There are many interesting ways to enjoy coffee. But one of the best forms of the beverage is iced caramel coffee.
This delicious drink is served in many classy coffee shops. But there are times when you just can’t step out of your home to grab a cup.
With this in mind, it would help if you knew how to make iced caramel coffee in your home. In this post, you will learn how to prepare this drink. You will also discover the wonderful benefits of taking this beverage.
What is Caramel Iced Coffee?
Caramel iced coffee is a creamy, smooth delicious drink that is made from coffee beans and caramel. Unlike most coffee beverages, this beverage is served ice cold. To avoid the coffee from losing its taste to the ice, the brew is made stronger than usual.
During a 1957 fair, a Nescafe employee made the first iced coffee drinks by accident. Since he didn’t have hot water, he decided to mix coffee with icy cold water.
In the 90s, Starbucks made the first commercial iced drinks called frappucinos. After some time, the drink became loved by many coffee enthusiasts. One of the variations of this drink is what is now known as caramel iced coffee.
Types of Caramel Iced Coffee
There are many versions of this beverage. They include the following coffee drinks.
1. Iced Caramel Macchiato
This type of iced coffee drink consists of vanilla, caramel sauce, and milk.
2 Caramel Coconut Iced Coffee
If you want something, extra sweet, then you will love this drink. Asides from using caramel, coffee, and ice cubes, the beverage includes coconut flavored ingredients.
3. Skinny Iced Caramel Macchiato
Skinny Iced Caramel Macchiato is a healthier version of the iced caramel coffee. Unlike other types of iced coffee drinks, it does not use synthetic ingredients.
How to Make the Caramel Iced Coffee
Caramel iced coffee is quite easy to make and does not require many ingredients. Here are the items needed to create this creamy beverage.
- Freshly Roasted Coffee
- Grinder
- Mug
- Corn Syrup or Honey
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Whipped Cream
- Ground Cinnamon
- Cold Milk
- Ice Cubes ( Coffee ice or Regular)
- Measuring Cup
The Steps
1. Brew the coffee
Start by measuring your preferred amount of coffee into the grinder. Set the coffee grinder into a coarse setting and grind until it is fine as salt. Add some water to the coffee ground coffee and allow the solution to stand for about four minutes. Pour the brew into a fresh cup and ensure that the grounds do not fall in.
2. Prepare the caramel syrup
Place a pot on low heat and add sugar with 1/4 water. Next, add a little honey or corn syrup and allow it to boil.
After the mixture becomes well-mixed, cover the pot, turn the heat to medium-high and allow to cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, uncover the mixture and stir until the liquid has a light amber color.
Remove from the heat and gently add in 1/2 cup of water. Next, pour in a teaspoonful of vanilla extract and pinch of salt into the syrup.
3. Mix the coffee brew with the caramel sauce
Pour the hot coffee brew into a measuring cup. Add in the caramel sauce and stir properly. Then add some sugar and stir until all the ingredients blend properly. Save the mixture in the refrigerator and chill.
4. Serve!
Whip out two glass cups and pour in some ice cubes. Pour in milk to reach the top of the glass. If you like, you can even add whipped cream and ground cinnamon to the beverage.
How to Make a Quick Cup of Caramel Iced Coffee
If you are looking for a faster way to make caramel iced coffee, you can skip making the coffee brew by yourself. Instead, use a pack of prepackaged coffee concentrate. Although it might be pricey, this product is as good as any homemade brew.
Items Needed
- A pack of cold brew concentrate
- Caramel syrup
- Milk
- Ice
- Glass Cup
- Ice Cubes
The Steps
- Drop some ice cubes into the glass cup.
- Add the concentrate, some chilled milk, and caramel sauce.
- Stir well and serve.
N.B. Another quick method is to take the above ingredients and place them in a blender. Turn on the machine until you have a smooth creamy mixture and serve.
How to Make Iced Caramel Macchiato
As mentioned earlier, Iced Caramel Macchiato is another style of Iced Caramel Coffee. As expected, it uses slightly more ingredients than similar coffee drinks.
Items Needed
- Coffee concentrate
- Caramel sauce
- Vanilla-flavored syrup
- Milk
- Ice cubes
- Glass cup
The Steps
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla syrup to a glass cup, then add milk and ice cubes.
- Gently pour in some cold brew concentrate into the mixture. Add the caramel sauce and serve.
How to Make Caramel Coconut Iced Coffee
This is another form of caramel iced coffee that has a unique tropical flavor. But instead of caramel sauce, caramel ice cream topping is used in its preparation.
Items Needed
- Cold-brew concentrate
- Coffee creamer
- Ice cubes
- Coconut syrup
- Whipped topping
- Flaked coconut
The Steps
- Whip out a glass cup and pour in ice cubes. Add some cold brew concentrate, creamer, and coconut syrup. Stir properly
- Top the iced coffee with a teaspoon each of whipped topping, coconut flakes, and caramel syrup.
How to Make Skinny Iced Caramel Macchiato
Are you looking for healthy, iced caramel? Well, you can try the skinny iced caramel macchiato recipe. Instead of using sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, this recipe uses natural, healthy sweeteners such as paleo caramel sauce or maple syrup.
Items Needed
- Cold-brew concentrate or homemade coffee brew
- Unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- Ice
- Paleo caramel sauce: The sauce is made by boiling coconut milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and sea salt for 15 mins.
The Steps
- Pour ice into a glass cup until it is full. Add some of the concentrates to the ice.
- Add some almond milk or coconut milk to the mixture.
- Pour some paleo caramel into the glass, stir and serve.
Health Benefits of Caramel Iced Coffee
A cup of caramel iced coffee is a perfect treat for a hot afternoon. But if you take excess amounts of it on a frequent basis, you will have higher chances of developing conditions like obesity and heart disease.
If you would like to take it frequently, then stick with the skinny iced caramel macchiato forms, as it is prepared using healthy ingredients.
Now here are some of the benefits of taking caramel iced coffee.
You will consume fewer calories
Since the skinny iced caramel macchiato uses almond milk, the drink is one of the healthiest beverages that you can find. After all, almond milk is low in calories. But it is ideal for people who are not allergic to nuts.
It Improves Your Mental Health
The beverage contains caffeine that changes your mood. With this in mind, it can take away any feelings of depression.
According to research, people who drank coffee experienced fewer bouts of depression. Also, people who drink this beverage enjoy positive moods.
It Reduces Your Sugar Levels
A cup of healthy iced caramel coffee is ideal for lower your blood sugar levels. Furthermore, it has peptides that keep your blood sugar stable and reduces your chances of having type 2 diabetes.
It Prevents Heart Disease
Moderate consumption of cold brew coffee can reduce the chances of having heart diseases. Also, experts believe that caffeine and other compounds in coffee can bring down blood pressure and regulate blood sugar.
Wrapping Up
Caramel iced coffee is made from the coffee brew and caramel sauce. Moreover, there are many forms of caramel iced coffee, which include the iced caramel macchiato, skinny iced caramel macchiato, and caramel coconut iced coffee.
In all types of Iced Caramel Coffee, you can swap the brewed coffee for cold brew concentrate. You can even skip the sugar and use natural ingredients.
Healthy caramel coffee offers many benefits to the body. For instance, the beverage contains compounds that prevent heart disease, diabetes, and other medical conditions. It also helps to fight depression.
