How to Make McDonald's Iced Coffee

Co-authored by Amber Crain

Last Updated: December 7, 2021 References Tested

If you’re craving a McDonald's iced coffee but aren’t in the mood to leave the house, you can easily make your own version at home! All you need is coffee, ice, and condensed milk. If you prefer McDonald’s signature frappe, blend all of the ingredients in your blender with plenty of ice. Don’t forget to top off your drink with whipped cream and flavored sauce for the complete experience!

Ingredients

Iced Coffee

³⁄₄ cup (180 mL) of cold water
1-2 tablespoons (15-30 g) of ground coffee
¹⁄₃ cup (79 mL) of sweetened condensed milk
Ice cubes
¹⁄₂ tablespoon (7.4 mL) of flavored syrup or extract (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate sauce (optional)

Makes 1 serving

Iced Frappe

1 1/2 cups (355 ml) of freshly brewed coffee, chilled
1/2 cup (118 ml) of low-fat milk
2 tablespoons (28 g) of sugar
1 1/2 cups (192 g) of ice (plus more, if desired)
3 scoops of ice cream (optional)
1 tablespoon (14.7 ml) of flavored coffee syrup (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate sauce (optional)
Caramel sauce (optional)

Makes 2 servings

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Iced Coffee

1
Add the fresh coffee grounds to your coffee maker’s basket. Measure out 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 g) of your favorite coffee. Place the coffee grounds into your coffee maker’s filter basket as you normally would.^{[1]
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- McDonald’s uses premium 100% Arabica coffee.^{[2]
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  Research source} Feel free to use whatever you happen to have on hand, though.
- This recipe makes 1 serving of iced coffee. If you want to make more servings, follow the guidelines below:^{[3]
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  - 2 servings: 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 g) of coffee grounds
  - 3 servings: 3-4 tablespoons (45-60 g) of coffee grounds
  - 4 servings: 4-5 tablespoons (60-75 g) of coffee grounds
  - 5 servings: 6 tablespoons (84 g) of coffee grounds
2
Pour the water into your maker and press "Start” to brew the coffee. Measure out ³⁄₄ cup (180 mL) of cold water, pour it into your maker’s reservoir, and hit “Start” to get the coffee brewing. Once it’s brewed, take the coffee pot off the heat so the coffee can cool for a few minutes.^{[4]
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- If you have cold leftover coffee from this morning, it's fine to use that instead of making a fresh batch.^{[5]
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- Measurements if you want to make more servings:^{[6]
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  - 2 servings: 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) of water
  - 3 servings: 2 1/4 cups (530 ml) of water
  - 4 servings: 3 cups (710 ml) of water
  - 5 servings: 6 1⁄3 cups (1,500 ml) of cold water
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3
Combine the coffee and sweetened condensed milk in a large glass or a pitcher. Open a 2.8-ounce (414-ml) can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it into the glass. Stir the ingredients together.^{[7]
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- Or use these alternative measurements (feel free to round up or down):
  - 2 servings: 5.6 ounces (165 ml) of sweetened condensed milk
  - 3 servings: 8.4 ounces (248 ml) of sweetened condensed milk
  - 4 servings: 11.2 ounces (331 ml) of sweetened condensed milk
  - 5 servings: 14 ounces (414 ml) of sweetened condensed milk
4
Add any flavors that you want and pop the glass into your fridge. Vanilla, hazelnut, and caramel are all flavor options for McDonald's iced coffee. Just add 1/2 tablespoon (7.3 ml) of vanilla extract, hazelnut coffee syrup, or caramel coffee syrup to the pitcher and stir everything together. Then, place the pitcher in your fridge so the coffee can chill.^{[8]
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- Use about 1/2 tablespoon (7.3 ml) of extract or syrup per serving if you're making extra servings.
- If you try to pour hot coffee over ice cubes, the ice cubes will melt right away and you’ll end up with a diluted, lukewarm beverage.^{[9]
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5
Fill a glass with ice cubes and pour the coffee into it. Add enough ice cubes so the glass is completely full. Then, pour the chilled coffee over the ice cubes.^{[10]
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Enjoy your iced coffee immediately. Iced coffee is best when it’s fresh and cold so serve it right away. If you’d like, top off your glass with a little whipped cream and a dash of chocolate sauce.^{[11]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Iced Frappe

1
Brew a pot of your favorite coffee and chill it in the fridge. Make 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) of your favorite kind of coffee like you normally would. Then, transfer the coffee to your fridge to cool it a bit. If you combine hot coffee with ice cubes, your cold coffee drink might end up on the lukewarm side!^{[12]
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- You can use leftover coffee from this morning as long as it’s room temperature.^{[13]
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- This recipe makes 2 servings of iced frappe.^{[14]
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- If you want to make a single serving, cut each measurement in half.
2
Put the chilled coffee, milk, sugar, and ice in your blender. Once your coffee is chilled, pour it into your blender. Add 1/2 cup (118 ml) of low-fat milk, 2 tablespoons (28 g) of sugar, and 1 1/2 cups (192 g) of ice. Then, secure the lid on your blender.^{[15]
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- If you want a thicker, frostier frappe, add more ice.
- For a more dessert-like beverage, add 3 scoops of your favorite ice cream.^{[16]
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- Feel free to swap out the regular milk with almond or soy milk.^{[17]
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- To make a vanilla, hazelnut, or caramel frappe: add 1/2 tablespoon (7.3 ml) of flavored coffee syrup or extract per serving. If you're making the full recipe (2 servings), use 1 tablespoon (14.7 ml) of flavoring.
3
Blend the ingredients and pour the frappe into 2 glasses. Process the frappe ingredients in your blender until they’re fully combined. Feel free to add more ice and blend again if the consistency isn’t thick enough. Then, divide the frappe between 2 tall glasses.^{[18]
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4
Top each glass with whipped cream and a drizzle of your favorite sauce. McDonald’s iced frappes are usually topped with a generous portion of whipped cream. If you want a mocha frappe, drizzle a little chocolate sauce on top of the whipped cream.^{[19]
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Research source} If you’re craving a caramel frappe, use caramel sauce instead.^{[20]
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Research source} Serve the frappes immediately so they're super frosty!^{[21]
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- If you want get extra fancy, add some chocolate shavings and a sprig of mint to each frappe before serving them.^{[22]
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