Coffee gets us up and running in the morning, but there are so many interesting ways to use coffee that most don’t know about. From adding coffee to cakes to making facial scrubs, here are 20 new ways of using coffee.
1. Make Coffee Ice
If leftover coffee is in the pot, turn it into ice! Once the coffee cools to room temperature, pour it into an ice mold and you’ll get coffee-flavored ice cubes to make the perfect iced drinks. Coffee ice cubes can also be added to smoothies for a caffeine boost.
2. Add it to your oats
When cooking oats, add a bit of coffee to the recipe to give it a wonderfully warm flavor. It will also give you a hint of caffeine to energize you throughout the day. Experiment with combinations of water and coffee to see how strong you want the coffee oats.
3. Steak Seasoning
This is one of the more interesting ways to use coffee! Using coffee grounds in your steak seasoning can add a nice bitter flavor that balances the steak’s richness. For this reason, using coffee in spice rubs works especially well in fattier cuts of meat.
4. Make it boozy
With espresso martinis being all the rage, this is no surprise. There are so many delightful coffee cocktails to try, so put on your bartender pants and give it a try! Coffee pairs especially well with brandy and Kahlua.
5. Compost it!
Coffee grounds are a great addition to any compost. They break down organic matter making it easier for compost to reach its desired consistency. Use the compost in your garden or for your plants around the house.
6. Feed it to carrots
If you’re a gardener, this tip is for you. Add some coffee grounds around your planted carrots and see how much bigger they grow. There are so many interesting ways to use coffee, so try this trick with other root vegetables and see what happens!
7. Natural odor catcher
You will likely see little jars of coffee beans lying around in perfume stores. That is because coffee beans and coffee grounds are amazing odor catchers. To get rid of bad smells, pour used coffee grounds into a small bowl and place it in the fridge, the kitchen, or the bathroom.
8. Enhance chocolate cake
Homemade chocolate cake can be taken to the next level with just a hint of instant coffee or espresso powder. The bitter and acidic notes of coffee bring out chocolate’s bolder flavors, leading to a more flavorful chocolate cake. This also works for brownies and other chocolatey baked goods.
9. Make a body scrub
Coffee grounds' rough texture makes them a fantastic natural exfoliant. They clean the skin of dead skin cells, and coffee scrubs can help with cellulite. Many DIY body scrub recipes include coffee grounds, but here is one that you can try.
10. Keep Frozen Driveways at bay
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Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, which makes them a great ingredient for de-icing driveways. If you live in a colder area, you can use coffee grounds instead of salt to prevent icing from happening or use them to help melt any iced-over pavement.
11. Haircare
Like body scrubs, coffee can also be used to make DIY haircare treatments. It helps exfoliate the scalp while aiding in hair growth. However, using coffee in haircare routines can cause your hair color to darken, so be careful. Here is a recipe to try if you're interested.
12. Mushroom Madness
Mushrooms are not the easiest crop to grow, but coffee can help. Coffee grounds are filled with the nutrients mushrooms love, so they are a great ingredient to include in your substrate layer.
13. Craft your beer
For those who like to brew beer, add some coffee into the mix. Not only will this deepen the beer’s flavor, but it will also provide a richer color. This is one of the more interesting ways to use coffee!
14. Tie-dye time
Thanks to coffee’s strong brown color, it’s a great ingredient for naturally dying fabrics. Coffee can add a lovely brown color to almost anything, whether it is clothes, linens, or your hair.
15. Keep bugs away
Pesticides can help keep gardens free from bugs, but they can also harm pollinators. Fortunately, coffee grounds can be used to keep bugs away. Sprinkle them around plants and crops to make a barrier. You can also place bowls of coffee grounds around your outdoor space to keep mosquitos and fruit flies at bay.
16. Clean your pet
One of the more interesting ways to use coffee is as a flea treatment for pets. Rub your pets with coffee grounds after shampooing, then rinse and dry them. As this is a natural treatment, it may not be as effective as prescription medication. If your pet continues to have a flea problem, contact your local vet clinic.
17. Clean the kitchen
Coffee’s rough texture makes it an awesome natural cleaning agent for surfaces with lots of buildup (i.e., kitchen sink). Mix the grounds with water to create a paste, and start cleaning! Avoid using this coffee tip with porous surfaces as it could lead to stains. Who knew there were so many interesting ways to use coffee?
18. Tenderize Tough Meats
Meat can become quite tough, especially leaner cuts. That’s why it’s important to tenderize meat through marinades, rubs, or a meat tenderizer. Use fresh or re-brewed coffee in the marinade to create a more tender protein!
19. Make Tiramisu
There is no better way to use leftover brewed coffee than making tiramisu. This classy Italian sweet treat is filled with gentle yet strong coffee flavors that will have you wanting more. If you’ve never tried making tiramisu before, give it a go!
Give my tiramisu recipe a try!
20. Turn it into ice cream
Coffee ice cream is surprisingly easy to make at home. All you have to do is create a basic vanilla ice cream base, then add the coffee at the end of the mixing. You can also make an easy affogato home with vanilla ice cream and freshly brewed coffee.
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