While I love a good iced coffee any time of the year, it’s one of my favorite drinks for summer front-porch sitting.
I’ve been drinking a delicious Not Coffee tea for years. It’s really a medicinal herbal tea, made with 3 simple ingredients, that tastes like coffee but sports zero caffeine. So today I’m sharing my Decaf Iced Coffee recipe with you that actually isn’t coffee at all.
But you’d be hard-pressed to know it.
Because it’s 100% delicious.
Decaf Frozen Coffee Alternative
I love a tall delicious frozen coffee, but I don’t always want the caffeine. Once I hit menopause age, it just stirs up problems some days. Turns out it doesn’t agree with most women in menopause, causing exasperated symptoms.
I was elated years ago to discover I could make an herbal tea that tastes like coffee. And, since it’s an herbal tea, it’s also medicinal and decaf.
So it only makes sense to use my tea that tastes like coffee to make my own medicinal, herbal, delicious, decaf frozen coffee. Can I get an amen?
Why avoid decaf coffee?
Decaffeinated coffee is often chemically altered, but there are natural decaffeination methods available, so ask your favorite decaf coffee company if they choose the natural way, which simply uses water to decaffeinate the coffee beans . (If they use methylene chloride, a chemical also used in paint strippers, and a cousin, so to speak, of formaldehyde, you probably should find a new coffee.)
Side note, decaffeinated tea is very similar, so do some due diligence and find out if your favorite decaf teas are decaffeinated with CO2 or chemicals.
What to drink instead of iced coffee?
If you love coffee, but the caffeine doesn’t like you…
If you’re fine with decaf coffee but not the chemicals…
Whatever the reason, if you have had to quit your iced coffee or your frozen coffee and you landed here looking for a great alternative, oh boy did you land in the right spot!
Instead of iced coffee or frozen coffee, you will love this frozen coffee alternative made with an herbal chicory tea and the best salted caramel protein powder. Read on… I give you options too.
What’s a good alternative to coffee without caffeine?
Hands down, my first answer to this question will always be chicory. It’s literally the roots of the chicory plant. As a sugarmaker, the closest I can get to all-natural food, right from a plant (like syrup we make from maple trees), the better. We’re also pig farmers, and the chicory plant is a great snack for our pasture-raised pigs, so I started growing our own chicory years ago. While I like to add a few ingredients to make my favorite herbal chicory tea that tastes like coffee, you can definitely just use roasted chicory root too.
I link to my favorite source for chicory below. I drink many cups of this tea a day and could never grow enough to feed my obsession.
Can you use decaf coffee for iced coffee?
Decaf iced coffee is just as good as the real thing! In fact, I often prefer my homemade version even to an iced coffee from my local coffee shop!
Is there caffeine free cold brew?
Some cold brews contain over 400 milligrams per serving! And although caffeine free cold brew is hard to find in grocery stores, it’s easy to make at home with just a few ingredients!
Does decaf iced coffee still have caffeine?
Decaf coffees (or herbal tea coffee substitutes) don’t contain any caffeine. Not only is my frozen coffee recipe completely caffeine free, but it’s also healthy! The dandelion root and chicory root in the tea blend both have lots of naturally healthy and hormone-balancing benefits. Read more about those right here, in my article where I share my recipe for making a homemade, healthy tea that tastes like coffee.
Make a (not) Iced Coffee with herbal tea
INGREDIENTS
12 TB frozen, concentrated Not Coffee (see below)
1 scoop of Salted Caramel Protein Powder (my favorite is linked below)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
2 TB maple syrup (optional, but my favorite is linked below)
DIRECTIONS
Add ingredients to blender and mix well
Enjoy!
NOTES
All protein powders are not the same. Watch for two ingredients you will find in almost every brand of protein powder, but never in the ones I am in love with… Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. The first are chemicals added to make your drink sweet. And most brands add sugar alcohols because they aren’t completely absorbed in your intestines (which means there will be less calories in your drink), but if you eat too many you’ll get gas, bloating, and diarrhea. This protein powder, linked below, is only real food, and no junk.
Sometimes this can wind up being pretty foamy. If you’re not a fan of all the foam (I don’t like it when my straw can’t pick it up well), the blender linked below has been my favorite for years. The vacuum attachment seals in all the nutrients into your drink, removes excess oxygen, makes for fuller flavor, and creates light, fluffy texture without things turning foamy.
If you’d like the added protein but don’t have the best protein powder on hand, you can add ingredients like chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or collagen.
Date syrup is a great all-natural way to add a caramel flavor to your frozen coffee as well.
To make your ice cubes, soak 4 TB of not-coffee concentrate in 1 quart water overnight. (Or use hot water and steep until cool.) Strain and then make your not-coffee ice cubes.
Make your not-coffee tea, or buy some not-coffee tea. Use code SOULYRESTED to save! (bonus: shipping is FREE in the U.S. if you’re spending $59 or more, so I tend to buy my not coffee in bulk.)
Grab my Pantry Checklist & lots of great deals on great ingredients
I am happy to sharemy pantry checklist with you because I firmly believe real food can be much more “doable” and convenient to make if we just make sure to have the important staples on hand.
I also firmly believe we all need to keep some moolah in our pockets whenever possible, so I’ve filledmy pantry checklist with exclusive discount codes as well.
Chicory root-amazing for making NOT coffee tea. Code “soulyrested”
This salted caramel protein powder is amazing in lattes and coffee. Use code SOULYRESTED to save $$
I can’t imagine making homemade peanut butter or real butter–not to mention so many delicious drinks–without this vacuum-sealed blender.
If you’re not making your own chicory (coffee knockoff) tea, this is my favorite. Use code SOULYRESTED and save $$
Talk to me about your decaf frozen coffee…
If you have questions, leave a comment below. And please tag me on ig to show me your decaf frozen not-coffee @souly.rested.
“He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:9
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sounds yummy!
It’s currently my FAVORITE drink on a hot summer day.