasting brands. Try the Classic Black. Then, give the Vanilla Caramel a go.

Make Iced Coffee with a Keurig in 5 Easy Steps

This part is also extremely simple. There are dozens of tips and tricks you can try to customize your iced coffee making experience, but the basics are below. 

Step 1: Fill your glass/mug/cup/tumbler with ice. You can experiment with how much ice you like as it will change the flavor as the cubes melt and dilute the coffee. Consider starting with 5 or 6 normal ice cubes and then adding more once the coffee has cooled down a bit.

Step 2: Grab your favorite K-cup (again, darker roast is best) and load it up. If your Keurig machine has an “Iced Coffee” setting you will want to choose that. If not, you can choose either the 4oz or 6oz setting. 

Step 3: Hit the brew button and enjoy the show! At this point, your Keurig will start making that familiar sound as the delicious bean water begins flowing. Then, the ice cubes will start to crackle and pop from coming into contact with hot coffee. Oh so glorious.

Step 4: Add your creamer and sweetener of choice; then, stir. After a minute or so, you can add in some more ice cubes

Step 5: Turn on some smooth jazz, kick back, and enjoy your freshly brewed iced coffee. Oh, and don’t forget to leave a small tip for yourself now that you’re slinging iced coffee like a true barista.

Useful Tips & Tricks

Once you know how to make iced coffee in a Keurig, there are plenty of tips, tricks, and clever ideas with which you can experiment as a way to customize your drink. Keep in mind that repetition is the mother of skill (or something like that), so don’t get discouraged if you try something that does quite turn out the way you’d hoped.

Start with the basic formula and have fun experimenting until you find a recipe that tantalizes your taste buds. In the meantime, give these tips a whirl:

Iced Coffee Cubes: If you’re someone who loves to prepare things ahead of time, this one is for you. Grab a K-cup and brew a cup of coffee on the medium or normal setting. Once the coffee is brewed, let it cool down either on the counter or in the refrigerator.

After the coffee has cooled, pour it into an ice cube tray and stick in the freezer. So, obviously you will need an ice cube tray. And to pour the coffee into said tray, consider using a glass measuring cup with a spout like this one.

The next time you make iced coffee, use your frozen coffee cubes instead of regular ol’ boring ice cubes.

The “Ice Cold Brewski” Method: If you decided to forgo making iced coffee cubes, you can produce a similar result by letting your coffee cool down first before you add regular ice.

Simply brew your coffee and then put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes so it cools down to about room temperature. Then add in your ice cubes. This will prevent the ice cubes from melting so quickly, thus ensuring a stronger cup of coffee.

If you don’t want your mug or tumbler to be cold, brew your coffee into a heat resistant measuring cup and then pour over a mug or glass full of ice once cool.

Make it Vietnamese: That’s right. Turn your Keurig iced coffee into a classic Vietnamese Iced Coffee by adding one simple ingredient: Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Of course, to get as close to the real deal as possible, you’ll also want to use Cafe du Monde Coffee & Chicory K-Cups.

Make It A Double: If you want a stronger cup of iced coffee, use two K-cups on the smallest setting possible. Grab one K-cup of your choice and brew into your cup or mug. Then, remove that K-cup and repeat the process using a new K-cup. ‘

At this point, you should have eight ounces of strong coffee that you can ice down. You might think using that extra K-cup will increase the cost, and it will. But it’s still half the price of what you’re going to pay at your local coffee shop. So, don’t lose any sleep over it. That’s what all the caffeine is for!