Best Espresso Powder for Baking (2026)

How Much Espresso Powder Do You Add to Brownies?

Add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to a 9x13 pan of brownies.

That is the amount in King Arthur’s fudge brownie recipe. America’s Test Kitchen uses 1½ teaspoons per 9x13 batch. Whisk it into the dry ingredients or the warm melted butter.

The calculator covers brownies, cookies, frosting, tiramisu and chili, and shows which jar costs you least.

Want it on paper? Our printable espresso powder chart lists every amount on one page.

Which Espresso Powder Is Best for Baking

Any of these five will deepen a chocolate cake. Pick by what you bake most and how much you go through.

Want espresso powder for drinks instead? See our best instant espresso powder picks.

Best Espresso Powder for Baking: King Arthur

Our pick

King Arthur Espresso Powder

The best-known baking espresso powder, very dark and finely milled. It dissolves into batter, frosting and tiramisu soaks.

Price

$9.953 oz jar

Per ounce

$3.32

Use

½ to 2 tspper recipe

Kosher

Pareve

Pros

• 4.8 stars from 11,733 Amazon reviews
• Dissolves easily into batters and soaks
• King Arthur's recipes give exact amounts

Cons

• Only one size, 3 oz
• Pricier per ounce than bulk bags

Check Price on Amazon

King Arthur Espresso Powder is the jar to buy for baking. It is ground, brewed and dried coffee, then milled to a very fine, intensely dark powder.

King Arthur’s test kitchen uses ½ to 2 teaspoons in chocolate baked goods, frostings and sauces. Its fudge brownies and chocolate cake each take 1 teaspoon per 9x13 pan.

For mocha buttercream, King Arthur dissolves 1 tablespoon of powder in 1 tablespoon of heavy cream or water first.

Best Tasting Espresso Powder: Civilized Coffee

Civilized Coffee Grande Espresso Powder

America's Test Kitchen's taste-test winner. Colombian arabica, milled fine, in a big 6 oz jar.

Price

$19.956 oz jar

Per ounce

$3.33$3.11 in a 3-pack

Beans

Colombian100% arabica

Keeps

12 to 24 months

Pros

• Performed best in America's Test Kitchen's test
• Label gives amounts for cakes, frosting and drinks
• Gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO

Cons

• About twice the price of King Arthur per jar, for twice the powder
• Fewer reviews than King Arthur

Check Price on Amazon

Civilized Coffee won America’s Test Kitchen’s espresso powder taste test in May 2023. “Instant espresso powder is a brownie baker’s secret weapon,” wrote ATK’s Mari Levine.

The brand gives clear amounts: ½ to 2 teaspoons in chocolate cakes, brownies and cookies, ½ to 1½ teaspoons in tiramisu and cream fillings, and ¼ to 1 teaspoon in glazes.

The 3-pack brings it to $3.11 an ounce.

Best Espresso Powder for Tiramisu: DeLallo

DeLallo Instant Espresso Powder

The Italian-foods brand that also sells ladyfingers and a tiramisu kit. Its label prints a tiramisu soak.

6-pack

$29.376 jars, 1.94 oz each

Per ounce

$2.52in the 6-pack

Serving

1 tsp2 g, about 36 mg caffeine

Ingredients

Coffee only

Pros

• Label gives tiramisu and baking amounts
• States its caffeine, unlike most brands
• Fine powder, not granules

Cons

• Small 1.94 oz jars
• Single jars often out of stock on Amazon

Check Price on Amazon

DeLallo is the tiramisu pick. Its label soak is 6 tablespoons of powder in 1½ cups of hot water for its Savoiardi ladyfingers, a strong, coffee-forward dessert.

For baking, the label says to add a teaspoon or two to a chocolate recipe. DeLallo says more than 2 teaspoons gives a mocha flavor you can taste.

It is one of the few brands that states caffeine: a minimum of 1.8%, about 36 mg per 2 g teaspoon.

Best Organic Espresso Powder: Anthony’s

Anthony's Organic Espresso Baking Powder

USDA Organic espresso powder made only from micro-ground arabica, in a resealable 5 oz bag.

Price

$13.595 oz bag

Per ounce

$2.72

Use

½ to 2 tspin baked goods

Organic

USDA

Pros

• USDA Organic, no fillers
• 4.8 stars from 1,927 Amazon reviews
• Bigger bag than most jars

Cons

• Bag, not a jar, so seal it well
• No 2-pack price listed when we checked

Check Price on Amazon

Anthony’s is the organic choice. It is micro-ground organic arabica with no fillers, and the label says to use ½ to 2 teaspoons in baked goods.

At $13.59 for 5 oz, it costs less per ounce than King Arthur or Civilized.

