21 Irresistible Ways to Use Leftover Brewed Coffee

21 Irresistible Ways to Use Leftover Brewed Coffee

Do you have leftover brewed coffee? Do you love coffee so much that you wish you could have it in all of your dishes? You’re in luck! 

Leftover brewed coffee can go into desserts, and you may already know about using coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor of brownies and cakes. But coffee can also give savory dishes a deeper flavor, and that’s not all. You can even add it to smoothies and oatmeal, for example. That means you can enjoy coffee morning, noon, and night.

Before you start, be sure you have the best coffee to brew. Alex’s Low-Acid Organic Coffee has a special blend of high-quality beans, a delicious French roast that adds chocolate flavors, and reduced acidity so you can still enjoy these recipes on a lower-acid diet. And now, here are 21 irresistible ways to use leftover brewed coffee. 

  • Coffee Oatmeal
  • Start your day with a hearty bowl of oatmeal made with…coffee. It’s easy. Just use coffee instead of water to cook your oatmeal. Pour hot coffee over rolled or quick oats and let them cook and thicken before serving. You can add a sweetener and creamer of your choice. As a bonus, it’s easier to clean up the breakfast dishes when you use hot coffee to cook your oatmeal instead of cooking it in a pot. 

  • Mocha Oatmeal
  • What happens when you take coffee oatmeal and add chocolate? You get a delicious bowl of mocha oatmeal. Try stirring in 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (baking cocoa) to your coffee oatmeal. If you like, top it with half a sliced banana or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. 

  • Coffee Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie
  • Do you prefer to drink your oatmeal at breakfast? Try a smoothie made by blending oats, peaches or strawberries, and vanilla yogurt. Add flaxseeds or almond butter for extra fiber and protein. You can take this on the road if you don’t have time to sit down to a bowl of oatmeal.

  • Coffee Double Chocolate Protein Shake
  • Blend brewed coffee with ice, chocolate chips (or sugar-free chocolate chips), and chocolate protein powder. Add whipped cream if you’re on a keto diet and are looking for some extra fat.

  • Green Coffee Smoothie
  • This is for you if you’re trying to add more vegetables to your daily routine, or if you’re looking for a cleanse or some weight loss. Blend brewed coffee with kale or spinach leaves, ice cubes, strawberries, peanut or almond butter, cinnamon, and vanilla yogurt. It can be a great meal replacement. 

  • Pulled Pork with Coffee
  • Make pulled pork the way you normally do, such as in a slow cooker. When you add the broth and any other seasonings, add some leftover brewed coffee. You’ll end up with a deeper flavor that you can savor that night and for sandwiches the next day.

  • Coffee Gravy
  • When you’re making gravy with pork or turkey drippings, add brewed coffee to dissolve the flour. You can pour this over any other type of meat. It can be especially good with honey ham, which has a sweet flavor that can complement the pleasant bitterness of coffee.

  • Chili with Coffee
  • Make your favorite chili recipe, such as with two or three kinds of beans, ground turkey or beef, tomatoes, onions, celery, and spices. Add a few raisins for some sweetness, and use coffee instead of part of the water. You’ll have a chili with a wide variety of flavors, including bitter, sweet, salty, and fatty. 

  • Sweet and Salty Coffee Chicken Breast
  • This is another recipe idea that blends all kinds of flavors, and it can yield tender chicken breast. Make a sauce with coffee, soy sauce, brown sugar, cooking wine, and oil. Then sear the chicken breasts in a pan with oil and add the sauce. Cook gently for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

  • Pork Roast with Coffee
  • Roasts just lend themselves well to the addition of coffee. Take your favorite recipe and reduce the amount of water or broth that you use. Instead, make up for that amount of liquid by adding brewed coffee. 

  • Apple Cheddar Rosemary Bread Pudding
  • Use cubes of stale bread, chopped apples, and fresh rosemary. Pour over the bread a mixture of leftover brewed coffee, beaten eggs, and bacon (if you like). Then bake the dish and have it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can mix chopped spinach or dried tomatoes in it if you like.

  • Whole-Wheat Bread with Coffee
  • Swap warmed leftover brewed coffee for warm water if you’re baking with yeast, or use coffee instead of cold water if it’s a quick bread recipe. You can use coffee in any bread recipe, but it’s especially good in whole-grain recipes that have a bit of sugar.

  • Coffee Jam
  • How about a bit of coffee jam to spread on your whole-grain bread made with coffee? Cook together brewed coffee, nuts, lemon juice, and pectin until the mixture thickens. You can also make coffee fruit jam with berries or citrus peel.

  • Mocha Bread Pudding
  • Use cubes of whole-grain coffee bread or Irish soda bread that’s stale. Blend leftover brewed coffee with sugar, beaten eggs, vanilla extract, and baking cocoa. Pour it over the bread in a pan. Bake the dish, topping it with mini chocolate chips halfway through, if desired. 

  • Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins
  • Make your favorite pumpkin muffins, but use brewed coffee instead of milk or water, and swap half the oil for brewed coffee. Then top them with a drizzle made with brewed coffee, cinnamon, and powdered sugar. 

  • Coffee Ice Cream Shake
  • This is a super decadent, super delicious blend. Choose your favorite flavor ice cream, or fall back on a classic flavor such as chocolate, vanilla, or mocha. Blend it with brewed coffee. Top your shake with whipped cream and chocolate syrup or syrup made with melted chocolate thinned out with more brewed coffee.

  • Coffee Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Bananas
  • Melt some chocolate and stir in a small amount of brewed coffee. Then dip thick slices of banana into the chocolate coffee sauce, place them on wax paper spread over a cookie sheet, and freeze them. If you like, sprinkle them with walnuts, sprinkles, or shredded coconut before freezing.

  • Mocha Cupcakes
  • When you make your favorite chocolate cupcakes, use leftover brewed coffee instead of milk or water. Then, double the fun by using coffee in the frosting as well. Everyone will ask for the recipe!

  • Coffee Cheesecake
  • Stir some brewed coffee into your cheesecake to give it a special flavor. You might want to use decaf coffee if you’re having this as a late-night dessert.

  • Tiramisu
  • This classic Italian dessert has cream, ladyfingers, a rich vanilla filling, mascarpone cheese, alcohol, and…coffee. Soak the ladyfingers or spongy cookies in brewed coffee to make this dessert taste right.

  • Irish Cream and Coffee
  • It’s easy to spike your coffee. Just add a shot of Irish cream liqueur to leftover brewed coffee! You can serve it with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and a rolled cookie.

    We hope you love these recipes and use them as inspiration to create even more recipes with brewed coffee. 

    Back to blog