The best iced drinks for sunny days

Discover our best iced drinks recipes for sipping in the sunshine, then keep even cooler with our top ice cream recipes, 5-ingredient ice cream recipes, lolly ideas and kids’ ice lolly recipes.

Feeling the heat? Check out our guide to what to eat and drink in a heatwave, plus no-cook summer recipes, how to keep cool at night and our favourite easy summer recipes.

1. Iced coffee

Let’s start with a classic. Blitz a regular cup of cold coffee with ice, milk and a shot of maple syrup until smooth and foamy, then serve your DIY iced coffee in a tall chilled glass.

Delve into all things coffee with our best coffee recipes, coffee cakes, guide to different coffee types and top 5 twists on an espresso martini.

2. Iced latte

Like any standard iced coffee, but made with two shots of espresso and a little extra milk (we like to use whole milk). Honey, sugar or maple syrup are all great sweeteners – add as much or as little as you like.

3. Iced mocha

Melt chocolate buttons in warm milk, then cool and pour into a tall glass of ice. Top up with more milk, stir, tip in a shot of espresso and finish with whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon for good measure.

In the mood for mocha? Check out our mocha & hazelnut cake, 5-minute mocha pots, mocha madeleines and hot mocha puddings.

4. Iced caramel macchiato

Got sweet-toothed friends? When they’re next round, impress with iced caramel macchiatos, made by mixing milk with vanilla syrup, espresso and a glug of caramel sauce.

You could use homemade salted caramel sauce for this recipe, or crank things up a notch with caramel & whisky sauce.

5. Cold brew coffee

Make a round of cold brew coffees when the sun comes out, in place of your usual hot cup. Made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for at least 18 hours, there’s a knack to getting this summertime beverage right. Follow our step-by-step guide for a refreshing, high-caffeine hit.

6. Dalgona coffee

This whipped coffee with a sweet foam is made by whipping instant coffee with sugar and a little boiling water. Whisk for at least 5 minutes, or until the mixture is super-frothy, then pour over cold milk and ice. Watch our quick how-to video to get it right every time.

7. Easy iced tea

Alcohol-free and refreshing, make a jug of iced tea for an al fresco lunch at home – all you need are usual tea bags, a little sugar and honey, citrus fruits, mint and plenty of ice.

One tea bag can go a long way. Infuse tea into your cooking with our classic tea loaf, raspberry tea ice lollies and poached pears in spiced tea.

8. Peach iced tea

Add a shot of ripe peach flavour to your jug of iced tea. Use fresh peaches to make a homemade syrup (it will keep chilled for a week), which can be stirred through regular iced tea.

Love fresh peaches? Try warm peaches with basil & honey, our peach melba pie, a peach salad, or caramelised peaches with frozen raspberries & mascarpone.

9. Blueberry & mint iced tea

Add a punnet of crushed blueberries, fresh mint and lemon slices to cooled peppermint tea for a super-refreshing drink. Pour into bottles or flasks to take on a picnic.

Got some blueberries leftover? Use them up in our top-rated easy blueberry muffins, American blueberry pancakes, blueberry cake with soft cheese frosting, or blueberry baked oats.

10. Pimm’s iced tea

Get the party started with our ice-cold blend of chilled sweet tea, mint, citrus, strawberries and Pimm’s. Serve a big jug at a barbecue, or decant into bottles for a posh picnic.

Add Pimm's to scones, cake, jelly jars and even jam with our recipes. Plus, check out our 10 new ways with Pimm’s recipe collection.

Like this? Find more cold drink recipes:

Non-alcoholic summer drinks recipes
11 easy frozen cocktail recipes
Barbecue drinks recipes
Kids’ party drinks recipes

What drink do you turn to when it's hot? Leave a comment below.