• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pudge Factor

A food blog with everyday recipes, step-by-step directions and photos, and detailed recipes.

  • Home
  • Meet Chula and Pudge Factor®
  • Recipes by Category
  • Just Recipes
Home » Sauces » Make Your Own Espresso Powder

Make Your Own Espresso Powder

By Chula King · June 4, 2017 · Updated April 23, 2020 33 Comments

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Yummly
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Make your own espresso powder

If you do much baking with chocolate, you probably know that many recipes call for a small amount of espresso powder. The reason is that a bit of espresso powder significantly enhances the chocolate flavor in cakes, brownies, etc., without causing your treat to have a mocha flavor.

Homemade espresso powder

You probably also know that it’s difficult to find espresso powder. If you do find it, be prepared for “sticker shock.” It’s not only expensive, but also comes in much larger quantities than you’ll probably need.

According to the King Arthur site, espresso powder is made from ground, brewed, and  dried coffee beans. Therefore, I figured that if I brewed coffee, then I could make espresso powder from the leftover grounds! Seriously? Yes – it worked like a charm! Here’s what I did.

Fresh pot of coffee

Making the Espresso Powder:

First, I spread the leftover coffee grounds on a baking sheet. Then I put them in my oven set to the lowest temperature possible, which was 170° F. The key here is that I wanted to dry out the grounds, not roast them.

Wet coffee grounds on baking sheet

Anyway, I left the coffee grounds in the oven for several hours, until they dried out and felt slightly crunchy. After two hours, the grounds were dried out, but still not crunchy. It took me another 30 minutes before the grounds felt crunchy.

Dried Coffee after 2 1/2 hours

Next, I put the dried out grounds in a coffee grinder, and ground them until I had a fine powder. If I hadn’t had a coffee grinder, I probably could have used a blender, a food processor, or a mortar and pestle.

Before and after grinding to a powder

I ended up with homemade espresso powder that was perfect in my chocolate masterpiece (stay tuned!). Yum!

Homemade espresso powder.

Make Your Own Espresso Powder

If you do much baking with chocolate, you probably know that many recipes call for a small amount of espresso powder. The reason is that a bit of espresso powder significantly enhances the chocolate flavor in cakes, brownies, etc., without causing your treat to have a mocha flavor.
4.8 from 25 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
Author: Chula King

Ingredients

  • Used coffee grounds (the amount you use will determine how much espresso powder you end up with)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 170° F, or lowest setting if above 170°F
  • Spread used coffee grounds on foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 2 to 3 hours until grounds are dry and slightly crunchy.
  • Transfer to coffee grinder, and process to a fine powder.
  • Store in airtight container.
  • Yield: Depends on the amount of coffee grounds you start with.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.

Related

Filed Under: Sauces

Previous Post: « Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Bourbon Infused Grilling Sauce
Next Post: Elegant Chicken Kiev »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David says

    February 18, 2019 at 1:50 pm

    First!

    No, but seriously, great tip you’ve got here. I had to go through an accelerated educational process this morning as to what the heck ‘espresso powder’ really is. There’s quite a bit of less than accurate information on the out there. I’d run into a DIY recipe almost identical to this one just before landing here, this one having a bit more detail. And yeah, ‘sticker shock” is what I’d say, too. Holy #[email protected] It’s $4.00/0z or more from what I found so far with the priciest batch at William Sonoma and the in-house brand priced at $7.14/oz. Being I purchase, roast and brew my own coffee beans as it is, seems your recipe here’s a no-brainier. The real (taste) test will be when my first ever attempted fudgey, whole wheat brownies get created,

    Thanks for the money saving and hopefully flavor enhancing tip!

  2. PudgeFactor says

    February 18, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    Let me know how the fudgey whole wheat brownies turn out! I’ve had great success with my chocolate recipes using this technique.

  3. David says

    February 19, 2019 at 8:06 am

    Hi Chula,

    On second thought, this process here as it relates to and affects recipes, namely ones calling for ‘Espresso Powder” is not ideal as I just found out. Espresso powder (I know only because I Googled it 🙂 ) is not simply finely ground dark roasted coffee grounds, be they brewed or not. It has to do with a process by which the powder that’s created is fully soluble and retains most of the beans original flavor and intensity; that’s something ‘used’ coffee grounds can not duplicate on either count. That said however, your technique here still has to add a little something at a minimum I would think, right?

