How to cook with instant coffee

We all love a good cup of well-brewed coffee and over the last few years, we’ve come to expect the highest standards in the quality of the beans we brew, the roast and of course the brewing process itself. Being a coffee ‘snob’ is now a default position for coffee drinkers, especially in the developed world.

Visit the developing world, and many coffee producing nations and you’ll find Italian, barista-style special brew almost impossible to come by. There is a large part of the world that exists on instant coffee, the freeze-dried granules, mixed with hot water, sometimes milk, sometimes condensed milk, and sugar and served in a Styrofoam cup. Rather than turn our noses up at it though, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate instant coffee as a drink, it is after all the coffee most of us grew up drinking so there is definite nostalgia value in sharing a cup with a friend.

Instant coffee can be a versatile and interesting ingredient to add coffee flavor to desserts and bitter to savory dishes. Here are a few ideas on how to cook with instant coffee.

Tiramisu

While most recipes call for espresso coffee in which to dip your lady fingers, try using instant coffee – you can make it nice and strong and mix it with liquor. If you are making your tiramisu for a dinner party and time is at a premium, you can save yourself valuable minutes with instant coffee and nobody will be able to tell the difference. Try instant coffee in this recipe for the best tiramisu.

Ice cream

Whether you are making coffee-flavored ice cream or adding coffee to a plain vanilla, instant coffee is a great way to get that bitter coffee flavor into the mix. In Italy, they often serve espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, known as affogato and you can easily make yourself a nice strong, thick syrup of instant coffee and pour it over a scoop of vanilla or other flavored ice cream and serve it in a coffee cup. A perfect pick-me-up on a hot summer evening. Use instant coffee in this recipe for traditional coffee ice cream.

Retro Irish coffee

Why not use instant coffee for a retro twist on the classic warm drink? Pour a measure of Irish whiskey into a glass with a handle, add two teaspoons of sugar and then a cup of hot instant coffee. While the classic recipe calls for half whipped fresh cream, to maximize the retro feel of this Irish coffee top with whipped cream from a can and finish with a ’99-style flake. Use this recipe for Irish coffee and replace the coffee with instant.

Coffee cake

It’s hard to beat a thick slice of coffee cake, served with a cup of instant coffee, by the fire on a winter afternoon. Use instant coffee in this coffee cake recipe instead of freshly brewed coffee from beans. You can replace the cinnamon in the buttercream with instant coffee for a fuller coffee flavor. Use instant coffee in this recipe for coffee cake.

Instant coffee steak rub

This steak rub will add a beautiful earthy, bitter and spicy taste to your steak, without overpowering the meat’s natural flavor. Mix a tablespoon of instant coffee with a tablespoon each of Maldon Sea Salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, crushed coriander, onion powder, chili powder and cayenne, rub all over your steak and allow to sit for a few hours before you cook. Cook on high heat on your barbecue or in your pan, allow to rest and enjoy. The rub will char nicely and add a lovely depth of flavor to your steak dinner.

Swedish meatballs

Instant coffee has long been a secret ingredient in Swedish moms’ meatball recipes. With onions, ginger and plenty of butter, instant coffee adds a necessary bitterness to the mix for that flavor with something extra. Add a tablespoon of instant coffee granules to this recipe for Swedish meatballs and see the difference it makes.

Instant coffee ragu

Don’t tell any Italians, but you can add a tablespoon of instant coffee to your ragu while cooking to offset any sweetness from the tomatoes. Your ragu will cook over a long time and with umami imbued by the beef, onions (Worcester, or soy sauce?) and tomatoes, the instant coffee kick will bring balance to the whole shebang. Try it and see. Use this ragu recipe as a base and add instant coffee.

Instant coffee chili

A good rich Mexican chili can benefit from a tablespoon of instant coffee. With so many competing flavors in the mix, coffee adds a bitter element that can work well against other additions like chocolate, cocoa powder, liquor, pineapple, or whatever the recipe calls for. Cook low and slow for best results. Use this recipe for Mexican chili with cheese and add instant coffee.

Fancy coffee

It’s tempting to say here, "Add instant coffee to your coffee" and yet that’s what you’re going to read. Instant coffee lends itself to all manner of sweet coffee treats, like iced caramel coffee or sweet creamy vanilla latte, but instant coffee comes into its own when you make Greek instant coffee frappe, the kind your Athens taxi driver drinks on an airport run on an insanely hot august afternoon.

Instant coffee with fish

You read that right. Fish loves butter and especially brown butter, but hear us out here… add instant granules to your brown butter and use that to baste your delicious piece of white fish and see the difference a bitter instant coffee element makes to the overall flavor of your dish. The coffee’s bitterness will allow you to pair your fish with sweeter elements like mango and grapefruit as well as aromatic additions like rosemary and star anise.

Coffee caviar

A bitter or sweet coffee caviar can be a novel way to garnish your dish. Simply make a nice thick instant coffee syrup, add agar, and then transfer to a squeeze bottle or dropper. Drop the mixture into cold, or better, iced water, drain the whole thing and you’re left with dark brown globules of coffee caviar to add to any dish. Add fruit juices like cherry or blackcurrant for added deliciousness. Here’s how to make coffee caviar with spherification.

Retro instant coffee sugar glass

Imbue your edible sugar glass with a retro brown instant coffee vibe. Mix granulated sugar, corn syrup (liquid glucose), a tablespoon of instant coffee and cream of tartar in a pot and heat to around 290 to 300°F (145 to 150°C). Use a thermometer if in doubt. Pour the molten mixture into an oven dish or pan lined with greaseproof or parchment paper. Allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge. Here’s how to make sugar glass.