Have you ever wanted to make an Americano coffee at home? This iced Americano recipe yields a delicious, espresso-based drink with a rich flavor. It can be served both hot and as an iced Americano. Serve with cardamom buns.
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Ever since I can remember, this classic coffee drink has been my go-to order at any coffee shop I happen to wander into. I prefer Americanos over regular coffee because they're made to order, so they're always fresh.
A true Americano is made without milk, unlike lattes. So if you're looking for a low-calorie coffee option that still tastes great, this one is it!
Since my son, Scott, is the biggest coffee nerd I know, I turned to him once more to show us how to make the perfect Americano. As usual, he nailed it!
His version is way better than Starbucks Americanos, which I've always found to be too bitter. By the time I get done adding enough cream to make my Americano drinkable, it's no longer low-calorie!
However, an Americano prepared with good quality coffee, in the right proportions, is smooth and absolutely delicious! If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out Scott's Moka Pot iced latte recipe. It's also excellent!
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🫗What Is An Americano?
The Caffè Americano is a simple coffee drink that requires only espresso and water, traditionally in a ratio of 1 part espresso to 2 parts water.
Like most espresso-based drinks, its origins can be traced to Italy, where many American soldiers were deployed during World War II. Being accustomed to American-brewed coffee, they tended to find Italian espresso to be too strong, so they added water, and the Caffè Americano was born.
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This iced Americano recipe is one of the easiest coffee recipes you'll try.
- You only need a few ingredients (coffee beans, water, and ice) to make an iced Americano.
- The Americano's strength can be adjusted to fit your personal preference. If you like very strong coffee, you can add an extra shot of espresso. If you like it weaker, just add more cold water!
- You can add a splash of cream or almond milk and your favorite sweetener to this iced Americano recipe. Just don't let Scott see you doing it, it would definitely be frowned upon!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Espresso: Quality whole bean coffee (this one is Scott's favorite) in a ratio of 1 part ground coffee to 2 parts water to make strong espresso. May substitute a moka pot, aeropress, or similar strong coffee.
- Water: Filtered cold water to mix with a shot of espresso.
- Ice Cubes: We like to use regular ice cubes. If you use coffee ice cubes, the ratio of coffee to water will be skewed.
- Optional: A saline solution of 80% water and 20% salt is a perfect addition to mitigate bitterness. These eye dropper bottles are perfect for the job!
- Sweetener & Cream: Half and half and your favorite sweetener (sugar, low-calorie sweeteners, honey, or flavored syrup, for example, lavender syrup) can be added.
What Is Espresso?
The world of espresso is absolutely flooded with misconceptions, so to proceed in this recipe, it is important that espresso itself is defined.
Espresso is a very strong style of coffee, brewed at high pressure, in order to properly extract a large dose of coffee with far less water than you would otherwise need. This results in a very high concentration of coffee.
Despite the labeling you may be used to seeing on bags of supermarket coffee, there is no special type of coffee beans and no special espresso roast coffee required to make espresso. Regular coffee beans can be used. In fact, I personally prefer lighter roasts for espresso.
However, in order to make true espresso, you do need an espresso machine capable of forcing hot water through a compressed puck of very finely ground coffee at 6-9 bars of pressure.
A moka pot, for example, cannot perform the brewing process required to make true brewed espresso, but it can still make delicious, strong coffee!
🔪 Helpful Tools
- An espresso machine, I use a restored La Pavoni Europiccola. A moka pot or an aeropress can be used if you don't own an espresso machine. I don't recommend using a French press because the coffee won't be strong enough.
- A precise burr grinder for grinding your coffee beans
- kitchen scale to weigh your shot of coffee
- An 8-ounce glass (we used a Gibraltar glass)
🧋How to Make an Iced Americano
Step 1: Pull a shot of espresso. If you're like me, you already brew on a coffee scale, but if not, weigh out your finished espresso in grams.
Step 2: While still hot, pour espresso into an 8-ounce glass filled with ice, and stir until chilled. If using saline, add 3 drops now to cut back on bitterness.
