• 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.

  • Recipe Index
  • Frozen Treats
  • Casseroles
  • Pasta
  • Just Recipes
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Frozen Treats
  • Casseroles
  • Pasta
  • Just Recipes
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Sauces

    How to Make Your Own Espresso Powder for Baking

    By Chula King · Jun 4, 2017 · Updated: Mar 10, 2025

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    Make your own espresso powder

    Making your own Espresso Powder takes a few simple steps. A small amount of this powder will add a depth of flavor to many sweet and savory recipes without producing a coffee flavor. Even if you are not a coffee lover, you should try this simple DIY recipe for a secret ingredient to many of your recipes.

    DIY Espresso Powder.
    Jump to:
    • Why You Should Make Your Own Espresso Powder
    • Making the Espresso Powder - Simple Steps:
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Watch How I Made This Espresso Powder (Video)
    • Recipe

    Why You Should Make Your Own Espresso Powder

    • It's Cheaper: Espresso powder can be expensive, especially if you buy it in small quantities. Making your own is a much more affordable option.
    • It Uses Leftover Coffee Grounds: 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, I could make it from the leftover grounds! Seriously? Yes - it worked like a charm!
    Coffee grounds from making coffee.
    • It's Fresher: Espresso powder loses its flavor over time, so it's best to use it within a few months of purchase. Making your own ensures that you're always using the freshest possible ingredients.
    • It's Easy To Make: Making espresso powder is a simple process that can be done at home with just a few basic ingredients.

    Making the Espresso Powder - Simple Steps:

    1. First, I spread the leftover coffee grounds on a baking sheet. Then I put them in my oven at the lowest temperature possible, 170°F. The key here is that I wanted to dry the grounds, not roast them.
    Coffee Grounds spread on an aluminum covered baking sheet.
    1. 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 grounds after two and a half hours.
    1. 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 could have used a clean spice grinder.

    I ended up with my own perfect flavor enhancer for my sweet and savory recipes. Yum!

    Homemade espresso powder.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Does adding espresso powder to a recipe produce a strong coffee flavor or a bitter taste?

    Adding a bit of espresso powder, like a teaspoon of espresso powder, does not produce a strong flavor or bitter taste in your recipes. Rather, it is a great way to add a depth of flavor to your recipes.

    Can this be used in savory dishes?

    Add espresso powder to your dry spice rubs, marinades, or barbecue sauces. It will enhance the flavor profile of your dishes.

    What is the best kind of coffee bean to use?

    You can use any coffee beans to make espresso powder. We like medium-roast coffee. A dark roast will produce more concentrated and flavorful espresso grounds. It is not, however, necessary to use espresso beans.

    What is the best way to store espresso powder.

    Once the powder is completely dry, store it in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. The espresso powder will keep for up to 6 months.

    Can a blender or food processor be used to grind the coffee?

    I've not used either a blender or a food processor. However, I don't see any reason not to try one or the other.

    Is this the same as ground coffee or instant coffee?

    Espresso powder is made from finely ground, roasted coffee beans that have been brewed, dried, and then ground into a very fine powder. It is highly concentrated and has a strong, rich flavor. Ground coffee and instant coffee have a much less concentrated flavor.

    Watch How I Made This Espresso Powder (Video)

    This homemade Espresso Powder uses a simple recipe that introduces a versatile ingredient in chocolate recipes and other baked goods, as well as dry rubs, marinades, and sauces.

    Three of my favorite recipes using this Espresso Powder are Espresso Chocolate Shortbread Cookies, Classic Brownies, and Flourless Chocolate Cake. Do yourself a favor and give this recipe a try.

    Did you make this recipe? We'd love to know how it turned out! Leave a review below. Then, share a picture on Instagram and tag @pudgefactor so we can see it.

    Don't forget to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Flipboard, and Instagram.

    Thank you so much for visiting PudgeFactor. We hope you'll come back!

    Recipe

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, enjoy weekly doses of culinary inspiration as a bonus!

    Save Post

    By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Pudge Factor.

