Cold Brew in a Mason Jar (Low-Acid Method)
This cold brew recipe is smooth, strong, and ridiculously easy to make, especially in a mason jar. If you’ve never tried it at home, you’re in for the easiest, low effort caffeine fix of your life! Let me show you my favorite minimalist method that saves counter space, reduces acidity, and keeps your fridge stocked with the perfect pick me up.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Cold Brew Recipe
If regular coffee gives you heartburn or just feels too harsh, this gentler, low-acid cold brew might change everything. Rather than pouring boiling water over grounds, you let them slowly steep for 24 hours. The flavor is deep and rich, without the bitterness – and it’s always waiting in the fridge.
I’ve tried many methods over the years, but this mason jar setup is hands down my favorite. We live in a tiny house with an even tinier kitchen, so anything compact is a win. With one little metal filter, I can turn any wide mouth mason jar into a cold brew machine.
And when I want to turn it into something special? I make my Whole30 Vanilla Latte Coffee or stir in a splash of Homemade Dairy Free Heavy Cream for the creamiest glass of joy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make a batch of cold brew:
- Coarse ground coffee: This is essential. Finer grinds can seep through your filter and over extract, leading to bitterness.
- Filtered water: Good water makes a big difference! Use filtered or spring water if possible.
Note: You can use regular or decaf coffee, both work great! I drink decaf most days since it’s gentler on my system but still gives that coffee ritual satisfaction.
Mason Jar Cold Brew Equipment
- Wide mouth mason jar (quart size): Must be wide mouth so the filter fits.
- Cold brew filter: I use a stainless steel filter designed for mason jars. Super simple and reusable.
- Mason jar lid: A regular one works fine, but leak-proof lids are great for shaking.
How to Make Cold Brew in a Mason Jar
Step 1: Place the cold brew filter inside your wide mouth quart mason jar. Make sure the rubber gasket is between the filter and the jar to prevent leaks. Add in your coarse ground coffee.
Step 2: Pour in 3 cups of filtered water, or enough to fill the jar to the top.
Step 3: Screw on the lid and give the jar a good shake to help saturate the grounds.
Step 4: Let the coffee steep for at least 24 hours. You can keep it on the counter or in the fridge, whatever fits your routine!
Step 5: After steeping, lift out the coffee filter and allow it to fully drain. I like to place it in another jar to catch every last drop.
Step 6: The result is a strong cold brew concentrate. I like to add another cup of water to dilute it, which fills the jar nicely. Taste and adjust – some prefer adding 2+ cups of water for a lighter brew.
Step 7: Shake the jar before each use since separation is normal. Serve over ice or heat it gently for a cozy version.
Watch How To Make Cold Brew Coffee In A Mason Jar
Serving & Storage Tips
- Storage: Your cold brew will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 7 days. I like using erasable labels to date my jars.
- Continuous brewing: I start my next batch as soon as I strain the current one. That way I’m never without!
- Serving tips: Pour it over ice in a pint mason jar, top with non-dairy whipped cream, and sip with a reusable silicone straw. Heaven.
- Travel tip: Use mason jar to go lids if you’re taking your coffee on the road.
Whether you’re new to cold brew or just looking for a simpler way to make it, I hope this mason jar method becomes your go to. It’s saved me so many rushed mornings and tastes better than anything I’ve bought in stores.
If you’re building a clean kitchen routine, don’t miss my How to Stock a Keto Kitchen + Pantry post. It’s packed with my favorite staples.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Just make sure it’s labeled as “coarse ground” for best results. Finer grinds may slip through the filter and make your cold brew gritty.
Store your concentrate in the fridge in a sealed mason jar. It’ll stay fresh for up to 7 days.
This recipe uses about 1 part coffee to 3 parts water for steeping, then adds another 1-2 cups of water to dilute. Adjust based on your strength preference.
Not necessarily. You can steep on the counter if your kitchen is cool. I often leave mine on the counter during the day and refrigerate overnight.
More Coffee Recipes
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Cold Brew in a Mason Jar (Low-Acid Method)
Ingredients
Cold Brew
- 1 cup coarse ground coffee grinds
- 3 cups water
- Another 1-2 cups of water to dilute the ratio after the coffee has steeped overnight
Instructions
- Place the coffee filter inside your wide mouth quart mason jar, making sure the rubber gasket is between the filter and the mason jar (this will prevent leaks). Add in the coarse ground coffee grinds.
- Pour 3 cups of water over the coffee grinds, or enough to fill the mason jar up to the top with water.
- Cover with the mason jar lid, and give it a shake.
- Steep the coffee for at least 24 hours. You can leave on the counter or the refrigerator.
- After the coffee has steeped, lift out the coffee filter and let all the water drain out. I like to transfer it to another quart mason jar and let it slowly drip out.
