Iced Coffee

There are many ways to make iced coffee, and I experimented with several of them. These are the ingredients needed for my favorite version of this delightful beverage:

Ice. You'll need enough ice cubes to fill a 12-ounce glass. That's typically about 4-6 ice cubes.

Coffee. You'll need 8 ounces (1 cup) of coffee. You can use any type of coffee you like. You can use brewed coffee, French press coffee, Espresso, Nespresso, or even instant coffee if that's your thing. I like to use Nespresso, so I make two long shots. Combined, they make about 8 ounces of coffee.

Something creamy. You have several options here. You can use heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk. If you need the coffee to be nondairy, you can use coconut milk, oat milk, or a nondairy creamer. I like to use either heavy cream or half-and-half.

Flavor. This is optional but nice. I tried cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and almond extract. My favorite was the almond extract, and you don't need a lot - about ⅛ teaspoon.

Sweetener. Another optional ingredient. You can use white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, sugar-free syrup, or stevia. I usually skip the sweetener unless I add cocoa powder, and then I add 1-2 drops of stevia.

Needless to say, the type of sweetener you use will affect the nutrition info for this recipe.

We touched on the many ways you can vary this recipe above, but let's summarize the variations here:

• Type of coffee: Brewed, French press, espresso.
• Type of creamer: Heavy cream, half-and-half, whole milk, coconut milk, oat milk, nondairy creamer.
• Different flavors: Cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract, or almond extract.
• Different sweeteners: Sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, sugar-free syrup, or stevia.

The detailed instructions for making this recipe are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:

Make your coffee and let it cool. I usually put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Fill a 12-ounce glass with 4-6 ice cubes. Pour the chilled coffee into the glass.

Add almond extract and (if using) your liquid sweetener. Pour in the heavy cream (or any other creamer).

Stir and serve. I like to use a wooden chopstick for stirring. Make it indulgent with a few squares of dark chocolate on the side!

Iced coffee is great for breakfast or any time of day - you can use decaf coffee if needed. It goes well with dark chocolate (as shown in the photos on this page) and with baked goods and treats such as keto peanut butter cups, keto brownies, and keto fudge.

To make it extra indulgent, top it with whipped cream (this keto whipped cream is great) and even add chocolate shavings.