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    Home » Recipes » Sauces

    Make Your Own Espresso Powder

    By Chula King · June 4, 2017 · Updated April 9, 2021 56 Comments

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    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 ½ 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.
    4.87 from 38 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.

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    Filed Under: Sauces

    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 04, 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 04, 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 09, 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 09, 2020 at 10:10 am

      Excellent! Hope it turns out well for you Terri.

      Chula

    24. Mr. Pate says

      September 02, 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 02, 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 01, 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 02, 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!

    34. Bojana says

      March 09, 2021 at 4:54 pm

      Hello Chula,

      Thank you for this great recipe!

      I wonder can I use dehydrator instead of oven?

    35. Chula King says

      March 09, 2021 at 7:37 pm

      I’m sorry, but I don’t have any experience using a dehydrator for this. If you try this using a dehydrator, I’d love to hear how it worked out.

    36. Susan says

      March 27, 2021 at 11:43 am

      I have “Cafe Bustelo”- Espresso Ground Coffee. It is very fine. Can I use the unbrewed grounds as a substitute for instant coffee in a Swiss roll recipe? Or should I brew it and dry it like you have here?

    37. Chula King says

      March 27, 2021 at 7:50 pm

      Susan,

      You should be able to use the Espresso Ground Coffee as a substitute for instant coffee. The Espresso Ground Coffee will likely be stronger than instant coffee, so you might need to reduce the quantity.

      Chula

    38. Beverly says

      April 09, 2021 at 10:36 am

      5 stars
      Hi Chula,

      Just wanted to let you know that I found your recipe yesterday and today I made my espresso powder using Nespresso capsules. I brewed the capsules once through the machine on espresso setting (40ml) and then opened them (once they cooled down!). I scooped out the coffee grounds and placed on a baking sheet. I put them in the oven for 1 hour at 170°F. I was expecting to leave them in for another hour, but on checking they were dry and crunchy already (I did only use 4 capsules, so that may be why). Each different flavoured capsule made 3 tsps of powder.
      Thank you for taking the time to show how to do this :0)

    39. Chula King says

      April 10, 2021 at 12:14 pm

      Hi Beverly,

      I’m so glad to hear that you can use Nespresso capsules to make the espresso powder! Thanks so much for letting me know.

      Chula

    40. Bryan says

      May 20, 2021 at 3:02 pm

      5 stars
      I have learned huge knowledge from here. While i was researching (https://pudgefactor.com/make-your-own-espresso-powder/) your article helped me a lot. I am waiting for your updates.

    41. Erila says

      June 18, 2021 at 4:19 am

      5 stars
      I always enjoy to read your content. This is so helpful an amazing reading for me to make the espresso powder at home I really like it. Thanks for sharing this article.

    42. Eric says

      July 17, 2021 at 9:07 am

      5 stars
      Amazing1111 this is something really cool. espresso powder at home, wow. definitely gonna try it.

      https://topgrinderguide.com/

    43. Chula King says

      July 17, 2021 at 9:25 am

      Thanks Eric,

      I made batch the other day for my daughter to use in a death by chocolate cake!

      Chula

    44. jari says

      July 17, 2021 at 1:12 pm

      Thanks sharing this article about make your own espresso powder

    45. Lisa L says

      September 12, 2021 at 9:11 pm

      Can I dry out the coffee grinds in an air fryer to make espresso powder?

    46. Chula King says

      September 13, 2021 at 4:33 pm

      Lisa,

      I’ve not used an air fryer to dry out the coffee grounds. However, I’d be concerned that the air would blow the coffee grinds around, potentially ending up with a mess.

      Chula

    47. Mark Jackson says

      September 22, 2021 at 7:41 am

      Hi there! I have a question that some other comments kinda hit on but didn’t! So why brew the grounds first before it is to be dried then ground? Is this because if not brewed first it will not dry correctly from the oil content in the bean also resulting in a very bitter outcome? (like whats the reasoning behind brewing it first)
      Thank you for your time and expertise!

