22 Coffee Recipes That Put Your Standard Cup Of Joe To Shame

For many of us, the day doesn't begin until at least one large cup of coffee has made its way into our systems. That could mean guzzling a hot cup of joe poured from a drip machine at home, rushing to a neighborhood coffee shop for a quick to-go cup, or driving through your nearest Starbucks for a Frappuccino pitstop before work.

When you're drinking coffee every day of the week, though — sometimes even several cups of it a day — it's easy to get bored of the same brew. If you're looking for ways to make your coffee a touch more exciting than it is, we have here a list of recipes that will help you add some much-needed flair to your coffee-making skills at home. With recipes for copycat versions of drinks from your favorite coffee shops that you can easily recreate at home, you'll even end up saving a few dollars along the way. As a bonus, you'll also be able to make some of the best seasonal and limited-edition coffees all year round. Pumpkin spice lattes in summer, anyone?

Chick-Fil-A might not have been the first fast food chain to come to mind when you thought of coffee, at least not until the Frosted Coffee was added to the menu in 2016. Now with a loyal fanbase of its own, the cold coffee might be one of the best items on Chick-Fil-A's menu. With three simple ingredients by your side — instant coffee powder, water, and vanilla ice cream — you'll have yourself a Chick-Fil-A style Frosted Coffee in a matter of minutes. You can even swap the vanilla ice cream with a salted caramel one to give the coffee a sweet and salty twist.

Recipe: Copycat Chick-Fil-A Frosted Coffee

This salted caramel iced coffee requires very little in time, effort, and ingredients but gives in return a fancy-schmalzy chilled coffee that is sweet, creamy, and strong enough for a solid caffeine kick at the same time. The milk in the recipe can be swapped with sweetened condensed milk for a drink that is on the sweeter side, and the caramel sauce can be switched with a chocolate one. You'll need a strong cup of percolated coffee, but if that's not your thing, two shots of espresso will do a fine job, too. No matter which one you choose, make sure that your hot coffee has cooled down before you add cold milk to it!

Recipe: Salted Caramel Iced Coffee

If you prefer McDonald's over Starbucks when it comes to the Pumpkin Spice Latte, worry not, for recipe developer Susan Olayinka has a homemade fix for that, too. While this copycat version is pretty darn close to the real thing, the only thing that Olayinka does differently is use plant-based oat milk over cow's milk in her latte. This, she says, gives the classic PSL a creamy and naturally sweet flavor. You'll also need to make your own spice blend for this latte using cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger at the very least, as well as black pepper and cardamom if you're aiming for perfection.

Recipe: Copycat McDonald's Pumpkin Spice Latte

Now that we've made a (hopefully) convincing case for cold brew and cola, recipe developer Kristen Carli has another fun recipe for adventurous coffee drinkers to try. This time, Carli recommends that everyone try mixing a cold brew with equal amounts of cream soda as well as vanilla extract, and sip on it while the drink is still carbonated and fizzy. The vanilla extract enhances the flavors of the cream soda and makes a slightly sweet coffee which she says will be a hit for anybody who likes to add a bit of milk or sugar to balance their usual coffees.

Recipe: Cold Brew Vanilla Soda

Everyone knows that protein is the gold standard for all that is good for you. It reduces hunger and cravings, increases muscle mass, helps with weight loss, and helps your body recover from injuries (via Healthline). So while the rest of us scoured for ways to up our protein intake through supplements and powders in our smoothies, oat bowls, pancakes, and shakes, TikTok seemed to have found an ingenious solution: protein powder in coffee (aka proffee). Best made with an unflavoured protein powder, you can drink this protein coffee hot or even store it in the refrigerator to enjoy an iced version later.

Recipe: High Protein Coffee

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a time during which many recipes have gone viral online, particularly because people are cooking at home more. In fact, it brought us not only new recipes but also beloved ones. It rekindled folks' love for banana bread, created a certain fascination with feta pasta, and helped people discover the frothy Dalgona coffee. Dalgona, or whipped coffee as it goes by, requires only instant coffee, sugar, and water for you to whip it together using an electric whisk or a hand foamer until you have a creamy golden foam. Plop a few spoons of your coffee foam onto a glass of hot or iced milk, dunk a nice biscuit into it, and ta-da! You have yourself a coffee that continues to impress, even today.

Recipe: Dalgona Coffee

There's a reason why Starbucks calls its icy beverages Frappuccino, whereas its counterparts call theirs frappe. Starbucks, it turns out, has trademarked its iconic drink. While all this jargon may make Starbucks' Frappuccinos seem like something you could never replicate at home, you'll be surprised to know just how easy it is to make the drink yourself. With the help of a high-powered blender and just under two cups of ice, you'll even be able to get the Frappuccino's texture right: chilled liquid at the bottom and tiny ice chips on top. The best part? You can bring out your inner Starbucks barista and use all sorts of syrups, sauces, and mix-ins to make this frap your own.

Recipe: Easy Frappuccino

If your idea of a snack is eating peanut butter by the spoon straight from a jar, this peanut butter latte is going to be your new go-to cup of java each morning. For those skeptical of this nut and coffee combination, recipe developer Jaime Bachtell-Shelbert insists that it's a welcome change in the world of sugar syrup-flavored coffees. "The peanut butter brings that nutty flavor, and the honey adds a touch of sweetness," she says. You could drink it with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top but there's also the option of garnishing the coffee with whipped cream and cinnamon sticks to give it a bit of oomph!

Recipe: Peanut Butter Latte

This recipe begins by breaking down the ingredient list of Starbucks' Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew to make a copycat version that is as close to the real deal as possible: cold brew coffee sweetened with vanilla syrup, a "pumpkin cream cold foam" made from a pumpkin spice sauce, and pumpkin spice on top. The secret ingredient that sets this recipe apart from other copycat versions is the use of sweetened condensed milk to make the pumpkin spice sauce. The condensed milk is what helps give the cold brew that thick and smooth texture along with its pumpkin spice flavor!

Recipe: Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Starbucks has a certain reputation for being extravagant with its Frappuccinos. Take the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, for example. It contains layers of coffee, mocha sauce, milk, whipped cream, chocolate cookie crumble, some more vanilla whipped cream, mocha drizzle, and cookie crumbles... phew! Who could imagine replicating that at home now? As it turns out, recipe developer Susan Olayinka promises that this copycat version is "quite easy." Once you plan and freeze your coffee into ice cubes in advance, this frap comes together in five minutes with the help of some hot chocolate powder, caster sugar, and 11 Oreo cookies!

Recipe: Copycat Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino

Now this one may not be everyone's cup of tea (or cup of coffee, shall we say?) but fans of whiskey and Baileys will be stoked to know that this coffee doubles up as a nice cocktail, too! Although Irish coffee is typically made with hot coffee and Irish whiskey, recipe developer Jaime Shelbert adds a twist by mixing Bailey's Irish cream into the whipped cream that goes on top of the coffee. It's perfect for mornings when you need a splash of booze along with your coffee, as an after-dinner drink, or when you're looking for need a warm nightcap.

Recipe: Irish Coffee