Last Updated on February 23, 2023
Making your own instant coffee doesn’t need to be difficult, and finding the best recipe for your perfect cup of tasty coffee only takes a small amount of trial and error.
It can take too much time to use a French press or grind your own coffee beans. This is where the best choice is to make instant coffee in your own home—in its most basic form, how to make instant coffee can be as simple as adding small bits of coffee granules to a mug of hot water.
The Water You Use
Regardless of what brand or style of instant coffee you have on hand, ensuring the right water to coffee ratio is vital in how to make instant coffee. If you pour too much water, your regular coffee can lack taste. Too little water can make the coffee bitter. Although if you like your coffee black, this might give you the best taste.
The first step to creating the perfect cup of coffee is determining the ideal water ratio for your premium coffee mix. If it’s too strong, pour a bit more water or a bit of milk or cream to help balance it out until it tastes good.
The most generally accepted ratio is one teaspoon of instant coffee powder or granules to 8 ounces of boiling water. Your water should be very hot but not actively boiling for the best taste. If you like a stronger coffee, you can add two teaspoons of coffee to your 8 ounces of water.
You can also try to stir your teaspoon of coffee in a small amount of cold water. This cold brew stir method allows the granules or powder to dissolve slowly, releasing the taste and tannins slowly over a minute or two. When you add hot water to a cold coffee, you will get a better consistency and taste profile from your blend. Sometimes adding boiling water to the mug when you want to make instant coffee can produce a gritty coffee.
Added Flavorings
Milk
Commonly used to dilute a strong coffee flavour, you can also add milk to iced coffee for a smooth blend. Try oat, coconut, soy, almond, or condensed milk alternatives in your coffee cup.
Half-And-Half
Cream or half-and-half are excellent options if you want to add something heavier than plain milk. It can help smooth out the taste of a bitter or strong blend and adds a great consistency.
Cinnamon or Sugar
Both cinnamon and sugar are a great way to turn a plain cup of coffee into a sweet seasonal treat. They both add a wonderful aroma and taste to your instant blend or iced coffee.
Using a Coffee Maker
While it might look like instant coffee should be given the same treatment as ground coffee, you should never make instant coffee in a coffee maker or French press.
The first process on how to make instant coffee is using hot water, not boiling hot water, to blend it into a perfect drink. You can heat your water in a kettle, the microwave, or over an open campfire. You may choose to use a coffee maker to get hot water in a short amount of time, but you should never run the actual instant coffee powder or granules through the coffee maker or French press process.
Suggested Coffee Ratios
- Most instant coffees taste perfect with one teaspoon of granules or powder to 8 ounces of hot water as the entire recipe. You can adjust the teaspoon amount if your granules are larger or smaller than average.
- For those who prefer dark coffee or more robust coffee, one and a half or two teaspoons of granules or powder to 8 ounces of water will give a nice rich taste.
- If you plan on adding sugar, milk, creamer, or another liquid flavouring to your recipe, stick with the one teaspoon of granules or powder, but adjust your water down to 6 ounces. This will allow room for the added liquid flavouring to stir in.
- Looking for an iced coffee treat on a hot day? One teaspoon of granules mixed with 4 ounces of water is plenty. Let that dissolve thoroughly, then add 4 ounces of cold milk or creamer and ice to lower the water temperature.
Is Instant Coffee and Ground Coffee the Same?
While they might look similar in texture, they are not the same. Ground coffee is made from ground coffee beans and is specifically created to be used in a coffee maker recipe.
Instant granules or powder start similarly to coffee beans that are ground up. But it is then pre-brewed into the coffee during the manufacturing process. Then the liquid coffee is either freeze-dried into a powder or dried with hot air to create the granules.
All coffee should be stored in an airtight container. This is true for both coffee crystals and fine powder. You can also store your own beans and small coffee grounds to ensure your delicious coffee beans remains fresh.
Start Your Day With Coffee!
If you find yourself enjoying instant coffee but wishing for a different way to change the result of the beans, the above text on how to make instant coffee should give you some ideas to try. Always test the ratios and flavourings yourself to find the perfect mix to suit your taste. Lastly, don’t be afraid to try different coffee beans as well. Sometimes the unknown coffee beans can give you the best results!
Rebekah is a writer who loves to explore new products and find hacks that make life easier. She has a knack for all things home improvement, health and fitness. So you’ll often find her on Pinterest or browsing Houzz for ideas.
She’s always looking for the next thing to fix up around the house or what gadget might be just right for her lifestyle. Rebekah enjoys exploring new recipes, taking care of her family, and making sure she stays healthy with regular workouts at the gym.