Out of Instant coffee, one case

Instant coffee substitute for baking

6 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 6 options

Use Espresso powder

½ tsp for every 1 tsp of instant coffee

In baking, replace instant coffee with half as much espresso powder: ½ teaspoon per teaspoon. With no powder in the house, use brewed espresso at 2 tablespoons per teaspoon of instant and take 2 tablespoons out of another liquid, or brew strong coffee and use it in place of the water or milk in the recipe. In a chocolate recipe that uses a teaspoon or two only to deepen the chocolate, you can also leave it out.

Verdict —: Tweak it
The tweak —: Start with half the amount. Go up to an equal amount if coffee is meant to be the main flavor.
Best for —: chocolate cake, brownies and cookies

One casethe full instant coffee card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Instant coffee substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 tsp instant coffee	Verdict
1	Espresso powderchocolate cake, brownies and cookies	½ tspTweak it	Tweak it
2	Brewed espressocake and brownie batters	2 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
3	Strong brewed coffeechocolate cakes that call for hot water or milk	¾ cupTweak it	Tweak it
4	Coffee extractfrosting, whipped cream and glazes	½ tspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Chicory or roasted grain beverage granulescaffeine-free baking	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
6	Ground coffee beanscrumb toppings and streusel	Same amountYou'll taste it	You'll taste it

What changesWhat changes, option by option6 options

Espresso powder

deeper and more roasted than instant

Brewed espresso dried to a fine powder. It dissolves the same way instant coffee does and adds no liquid, but it is darker and stronger.

Best for: chocolate cake, brownies and cookies, buttercream and frosting, where no extra liquid can go in, tiramisu and coffee-flavored bakes
Prep: Start with half the amount. Go up to an equal amount if coffee is meant to be the main flavor.
Where it fails: Used spoon for spoon in a delicate bake it can turn bitter. Start low.

Brewed espresso

full coffee flavor

A single shot is about 2 tablespoons and carries roughly the coffee of a teaspoon of instant. It brings liquid with it, which the recipe has to absorb.

Best for: cake and brownie batters, ganache and chocolate sauce, soaking syrups
Prep: Let it cool, and take 2 tbsp out of the water, milk or other liquid in the recipe for each shot you add.
Where it fails: Buttercream, shortbread and cookie doughs with no liquid to remove. More than 1 to 2 tbsp makes a frosting loose and a dough sticky.

Strong brewed coffee

a mild coffee background; it deepens chocolate without tasting of coffee

Brewed coffee is far weaker than instant granules: one teaspoon of instant makes a 6-ounce cup, which is ¾ cup. So it cannot be added by the spoonful. It works by taking the place of the water or milk the recipe already uses.

Best for: chocolate cakes that call for hot water or milk, brownies made with a little water, recipes where the instant coffee is dissolved in hot water first
Prep: Use it, cooled or hot as the recipe says, in place of the same measure of the recipe's water or milk, and leave the instant coffee out. If the recipe has less liquid than ¾ cup per teaspoon of instant, brew the coffee at double strength and replace the liquid there is.
Where it fails: Recipes with no water or milk to replace, such as butter cookies, shortbread and frosting.

Coffee extract

coffee aroma, less roast and less bitterness

Coffee flavor in alcohol, used the way vanilla extract is. It gives aroma without the bitterness or the dark color.

Best for: frosting, whipped cream and glazes, cookies and shortbread, custards and ice cream bases
Prep: Start with ½ tsp per tsp of instant coffee and add to taste. Strength varies by brand.
Where it fails: It does not deepen chocolate as well as real coffee does, because the bitterness is what does that job.

Chicory or roasted grain beverage granules

roasted and slightly nutty; not quite coffee

Caffeine-free instant drinks made from roasted chicory, barley or rye. They dissolve like instant coffee and bring a similar roasted bitterness.

Best for: caffeine-free baking, chocolate cakes and brownies, bakes for children
Where it fails: Coffee-forward desserts such as tiramisu or coffee buttercream, where the taste is plainly different.

Most are made from barley or rye and contain gluten. Check the label.

Ground coffee beans

coffee, with a sandy texture

Ground coffee never dissolves. It stays in the bake as grit, and it gives up less flavor than the same spoonful of instant.

Best for: crumb toppings and streusel, dark cookies with nuts or chips that hide the texture, dry rubs
Prep: Use the finest grind you have, espresso-fine or ground again in a spice grinder.
Where it fails: Smooth cakes, frostings, custards and ganache: you will feel the grounds. Brew the coffee and use the liquid there.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeInstant coffee

Instant coffee is in most baking recipes for one of two reasons. A teaspoon or two in a chocolate batter is there to make the chocolate taste deeper, and you will not taste coffee. A tablespoon or more is there to flavor the bake. In both cases its advantage is that it is dry and dissolves, so it adds flavor without adding liquid. A substitute has to either be dry too, or come with a matching cut in the recipe's liquid.

Tips for substituting instant coffee

5 tips

Chocolate cake that calls for 1 cup hot water plus 1 to 2 tsp instant coffee: use 1 cup hot brewed coffee and leave the granules out.
Frosting and buttercream take almost no liquid. Use espresso powder or coffee extract, or dissolve the powder in the vanilla before beating it in.
If the recipe dissolves instant coffee in 1 tbsp hot water, replace both with 1 tbsp of espresso or very strong coffee.
In a chocolate recipe with 2 tsp of instant coffee or less, leaving it out changes little. The chocolate tastes slightly flatter and the bake is otherwise the same.
Do not add dry ground coffee to a smooth batter. Steep 2 tbsp grounds in ½ cup of the recipe's hot water or milk for 5 minutes, strain, and use the liquid.

Questions

5 questions

Can I use regular ground coffee in place of instant coffee in baking?

Not dry, except in a crumb topping or a dark, chunky cookie. Ground coffee does not dissolve and leaves grit. Brew it instead and use the coffee in place of the water or milk in the recipe.

Can I use brewed coffee in place of instant coffee granules?

Yes, if the recipe has water or milk you can replace. Swap that liquid for strong brewed coffee, measure for measure, and leave out the granules. A spoonful of brewed coffee is too weak to stand in for a spoonful of instant.

Can I leave instant coffee out of a recipe?

In chocolate cakes, brownies and cookies that use a teaspoon or two, yes. It is there to deepen the chocolate. In a coffee cake, mocha frosting or tiramisu, where coffee is the flavor, you need a real substitute.

Is espresso powder the same as instant coffee?

They are close relatives. Both are brewed coffee that has been dried, and both dissolve. Espresso powder is darker, finer and stronger, so use about half as much in place of instant coffee, or up to an equal amount for a strong coffee flavor.

What can I use in place of instant coffee if I avoid caffeine?

Decaf instant coffee measures the same as regular. A roasted chicory or grain beverage powder also works spoon for spoon. In a chocolate recipe you can leave it out.