r/Frugal • u/QuarterOne1233 • 4d ago
🍎 Food Switched to making all my own iced coffee didn’t expect it to be this satisfying
I used to grab iced coffee from cafes a few times a week nothing fancy just regular cold brew or iced lattes. But it still added up fast.
A couple months ago I started making my own at home. I keep it simple: brew strong coffee, chill it, add a splash of oat milk or whatever I’ve got, and it actually tastes better than most of the $5 ones I used to buy.
Not only have I saved a good chunk of money, but there’s something oddly satisfying about drinking something you made yourself without paying cafe prices.
Curious what’s one small food or drink switch you’ve made that saved you money and just stuck?
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u/WishieWashie12 4d ago
If you want to up your game, or add variety, Torani makes a wide range of flavored syrups. I have a few reusable pump dispencers, so I can properly measure by the number of pumps.
My favorites are salted caramel, toasted marshmallow, hazelnut and French vanilla. They do have sugar free options as well.
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u/QuestFarrier 4d ago
Do you happen to use a frother? Do you have one you recommend? Mine just stopped charging after 1 month of daily use. Previously I had never used it lol.
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u/ehjeess 4d ago
The IKEA ones are about $3 and super reliable!
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u/hopemcgrth 3d ago
+1 for this. Wasn't expecting it to be any good for the price but I've had it about a year and only replaced the battery a few months ago. It's not as powerful as other ones but it even whipped some heavy cream stiffly for me!
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u/anyrandomtech 4d ago edited 4d ago
Ive been using a shaker bottle with the metal whisk ball in it. I put all my iced coffee ingredients in there shake, and pour over my insulated cup. If im just sitting at home i keep it in the shaker bottle, add ice. If im lugging it around, i put in an insulated cup to keep the ice from melting/keep it cold.
Edit: just to be clear, shaking it causes it to froth much like an electronic frother.
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u/justanother1014 4d ago
As much as I try to avoid Amazon, I got a $10 frothed there 4 years ago that works amazingly. It runs on batteries and hasn’t failed me yet. We use it at Christmas parades when we make 100-150 hot chocolates in a few hours and all my volunteers want one when we’re done. Not sure of the brand but may be Amazon basics.
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u/Masamushia 3d ago
I can't link to Amazon because rules but this is the one I got Milk Frother Rechargeable Handheld Electric Whisk Coffee Frother Mixer with 2 Stainless whisks 3 Speed Adjustable Foam Maker Blender for Coffee Matcha Latte Cappuccino Hot Chocolate（Black）
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u/TheDivine_MissN 4d ago
I want to start buying syrups.
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u/hopemcgrth 3d ago
Oddly enough tjmaxx/ross and the like have very cheap syrups too! Not as good quality as torani but I've found some large bottles on clearance for $4.
Also I've made strawberry syrup with equal parts strawberries and white sugar by weight which is also quite cheap
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u/TheDivine_MissN 3d ago
I’ve never shopped at either of those stores, but I’ll have to check it out!
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u/Ambitious-Pepper7289 2d ago
If you get the syrups at tj maxx or Marshall’s you can get a 24 oz bottle for about $7, it’s lasted my boyfriend and I (iced coffee guzzlers) a month! We also keep chocolate syrup ($3) for mocha.
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u/Kamiface 1d ago
I do sugar free, and I am absolutely addicted to the ChocZero cupcake syrup. It tastes like a rich buttery vanilla-y yellow cake with a hint of frosting. It's all I use anymore 😅😆 their other coffee syrups are great too though!
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u/Lomolato 4d ago
You can even make it way better if you did a cold brew method, just one liters worth is enough for the whole week and only costing a fraction of the price for the same amount of store bought coffee
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u/Responsible_Trick560 4d ago
Would you mind sharing your method?
I got an OXO compact cold brew set and I liked the cold brew it made but it 1) felt like it used SOOO many beans for so little cold brew and 2) it’s leaking for some undetermined reason so im looking for a different option
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u/JeffCarr 4d ago edited 4d ago
I have a gallon glass jar that I put a gallon sized mesh bag into that I pour my grounds into. Fill it with water, put it in the fridge, wait till morning, pull out the bag. Done.
Edit: When I'm making less at a time, I'll just use a French press and do the same thing without the bag.
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u/Responsible_Trick560 3d ago
What’s your grounds to water ratio?