- The resulting coffee concentrate is strong. I like to add another cup of water to the concentrate, which fills the quart mason jar perfectly to the top. This will make a very strong cold brew. You may not like it this strong, and want to dilute it with 2 cups of water or more. You may need to divide among 2 quart mason jars to dilute to your liking.
- Shake the mason jar well before serving since the cold brew can separate. Serve it cold over ice, or heat it up and drink it hot. I love it with my homemade dairy free creamer!
- Will keep refrigerated for at least 7 days.
Notes
- Storage: Your cold brew will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 7 days. I like using erasable labels to date my jars.
- Continuous brewing: I start my next batch as soon as I strain the current one. That way I’m never without!
- Serving tips: Pour it over ice in a pint mason jar, top with non-dairy whipped cream, and sip with a reusable silicone straw. Heaven.
- Travel tip: Use mason jar to go lids if you’re taking your coffee on the road.
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19 Comments on “Cold Brew in a Mason Jar (Low-Acid Method)”
Incredible post! I really enjoyed reading it and found it to be extremely informative. Thanks for sharing such valuable content with us.
Thank you!
ok pls help me. i have been defeated by both math & a coffee grinder and now feel stupid lol. i got the same coffee grinder you have, but i’m confused as to how much beans to grind? like there are buttons to choose the number of cups of coffee, & for my coffee pot i’d put 12, but the cold brew is concentrate, right? so you dilute it, so is it four cups like the size of the mason jar? how do i know which level will give me one cup of grinds? bc when i measure out grinds for my 12 cup pot i use a cup scoop. but it’s a fine grind so idek anymore
Great questions!!! Haha! I do it on the 12 cup (which means it’s filled to the fill line with coffee beans). I do it on Coarse Grind. It needs 1 cup of whole beans for a quart size mason jar that gets filled with about 3ish cups water (to the top once the ground coffee beans are in). The 1 cup of whole beans will fill the coffee grinder perfectly.
omg thank you! can’t wait to make it
This is my favorite way to make coffee! Great warmed up too and perfect with your creamer!
I love that it is your favorite way to make coffee Jamie. I agree it is delicious hot or cold and the creamer is a perfect addition.
I just ran across your cold brew recipe and bought the mason jar brewer and filter. I followed the instructions. Like you, I prefer decaf. I have a couple questions. First, does the brand of decaf make a difference. I think you use Costco? I don’t have a membership there. Second, I think I may have over brewed because it is incredibly bitter and leaves a horrible bitter taste in my mouth. I just used a local grocery store decaf brand. I brewed 19 hours, and it is really bitter. How long do you brew your cold brew? I think you mentioned at least 24 hours?
I love the idea of this. It was super easy. I also made the creamer. Easy and delicious. Sadly, the bitterness of the coffee took over.
Thank you for your help! I love Starbucks cold brew and am excited to make my own at home and save money. This is going to take trial and error.
Decaf twins! Yea!
It may be the brand of coffee. I use Peet’s Coffee that I get at my Costco. I know Peet’s is a local coffee company based in Berkeley near me, so not sure if it’s available in all Costco’s. I get the whole beans that I grind myself so they’re really fresh and flavorful. But really any quality whole beans should be good!
You can dilute the concentrate to your liking! That *should* tone down the bitterness. The cold brew should taste super smooth. Unless of course your coffee beans are the culprit.
Maybe try diluting it and see if that helps!
I brew mine for at least 24 hours. But I’ve gone up to several days before when I forgot about it in the fridge. Haha!
Hope this helps!
How much cashews do you need for the milk?
Here is a link to my cashew cream dairy free coffee creamer:
https://www.tasteslovely.com/cashew-cream-a-whole30-paleo-cream-substitute/
I sure hope you enjoy it Lucy!
This recipe has changed my coffee life!! I love how it is not bitter at all and the easiest way to make cold brew. This will be a summer staple.
I love that my cold brewed coffee recipe has changed your coffee life Jill! LOL! That is the best thing I have heard all day! I am so glad it was easy to make and did not turn out bitter. That is music to my ears!
I can’t wait to try your cold brew recipe!!
I sure hope you like it Angelica!
I love this recipe. I drink cold brew coffee every day with NutPods. I love the idea of making my own creamer. What brand decaf coffee do you use? I haven’t found one that I really like yet. Thanks for sharing this recipe. So good!!!
I like Pete’s Decaf coffee, which you can get right at Costco Susan. It’s really quite flavorful. I sure hope you enjoy it.
I love cold brew! It’s so fun that we make it the exact same way. I rarely have regular brewed coffee because cold brew is so much better! Thanks for the tutorial. Now I want to try your creamer, too.
I agree with you, I love a cold brewed coffee Susan! I sure hope you like my creamer, it’s yummy!