This Agua de Café is a refreshing twist on iced coffee, made Mexican-style with cinnamon and a blend of milks that make it rich, creamy, and lightly sweet.
This one is really for people who love coffee in any form… hot, iced, strong, sweet. All of it. I’m definitely one of those!
And honestly, this is one of my favorite ways to use leftovers from my café de olla. Instead of letting that spiced coffee sit in the fridge, it turns into something completely new
You’ll Need
- Instant coffee
- Water
- Milk
- Condensed milk
- Evaporated milk
- Cinnamon
How to Make Creamy Agua de Cafe
So we start just letting a stick of cinnamon simmer for a few minutes. Once it smells warm and cozy, the instant coffee goes in and melts right into it. This is where the deep flavor starts.
Then after the coffee has cooled down, everything moves into the pitcher. Coffee first, then the milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk. This is where all that creaminess build up.
A good stir and suddenly it all turns into this smooth, milky coffee. That’s really it. Pour it over ice and you’ve got yourself a cold glass of agua de café.
A Few Little Notes
- Adjust sweetness at the end so it’s exactly how you like it.
- Using leftover café de olla makes this even easier and more flavorful.
- If you want to make it more sweet, you can use piloncillo which gives a deeper, more traditional Mexican sweetness, but brown sugar works just fine.
- Let it chill a bit before serving if you want it extra refreshing.
- Always stir before pouring because the creamy parts like to settle.
What coffee should I use?
Honestly, there’s no strict rule here, just use whatever coffee you already love or have on hand.
For the easiest version, instant coffee is perfect. It dissolves quickly and gives you that classic agua de café taste without any extra steps.
If you have instant café de olla, even better. It already has that cinnamon and piloncillo flavor, so it makes the drink even more traditional and flavorful.
And if you prefer, you can also use freshly brewed coffee from your favorite blend. Just let it cool completely before mixing it with the milk so everything stays smooth and refreshing.
At the end of the day, this is a very flexible drink and it works with whatever coffee you reach for.
How I Like Serving It
I like serving this Agua de Café really cold, straight over a glass full of ice. It’s one of those drinks that instantly wakes you up a little, not just because of the coffee, but because it feels like a small treat in the middle of a busy day.
And if you want to make it a little more special, you can drizzle a bit of cajeta or caramel sauce inside the glass before pouring the agua fresca de café and add some whipped cream on top.
It gives it that sweet, almost dessert-like touch that melts into the coffee as you drink it. So good!
More Recipes to Try
If you like this, you might also enjoy exploring other Mexican aguas frescas, especially the creamy ones that are just as easy to make at home.
If you’re a coffee lover like me, I have a feeling this Agua de Café is going to become one of your favorite drinks.
It’s creamy, refreshing, easy to make, and perfect for those days when you need a little pick-me-up. Give it a try, and if you make it, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!
Agua de Café
Ingredients
- ¼ cup instant coffee
- 4 ½ cups water (divided)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 cups milk
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 can condensed milk
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring 2½ cups of the water to a boil.
- Add the cinnamon stick, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the water.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the instant coffee and stir until it has completely dissolved. Let the coffee mixture cool to room temperature.
- Strain the coffee mixture into a large pitcher and add the remaining 2 cups of cold water.
- Pour in the milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. Stir well until everything is fully combined.
- Taste and add a little more sweetened condensed milk or sugar if you'd like it sweeter.
- Pour over plenty of ice in glasses and enjoy.
Notes
- Let the coffee cool before adding the milk so it won’t dilute the ice.
- For a stronger coffee flavor, add 1 or 2 extra teaspoons of instant coffee.
- Whole milk gives the creamiest texture, but 2% milk works well too.
- Stir the agua de café before serving, as the ingredients may settle slightly in the refrigerator.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir well before serving.
