Coffee Drink
Blended Iced Coffee with Coffee Ice Cubes
Make blended iced coffee with frozen brewed-coffee cubes for a smooth, coffee-forward slush. Exact weights, blender safety, variations and fixes.
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What Is Blended Iced Coffee?
Blended iced coffee is a coffee-forward frozen drink made by blending chilled brewed coffee with frozen coffee cubes, milk and optional sweetener. Freezing brewed coffee instead of plain water preserves more coffee flavor as the drink melts.
Our house recipe starts with one 20 g coffee to 300 g water filter batch. Retain 225 g brewed coffee, freeze 150 g as cubes, chill 75 g, then blend both with 75 g milk and 20 g simple syrup.
Key Takeaways
- 1Coffee ice cubes make this recipe distinct from a plain-ice café frappé and reduce flavor dilution.
- 2Brew one measured batch, then divide the finished coffee into 150 g for freezing and 75 g for chilling.
- 3The baseline contains no ice cream and no plain ice, so it remains a coffee-forward slush rather than a milkshake.
- 4The full house serving is approximately 87 calories before whipped cream, sauces or other toppings.
- 5Freeze the coffee cubes fully and use only a blender approved for crushing frozen ingredients.
Blended Iced Coffee at a Glance
- Coffee cubes
- 150 g
- Chilled coffee
- 75 g
- Milk
- 75 g
- Simple syrup
- 20 g
- Texture
- Coffee slush
- Calories
- About 87
The measured house formula creates a 320 g blender load and takes about 8 hours 30 minutes, almost all of it unattended freezing time. The finished drink should be briefly spoonable but still pour from the blender jar.
How to Make Blended Iced Coffee
Ingredients
- 20 g ground coffee, matched to the chosen filter brewer
- 300 g brew water
- 75 g cold whole milk
- 20 g chilled 1:1 simple syrup
After brewing, weigh the liquid coffee. If output exceeds 225 g, weigh 225 g for the recipe and reserve the excess. If output is below 225 g, do not top it up with water: scale the frozen coffee, chilled coffee, milk and syrup to the actual output, or brew enough additional coffee to reach 225 g.
Method
- Brew 20 g coffee with 300 g water using a filter method you can repeat. Weigh the finished coffee, then follow the over- or under-yield protocol above rather than correcting the output with plain water.
- Cool the coffee promptly. Weigh 150 g into an ice-cube tray and refrigerate the remaining 75 g in a covered container.
- Freeze the coffee cubes until solid, usually about 8 hours depending on tray size and freezer performance.
- Weigh 150 g frozen coffee cubes, 75 g chilled brewed coffee, 75 g cold milk and 20 g chilled simple syrup.
- Confirm that the blender is approved for frozen cubes. Load the ingredients in the order its manual recommends and stay below the fill line.
- Blend on an approved frozen-drink setting for about 20 seconds. Inspect, then blend for up to 5 seconds more only if permitted.
- Pour into a chilled glass and serve immediately.
Why Coffee Ice Cubes Work
Plain ice contributes water as it melts. Coffee ice cubes contribute brewed coffee, so the drink keeps a stronger coffee identity during the first stage of melting. They do not prevent dilution entirely: the cubes still contain mostly water, and every frozen drink becomes looser as it warms.
The liquid coffee helps the blender circulate the frozen cubes. Milk adds body, while simple syrup sweetens without leaving undissolved sugar crystals in the cold drink.
Blended Iced Coffee vs. Frappé and Milkshake
This table scrolls horizontally on smaller screens.
| Drink | Frozen component | Richness | Main identity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blended iced coffee | Frozen brewed-coffee cubes | Light to moderate | Coffee-forward slush |
| Blended coffee frappé | Plain ice | Moderate | Espresso, milk and syrup café drink |
| Greek frappé | Ice added after foaming | Light | Foamy soluble instant coffee |
| Coffee milkshake | Ice cream | High | Frozen dairy dessert with coffee |
| Coffee granita | Entire sweetened coffee base | Light | Fork-scraped spoonable crystals |
Cold brew is not a direct gram-for-gram substitute unless its strength is known. A concentrate can overpower the milk, while ready-to-drink cold brew may produce a weaker cube. Start with the measured filter batch before adapting the formula.
