If your morning cup of Joe usually leaves behind a little bit in your pot, you may feel guilty just pouring it down the drain but reheated coffee just doesn't taste as good as that fresh pot. With coffee costing so much these days, using what you have leftover to stretch it further is vital to your budget and your peace of mind. Here are 10 great uses for leftover coffee that will almost make you want to make sure you have some in the pot when your morning ritual is over!
Great Uses for Leftover Coffee
Coffee Ice Cubes – Everyone has probably heard of this use, but it really should be included in this list. Use leftover coffee to make ice cubes and add them to your iced coffee drinks. You can also use them when you make milkshakes for a wonderful coffee mocha flavor!
Nourish Your Plants – Make your houseplants and garden happy! Use cold leftover coffee, diluted by half, to give your plants a boost. The acidity of the coffee can help some plants grow and make the soil richer for them. Don't do it every time as the pH of the soil can get too acidic and you definitely don't want that!
Fabric Dye – You can use coffee to dye some fabrics! Leftover coffee is great for giving canvas and cotton a great tan tone that is similar to what you would buy if it were a non-beached natural fabric. You can also dye Easter eggs!
Mocha Brownies – Try making some great brownies. You will get a mocha flavor from your chocolate baked goods if you add coffee to them. Just substitute for the milk or other liquid in the recipe. Usually about half is good, but play around with it until you find a deep enough or mild enough taste you like. You can also use a little bit of leftover coffee in the frosting!
Recipes Using Leftover Coffee in Baking
Make your chili have a “secret ingredient”. Leftover coffee can be reduced by half on the stove and then added to your chili for a nice color and boost in taste.
Make coffee ice cream! Just add some to your favorite ice cream recipe if you have an ice cream maker and you will have bistro-style coffee ice cream in no time!
The acidity in coffee is perfect for using to marinade beef or pork. It helps tenderize the meat while adding an extra depth of flavor to it.
Add some to your compost. Again, the acids really help speed up the break-down process of the composting pile.
Your hot chocolate will taste awesome with a little coffee in it. Coffee tends to make anything chocolate taste richer!
Just like with fabrics or Easter eggs, you can also dye wood with it. It works great as a stain, although it can be quite a process since it can take a while to seep in. It does, however, allow you to control how dark you want it and it holds better than stains you can buy at the store.
Try using coffee as a toner for your face! The caffeine is actually a great boost for your skin and can help your face feel refreshed. Try adding in some grounds for a great exfoliator.
How do you use up leftover coffee?
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Laine says
Great ideas!
Tammy says
Thanks for the info, will try with brownies.
Tammy says
I haven’t done this myself, but my grandmother said that she used to make gravy with left over coffee. I think coffee is a main ingredient for “Red Eye Gravy.”