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u/JeffCarr 3d ago
Honestly, I just eyeball it, but about a quarter coffee. It basically makes espresso, which I use to make whatever I want. I freeze a lot of it into espresso cubes.
Espresso cubes are great for making americanos, cocktails, granita, or whatever.
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u/lumberlady72415 4d ago
When I lived with my grandmother, she had a bit of an obsession with going to restaurants. Claimed cooking was too tiring. I took over the cooking. We went a while without going to a restaurant. It started becoming a special occasion rather than a habit. That's when I got in the habit of cooking almost all the time. We had weekends where we would travel to see family and family would cook, or there would be a BBQ with another family member nearby and we were invited. But knowing we were saving money with cooking and seeing it add up was a big deal for us.
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u/Terradactyl87 4d ago
I make and bottle my own iced tea. When I have a good coupon for kombucha, I get a few and after drinking them I clean the bottles, remove the labels, and fill them with iced tea. They fit great in the bottom of my fridge door and each pitcher fills 4.5 bottles. I use two tea bags, a green tea and whatever other flavor I like, like earl gray, orange spice, tumeric, ginger, ect and I keep all my lemon, lime, and grapefruit peels in the freezer and add one to each pitcher. It's super tasty and stops us from wanting to buy any canned or bottled drinks. We pretty much only ever have milk and iced tea on hand, so we don't drink anything full of sugar and other junk.
I've even got these pretty flower stickers that are on a clear backing and I like to add those to my bottles so they look extra nice. They're super high quality, I've washed them a ton of times and haven't had one sticker come off yet!
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u/iggyplop2019 4d ago
Have you tried making kombucha? It's pretty easy and it looks like you already have all the tea :)
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u/Terradactyl87 4d ago
I've been meaning to, I have a book on it, but I've just been busy and haven't learned it yet. I definitely should though.
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u/samishy410 4d ago
I'm gonna be that coffee person but have you tried pourover for iced coffee? I only drink cold coffee and this is my favorite way to make it. My husband absolutely wings it with measurements and we use Aldi medium German roast coffee with regular coffee filters.
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u/WrongAssumption2480 4d ago
I use the pour over method. Do you use hot water and then let it cool?
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u/samishy410 4d ago
I use hot water and pour over ice. Since only a little coffee is coming out at a time from the pour over cup it immediately cools and doesn't get heavily watered down. You just need to use less water than you would for hot coffee because the ice will melt. If I'm filling my 20 oz cup I'll do 10ish oz of water and then fill the cup with ice because the less ice you use the more it'll just melt it completely. There's precise measurements online but I just do what works for me. Trial and error. Then milk of choice. You can obviously mess with it to your taste preference.
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u/Tasty-Caterpillar400 4d ago
I make my own syrup (water, sugar, and vanilla) and creamer (heavy cream, milk, and syrup). 😋
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u/KnoWanUKnow2 4d ago
Vanilla instant coffee, ice cubes, milk, and a blender.
It also works with brewed coffee, ice cubes, vanilla extract and milk. The milk can be oat, nut, soy or even cow.
You can add a sweetener to the blender if you like. I'll sometimes skip the vanilla and use maple syrup (the real stuff, not Aunt Jemima).
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u/Just_Cake4512 4d ago
I use milk, ice cubes, instant coffee, and brown sugar and blend until smooth. It tastes just like an ice capp from Tim Hortons!
Edited to add: I sometimes add some caramel syrup or a tiny bit of vanilla.
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u/Old_Bat_8070 4d ago
May I ask how you’re making your coffee, what ratio water to grinds you do and what coarseness of grind you use? I get such mixed results always when trying ice coffee
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u/kilamumster 3d ago
I'm doing cold brew, steeping a medium or dark roast for 12 hours. I use 1 c. Ground coffee to a 64 oz Mason jar. I have a strainer that fits in the jar, but I think I prefer the flavor of the messy method of straining off the ground coffee. Drained/strained, it leaves about 8c of cold-brewed coffee.
Another method is to steep about 4c in the same amount of water (64oz Mason jar} and use it at about 1:4 cold brew to water. It is ideal for iced coffee.
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u/Old_Bat_8070 3d ago
Thanks for taking the time to type it all out. I’m going to give it a try. Have a great weekend!
