Can You Make Cold Brew With Instant Coffee?

One of the differences between cold brew coffee and iced is that the former tends to be less bitter and acidic (partly why its popularity has increased in recent years). Yet, making it at home can be a time-consuming process. According to Andrea Allen, co-founder of Onyx Coffee Lab, you could simplify the task by substituting instant coffee for grounds as long as you have a plan.

Traditionally, making a batch of cold brew requires patience. "The classic modality for cold brew is soaking water and coffee for an extended period of time, 6 hours or more, and then filtering it out," Allen said. Many soak the grounds even longer in a dedicated cold brewer (we like the County Line Kitchen Glass Cold Brew Coffee Maker), sometimes up to 18 hours. 

Still, she thinks this time could be cut down significantly if one were to swap ground coffee for instant. She said, "You'd just need to have a good idea about the recipe beforehand, mainly whether you're going to make a concentrate and add ice/water or make a cup of hot normal coffee and let it cool." A general ratio for a concentrate would be one cup of water to two or three tablespoons of instant coffee. However, if starting with cold water, it will take longer for the granules to dissolve. The alternative is using hot water, but Allen added, "You mainly want to keep in mind that pouring hot water over ice will dilute it, so having a plan for that is key."

If you avoid the typical mistakes many folks make when making homemade cold-brewed coffee, an instant product works in a pinch. However, there are some better ways to use up that container of instant coffee sitting in your pantry, said Allen. "I think instant coffee works best combined with other things," she explained. "It's designed to dissolve without much fuss, so you can skip the whole water situation sometimes and go straight to the good stuff."

Allen had a few specific suggestions that centered around perky beverages. She said, "Instant coffee + your favorite milk to make a latte, or a milkshake + instant. You can even use it for an espresso martini!" For best results in a milkshake, we like Starbucks Premium Instant Coffee which offers bold and chocolatey undertones.

Asked if instant coffee has value in culinary applications, Allen said, "It definitely does — classically as an add into a cake or dessert or even as a meat rub." A steak rub that borrows notes of your morning cup of joe adds a depth of flavor to beef that too many folks are missing out on, and desserts like tiramisu also benefit from the flavor of instant coffee while simultaneously saving you time while constructing it. Although it is often passed over because it typically contains less flavor than fresh-roasted beans or grounds, when used as an ingredient it offers just enough to elevate your favorite meal.