7 things you can make with instant coffee (besides Dalgona)

We can hardly imagine a time before Dalgona coffee, but rest assured, there was one.

The highly ‘grammable Korean coffee swept through socials and social distancing norms to become one of the top trending instant coffee recipes of the year.

Nevertheless — and while we have your attention — there’s actually a lot more you can make with instant coffee beyond Dalgona.

Here, we get creative with leftover instant coffee powder, from marinades to ice pops, you’d really be surprised.

[Hero Image Credit: Robert Shunev/Unsplash; Featured Image Credit: Toa Heftiba/Unsplash]

1. Make Dry Rubs

Make your own meat marinades and dry rubs using instant coffee powder. Simply mix your favourite spices like paprika, chilli, pepper, cumin and coriander with some coffee powder — and you can even make a big batch and store in a mason jar. Coffee-based spice rubs work best with red meat like beef, lamb and even duck.

2. Coffee Ice Pops

Had enough of cold brews? Freeze them and enjoy icy-cold coffee ice pops any time of the day. You can sweeten it with honey, make a milky version or have it sugar-free as a guilt-free treat. If you don’t have popsicle moulds, you can make them using plastic cups or emptied yoghurt pods.

3. Make Granola

If you’re already making your own homemade granola, make a coffee-flavoured version by adding a few tablespoons of instant coffee powder into the mixture before toasting them in the oven. The coffee-flavoured granola goes well with cranberry, pecan, hazelnuts, white chocolate, and all sorts of seeds. You can also sprinkle a little bit of the instant coffee before serving the granola.

4. Mix into Smoothies

Another alternative way to enjoy the bold flavours of coffee is by adding it into an energising smoothie to pick you up in the morning. Blitz banana, nut milk, Greek yoghurt, peanut butter, honey, cocoa powder and instant coffee granules in a blender. Within seconds, you get a delicious coffee-flavoured smoothie to kickstart your day.

5. For Richer Brownies

Give your brownie recipes that extra kick by adding instant coffee to its super fudgy, rich and chocolatey mixture. Coffee can also bring out the decadent cocoa flavours in brownies — but pick darker roasts ones for better results.

6. Add to Chili

Elevate your chili recipe to the next level by adding instant coffee into your mix at the end of your cooking. While some recipes suggest adding dark chocolate to your chili, instant coffee gives out a smoky and richer flavour to your chili. You can have it vegan-friendly by adding beans or add lean meat mince like turkey, beef or chicken if you prefer a heartier option.

7. Make Coffee Desserts

Calm those Covid-19 jitters with the best of both worlds — caffeine and sweets. You can make coffee jelly or even whip up a simple coffee mousse by whisking instant coffee granules into milk, egg yolks, heavy cream and brown sugar under low heat until it forms a custard-like texture. Alternatively, you can also bake an instant coffee cake in just one minute inside a microwave oven.