    In case your interested, here’s where part of my ‘enlightenment’ was found : https://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-how-is-instant-co-69158 Yeah, it describes instant coffee but when it comes down to it, that’s what that overly pricey ‘espresso powder’ is.

  4. PudgeFactor says

    February 20, 2019 at 7:31 am

    Thanks David! I agree that the real espresso powder is overly pricey especially when you just need a teaspoon here and there for a recipe.

  5. Cynthia says

    October 28, 2019 at 9:57 pm

    Hi. This is such a great idea. I put off a recipe because I didn’t want to pay the amount for such a small amount it called for. I was wondering with the powder in a air tight container, how long will it hold in there?

    Thank you
    Cynthia

  6. PudgeFactor says

    October 29, 2019 at 12:51 pm

    Cynthia,

    If the powder is in an airtight container and put in the refrigerator, it should be good for about a month.

    Chula

  7. Dawn Conklin says

    November 30, 2019 at 7:24 am

    My oven has a proof feature which is for proofing things with yeast. Maybe I can use that for it? I don’t know the exact temperature, but do know it is very low as it doesn’t cook the dough when I place it in there. It provides a draft free environment that is slightly warmer then the house is. I can grab the oven rack when it is in proof without it burning.

  8. PudgeFactor says

    November 30, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    Dawn, From what I understand, the maximum temperature that the proofing feature is likely to reach is around 95°F. I’m not sure that low a temperature would be able to thoroughly dry out the coffee grinds in a reasonable amount of time. Chula

  9. Joanne Klasinski says

    March 27, 2020 at 8:22 pm

    Should you use a certain type of coffee to get the best flavor in making the homemade espresso. Thanks

  10. Chula King says

    March 28, 2020 at 12:10 pm

    Joanne,

    I just use our regular medium roast coffee when I make the espresso. I’ve not experimented with any other type of coffee.

    Chula

  11. Anonymous says

    April 14, 2020 at 9:43 am

    Thank you for the tip guys. I’ve literally just emptied my coffee machine tray to try it. It’s in the oven as I type.

  12. Lindsey says

    April 20, 2020 at 3:14 pm

    5 stars
    I know I’m late to the party with this comment but I do have something kind of important to add. This is in response to the comment with the instant coffee link. There’s a big difference between, “espresso powder,” and, “instant espresso powder,” or any other instant coffee. Espresso powder is much more potent than instant espresso powder. You have the correct process for espresso powder, which can be used for baking. Instant espresso powder is in fact dehydrated brewed coffee, which does have everything to do with water solubility. Instant espresso powder is really too weak to use in baking. Idk if that makes sense but if I go back and proof read the probably redundant paragraph I just wrote I’ll just delete the whole thing and move on with my day.

  13. Chula King says

    April 20, 2020 at 5:24 pm

    Thanks for your comment Lindsey!

  14. Bob says

    April 22, 2020 at 9:13 pm

    5 stars
    I LOVE making something from nothing and this is one great find. Am making mine now.

  15. Chula King says

    April 24, 2020 at 9:51 am

    Thanks Bob!

  16. Diendi says

    April 29, 2020 at 1:13 am

    Hi Chula,

    Can I use fresh ground coffee straight from its container when it’s dry? I mean do you really have to use it to make a cup of coffee first before you bake it?

    I have ground coffee but I’m not a coffee drinker, so I’m just wondering.

  17. Chula King says

    April 29, 2020 at 12:18 pm

    Hi Diendi, I’ve not tried using fresh ground coffee for the espresso powder. However, I suspect that if the coffee is ground finely enough it would work. If you try it, please let me know how it worked!

    Chula

  18. Hunter Hampton says

    May 4, 2020 at 4:17 pm

    I am looking at a recipe for flourless chocolate cake, that calls for espresso powder. Since I had never heard of it I googled and here I am. I drink espresso instead of coffee. I use it to make coffee I should say. I feel like if I put it in my vita mix dry container I can make it powder without bothering to dry it out. Gonna try and see.

  19. Chula King says

    May 4, 2020 at 4:41 pm

    Hi Hunter! Let me know how it works!

    Chula

  20. Ashima Parnerkar says

    May 21, 2020 at 5:02 pm

    how do i make coffee from this?