Best Value Espresso Powder: Modern Mountain

Modern Mountain Espresso Powder

The lowest price per ounce of our picks, in a resealable 7 oz pouch made for baking.

Price

$14.997 oz pouch

Per ounce

$2.14

Rating

4.8 stars574 Amazon reviews

Pack

Resealable

Pros

• Cheapest per ounce here
• Big 7 oz pouch
• Over 1,000 bought in the past month on Amazon

Cons

• Pouch, not a jar
• Fewer reviews than the big names

Check Price on Amazon

Modern Mountain is the value pick for people who bake every week. At $14.99 for 7 oz, it works out to $2.14 an ounce, the lowest of our five.

Bulk Espresso Powder for Bakeries

Bakeries and cafés save the most with multipacks. We found no 1 lb bag on Amazon, so bulk means cases of jars.

• Ferrara Instant Espresso, 24-pack: $110.79 for 48 oz, about $2.31 an ounce. Chowhound found it bitter to drink but “likely perfect for baking.”
• Butter-Nut Instant Espresso, 12-pack: $39.97 for twelve 2 oz jars, about $1.67 an ounce.
• DeLallo, 6-pack: $29.37 for six 1.94 oz jars, $2.52 an ounce.
• Hoosier Hill Farm, 8 oz: $19.99, $2.50 an ounce. Hoosier Hill also lists a 25 lb bag, unavailable when we checked.

Prices are from Amazon on November 8, 2026.

Does Espresso Powder Make Desserts Taste Like Coffee?

No, not at the usual ½ to 2 teaspoons per recipe. King Arthur sells its powder to deepen chocolate “without adding a distinct coffee taste.”

“A pinch of espresso powder greatly enhances and intensifies the chocolate flavor,” writes Posie Brien of King Arthur Baking.

DeLallo says to go past 2 teaspoons when you want a mocha flavor you can taste. Darker powders give a deeper edge; see French roast vs Italian roast for how roast changes flavor.

How Do You Use Espresso Powder in Tiramisu?

Dissolve the powder in hot water, sweeten it, cool it, then dip the ladyfingers.

1. King Arthur’s soak, one 8-inch pan: 2 teaspoons of powder in ½ cup of boiling water with ¼ cup of sugar, plus ⅓ cup of coffee liqueur.
2. Alcohol-free: King Arthur adds another ⅓ cup of boiling water and 1 more teaspoon of powder in place of the liqueur.
3. DeLallo’s stronger soak: 6 tablespoons of powder in 1½ cups of hot water, for its Savoiardi ladyfingers.

Mount Hagen also markets its instant espresso for tiramisu. See it in our instant espresso powder guide.

Can You Use Instant Coffee Instead of Espresso Powder?

Yes. Use the same amount to 50% more instant coffee, and crush it fine first.

America’s Test Kitchen uses the same amount. King Arthur and DeLallo suggest about 50% more, because instant coffee is less concentrated. King Arthur notes instant coffee can add a slightly bitter edge.

For example, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder becomes 1 to 1½ teaspoons of crushed instant coffee. Instant coffee is also the base for dalgona coffee.

What Else Can You Make With Espresso Powder?

Espresso powder adds depth to savory food too, not only sweets.

• Chili: The Spice House uses 2 to 3 teaspoons for a pot. Food Republic suggests about 1 tablespoon, added with the dry spices.
• Meat rubs and barbecue: DeLallo lists rubs, baby back ribs and salsas. Civilized Coffee suggests a pinch.
• Hot cocoa: Civilized Coffee stirs ½ to 1 teaspoon into hot milk.

Does Espresso Powder Add Caffeine to Baked Goods?

A little. A level teaspoon has about 31 to 36 mg of caffeine, per USDA FoodData Central and DeLallo.

Spread across a pan, it is small. One teaspoon in a 9x13 pan of 24 brownies is under 2 mg per brownie.

Tiramisu has more. King Arthur’s 8-inch pan uses 2 teaspoons, about 62 to 72 mg across the whole dessert.

For a caffeine-free bake, Nescafé makes a Gold Espresso Decaf ($9.97 for 3.17 oz on Amazon). See whether decaf is the better choice and how roasting time affects caffeine.

How We Chose These Picks

We did not bake-test these powders ourselves. Our picks combine a published taste test, the makers’ baking guidance and the Amazon listings.

• Taste test: America’s Test Kitchen’s instant espresso powder test (Mari Levine, May 18, 2023), won by Civilized Coffee.
• Amounts: King Arthur Baking recipes, America’s Test Kitchen, DeLallo, The Spice House and Food Republic.
• Ratings and prices: Amazon, checked November 8, 2026. Prices change often.
• Caffeine: USDA FoodData Central entry 171893 and DeLallo.

Most of these are 100% arabica; our guide to coffee bean types explains why that matters. More in our bean guides and tips.