How to Make Copycat McDonald's Iced Coffee

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McDonald's is mostly known for its iconic (and secret menu) burgers, Egg McMuffins and—but of course—what very well may be the most addictive French fries in all recorded history. You wouldn't expect anyone to tell you their favorite menu item to be McDonald's iced coffee, yet it's something millions of people drink every single morning. Just because this caffinated pick-me-up isn't buzzed about doesn't mean it's not a secret star of the McDonald's menu!

If you can't get yourself out of bed to get to the Golden Arches, you’ll be happy to know that you can make a copycat McDonald's iced coffee in your kitchen with four simple ingredients: coffee, ice, cream and simple syrup.

The secret behind the signature taste of McDonald's iced coffee isn't just the chain's proprietary Arabica beans—it's the ratio of bitter coffee to sweet simple syrup to luscious light cream. You can ask for your coffee black or without the syrup, of course, but if you order McDonald's iced coffee straight off the menu, you’ll get an iced coffee that's served light and sweet.

Pour the cream, simple syrup and about 1/2 cup of coffee into a 16-ounce glass. Stir well until fully combined.

Add enough ice cubes to fill the cup almost all the way.

Pour in the rest of the coffee until the glass is almost full, then gently stir with a spoon or straw.

McDonald's offers four different flavors of simple syrup to flavor its iced coffee: classic, caramel, hazelnut and French vanilla. You can make McDonald's coffee your own by adding your favorite flavor of storebought syrup, or try making your own! We love this recipe for sweet butter pecan syrup, and we like using this gingerbread syrup in our iced coffee all year.

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In a word, yes. To make a large batch that will last for days, simply mix the following in a pitcher. You can scale this recipe up or down as needed, depending on the size of your container.

Once thorougly mixed, the coffee can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. When ready to serve, fill your glass up halway with ice, pour the pre-made coffee in, add a straw and enjoy.

Keep McDonald's iced coffee in the refrigerator in a sealed container, like a pitcher or lidded carafe.