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    Home » Recipes » Sauces/Rubs/Salsas/Dips

    Homemade Coffee Rub Recipe

    Sep 6, 2022 • Author: Joyce • 20 Comments • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    5 from 5 votes

    This all-purpose homemade coffee spice rub recipe is our all-time favorite dry rub that we use on everything. It's earthy, flavorful, and great to use on grilled meat or vegetables. Easy to make and you can double, triple, or quadruple the recipe so that you only need to make it once and have plenty leftover.

    A large bowl of coffee rub with a wooden spoon in it.
    Table of Contents
    • What does Coffee Dry Rub Tastes Like?
    • Coffee Rub Uses
    • Coffee Rub Ingredients
    • How Fine do you Ground Up the Coffee?
    • Tips
    • How to Make a Coffee BBQ Rub
    • FAQs
    • Recipes that Use Coffee Rub
    • Recipe Card

    What does Coffee Dry Rub Tastes Like?

    Coffee rub doesn't actually taste like coffee. It has a dark earthy flavor combined with a nice balance of garlic and onion notes with a background flavor of cumin. This coffee rub recipe is low in sugar and salt so that you don't get an overly salty or overly sweet result, which won't overpower your BBQ sauces. We added a bit of cayenne for a spicy kick but that is completely optional and can be omitted.

    Coffee Rub Uses

    This is a very versatile coffee rub seasoning. You can use this on ribs, chicken, beef, pork, lamb - pretty much anything!

    It is also not limited to just grilling. I have used this rub on chicken and pork that I have roasted in the oven and it turned out just as fantastic.

    • Beef - Whenever I make grilled ribeye steaks, I will always use this coffee rub as a quick way to flavor it easily without overpowering it. It also works well with beef ribs and brisket as well.
    • Pork - It works beautifully on pork chops, any type of pork shoulder roasts for pulled pork, and any type of back or side pork ribs! I like to use it a lot whenever I make my sweet and sticky cola ribs!
    • Chicken/Turkey - It's delicious on whole roasted chicken, chicken legs, thighs, and drums. Whenever I want to make a small batch of turkey during the holidays, I will use this rub to make my honey butter oven-roasted turkey thighs!
    • Lamb - If you're thinking of grilling a whole leg of lamb or even lamb chops, this coffee rub will definitely add a lot of flavor to it.
    • Vegetables - Any type of root vegetables that are roasted in the oven or on the grill is fantastic with this coffee rub.

    Coffee Rub Ingredients

    All Purpose Coffee Rub ingredients (coffee, cumin, salt, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika)
    • Coffee - For this coffee spice blend, I like to use medium ground dark roast coffee for this spice rub. You can also use instant coffee. For more details about the types of coffee to use, read the section below.
    • Garlic and Onion Powder - A lot of flavors come from these 2 spices. If you want a bit more texture, you can also use dehydrated onion flakes as well.
    • Paprika - This gives the rub a bit of earthy flavor and color. You can also use smoked paprika for this as well.
    • Ground Cumin - This is one of the major ingredients that give this rub a well-rounded flavor and balances out the coffee with the rest of the ingredients. If you are using whole cumin, toast it first and then grind it up into a powder.
    • Salt and Brown Sugar - I don't use a lot of sugar and salt in this rub. I use just enough to balance out the sweet and savory flavor but not enough to overpower any bbq sauces to make it overly salty or sweet.
    • Cayenne - This ingredient is optional for a bit of a spicy flavor
    All Purpose Coffee Rub sprinkled on a large rib eye steak

    How Fine do you Ground Up the Coffee?

    This one is a personal preference but I'll list off some of our findings.

    FINE GROUND - We found that grinding it up too finely, made it stick to the meat *too* much and it doesn't give the other spices a chance to latch on to the meat since it falls right off because the fine coffee kind of just takes over.

    MEDIUM GROUND - Just right. Has enough surface area to have a subtle coffee, and earthy flavor. It also matches the consistency of the other spices. This is our preference.

    COARSE GROUND - Not enough surface area for flavor and doesn't stick to the meat as well since it sticks on last because of the size. Depending on how coarse you grind it up you may even start noticing that you are actually chewing on the grounds and having them stuck to your teeth.

    You can use any type of coffee for this rub (light, medium, or dark roast) but the darker the roast, the stronger the flavor. I find the best coffee to make coffee rub out of is a medium ground dark roast.