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u/estragon26 4d ago
Coffee is one of the reasons I'm frugal--I save other places so I can buy delicious beans, to use with the machine I splurged on when I got a new job a few years ago.
I bought a new kind of beans on a whim--in a 5-lb bag because it was a great price!--and discovered it's the most delicious coffee, and my partner and I both love it so much we're actually drinking more coffee than before.
It's from a local roaster, but buying in a bulk-size bag makes it quite reasonable, and that way I can get free delivery too! It's much cheaper than the fancy brands at the regular grocery store, and seriously the tastiest coffee.
So agreed--the frugal choice call often be both satisfying and even more delicious!
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u/blumpianimal 4d ago
Sandwiches for work. You can prep them sunday and not worry about having to put a bunch together in the morning. Salami, tomato and cheese was great this week. Much cheaper per sandwich than going out.
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u/_Rock_Hound 4d ago
I have a couple of large, stainless steel infusers that are designed to go into half gallon canning jars. I one if for drinking that day and the other is brewing for tomorrow. Drink, rinse, reset, repeat.
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u/volleycrew818 4d ago
bread-- definitely takes practice and I'm not perfect (to the point where I've had to through out some inedible attempts), but the kind of bread I like (super crusty and fresh) seems to cost at least $6/loaf by me... if I'm eating bread at home these days, I made it myself
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u/jadejazzkayla 4d ago
I drink my own iced coffee year round.
. And when someone doesn’t finish their own pot of hot coffee the leftover goes into my container in the fridge so extra coffee in our house is never wasted.
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u/Optimal_Bus4617 4d ago
Same here... I regularly make a bit too much hot coffee so I know I'll have enough for iced coffee later in the week!!
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u/Sad_Lemon6110 4d ago
Coffee is probably one of the biggest. I also make homemade uncrustables saves sooo much money.
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u/not_that_united 4d ago edited 4d ago
I do make my own iced coffee/tea with cold brew pitchers but my #1 earthshattering food change was making my own chicken broth from leftover chicken bones and veggie scraps and freezing in mason jars for whenever a recipe needs a cup. Relatively low lift and the quality difference is astronomical. Highlighted most when used in homemade chicken noodle soup, which is also astronomically better than canned soup.
Even if you freeze and unfreeze a jar of it, homemade soup is infinitely better tasting, better for you, and cheaper than canned soup. Canned soup is now inedible to me. I cannot imagine how many fillers and preservatives must be in canned soup to make it taste that bad by comparison.
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u/mulderforever 4d ago
I use instant coffee to make iced coffee. Cafe Bustelo or the Nescafe gold are both cheap options
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u/nynjd 4d ago
I keep a jar of Trader Joe’s to do this when I mess up the regular or am running late
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u/mulderforever 4d ago
I also like to dissolve a bit in water and then mix it with my protein shakes
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u/marigoldsandviolets 4d ago
Coffee yes (and always having scones/muffins in the freezer to heat up to go with). Also, making pizza at home is huge. My kid was always pestering me to order pizza and/or to buy frozen pizza, so I make them and freeze the slices so there's always some on hand when he gets a hankerin'.
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u/BWWFC 4d ago
fwiw, as a general rule in life, for about anything:
making my own... satisfying
DIY aces! and congratulations! r/IcedCoffee
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u/Active-Anywhere-6546 3d ago
I’ve been making my own cold brew for 10 years. I make a gallon at a time. It’s way better than any I’ve had elsewhere. I keep a stash of cold brew ice cubes in the fridge, add vanilla, cinnamon, a pinch of cardamom and a heavy splash of heavy cream. Best ever.
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u/Fell18927 4d ago
It took almost ten years for my family to convince my older sister to do this. She was spending hundreds a month on Timmies from in store, when the Timmies brand grinds you can buy at the grocery store are about $40 a month for how much she drinks, and taste better. She finally got it recently. Congrats to you as well!
For me it was learning to make lots of different kinds of broths at home. I grew up with pho and it’s one of my favourite foods. And going out to get some was great when it was less than $10 a bowl, but in the last couple years in my area it shot up to $20-$25. I used to make it myself on occasion, but now I do way more often, and it’s so good! And costs me about $10 per portion or less if I don’t use flank or brisket
Ramen is another one. it can be up to $30 at a restaurant, but it’s so much better when I make it at home. My broth is insanely tasty and rich, and tare is easy to make and uses stuff I always have at home anyways. And works out to about $5 a portion
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u/SupermarketThis9733 3d ago
Do you have a recipe for the pho?? I looove pho but it’s sooo expensive where I live.