Pro Tip: If you're using a Moka pot or similar method, your coffee will be less concentrated than espresso. This means you can skip step 3 because the dilution from the ice melting will be enough.
If using an espresso machine, continue to step 3
Step 3: Using a kitchen scale, add an equal amount of water to the weight of the espresso shot you used. Stir until chilled. Optionally, sweeten with your favorite sweetener and a splash of half and half.
Having a hard time understanding the ratios? My espresso shot weighed 30g, and the melted ice created another 30 grams of water, so I only had to add an additional 30 grams of cold water to get a 1:2 ratio of espresso to water.
You may also be interested in trying this sweet cream cold foam recipe. This Starbucks copycat recipe can be used to top your favorite iced coffee drink!
🫖 How to Make A Hot Americano
To make a hot Americano, weigh your shot of espresso, then add twice as much hot water. Stir and adjust the ratios of water to espresso (if needed). A 3 to 1 ratio can make your Americano both smoother in taste and increase its volume.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Neither one is definitively "better" than the other; the reason so many different coffee drinks exist is that everyone has their own personal preference. In my opinion, an Americano is better, but try both and decide for yourself!
An Americano isn't always bitter; it depends on many factors. If you find your coffee is too bitter, try a lighter roast, as they tend to have far less of the bitter, charred flavors that darker roasts tend to have. Adding a few drops of saline is another great way to reduce any perceived bitterness.
If you're trying to order an Americano with milk at a cafe, just ask for an Americano with a splash of milk. If you mean "milk instead of water", then you should order a caffè latte instead.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- To make this iced Americano recipe, avoid supermarket coffee and instead look for whole-bean coffee at your favorite locally owned cafes.
- Use fresh whole-bean coffee, and invest in a quality burr grinder and espresso machine. They can be expensive, but if you're fully sold on the idea of enjoying espresso drinks at home, it will be far, far cheaper in the long run than ordering at cafes.
- If this iced Americano recipe is too strong for your tastes, simply add more water until you reach your desired strength.
- Don't be misled by the labeling on supermarket coffee! There is no special "espresso roast" required to make espresso; you can make a delicious shot of espresso with any coffee, of any roast level. Try different coffees and roast levels at your favorite local cafes, and bring home a bag of whatever you enjoy most.
☕️ More Drink Recipes
If you enjoy this iced Americano recipe, check out some of these other related iced coffee drinks!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pull a shot of espresso. If you're like me, you already brew on a coffee scale, but if not, weigh out your finished espresso in grams.
- While still hot, pour espresso into an 8 ounce glass filled with ice, and stir until chilled. If using saline, add 3 drops and stir to cut back on bitterness.
- Using a kitchen scale, add an equal amount of water to the weight of the espresso shot you used. Stir until the Americano is chilled, then serve.
- Sweeten with your favorite sweetener and a splash of milk or half and half.
Nutrition
Notes
- Using a 30-gram espresso shot, there will be about 30g of water added from the melting ice while chilling, so you only need to add another 30g of water to reach a 1:2 ratio of espresso to water.
- Avoid supermarket coffee, and instead, look for whole-bean coffee at your favorite locally-owned cafes.
- Use fresh whole-bean coffee, and invest in a quality burr grinder and espresso machine. They can be expensive, but if you're fully sold on the idea of enjoying espresso drinks at home, it will be far, far cheaper in the long run than ordering at cafes.
- If your Americano is too strong for your tastes, simply add more water until you reach your desired strength.
- Don't be misled by the labeling on supermarket coffee! There is no special "espresso roast" required to make espresso, you can make a delicious shot of espresso with any coffee, of any roast level. Try different coffees and roast levels at your favorite local cafes, and bring home a bag of whatever you enjoy most.
Randy says
Great tip with sourcing coffee from local cafes, that’s definitely the way to go. The saline also makes a very big improvement too!!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Randy, I appreciate the feedback!