    Do not use any type of flavored coffee unless "Creme Brulee Toffee" chicken is totally your thing. 🙂

    Tips

    • To make this an even simpler and quicker rub, you can use pre-ground or instant coffee for this recipe.
    • You can double, triple, or quadruple this recipe and make a big batch so that you can easily always have a spice rub available.
    • Store this coffee rub away from direct sunlight in an airtight container. I like to use mason jars to store it. It can keep for up to 6 months.

    How to Make a Coffee BBQ Rub

    1. Grind up the coffee (or use pre-ground coffee, or instant coffee)
    2. In a small bowl, mix the spices and the ground coffee together, and use a utensil to break up any lumps!
    3. If you make a large batch, keep it in a well-sealed container and store it in a cool dry spot away from sunlight.

    FAQs

    Can I use coffee grounds as a rub?

    Unfortunately, no. Once the coffee grinds have been brewed, it loses a lot of flavors so it will not add anything to a coffee spice rub.

    Can I use instant coffee for coffee rubs?

    Yes, you definitely can!

    How long can you store coffee rub for?

    Keep it in a well-sealed container and store it in a cool dry spot away from sunlight. For the best flavor, it keeps for about 2-3 months.

    Coffee rub in a mason jar sprinkled onto a cutting board to show the spices.

    Recipes that Use Coffee Rub

    • Easy Roasted Turkey Thighs with Coffee Rub
    • Sweet and Sticky Cola Ribs

    If you like my recipes and want to be updated on when new ones come out, please consider subscribing to my newsletter (we don't spam) and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for all of my latest recipes!

    Recipe Card

    A close up of homemade coffee rub in a small bowl with a wooden spoon

    Homemade Coffee Rub Recipe

    This all purpose coffee spice rub is our all-time favourite dry rub that we use on everything. It's earthy, flavourful and great to use on anything you want to quickly cook up on the grill. Quick to make - you can double, triple or quadruple the recipe so that you only need to make it once and have plenty leftover.
    Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved!
    Course: Marinades, Rubs
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    1 Cup of Dry Rub
    5 from 5 votes

    Recipe Notes

    • Do not use pre-used coffee grounds, it doesn't have any flavor
    • This recipe scales very well, create more to have it on hand to easily have it available
    • Store this in an air-tight container for 2-3 months.
    • If you don't want to grind fresh coffee beans, you can use pre-ground coffee or instant coffee.

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
    • 2 tablespoons ground coffee (medium grind)
    • 2 tablespoons paprika (or smoked paprika)
    • 2 tablespoons onion powder (or dried onion flakes)
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons cayenne (Optional. Reduce the amount for a less spicy rub)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Combine together in a large bowl and mix.
    • Store in a well sealed container away from direct sunlight. Sunlight damages spices and takes away the flavour with time.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Cup | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7022mg | Potassium: 974mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 11133IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 9mg

    *Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

    Did you try this recipe?I'd love to hear from you! Let me know how it was and consider giving it a rating! Tag me on Instagram with @pupswithchopsticks to show me!
    Made with ♡ by Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks

    Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I always appreciate the support but please try to buy your items locally if possible to support your local shops (they would most likely be cheaper locally as well!)

    More Sauces/Rubs/Salsas/Dips

    • Miso Butter
    • Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham / Nuoc Mam)
    • Ginger Scallion Sauce
    • Homemade Furikake Seasoning

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nidhi Mehra says

      June 04, 2020 at 12:01 pm

      5 stars
      I used the rub on veggies and broiled them for 10-15 minutes in oven. Delicious!! Thanks for a very nice recipe.

      Reply
      • Joyce Lee says

        June 22, 2020 at 1:48 pm

        Hi Nidhi!
        So happy you liked this! I am very happy to share! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Jan Matthews says

      April 17, 2020 at 11:26 am

      I don't normally put anything on baked back ribs, but getting tired of the same old. Not yet BBQ season on the Prairies so wondering if in the oven are just as good. Cover them with foil? Slow/fast cook? Thanks

      Reply
      • Joyce Lee says

        April 28, 2020 at 12:46 pm

        Hi Jan!
        I have used this rub on ribs in the oven and they came out great!
        I usually like to cook them low and slow in the oven wrapped in foil at 250F for approximately 3 hours.
        After 3 hours in the foil, I remove the foil wrap, set the oven to broil and glaze it with bbq sauce every 5 minutes a side, 2-3 times until it's saucy and sticky, and has a chance to dry out a little, which will firm it up a bit.
        Hope that helps!
        Joyce

        Reply
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