  21. Chula King says

    May 22, 2020 at 6:20 am

    This isn’t designed to use for making coffee, but rather for adding to recipes that call for a small amount of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor.

  22. Terri Gilchrist says

    August 9, 2020 at 8:39 am

    Just what I was looking for…a recipe like yours!
    I have lots of Keurig brewed coffee in pods that I cut the top off of, take out the grounds and yes, been using in my gardens !
    But I read somewhere about a man (can’t find it as of today) who was experimenting with used coffee grounds in other ways.
    I am presently drying the 170° F for 2 hours. The Starbucks French roast today. It is so fine already I may not have to grind it. We’ll see!!!

  23. Chula King says

    August 9, 2020 at 10:10 am

    Excellent! Hope it turns out well for you Terri.

    Chula

  24. Mr. Pate says

    September 2, 2020 at 4:53 pm

    Hi there!

    I realize this post is pretty old and that I may not get a reply, but could I use ground espresso in place of the used grounds? It’s all I have and I only need a tsp of the powder.

    Thanks!

  25. Chula King says

    September 2, 2020 at 7:17 pm

    Hi Mr. Pate,

    I haven’t tried using ground espresso, but don’t see any reason that it wouldn’t work. If you try using the ground expresso, I’d love to hear how it turned out!

    Chula

  26. Christine says

    October 11, 2020 at 12:47 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Chula! Thanks so much for sharing this and for replying to everyone’s comments! Would your recipe work for this? https://mountaincravings.com/mocha-latte-bombs/ It calls for instant espresso, but I am afraid it might not have the same effect. What do you think? Doable or I should just spend the money on instant espresso (I’m thinking Lavazza). And do you know the potency of the caffeine in your espresso powder?

  27. Chula King says

    October 11, 2020 at 5:21 pm

    Hi Christine,

    Unfortunately, I don’t think that it would work in this recipe since the instant espresso is actually producing a drink as opposed to flavoring a chocolate dish. I don’t know what the potency of the caffeine is in my espresso powder. I use regular coffee grounds to make the espresso powder, so I doubt that the caffeine level would be as high as regular instant espresso. Sorry I’m not much help here!

    Chula

  28. Anonymous says

    November 13, 2020 at 12:08 am

    Can I sundry it instead of using an oven?

  29. Chula King says

    November 15, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    I really don’t know if you could sun dry the coffee rather than using the oven. Sorry.

  30. Elly says

    November 18, 2020 at 4:15 am

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe of making expresso powder. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely try to make this at home.

  31. Jason says

    December 1, 2020 at 9:12 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe looks yummy. I will try this tomorrow However, I don’t have coffee powder. Can I use Nespresso coffee pods in the place of coffee powder? Waiting for your suggestion.

  32. Chula King says

    December 2, 2020 at 3:23 pm

    Hi Jason,

    I’m afraid that I don’t have any experience with Nespresso coffee pods. Sorry.

    Chula

  33. Dustin says

    January 12, 2021 at 10:18 pm

    5 stars
    What a delicious classic recipe! I love love love this!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Pudge Factor®!

I'm Chula King, the food blogger, award-winning photographer, and videographer behind Pudge Factor. Pudge Factor features amazing and well-tested recipes from my every day cooking. These recipes run the gamut from simple to sophisticated and everything in between. I not only present awesome recipes with tips and tricks that I've learned through the years, but also process photos from start to finish. For some of the recipes, I include videos detailing the actual making of the dish. Read More…

Sites Featured In

Subscribe to Pudge Factor By Entering Your Email Address

Categories

Amazing Treats and Dishes for Mardi Gras

Pancake Day Pancakes

Pancake Day Pancakes

Red Beans and Rice

Cajun Corn Maque Choux

Cajun Corn Maque Choux

Shrimp Étouffée

Shrimp Étouffée (with Video)

New Orleans Pralines

Mardi Gras Salad

Mardi Gras Salad

More Posts from this Category

Most Popular Posts

Make Your Own Espresso Powder
Poffertjes (Dutch Mini Pancakes)
Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sausage & Cheese Crescent Ring (With Video)
Homemade Hamburger Buns (Bread Machine)
Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Cream Sauce

Footer

© 2012–2021 · Pudge Factor®, LLC · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer