I spend most of my mornings drinking coffee at the balcony of my house while watching the monkeys jump around in the coconut trees. It’s a sacred moment of the day, yet a powerful kickstart. I just can’t imagine a life without coffee! But did you know that there are so many more ways to incorporate coffee into your diet, than to just drink it the “ordinary” way, whether you prefer it black or with milk?

Coffee is an awesome ingredient in everything from drinks and desserts to savory dishes. Experimenting with new recipes and finding new and unexpected taste combinations in one of the luxuries of life that doesn’t need to cost much, and that I have much more time for since I became a full-time travel blogger. In this post, I share with you my 6 best recipes with coffee as one of the main ingredients. I hope they will inspire you to try something new, and discover original ways to use this amazing ingredient!

If you have a Nespresso machine, you can use Gourmesso coffee as a basis for most of the recipes. Gourmesso is a company that sells compatible capsules for Nespresso. Choose from more than 25 different coffee blends – from traditional ones such as Espresso and Lungo, to my personal favorites Midnite Monkey and Nite Owl. Their Nespresso compatible capsules fit all OriginalLine Nespresso machines. They also offer compatible capsules for Nespresso that are certified by USDA Organic and Fairtrade.

1.      Iced coffee with coconut milk

The first time I tried iced coffee with coconut milk was at the café Art in chai in Pai, a small village in northern Thailand that has become somewhat of a mecca for hippies and hipsters in recent years. The coffee drink was made with strong locally produced coffee, sweet coconut milk and a splash of palm sugar syrup. Mixed with a lot of ice, it tasted like heaven on Earth! One of the best coffee drinks I ever had, and super easy to make at home on a warm day!

2.      Salame de chocolate with coffee

The first time I heard of Salame de chocolate, I thought it was a real salami, made of meat and flavored with chocolate. It’s not! Salame de chocolate is a traditional (and meat-free!) Italian dessert. The name comes from the fact that it looks like a salami. It is made with dark melted chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs and crushed biscuits. For extra taste – add a shot of espresso! This is a no-bake dessert that will impress all you Italian friends and vanish in a second!

3.      Mexican coffee buns

Mexican coffee buns, also known as coffee buns, are actually Asian rather than Mexican. They used to be very popular in Malaysia and Singapore, but are not as readily available as some decades ago. They are nevertheless as tasty as ever! Mexican coffee buns are made of a sweet sponge dough, and a frosting made with eggs, icing sugar, butter and coffee, that is put on top of the buns before they are baked. These buns are sweet and soft, and go perfect with a cup of coffee. For more ideas of what to see, do and eat in Malaysia, check out my Kuala Lumpur travel diary that I wrote a while back!

4.      Spicy chili with coffee and cocoa

Coffee contains more than 800 aromatic compounds and therefore adds a lot of taste to a wide range of savory dishes. This chili is based on a traditional Mexican chili and can be made with either beef or beans, or both – depending on your preference. It is one of my favorite recipes with coffee, since it has very deep and “warm” flavors, and is really easy to make. The seasoning is what makes this chili outstanding: freshly brewed espresso, cocoa powder and chili (chipotles are great, but any chili that adds some heat works fine). Serve the chili together with rice or tortillas, coriander, lime and yoghurt.

5.      Coffee rub for grilled meat

If you love grilled meat cooked barbeques style, you have to try this coffee rub! Just mix freshly ground coffee beans, black pepper and salt, and apply the rub to beef, lamb, chicken thighs or duck, before putting it on the grill. Choose a dark roast for a deeper and more complex coffee flavor, or a lighter roast for a more subtle hint of coffee. For even more taste, try to add some sumac (a common Middle Eastern spice), garlic powder and/or cocoa powder to the rub.  

6.      Oven-roasted root vegetables with coffee

This is perhaps the most unusual recipe, but trust me – it is really worth trying! Roasting with coffee intensifies the natural sweetness of root vegetables such as carrots, beetroots, onions, potatoes and leek, and provides an exciting taste experience. Put the vegetables on an oven tray together with medium roasted whole coffee beans, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black pepper, salt and olive oil. Roast them until they are soft, and serve as a side dish to grilled meat, or as a stand-alone dish together with some nice bread.