Decaf Coffee substitute

Substitutes for Decaf Coffee with ratios

1. 2Roasted chicory root

   Different taste

   Use the same amount with ground coffee

   Roasted ground chicory root, the New Orleans coffee tradition and the base of most caffeine-free coffee alternatives.

   What changes

   Naturally caffeine-free.

   Best for

   a genuinely caffeine-free morning cup, milky coffee drinks and lattes, chocolate cakes, glazes and ice cream, cold brew

   The closest caffeine-free stand-in for the experience of coffee: dark brown, properly bitter, with a caramel-woody depth. It is less acidic and less aromatic than coffee and slightly sweeter, so a black cup tastes rounder and flatter, more like a very dark roast that has gone cold. It shines with milk. Brew it like coffee in a filter or a press, or simmer it for five minutes for a stronger cup.

2. 3Grain coffee powder (Inka, Pero, Caro or Postum style)

   Different taste

   Use 1 to 2 teaspoons powder for every cup of water

   Instant powders of roasted barley, rye, chicory and sometimes beet, made specifically to replace coffee without caffeine.

   What changes

   Best for

   the fastest caffeine-free cup, baking, where it dissolves evenly, keeping caffeine out of a household entirely, coffee-flavoured icings and creams

   Malty, cereal-sweet and mild rather than sharp and bitter, so it reads as a comforting mock coffee, not as espresso. It is genuinely excellent in baking because it dissolves instantly and deepens chocolate without any of coffee's acidity. Most contain barley or rye, so it is not gluten-free.

3. 4Roasted dandelion root or roasted barley tea

   Different taste

   Use 1 heaped teaspoon for every cup, simmered 8 to 10 minutes

   Two caffeine-free roasted brews.

   What changes

   Dandelion root is the more bitter and coffee-like; roasted barley tea, sold as mugicha or boricha, is the mildest option on this page.

   Best for

   evening drinking, avoiding caffeine completely, iced and cold brew drinks, hot drinks for the whole household

   Dandelion root has an earthy, mineral bitterness that stands in for coffee's edge, while barley tea is purely toasty and sweet with no bitterness at all, so barley makes a pleasant drink that nobody would mistake for coffee. Both need simmering rather than a quick steep to taste of anything much. Both take milk well.

4. 5Cocoa powder plus a pinch of salt (for baking)

   Different taste

   Use 1 heaped teaspoon cocoa for every tablespoon of instant decaf called for

   Not a drink, but the right answer when a recipe adds decaf coffee to a chocolate batter to make the chocolate taste more chocolatey.

   What changes

   Best for

   brownies, chocolate cake and cookies, chocolate frosting and ganache, chilli, mole and barbecue sauce

   Cocoa supplies the same bitter roasted depth without any caffeine worth worrying about, and salt sharpens it. The bake will taste more chocolate-forward and less roasty, and it loses the faint coffee bitterness at the finish. Add a teaspoon of extra liquid, since cocoa is dry and will otherwise stiffen a batter slightly.

5. 6Decaf espresso powder or coffee extract

   Close match

   Use ½ teaspoon powder, or 1 teaspoon extract, for every tablespoon of brewed decaf

   Concentrated coffee flavour in dry or liquid form, both widely available in decaf versions, for when you need coffee flavour without adding much liquid.

   What changes

   Best for

   frostings, mousses and no-bake fillings, tiramisu, dry rubs and spice mixes, boosting chocolate without thinning the batter

   Far stronger than brewed coffee, so measure carefully or it turns harsh and slightly ashy. Instant decaf granules work identically if you crush them fine. Because they add almost no liquid, they are the better choice than brewed coffee in any recipe where you cannot afford to loosen the mix.