17 Iced Coffee Recipes for Easter Weekend

Why Iced Coffee and Easter Weekend Are a Better Match Than You Think

Easter brunch culture is having a moment, and honestly it deserves one. You’ve got pastels, flowers, decent weather finally, and a legitimate excuse to eat chocolate before noon. The only thing that elevates that setup further is a really good cold coffee drink sitting next to your plate.

Spring flavors and coffee are genuinely made for each other. Lavender, vanilla, honey, lemon, matcha-coffee hybrids — all of them peak in April when you suddenly want something refreshing but still caffeinated. That sweet spot between winter hot drinks and summer slushies? That’s where iced coffee lives, and it’s glorious.

According to research from Johns Hopkins Medicine, regular moderate coffee consumption is associated with reduced risk of several chronic conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. So enjoying a couple of these over the long weekend is practically self-care. You’re welcome.

The other beautiful thing about making iced coffee at home? You control what goes in it. No mystery syrups, no accidental 46 grams of added sugar, just your ingredients, your ratios, your call. If you want to go dairy-free, you can. If you want to keep it under 100 calories, you can do that too.

Speaking of keeping things light and customizable, if you’re new to making coffee drinks from scratch, these beginner-friendly coffee recipes are a perfect warm-up before you tackle the more creative options in this list. And if you’re already confident in the kitchen, this roundup of iced coffee variations for hot weather has even more ideas to rotate through the whole season.

The Recipes: 17 Iced Coffee Drinks Worth Making This Easter

1. Classic Vanilla Sweet Cream Iced Coffee

This is the entry point, the “you can’t go wrong” option. Strong cold brew poured over ice, finished with a homemade vanilla sweet cream that you can whip up in about thirty seconds using heavy cream, a splash of vanilla extract, and a little powdered sugar. The cream sits on top and slowly falls through the coffee as you stir — it’s visually satisfying in a way that never gets old.

Use a wide-mouth mason jar like this one for the sweet cream — it shakes into the perfect pourable consistency without needing a frother. You can also batch the sweet cream and keep it in the fridge for the whole weekend.

2. Lavender Honey Iced Latte

This one is the Easter weekend poster child. The floral lavender note works beautifully with the bitterness of espresso, and the honey keeps things gentle without being cloyingly sweet. IMO it’s the one recipe from this list that makes people ask “wait, you made this at home?”

3. Cold Brew with Coconut Milk and Cardamom

If you’ve never added cardamom to iced coffee, this weekend is the time to start. It adds a warm, spiced depth that sounds weird until you taste it and then you’ll be grinding cardamom pods into everything. Brew your cold brew concentrate, dilute it with full-fat coconut milk instead of water, and stir in a small pinch of ground cardamom. Serve over coffee ice cubes for extra intensity.

For the coffee ice cubes, just freeze leftover brewed coffee in an ice tray the night before. These coffee ice cube ideas have some really creative variations if you want to take it further — I particularly love the ones made with condensed milk.

4. Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso

Yes, it’s an obvious one. No, I’m not apologizing for including it, because the homemade version demolishes the coffeeshop version and costs a fraction of the price. The key is the shake — you need to actually shake the espresso with the brown sugar syrup and ice in a cocktail shaker or a jar with a tight lid before pouring it over fresh ice. That aeration makes it light and frothy in a way that pouring never achieves.

Make your own brown sugar syrup and other coffee syrups at home — they come together in under ten minutes and keep for weeks. Way better than the bottled stuff.

5. Iced Caramel Macchiato (The Real Version)

Here’s the thing most people get wrong about a caramel macchiato: the order of construction matters. Ice first, then vanilla syrup, then milk, then espresso shots poured on top, then caramel drizzle. That layered pour is what creates the visual and the flavor progression as you drink it. Use a thin-spout milk pitcher like this one to pour your milk cleanly without disturbing the layers.

For a dairy-free version, oat milk creates the best visual layer — it’s creamy enough to hold the separation longer than almond milk, which tends to mix in faster.

