

However, if you’re starting with whole beans, a grinder is recommended. If you don’t have a coffee grinder, you could use a mortar and pestle or even a blender for this step. We’re not trying to get a consistent grind at a particular size, just getting it as fine as possible. While we normally recommend a burr coffee grinder for grinding your beans, a blade or spice grinder works just as well in this instance. You want this to be as close to something like cocoa powder or as you can get it – this will ensure you get a smooth texture in your food. Then you’re just going to grind until you have a fine powder. Depending on how much powder you are making, you might want to do this in batches. Transfer your grounds to the coffee grinder. Get grindingĪfter removing your grounds from the oven, leave them to cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet. Top tip: If you’re using leftover grounds from making filter coffee, they’re going to have more residual moisture, and will need a longer bake time in the oven. When it comes to espresso vs coffee beans, you’re not looking at different beans, just different serving suggestions. This ingredient has adopted the name of espresso, but you can make this recipe with any kind of ground coffee or whole bean. This will of course be higher in caffeine than if you’re using pre-brewed grounds.
#Expresso powder vs. instant coffee how to#
Knowing how to make espresso powder from beans can turn out to be much cheaper than the store-bought stuff. This is also a good option for those who want to make espresso powder at home but don’t actually drink coffee. If you want a bigger coffee flavor, you might want to try espresso beans or grounds that haven’t been brewed yet. This is a nice way to recycle, but do be aware that most of the coffee has already been extracted from these grounds. If you make your own espresso at home, you’re going to have plenty of grounds left over in your knock box, which would be perfect for this recipe. This implies that the grounds in question have already been used for brewing. If you look at a jar of commercially made espresso powder (not the instant kind), it’s going to say something like “darkly roasted coffee beans that have been ground, brewed, dried, and then ground to a very fine powder.” ( 3) Some swear by a teaspoon of espresso powder as the secret ingredient in their dry spice rub for steaks, or for getting that nice char crust on grilled meats. If you’ve ever seen stew or braise recipes that call for cocoa powder, it has the same purpose – try this as a substitute. It works well in savory dishes too, with the rich, earthy notes brought out by a dark roast adding extra depth. This is because both chocolate and coffee share a similar flavor profile, so you’re essentially amplifying the chocolate taste.Ī small amount isn’t going to make your food taste like coffee, it will just help to add complexity to the flavor.īut espresso powder has plenty of other uses beyond baked goods. Regular bakers will probably notice that espresso powder is a common ingredient in sweet treats, particularly where chocolate is involved. But you will find it useful for cooking, with all kinds of applications, both sweet and savory. So this DIY espresso powder won’t be useful for making a quick cup of coffee. How to use homemade espresso powderĪs we mentioned above, it’s not possible to make instant coffee at home. Both the instant granules and the powder are made from beans that have been dark roasted to be suitable for use in espresso machines. In both of these cases, the word espresso refers to the coffee roast type. This is the type that we will show you how to make today. Unlike instant coffee, it’s not completely water-soluble and is not suitable for making coffee – it’s made especially for baking. The second style of espresso powder is espresso grounds that have already been used to brew coffee. Instant coffee can of course be used to make a cup of joe and is handy for traveling, but instant espresso is more often used for baking.

Due to the machinery needed, it’s not possible to make instant coffee at home. Instant coffee has undergone a complex process that takes the brewed, liquid coffee from espresso beans and freeze-dried it to create water-soluble granules ( 1). It’s also different from your usual coffee powder.

This is just instant coffee, but with a more intense and concentrated flavor. And while they have some of the same uses, they’re not the same thing, and one can’t always be used as a substitute for the other. There are two different products that can both be sold as espresso powder. But if you’ve ever been confused about exactly what to add, there’s a very good reason for this. Espresso powder is a common ingredient in baking, particularly in chocolate cake or brownies.