Calories and Nutrition
The full 320 g house recipe is estimated at approximately 87 calories.
| Nutrient | Estimated amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 87 |
| Carbohydrate | 13.8 g |
| Total sugar | 13.8 g |
| Added sugar | 10.0 g |
| Protein | 2.6 g |
| Fat | 2.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.4 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Sodium | 37 mg |
The total-sugar estimate includes both milk lactose and added syrup sugar, and is part of the carbohydrate total rather than an additional amount. Ingredient brands and coffee-solids retention vary, so use package labels when an exact figure matters. Optional whipped cream and chocolate shown in the variation image are not included.
Caffeine Planning Context
As a generic brewed-coffee planning proxy, USDA entries around 30 to 44 mg caffeine per 100 g would place 225 g of brewed coffee at roughly 68 to 99 mg. This is not a measurement of the house batch, and bean species, blend and extraction can put it outside that span. Milk, syrup and freezing change concentration or texture, not the caffeine already extracted.
Use manufacturer data for a packaged brewed coffee, or a laboratory-tested product when an exact limit matters. Decaffeinated coffee works with the same freezing and blending method.
Troubleshooting Blended Iced Coffee
This table scrolls horizontally on smaller screens.
| Problem | Check first | Practical adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Blender will not circulate | Appliance permits frozen cubes and load order is correct | If the manual permits, add 15 g more chilled brewed coffee |
| Drink is thin | Cubes were fully solid and liquid ingredients were cold | Recheck the 150 g cubes and 75 g coffee measurements |
| Coffee tastes bitter | Brewed coffee already tasted bitter before freezing | Correct the brew; blending cannot repair overextraction or a harsh roast |
| Coffee tastes weak | The 20:300 brew input and 225 g retained output were followed | Avoid plain ice and excess milk; use fresher coffee next time |
| Ice pieces remain | Cube size and blender setting match the manual | Use the approved cube size or frozen-drink program |
| Drink becomes watery | It has been standing | Serve immediately; melting is normal |
Variations That Preserve the Formula
- Less sweet: Reduce simple syrup from 20 g to 10 g. The drink will be slightly firmer because there is less liquid sugar.
- Dairy-free: Replace the 75 g milk with the same mass of a coffee-friendly plant beverage and calculate nutrition from its label.
- Black coffee slush: Omit the milk and replace it with 75 g additional chilled brewed coffee. Expect a sharper, icier texture.
- Decaf: Use decaffeinated coffee for both the cubes and chilled portion.
Do not add ice cream and still call the result this baseline recipe. Ice cream moves the drink into coffee milkshake territory and requires a new nutrition calculation.
Common Blended Iced Coffee Questions
Why use coffee ice cubes instead of regular ice?
Can I make the cubes with cold brew?
How long do coffee ice cubes take to freeze?
Can I make it without milk?
Can I make blended iced coffee without sugar?
Is blended iced coffee the same as a Frappuccino?
Can I prepare it ahead?
Can I use decaf coffee?
Bottom Line
Blended iced coffee earns its own place by using coffee as both liquid and ice. Brew a repeatable 20:300 filter batch, retain 225 g, freeze 150 g and chill 75 g, then blend with 75 g milk and 20 g syrup. The result is a coffee-forward slush that is distinct from a plain-ice frappé, a foamy Greek frappé and an ice-cream coffee milkshake.
Coffee Ice Cubes
Starbucks At HomeBrand recipe illustrating the practical use of frozen brewed-coffee cubes.
How To Use a Blender
KitchenAidManufacturer guidance supporting appliance loading and frozen-ingredient safety.
Food Allergies
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationFederal guidance for milk and other allergen disclosure.
Danger Zone
USDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceFederal time and temperature guidance for perishable ingredients.
Ingredient Nutrition Database
USDA FoodData CentralFederal ingredient references used for the nutrition estimate.