McDonald's Sugar Free Vanilla Iced Coffee Recipe (Make it at home!) (2024)

One of our favorite treats to get on any hot or cold day is a McDonalds Iced Coffee – my wife especially likes McDonald’s Sugar-free Vanilla Iced Coffee, so we figured out how to make a McDonalds Vanilla Iced Coffee copycat recipe at home – and it is delicious! We’ve updated this post so you can find your favorite variety of coffee. Whether you like plain iced coffee, Vanilla Iced Coffee, or Caramel Iced Coffee, Mcdonalds makes them all… and now so can you with the recipe we’re sharing today!

It’s an easy recipe to whip up in the morning with our crazy pancakes or any time of day for a little pick-me-up!) Get the McDonalds iced coffee flavor without the McDonalds iced coffee price – and the best part is that you don’t have to leave home to have it!

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I have created a recipe that you can make from your home for a fraction of the cost. This post has some affiliate links to find the ingredients & appliances on Amazon, but you’ll probably be able to pick everything up at your local grocery store. I think you’re going to make this one every morning…

We like to make the regular (not sugar-free) McDonalds Iced Coffee recipe, too, but Becky thinks the vanilla-flavored ice coffee is better. In fact, she prefers our recipe to the Mcdonalds version & tells our families and friends about it all the time.

McDonalds Iced Coffee Recipe at Home

A few years ago, Becky and I were introduced to McDonalds Iced Coffee,during one of their “free iced coffee all months” specials.

We started drinking them when our local McDonalds was giving away a free small iced coffee as a promotion. After drinking them several times a week, we decided to make them at home. (We were finding that when we’d get it in the afternoon once a week or so, we also ended up with the 4-piece chicken nuggets & a few packs of honey mustards for the kids, or we would even run next door to get Chicken Tenders or chicken breasts sandwiches with Chick-fil-a sauce. LOL! Not the best habit to start.)

So I wanted to come up with a copycat McDonalds Iced Coffee recipe that we could make from home.

This helped to keep a few bucks in our pockets, avoid those pesky drive-thru lines, avoid eating fast-food that our family didn’t need, while also being able to avoid repeating 3 times: “I would like a small sugar free french vanilla iced coffee!” Yeah, that is a mouth full!

After the second time, I have to look at Becky just to make sure I was still ordering it correctly!

To make McDonald’s Vanilla Iced Coffee, you just need a few things. It is super easy and all the ingredients can be found at most major retailers. You’ll spend a few more dollars up front, buying the ingredients, but when you see how many servings you can make at home, you’ll quickly realize that you have all of the benefits of the iced coffee without the McDonalds iced coffee price.

If you are on a low-calorie diet, you’ll want to make the sugar-free version. If you don’t mind the sugar, you can use it instead of the sugar-free syrup. The caloric value will be higher or lower depending on how much you use and depending on your calorie goals.

To make this taste & feel free-of-sugar, while still having a lot of vanilla flavors, I’ve found that using this syrup is the best solution. The syrup is usually the hardest to find, but it can also be purchased through Amazon. It is generally much cheaper than the typical Mcdonalds iced coffee price, as you can get more servings out of the same amount of money.

I will go through it step by step including the coffee. I found that the coffee was the one area that I had to adjust. I personally like to drink straight black coffee in the morning, and I prefer a mild coffee.

However, it was not the right coffee for this recipe. Instead, you will want a dark, full-bodied coffee for the job!

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What is the best coffee to use for Iced Coffee?

Personally, we like Folgers Gourmet Supreme Dark Roast. However, I would suggest starting with whichever coffee you typically drink in the morning, if you make coffee at home.

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Now it is time to create thatMcDonalds Iced Coffee that you love so much without the Mcdonald’s iced coffee price! Remember all the ingredients can be found in most major retailers. Now for the good part…

Ingredients for Mcdonalds Sugar-Free Vanilla Iced Coffee

1/8 cup of Torani Flavoring Syrup (We like sugar-free French Vanilla, found in the coffee section.)
1/4 cup of Half-and-Half (use original-If you use fat-free it is up to you, but may not taste thatgood!)
1 cup of your cold-brewed coffee
2 cups of Ice

Note: While we find that 1/4 cup of half & half is the perfect amount for us, you can add more if you want a creamier feel.

If you want to make a Full Pitcher of McDonalds Iced Coffee:

1/2 cup of Torani Flavoring Syrup (vanilla)
1 cup of Half-and-Half
4 cups of cold-brewed coffee

For the days when you want a little bit of a chance… try the caramel iced coffee!

Caramel Iced Coffee Recipe:

For the CARAMEL Iced Coffee Mcdonalds Copycat Recipe, it’s an easy change! If you’d rather have Caramel iced Coffee, Mcdonalds makes this, too, and we have a recipe that is pretty close!

To make caramel iced coffee, McDonald’s style, just swap out the Torani Vanilla Flavoring Syrup above for 1 1/2 tablespoons of Torani Caramel Coffee syrup. You’re still getting all of the flavor without the Mcdonald’s iced coffee price or inconvenience of leaving the house.

Ingredients for McDonalds Caramel Iced Coffee

1/2 cup of Torani Caramel Flavoring Syrup (vanilla)
1 cup of Half-and-Half
4 cups of cold-brewed coffee

How to make McDonald’s Sugar Free Iced Coffee (McDonalds Vanilla Iced Coffee)

BREW: To make this version of McDonalds Iced Coffee, you will start by brewing your coffee in your coffee maker. I typically make the same amount of coffee each morning (I start with 12 cups of cold water and add 3/4 cup of coffee grounds to my coffee pot)

COOL: Once the coffee is brewed I put the pot directly in the refrigerator to cool for a few hours (usually 2 hours & 20 minutes is perfect). Since it is brewed at high heat, it will take a while to cool.

MIX: When the coffee is cooled, add the syrup and Half & Half (you may need to make this in a larger container). Mix well. Add ice. That’s it!

Tip: Once cooled I usually transfer the coffee to some used water bottles and store them in the refrigerator, so I can wash the coffee pot & have it ready for the next day. A pot of coffee usually makes three water bottles. This makes it easy to use and to store. I also make the coffee daily to ensure I have some on hand when needed.

How many calories in Mcdonalds Sugar-Free Iced Coffee?

According to their website, Mcdonalds Iced Coffee Calories range from about 100 to 260 Calories, depending on how you have it made & what flavoring you choose.

McDonalds iced coffee calories for the sugar-free iced coffee has around 100 calories for a medium drink and 130 for a large drink. Ours is very similar.

You can easily find out exactly how many calories your drink has by measuring out how much syrup you use, as well as how much half-and-half you use. (You can use full creamer if you prefer, but take not off the added saturated fat).

The McDonalds iced coffee calories may vary depending on who is making the drink that day, but when you make it at home, you have much more control over the calories – letting you stick to a healthy caloric percent daily, based on your needs. Remember, your daily values may be higher depending on how you make it and what you are consuming with it.

Tips for making this Sugar Free Iced Coffee

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To make it a little easier to mix, I recommend mixing all the ingredients together 1st then to add the ice. It will just make the stirring process a little easier.
(TIP: Actually, I’ve found that mixing the cream & syrup in a small bowl first works best. Then, pour this into the coffee & then add the ice.
You can also make a larger batch to have ready for the day as well.
We usually make one batch at a time, just to help cut back on the amount that we drink. If not wewould end up drinking it all day long!

ENJOY!