6. Chocolate Cold Brew Mocha

Cold brew is already smoother and less acidic than hot-brewed iced coffee, and when you add chocolate it becomes something genuinely dessert-adjacent. Combine your cold brew concentrate with a tablespoon of good-quality cocoa powder (or a pump of dark chocolate sauce if you have it), a little oat milk, and ice. For Easter weekend, a tiny pinch of sea salt on top takes it somewhere special.

According to Healthline’s breakdown of cold brew coffee benefits, the lower acidity of cold brew makes it gentler on the stomach than regular iced coffee — which means you can enjoy this mocha without the acid reflux that hot-brewed chocolate coffee sometimes brings on. Good news for brunch.

If mocha is your lane, you might also love these coffee smoothies that double as a breakfast — some of them incorporate chocolate and cold brew into a genuinely filling morning drink. And for anyone who wants a full dessert experience, these coffee desserts that pair with your brew are perfect alongside any of the drinks on this list.

7. Strawberry Cold Brew Lemonade

This is the Easter weekend showstopper. Fruity, caffeinated, gorgeous in a glass, and way easier than it looks. Combine cold brew concentrate with fresh or frozen strawberry puree, a squeeze of lemon juice, a little simple syrup, and top with sparkling water. The cold brew gives it depth, the strawberry makes it feel seasonal, and the lemon keeps it from being too sweet.

You can use a compact handheld blender like this one to puree fresh strawberries right in the glass if you want a slightly thicker texture. No mess, no full blender cleanup.

8. Iced Matcha Dirty Latte

A “dirty matcha” is matcha with a shot of espresso in it, and yes, it sounds like a food trend that went too far, but it actually tastes incredible. The earthy bitterness of the matcha and the roasted depth of espresso complement each other surprisingly well. Pour ceremonial-grade matcha whisked with a splash of hot water over ice, add a shot of espresso on top, and finish with oat or almond milk. Two caffeine sources, one glass, Easter weekend energy levels fully handled.

9. Salted Caramel Cold Brew Float

Take your cold brew, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle salted caramel sauce over everything, and serve it in your tallest glass. Is this technically a coffee recipe or a dessert? Yes. Does it matter at Easter brunch when everyone’s already eating chocolate eggs? Absolutely not.

The key is to use a quality caramel — either store-bought from a good brand or homemade. If you have a squeeze bottle like this one, the drizzle presentation looks genuinely professional with very little effort.

10. Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Cinnamon dolce is one of those underrated coffeeshop flavors that deserves way more attention outside of December. Make a quick cinnamon syrup (sugar, water, two cinnamon sticks, simmered for ten minutes), combine with espresso over ice, add oat milk, and finish with a dusting of cinnamon on top. Warm, sweet, spiced, and completely appropriate for an April morning.

11. Vietnamese-Style Iced Coffee (Ca Phe Sua Da)

This is one of the most unfairly underrated iced coffee styles in the world. Strongly brewed Vietnamese coffee (ideally using a phin filter, though a strong French press works fine) poured over a generous pour of sweetened condensed milk and ice. The condensed milk is non-negotiable — it gives it that distinctive thick sweetness that no other ingredient replicates. Incredibly simple, incredibly good.

FYI — if you want to try the authentic version, a Vietnamese phin filter like this one costs almost nothing and makes a massive difference in the flavor. The slow drip creates a coffee concentrate that’s uniquely smooth.

12. Iced Hazelnut Latte with Oat Milk

Hazelnut and coffee is a combination so good it should be studied. Make a hazelnut syrup using hazelnuts, sugar, and water (toast the nuts first — this step is not optional), or use a quality hazelnut extract if you’re short on time. Combine with espresso, oat milk, and ice. For Easter weekend, add a tiny sprinkle of crushed toasted hazelnuts on top for texture and something to photograph.

13. Spiced Chai Cold Brew

Brew a strong chai tea separately, let it cool completely, then combine it 1:1 with your cold brew concentrate. Add milk of your choice and ice. The spice from the chai — cardamom, ginger, clove, cinnamon — wraps around the coffee’s bitterness in a way that feels warming and cooling at the same time. Spring weather being what it is, this covers both scenarios in one glass.