    Make Your Own Espresso Powder

    Chula King
    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.
    4.89 from 42 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 3 hours hrs
    Total Time 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
    Course Condiment
    Cuisine French
    Calories 35 kcal

    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.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 35kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 354mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.4mg
    Keyword Espresso Powder, Make Your Own Espresso Powder
    Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @PudgeFactor or tag #pudgefactor

    More Sauces

    • DIY Signature Spice Blend (Versatile, Flavor-Packed, and Giftable!)
    • Easy Caesar Salad Dressing Without Raw Egg
    • Easy homemade spaghetti meat sauce with Italian sausage.
      Homemade Spaghetti Meat Sauce with Italian Sausage
    • quick and easy homemade blue cheese dressing
      Quick and Easy Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. DDC says

      December 17, 2024 at 3:26 pm

      Abby, 10-23-23, makes 'common sense' to me BUT JUST USE A LITTLE MORE OF YOUR HOMEMADE EXSPREESO POWDER & " I WOULD TRY THIS & USE BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE LESS LESS CAFFEINE CONTENT !!! (+;

      Reply
    2. Abby says

      October 23, 2023 at 9:41 am

      This is a cool recipe idea but espresso powder isn’t the same as actual finely ground espresso beans. Espresso powder is made by brewing and then dehydrating the actual
      Liquid usually via freeze drying. Most recipes that call for espresso powder especially chocolate baked goods are referring to actual espresso powder and not just used beans that were dehydrated. Plus when you make espresso you are extracting ALOT of flavor out of the beans so there isn’t much flavor in the left over coffee grounds. Also “instant” espresso is actually MUCH more potent than just ground espresso beans so this recipe is definitely misleading. The reason espresso powder works so good in baked goods is bc it dissolves in the liquid and you don’t end up with grainy coffee grinds randomly dispersed through your cake or whatever else you are making. The flavor wouldn’t be properly incorporated into the whole batch with this. I’ve never seen a baked good recipe call for just unbrewed ground espresso beans unless you are supposed to actually brew the coffee first and use that like with chocolate cake. When king aurther brand says they use ground, brewed and dehydrated espresso they are referring to the actual brewed espresso being dehydrated. If you are going to dehydrate the beans you might as well just use straight up finely ground espresso bc by brewing it you are removing a ton of the coffee flavor. It would actually have less flavor than if you just used the unused ground beans. Not trying to be rude just trying to help bc this isn’t the same as espresso powder this is literally just ground espresso that you removed some of the flavor from (aka less intense than if you hadn’t used it to brew espresso first) so it kinda is pointless until you are looking for a way to not waste leftover used coffee beans. Instant espresso and instant coffee are different bc instant coffee is made from brewed coffee and lower quality beans whereas instant espresso is made from brewed espresso and usually uses much better quality coffee beans but they are both made from the actual drink.

      Reply
      • Traci jo Rogers says

        June 26, 2024 at 11:47 am

        That was an amazing explanation! Thank you

        Reply
    « Older Comments
    4.89 from 42 votes (31 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Chula and Susan

    Welcome to PudgeFactor®.

    It’s great to have you here. We are Chula and Susan, a mother-and-daughter duo who love to cook and share our culinary creations with you.

    More about us →

    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Mail

    Beat the Heat with Frozen Treats

    • Mini ichocolate-dipped ce cream bars.
      Mini Chocolate-Dipped Ice Cream Bars
    • Chocolate cottage cheese fudgesicles.
      Creamy Chocolate Cottage Cheese Fudgesicles
    • Copycat Tropical Smoothie Hawaiian Breeze
      Copycat Tropical Smoothie Hawaiian Breeze
    • Nutella cottage cheese gelato.
      Viral TikTok Chocolate Nutella Cottage Cheese Gelato
    • Copycat Classic Orange Julius
    • Disney-Inspired Dole Whip.
      Easy Disney-Inspired Dole Whip
    • Homemade fresh peach ice cream.
      Homemade No-Egg Fresh Peach Ice Cream
    • Homemade Frozen Fresh Strawberry Yogurt

    See more Frozen Treat Recipes→

    Sites Featured In

    Popular Recipes

    • Easy Peasy British Sausage Rolls
      Easy Peasy British Sausage Rolls
    • Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Cream Sauce
      Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Cream Sauce
    • Homemade Waffle Cones
      Homemade Waffle Cones
    • Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies
      Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

    See more Recipes→

    Footer

    © 2012–2025 · Pudge Factor®, LLC · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.