      Mark J

    48. Chula King says

      September 22, 2021 at 5:15 pm

      Hi Mark,

      The best explanation that I can offer is what you suggested. To be honest, I’ve never tried using the coffee grounds without their being first brewed.

      Chula

    49. Jodie Nelson says

      October 13, 2021 at 12:33 am

      So my friend runs a coffee cart and I went and grabbed the leftover used coffee grounds from her coffee machine. She gives them to people for their garden. So is this what I can use to dry and turn into expresso powder ?

    50. Chula King says

      October 13, 2021 at 7:45 pm

      Jodie,

      Yes, you can use the leftover coffee grounds for the espresso. By the way, I also use leftover coffee grounds for fertilizer!

      Chula

    51. Li says

      November 16, 2021 at 11:04 am

      5 stars
      So much great information here, I appreciate you sharing and the conversations that came about. Greatness is often a group effort. I will be trying this recipe for Thanksgiving.
      You are gracious in your responses. Thank you for posting.

    52. Jen says

      February 27, 2022 at 11:10 am

      Thank you for all of this information. I use espresso powder in my hot chocolate and in my chocolate protein shakes. It is currently very hard to find. I’ll be trying this out!

    53. Patti Cavender says

      October 09, 2022 at 7:39 pm

      Chula and readers. Warning…post is long, but “might be worth reading”.

      Here’s a new one for you. I made coffee ice cream today. It’s in the refrigerator cooling before I can churn it in about 5 hours. I went to 3 stores last night looking for it, without success. I’ve had a hankering for strong coffee ice cream (custard type) , so this morning did some coffee ice cream recipes, (which normally call for espresso powder) but this recipe And a different way to do it. Note: I usually add minimum of 3 tablespoons, yes tablespoons of King Arthur’s espresso powder to to my coffee ice cream, so this method has me use whole coffee beans, heating them in with the milk, sugar, and Cream (not half and half). Heat it to just under a boil then let all that sit covered for an hour at room temp. Of course, I did 2 hours because I’m a French roast girl, the stronger thw better for me coffee. Anyway, the beats I use were whole , 50% FR and 50% espresso beans that have been sitting in my cubbies for at least 2 months. Next part of process is to reheat the mixture, tempure the eggs in a bowl, by adding the hot mixture to the eggs slowly, the reheating all of that together for roughly 10 minutes up to 170 degrees. Next remove the bean, I’ll spare you with the process…but honestly it was awesom. The flavor was delicious!!!! After I cooked it, I added 1/2 tsp or a bit more of finely ground espresso bean. So it’s now chilling to 40 gegrees before I churn. I’ll let you know about the final product.

      Now if you’ve managed to get threw this whole wordy comment, I’m impressed!! But there is more to come!

      Because I HATE to waste, frugality is my middle name, I thought I’d try and salvage those 1.5 cups of beans. So I repeatedly rinsed them to get leftover egg custard off, and put them in the oven at 170 degrees. Gonna leave in for an hour or longer to make sure they are fully dried. Then, tomorrow I’m going to make my usual morning French press coffee with them. Since they were cooked twice in my “base ice cream”, I have no idea what quality the beans will be but it’s worth a shot! The recipe for ice cream said “discard the beans”, but I’m not willing to do that without trying this. If the am coffee is decent, I’ll save all THOSE grounds, and then move on to your method to try and save further. But whatever the outcome on those beans, I’m going to start saving freshly made coffee grounds, and make espresso powder with your method.

      I’ll update and let you know how both my ice cream turned out, how my am coffee turned out, and obviously how my normal french roast espresso powder (your method) turns out.

      I’m so this was so long!!!
      Patti C

    54. Chula King says

      October 10, 2022 at 1:10 pm

      Thank you Patti for taking the time to provide such an informative post! I’m looking forward to your update.

      Best regards,

      Chula

    55. Julie says

      December 20, 2022 at 8:59 pm

      Can I use these to make an espresso martini? Thank you?

    56. Chula King says

      December 21, 2022 at 11:37 am

      Julie,

      I’m sorry, but I haven’t used this to make an espresso martini, so don’t know whether it would work or not.

      Chula

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