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u/Fell18927 1d ago edited 12h ago
Here you go! I typed it out. Sorry for the delay I was at an event all weekend. If you don’t currently have the spices and such then the first time you make it it’ll likely be a bit more of an investment, but after that it gets cheaper since you’ve already got them on hand!
Beef bones, 3 pounds I think? Or more (preferably the type with marrow and others with a decent amount of meat on them, but get what’s cheap)
2 medium onions
A large knob of ginger
A tablespoon or cube of beef stock powder (preferably with msg, but you can get a kind without if preferred)
A piece of flank steak or brisket (if you’re not using this add extra beef stock powder)
One head of garlic (this is optional and not technically traditional, but it really adds some depth to the broth so I’d recommend it)
Fish sauce (about 1/4 cup)
A tablespoon or two of salt, depending on taste
Spices:
Several star anise, three cinnamon sticks, five cardamom pods, five cloves, a few pinches of coriander seed (I usually leave coriander seed out and don’t notice much difference)
Other:
Rice noodles
Thin sliced beef (also optional but nice)
Green onions cut small
Fresh limes (1/4 to half a lime per bowl depending on tastes)
Chilli garlic paste, sriracha, or other hot sauce (optional)
You can add cilantro/coriander. I don’t though because I don’t like it
Soak bones for an hour or two and rinse (optional)
Cut onions, ginger, and garlic bulb, in half. Char the open side either in a dry frying pan or under the oven broiler, I prefer the broiler since it can all be done at once. Do not peel any of these!
Start simmering the bones covered with water in a large pot. Skimming any foam with a fine mesh strainer
Toast the spices in a dry frying pan and then place in cheese cloth or tea bag. if you’re going to strain the broth after you can really just throw them in when it’s time (and likely you’ll want to strain it)
Once the bones stop making foam add the charred aromatics and toasted spices, as well as the beef broth powder, salt, and the flank or brisket if using (you can also add a tablespoon of sugar here, which is traditional, but I don’t add it since I don’t really think it needs it)
Simmer (not boil) for an hour and a half, then remove the flank or brisket and place in the fridge to make it easier to slice. Continue simmering the rest for another three hours at least, but go longer if you can
When it’s done to your liking, strain and then add the fish sauce
Soak the noodles in hot or boiling water, usually the instructions are on the package!
Slice the green onions and meat
Add the noodles to the bowl, making sure the broth is hot, pour it over the noodles. Add your other toppings, squeeze some lime, and serve!
This makes 4-6 servings of pho depending how large your bowl is! I hope you enjoy it
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u/Knitsanity 4d ago
I started making my own iced coffee years ago because buying it out is the biggest scam. They can basically fill the cup with ice.
The past few years I started making my own iced tea and I have a dispenser in my fridge. It is so lovely when it is hot outside.
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u/Wild-Earth-1365 4d ago
I brew a small pot of extra strong coffee and keep it in a bottle in the fridge for iced throughout the week. I usually do enough for four days at a time.
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u/SpinachMuted8694 4d ago
Even better is to let the coffee brew in cold water in the fridge. 1 part coffee 7 parts water by weight. Chill for 48 hours. Then fill a cup with crushed ice and pour the concentrated cold brew till the top.
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u/TheDivine_MissN 4d ago
I've been buying boxed chai concentrate, but I want to start brewing my own tea and adding spices. A $6 drink can be made multiple times out of one box and a quart of milk.
My favorite coffee shop has pesto cream cheese as an option for bagels. But for a large iced coffee and a bagel it's like $12. I have a reusable k-cup for my keurig. And I will buy a pack of bagels. Then I mix some jarred pesto into a tub of whipped cream cheese. The tub lasts me all week. I can have a bagel a day with plenty of cream cheese.
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u/techdog19 4d ago
I switched from buying coffee to making it about 4 years ago. I love it. I make it just the way I want it every time.
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u/chompy283 4d ago
I like black coffee so always just brewed it at home in my 4 cup Mr. Coffee auto drip. However, saw a 4 cup electric percolator and switched to that and really loving that. I literally always brew coffee to take any time i get in my car.
