How to make a nitro cold brew at home

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How to make a nitro cold brew at home

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Learn how to make nitro cold brew coffee at home! This recipe is so easy, delicious, and incredibly simple to make. So skip your Starbucks next time and give this nitro cold brew recipe a try!

My husband is a huge advocate of cold brews. As busy young professionals, of course we own a regular coffee maker (and a Keurig.. because, um, convenience.) But honestly, we rarely use our coffee maker because Evan makes cold brew all the time!

Seriously, there hasn’t been a day this month where there’s not a batch of fresh cold brew chilling in our fridge. This past summer, we’ve been making endless Iced Cold Brew Latte with it and it’s so simple and so satisfying at the same time!

In our opinion, cold brew tastes richer and smoother than hot brewed coffee. And it just so happens to be easier to make. So what can I say? win-win!

Recently, though, we discovered how easy it is to make not just regular cold brew, but nitro cold brew.

And now that we know how to make the perfect nitro cold brew at our house, we can share how YOU can make your own nitro brew in your home too!

Let’s start!

What Is Nitro Cold Brew?

In its most basic sense, nitro cold brew is a cold brew coffee that has been infused with nitrogen.

But don’t be mistaken – nitro cold brew isn’t the same as a regular cold brew. The addition of nitrogen adds incredible texture and flavor to your morning cup of coffee!

Infusing nitrogen creates micro-bubbles in your coffee, giving the coffee a delicious frothy texture. The process results in a velvety-smooth, slightly fizzy coffee topped with a rich, creamy head of foam.

What You Need to Make Nitro Cold Brew Coffee

  • 2 cups freshly ground coffee
  • 4 cups filtered water
  • Milk, for serving (regular or plant-based milk)
  • Coffee syrup, for serving (like this Copycat Starbucks Caramel Syrup)
  • Nitro brew dispenser
  1. In a large pitcher or mason jar, mix together the coffee grounds and water. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours.
  2. Place a piece of cheesecloth or large coffee filters over a fine mesh strainer until the strainer is covered completely. Place it over a large bowl and pour the cold brew into the bowl to strain.
  3. Discard the coffee grounds and pour the strained cold brew coffee to fill up the nitro brew dispenser.
  4. Tightly screw the top of your nitro brew dispenser and put in a nitrogen cartridgeto charge the dispenser.
  5. Shake well and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  6. When ready to serve, dispense your homemade nitro cold brew over ice into a tall glass and add milk and syrup, if desired. ENJOY!
  7. SERVING TIP: if your nitro cold brew is too strong for your preference, feel free to dilute it with water or more milk.
How to make a nitro cold brew at home

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If you enjoyed learning how to make Nitro Cold Brew with this recipe, please drop a comment below! I’d LOVE to know what you think! Or take a picture and share it on Instagram by tagging @dwellbymichelle so I can repost it on my stories!

How to make a nitro cold brew at home

How to Make Nitro Cold Brew Coffee

Learn how to make nitro coldbrew coffee at home! This recipe is so easy, delicious, and incredibly simple to make. So skip your Starbucks next time and give this nitro cold brew recipe a try!

Prep Time 10 mins

Steeping Time 12 hrs

Total Time 12 hrs 10 mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

  • 2 cups freshly ground coffee
  • 4 cups filtered water
  • Milk , for serving (regular or plant-based milk)
  • Coffee syrup , for serving (like this Copycat Starbucks Caramel Syrup)
  • Nitro brew dispenser

  • In a large pitcher or mason jar, mix together the coffee grounds and water. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours.

  • Place a piece of cheesecloth or large coffee filters over a fine mesh strainer until the strainer is covered completely. Place it over a large bowl and pour the cold brew into the bowl to strain.

  • Discard the coffee grounds and pour the strained cold brew coffee to fill up the nitro brew dispenser.

  • Tightly screw the top of your nitro brew dispenser and put in a nitrogen cartridge to charge the dispenser.

  • Shake well and refrigerate for 1 hour.

  • When ready to serve, dispense your homemade nitro cold brew over ice into a tall glass and add milk and syrup, if desired. ENJOY!

  • SERVING TIP: if your nitro cold brew is too strong for your preference, feel free to dilute it with water or more milk.

Keyword coffee, copycat starbucks drink, drinks recipe, easy drinks, iced coffee, summer drinks

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Reader Interactions

Can I make nitro cold brew coffee at home?

Once you've made your cold brew coffee (and got your hands on a nitro coffee dispenser), it's a really simple process. Pour your coffee into the flask, close it, charge it with Nitrogen and shake it a few times. Then, pick a nice transparent glass, pour in the coffee and admire your luxurious nitro coffee.

Is nitro stronger than cold brew?

Now that we've discussed the differences between the two, we'd recommend trying a nitro cold brew for its exciting taste. Also, keep in mind that it has a higher coffee to water ratio making it more caffeinated than a standard cold brew.

How does Starbucks make their nitro cold brew?

Our Nitro Cold Brew is created when our signature Cold Brew (slow-steeped for 20 hours) is infused with nitrogen as it pours from the tap. Nitrogen infusion creates microbubbles, giving the coffee a cascading, frothy texture.