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All Purpose Coffee Rub Recipe

Andrew Pautler

All Purpose Coffee Rub

Homemade Coffee Rub

A perfect blend of savory seasonings, this all purpose coffee rub is exceedingly versatile. Instant espresso powder is the foundation of the rub along with brown sugar, salt, and other spices. A nice earthy coffee taste comes through nicely, but doesn’t overpower the coffee rub. That’s why it’s so useful as an all purpose rub! The bold flavors work together in a balance of savory, sweet, and salty.

Savory Coffee Recipes

Since many people are not familiar with savory coffee recipes, this coffee rub is a great way to experiment with the flavors. It goes great as a rub for steak, chicken, pork, or whatever else you desire! Simply rub a generous amount all over the meat or other food before searing or grilling to perfection. Coffee rubbed steak is a great way to use this seasoning as its dark, rich flavors are perfect for red meat. Some chili recipes even call for coffee for this reason! 

Cooking with Coffee

While most people are familiar with baking with coffee, cooking with coffee is full of potential, too. The earthy, distinct flavor is bold but not overpowering alongside other ingredients like in this coffee rub. Plus, the versatility of coffee means you can cook sweet or savory foods. Start getting creative with cooking with coffee in these ways and you’ll be an expert in no time!

All Purpose Coffee Rub

All Purpose Coffee Rub

A perfect blend of savory seasonings, this all purpose coffee rub is exceedingly versatile. Instant espresso powder is the foundation of the rub along with brown sugar, salt, and other spices. A nice earthy coffee taste comes through nicely, but doesn’t overpower the coffee rub.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 0.33 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp instant espresso powder or finely ground coffee (see note)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, use a fork to mix together all the ingredients until well combined. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

You can use regular ground coffee for this rub. The benefit of the instant espresso powder is that it is so concentrated that it helps give that extra coffee kick without a huge amount of it.
Keyword coffee, grilling, rub
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