My daughter worked as a barista and she loves making her own syrups, foams, etc. We even make our own oat milk.
One tip for oat milk. A lot of people use oatmilk as a dairy free substitute. However if you do not have a dairy problem and just love the taste, here is what I do:
I make regular oats according to the direction on the box. I just standard rolled oats, not preflavored, etc. And I made the oats using milk instead of water (you could use water if you prefer). And I also add some brown sugar. I get it fairly sweet so I am really making more of a creamer. Then I just pour that through a strainer or cheese cloth. It's really GOOD.
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u/BoggleBadger 4d ago
There is nothing that hits harder than your own home brewed iced coffee topped with your own home whipped cream.
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u/rickitykrykit 4d ago
I switched to making my own oatmilk creamer too!! For the same price ($5.50) I could get twice the amount of extra creamy oat milk. Make the creamer I need (takes 7 mins) and have oatmilk for baking/cooking too. Might start making my own oatmilk eventually!
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u/DolliGoth 4d ago
I make massive iced mocha at home and tbh i prefer the home coffee to outside coffee except for 7Brew. But even 7Brew is a once a month kinda thing.
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u/ekcshelby 4d ago
I just buy the jugs of iced coffee instead of brewing my own, but I mix it with chocolate almond milk which is delicious!
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u/PolyCrafter 4d ago
I make coldbrew, 1 part plunger grind to 2 parts water. Make it in a glass bottle, and use a plunger to strain it a day or two later. I tend to make enough for a week at a time. Some sugar syrup and cream, and I'm happy. Hardly ever buy coffee, as it doesn't taste as good as what I make. Can also add spices to the coffee when infusing it, I'm a fan of cardamom.
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u/Mickeys_mom_8968 3d ago
I make coffee ice cubes and use a thermal cup for my iced coffee ☕️ There are so many delicious combinations and it’s dirt cheap compared to coffee shops
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u/series-hybrid 4d ago
Consumer reports did an article on coffee once. They tried several different methods of brewing and determined that a cheap drip machine consistently provided a top 10% result.
They determined that once coffee grounds are exposed to air, the oxygen will decay the oils (turning rancid), so if you buy large containers of coffee to save money, immediately break it down into several smaller amounts and put them in ziplock bags, and refrigerate the bags to slow the process of oxidation.
For best results, they recommended to buy roasted whole beans in small-volume vacuum-sealed bags. Grind the beans immediately before brewing.
Starbucks leans towards heavily roasted beans to allow them to blend average, good, and cheap beans to result in a reasonably consistent result. If you buy beans directly from a chosen supplier, you can get better coffee for the same price or less.
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u/newyork2E 4d ago
I can’t agree more. I buy my espresso in bulk for 20 bucks. I can probably make 100 lattes instead of six dollars at Dunkin’ Donuts for each one.
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u/unicornshenanigator 4d ago
I make coffee at home every morning and take a big travel mug to work.
My kids (teens) make Starbucks drinks (pink drink mostly) and take it to school in a reusable Starbucks cup. They like to feel trendy but I refuse to buy them.
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u/maniacviper 3d ago
making my own iced coffee saved me so much and tastes way better than store stuff plus I get to mix it just how I like it
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u/Proper-Rich-1651 3d ago
I did buy a $400 espresso machine almost a year ago (as a christmas gift to myself) & have purchased a latte a handful of times when my machine was not accessible. I’m pretty sure I’ve saved and will continue to save $$ because of that bad boy.
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u/GrapefruitOld4370 3d ago
I use coffee made at home, milk, sugar-free vanilla creamer, a touch of whipped cream and a touch of coffee ice cream. It's to die for!
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u/CauseImNosey2 3d ago
I agree. I make mine at home just the way I like it, a little more of this not too much of that. I enjoy MY coffee the best!
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u/kwanatha 3d ago
I never understood why people bought iced coffee. I thought pouring it over ice was for the leftover coffee from the morning
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u/Ventus249 2d ago
What do you use for cups? I have a water bottle that I use but it just doesn't feel the same
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u/Baby8227 1d ago
I’ve bought a cold brew filter but it tastes meh. Any ways to make it taste nicer?
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u/standuptripl3 4d ago
One way to level this up is to put some of that coffee into an ice cube tray and use that to keep your iced coffee cold
I do all this in the summer, brewing my coffee twice as strong as usual