Coffee Recipes For Students Who Can’t Afford Starbucks

College students are notoriously poor. Coffee, despite it’s often exorbitant price, is a college student’s life-blood. If you are craving a Starbucks drink but have 2 dollars left to your name, here are 6 coffee recipes to get Starbucks at home for (almost) free. These coffee recipes are easily customizable.

1. Shot of espresso

Ingredients: French press, drip coffee machine, or Keurig, 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds or 1 Keurig pod, 1 cup of water

A shot of espresso is the staple drink you can get at a coffee shop, especially Starbucks. Most people think that espresso is a flavor of coffee, when in fact it is only the brewing method that differentiates regular brewed coffee from espresso. If you have your own espresso machine, great! That is all you need to pull your very own shot of espresso. But you are more likely to have either a french press, Keurig, or drip coffee machine.

For a french press, you want to follow a two to one ratio. For every 1 cup of water, use 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds. This is to mimic the concentration of a real espresso shot. To make a “shot” of espresso, pour 2 tablespoons of a coffee grind of your choice into the french press and add 1 cup of hot water. Allow the mixture to steep for about 5 minutes. Then, push the strainer down. Pour into a separate cup, and enjoy your cup of espresso!

For a drip coffee machine, you follow the exact same process as the french press. For a “shot” of espresso, pour 1 cup of water into the water tank, and 2 tablespoons of coffee into the filter. Brew your coffee how you would normally. This is going to give you a more concentrated version of your regular coffee, a perfect substitute for an espresso shot.

If you have a Keurig, take 1 coffee pod, preferably dark roast, and brew it on the 4 ounce setting. Choose a strong brewing setting if your Keurig has that option.

Having a good method of making espresso is the base for the following recipes, so keep your method in mind to make the next few drinks.

2. Latte

Ingredients/materials: 1 serving of espresso, 3/4 cup of milk, container with lid (ex: Mason jar), microwave

For a mock Starbucks latte, you are going to need just 1 additional ingredient, milk.

Latte’s have a small layer of foam on top of the drink. To make this foam, microwave a 3/4 cup of milk for 1 minute in a container with a lid, like a mason jar. After microwaving the milk, put the lid on the container and shake the milk to form foam. Then pour the foamed milk into your espresso.

3. Cappuccino

Ingredients/materials: 1 serving of espresso, 1/2 cup of milk, container with lid (ex: Mason jar)

A cappuccino requires slightly more foam and less milk than a latte. Instead of using a 3/4 of milk, use 1/2 cup of milk and microwave for 1 minute. Put the container on the lid and shake until you have a large cap of foam in the milk then, pour into your espresso.

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4. Frappuccino

Ingredients/materials: 1 serving of espresso, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of ice, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon flavor of choice (caramel syrup, vanilla syrup, chocolate sauce), blender, refrigerator

To make a Frappuccino, you are going to take your one serving of espresso, and put it in the fridge for about 3 to 4 hours. Overnight is an even better option. After your espresso is chilled, pour it into a blender. Next, add your 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of ice. Blend for 30 seconds. After blending for 30 seconds, add in your 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of flavor of you choice. Blend for an additional minute, or until all ingredients are incorporated and ice is smoothly blended. The maple syrup acts as a thickening agent, and create a smooth texture and sweet taste, similar to the Frappuccino base used in Starbucks cafe’s.

5. Cold Brew

Ingredients/materials: French press, 1/2 cup ground coffee, 2 cups of water, refrigerator

To make a cold brew coffee, a french press is going to be needed. This is to allow the coffee to steep overnight. To make cold brew coffee, you are going to need 1/2 of your chosen coffee grounds, and 2 cups of water. Pour your coffee grounds into the french press first, and add water over the top. Stir coffee to incorporate the water into the grounds. Put into the refrigerator overnight, or at minimum 12 hours. The coffee will steep with the water to create a strong brew. Strain the coffee grounds and pour over ice!

6. Whipped coffee

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of instant coffee powder, 1/2 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 cup of milk

Whipped coffee is not technically a Starbucks drink, but it is definitely a drink that is of coffee-house quality. Whipped coffee is a new trend of making coffee taking over Tik Tok. To make, put instant coffee and water into a bowl, Whisk until instant coffee has foamed with the water. Next whisk in sugar. Take your milk, preferably heated, and pour as much whipped coffee over the top as you like, and stir together with milk. You should get a picturesque and foamy coffee treat! They great thing about this drink is that you can keep pouring milk and adding whipped coffee on top as if it was a topping. Instant coffee creates a large amount of whipped coffee without having to use much powder.

These coffee recipes should allow you to create coffee-house style drinks at home on a budget. Don’t be afraid to experiment with these recipes. With any of these, you can add 1 tablespoon of flavor, a handful of ice, or whip cream to customize to your liking. Remember, your mileage may vary, and your coffee equipment might not match up exactly with the portions mentioned. Try to experiment with the portions and find a variation of any of the coffee recipes that you like.