14. Iced Dalgona Coffee

If you were online in 2020, you know this one. Whipped instant coffee, sugar, and hot water beaten to a thick cloud, spooned over iced milk. It earned its viral moment for a reason — the texture contrast between the airy coffee foam and cold milk underneath is genuinely satisfying. It’s also one of the most visually impressive drinks you can make with under five minutes of active work.

The trick is the ratio: equal parts instant coffee, sugar, and hot water (2 tablespoons each for one serving), and you need to whip it for about three to four minutes until it holds stiff peaks. A small handheld milk frother like this one makes the job much faster than doing it by hand.

If you love the whipped texture approach, this collection of iced coffee drinks that outperform Starbucks has more recipes in that aesthetic vein. For anyone looking to explore non-dairy options across the board, these non-dairy coffee recipes using almond, oat, and coconut milk are a solid reference point for swapping any dairy ingredient in this list.

15. Rose Cardamom Iced Latte

Make a quick rose syrup with rosewater, sugar, and a touch of cardamom. Combine with espresso, whole milk or oat milk, and ice. This one looks absolutely beautiful — the pale pink tint from the rose syrup against the espresso layers makes it genuinely Instagram-worthy without any special equipment. For Easter weekend brunch, it’s hard to beat aesthetically or flavor-wise.

16. Cold Brew Tonic

This sounds like a coffee drink that got confused, but it’s actually brilliant. Cold brew concentrate poured over ice and topped with tonic water creates a slightly effervescent, bitter-sweet drink that feels halfway between coffee and a sophisticated cocktail. Add a twist of orange peel to finish. It’s unexpected, it’s refreshing, and it’s genuinely the most interesting conversation-starter on this list.

17. Iced Easter Brunch Affogato

Technically an affogato is hot espresso poured over ice cream, making it both a coffee drink and a dessert simultaneously. For Easter weekend, serve scoops of vanilla ice cream in small glasses and let guests pour their own espresso over the top tableside. It’s interactive, it requires almost zero prep, and it feels indulgent without being complicated. End every Easter brunch with this.

Making These Recipes Work: Tips That Actually Matter

Start with good coffee. This sounds obvious but it’s worth saying because the quality of your beans determines the ceiling of every recipe on this list. Cold brew especially — the long steep time amplifies both good and bad characteristics of the coffee. Medium to dark roast with low acidity works best for most of these drinks.

Most dairy-free milks behave differently in iced coffee, and it’s worth knowing the differences before you start. Oat milk froths best and has the creamiest texture cold. Almond milk is the lightest and most neutral. Coconut milk adds flavor (intentional in some of these recipes, less ideal in others). For complete breakdowns and more recipe ideas using each, these non-dairy coffee recipes cover all three milks in detail.

If you want to reduce the sugar content without sacrificing sweetness, natural sweeteners like raw honey, maple syrup, and medjool dates all work well in cold coffee drinks. Honey dissolves best when mixed with a small amount of warm water first before adding to the cold drink — otherwise it clumps at the bottom of the glass. For a full breakdown of natural sweetener options, these healthy coffee recipes using nut milks and natural sweeteners are a great reference.

One Long Weekend, Seventeen Reasons to Stay Home and Brew

Easter weekend is one of those rare stretches of time where you have genuine permission to slow down, eat well, and make something with your hands just because you feel like it. These 17 iced coffee recipes range from the quick and weekday-sensible to the properly indulgent, and you honestly can’t go wrong whichever direction you go.

My personal recommendation for the weekend: make the lavender honey latte on Saturday morning, the cold brew tonic as an afternoon pick-me-up, and end Sunday brunch with the affogato. That three-day lineup covers every mood and every pace the weekend might throw at you.

Pick one recipe, make it well, and you’ll wonder why you ever paid coffeeshop prices. Then make a second one, because it’s Easter and you’ve earned it.