Whether you brewed extra coffee or couldn’t finish your mug as you were too consumed in your work, your coffee is bound to get wasted. But why pour it down the drain when you can transform it into something useful? Or say, something flavorful?
Nobody wants to watch their deliciously brewed coffee go down the sink. By reusing your extra coffee, not only are you enhancing your meals but also cutting down waste. You may think about re-drinking it later, but if you’re a coffee enthusiast, you know that nothing tastes better than a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to reuse and repurpose leftover coffee. The only thing you should keep in mind before I get started is that leftover coffee becomes very acidic over time.
So, if you intend to use the leftover coffee, store it in an airtight container in your fridge for no more than a day or two. And whenever you want to try a recipe, you can take it out and get on with it. Following are a few ways you can use extra coffee:
Contents
Boost the Flavor of Your Oatmeal
I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And people who drink coffee can’t function a day without their morning cup. So, if you combine the two, you get an efficient caffeinated breakfast that’ll kick start your day.
All you have to do is use leftover coffee to replace part of the water used to cook your oatmeal. This way, you can absorb the rich flavor of the coffee and the caffeine. This will prove to be an energy booster breakfast.
Make Ice Cubes Out of It
One of the most effective ways to use leftover coffee is to freeze it into ice cubes. Pour the coffee into your ice tray and put it into your freezer. You can take it out the next time you want to make iced coffee. You can even add it to your smoothie to change up the flavor.
Make Ice Cream With It
While it’s easy to get ice cream from your nearby local shop, making ice cream is extremely fun, and you should at least try it once! If you’ve already, you must know how much sugar you need to make that happen. With leftover coffee, you can make a flavorful dessert in no time!
Get milk, leftover coffee, sugar, cream, egg yolks, and a bit of salt. Next, beat egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Heat the milk and add it to the bowl content. Stir until it’s thoroughly combined.
Keep it over medium heat until it becomes thick. Take it off and add in the leftover coffee. Let it cool to room temperature before placing it in the freezer. Take it out and enjoy your homemade ice cream!
Blend It Into a Smoothie
Toss in the coffee ice cubes that you’ve frozen into your blender. Add protein powder, bananas (or any fruit you like), and blend. It’s effortless and will only take you a minute or two to make a smoothie with a hint of your favorite coffee.
Bake Brownies or Any Other Sweet
You can add coffee to any baked sweet for a jolt of flavor. All you need to do is substitute the extra coffee instead of water in your baking mixture. The acidity of coffee provides the ideal counterpoint to the sweetness of the dessert. This is a perfect way to make brownies and cakes.
If you’ve tried it, you might want to take it a step further. When preparing frosting and icing, experiment with using leftover coffee. This will enhance the flavor of your cupcakes, pastries, and cookies.
Marinade Beef and Other Types of Meat
Aside from using leftover coffee to create delectable delicacies, you may also use it to marinade meat, particularly steak. Because coffee is acidic and has a pH of about 5, it can break down the connective tissue in your meat, resulting in tenderness. This is an essential step for harder meats before using them to prepare steaks.
Add chopped garlic and onion into the leftover coffee along with some soy sauce. Use this prepared content to marinate the meat.
Use It to Water Plants
You can also use the leftover coffee outside of your kitchen. You may have heard that coffee grounds provide a growth boost to some plants. Well, leftover coffee can serve the same purpose. Caffeine is a good source of nutrients for the plants, such as nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium.
If you have acid-loving plants in your backyard, like the camellias, orchids, or azaleas, then adding your extra coffee can prove to be beneficial for them. Before pouring the coffee into the potted plants, dilute it with water. Only do this once or twice a week to see a positive outcome!
Make Latte Art
If you have more than a week-old leftover coffee, it has most likely lost its flavor and oils. If you still don’t want to discard it, you can get in touch with your artistic side by using it to make art.
You can use coffee as paint and create art like never before! This may be an enjoyable activity to do in your spare time.
Conclusion
Why waste leftover coffee when there are so many things you can do with it? You can use coffee in more ways than you can imagine. So, next time you prepare a cup of coffee, make extra and experiment with some of these creative ideas!
