20 Leftover Brewed Coffee Recipes You'll Love

Updated March 19, 2020
Sara Tane

Don't pour that pot down the drain! Leftover brewed coffee is way more useful than you think. Whether you use it to make decadent desserts (like this Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream or this Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie with Coffee Liqueur Whipped Cream), an incredible gravy, or a coffeehouse-worthy drink (we're looking at you, Maple Pecan Latte), you're going to want to save this collection of leftover coffee recipes. 

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Nutella Iced Coffee

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Nutella Iced Coffee Recipe

Don’t be surprised if this decadent, chocolatey twist on a typical iced coffee becomes your #1 caffeinated beverage of choice. While you can also prepare this Nutella Iced Coffee by whisking the ingredients together by hand, the blender makes creating a perfectly smooth beverage easy.

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Coffee and Brown Sugar Bacon

Credit: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Randy Mon

Coffee and Brown Sugar Bacon Recipe

Time: 40 minutes. Everyone loves waking up to the smell of coffee and the smell of bacon, and the flavors are pretty awesome together too. Add some molasses-y brown sugar, and you'll reach bacon nirvana.

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Cola-Coffee Barbecue Sauce

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: MindI Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Cola-Coffee Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Serve with Smoked Cola-and-Coffee Beef Ribs: A sweet cola barbecue sauce balances out the earthy, peppery dry rub on these deliciously rich ribs. Serve with a tangy side dish, like a vinegar-based coleslaw or potato salad.

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Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream

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Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream Recipe

If you're looking for an easy, decadent, and oh-so-yummy chocolate fudge cake, this is the perfect recipe. The key to this layer cake’s lusciously messy look? A short spell in the freezer, which allows the ganache to set over the cake layers so that the buttercream can be spread on top of it.

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Irish Coffee Jell-O Shots

Credit: Aaron Kirk; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Julia Levy

Irish Coffee Jell-O Shots Recipe

If you’re looking for an easy way to get the St. Patrick’s Day party started, look no further than these Irish coffee inspired Jell-O shots, featuring layers of Kahlúa-spiked coffee, Baileys Irish cream, and Irish whiskey. We also included a bit of pecan liqueur (because it’s delicious), but feel free to replace it with an additional 1/4-cup Baileys. 

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Tiramisu Cake

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Tiramisu Cake Recipe

Everything you love about classic Italian tiramisu, layered into an impressive cake. 

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes Recipe

Loaded with toasty fall flavors, a batch of these easy PSL cupcakes will have you in sweater weather mode faster than hitting the Starbucks drive-thru.  

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Ultimate Beefy Keto Coffee

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Ultimate Beefy Keto Coffee Recipe

Trying to get your fats in? We got you covered. 

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Perfect Chocolate Bundt Cake

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Perfect Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

Intensely chocolatey and incredibly moist, this is truly the perfect chocolate bundt cake—and undoubtedly, a chocolate lover’s dream. The cake’s rich chocolate flavor is enhanced with the addition of coffee in the batter and coffee liqueur in the glaze.

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Breakfast Disco Fries

Credit: PHOTO BY DANIEL AGEE

Breakfast Disco Fries Recipe

Like breakfast nachos, the disco fries are a massive meal that’s fit for a crowd, yet easy enough to make on a lazy Sunday morning. Rip open a package of frozen french fries (or heck, use those leftover takeout fries from last night), dump them on a sheet pan, and bake until crispy.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie with Coffee Liqueur Whipped Cream

Credit: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Pam Lolley; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie with Coffee Liqueur Whipped Cream Recipe

Whether or not you’re a fan of the infamous, seasonal Starbuck’s beverage, you'll be surprised by just how amazing a hint of coffee sets off creamy, spiced pumpkin pie filling. The depth of rich flavor speaks for itself—this PSL-inspired pie is in a league of it’s own.

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Spiked Vietnamese Coffee Frappé

Credit: Greg Dupree

Spiked Vietnamese Coffee Frappé Recipe

This recipe couldn't be easier: Process cold coffee concentrate, sweetened condensed milk, coffee liqueur, and ice cubes in a blender on high speed until smooth and blended, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour evenly into 4 chilled glasses, and serve with rolled cookie "straws."

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Caffeinated Yogurt Bowl

Credit: Photo by Caitlin Bensel

Caffeinated Yogurt Bowl Recipe

This affogato yogurt bowl delivers chocolatey coffee, a caffeine kick, and all of the nutritional value of yogurt. Add orange segments for a little zing, or get creative and add a tart fruit, like raspberries. There is never a time when eating dessert for breakfast isn’t ideal, especially when it’s as healthy as a yogurt bowl.

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Muddled Mint Iced Coffee

Credit: Sara Tane

Muddled Mint Iced Coffee Recipe

This refreshing, creamy iced beverage is the only way you're going to want to get your caffeine come warmer weather. All it takes is a simple muddle of fresh mint and raw sugar, combined with your espresso and cream, to make this deliciously cooling sipper that any java-drinker is sure to love.

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Chicory Ice Cream

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Chicory Ice Cream Recipe

This recipe goes with King Cake Bread Pudding with Chicory Ice Cream. This New Orleans-inspired recipe is perfect for a hot summer day.

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Nutella Tiramisu in Jars

Nutella Tiramisu in Jars Recipe

In this updated version of the classic Italian dessert, richly flavored Nutella adds to the decadence of creamy mascarpone, and the single-serving jars mean you don't even have to share. You'll need six 1/5-liter jars such as Weck, or you can use tall 1-cup canning jars.

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Leftover Coffee Redeye Gravy

Credit: Photo by Jim Henkens

Leftover Coffee Redeye Gravy Recipe

There are a few different stories about how redeye gravy got its name, and part or all of them are true, I’m sure. Some say Andrew Jackson requested gravy “as red as the cook’s eyes.” For others, it’s the oily fat that rises to the top when you add the coffee, resembling the red veins in your eyeball.

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Pumpkinception Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte in a Pumpkin Cup

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Pumpkinception Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte in a Pumpkin Cup Recipe

This vegan pumpkin spice latte recipe uses every part of the pumpkin, including the seeds (which become a surprisingly satisfying pumpkin seed milk)‚ the flesh (which adds sweet heft to the brew), and the hulls (which become the cutest little serving cups ever). It even comes with a bonus snack in the form of an ersatz spent-seed granola.

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Peppermint Mocha Latte

Credit: Jennifer Cause; Food Styling: Catherine Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver

Peppermint Mocha Latte Recipe

Peppermint oil, much more concentrated than alcohol-diluted extract, lends bold mint flavor with just a couple of drops. Look for it at Whole Foods or natural foods stores in the essential oils section. While we love very dark chocolates (80% percent or more), bittersweet works best here, making for rounder, smoother flavor.

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Maple Pecan Latte

Credit: Sara Tane

Maple Pecan Latte Recipe

While the recipe calls for pecan butter as an ode to the Starbucks Maple Pecan Latte, you can swap this out for any nut butter of choice (like almond).

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