French Press Espresso Recipe (easy!) - Make Healthy Recipes (2024)

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There’s no need for a fancy machine or moka pot to make this French Press Espresso recipe! Perfect for coffee lovers everywhere, this recipe is great for flavored coffee drinks, or a quick espresso shot when you need a boost.

French Press Espresso Recipe (easy!) - Make Healthy Recipes (1)

Contents hide

1 ❤️ Why you will love this recipe

3 🥣 How to make espresso in a french press

4 🫙 Storage Instructions

6 ☕ What can I use French Press Espresso with?

7 ❓ Frequently Asked Questions

8 🤔 Espresso machine vs. French Press: What is the difference?

9 😋 More drink recipes you will love

10 📖 Recipe

11 How to make French Press Espresso

❤️Why you will love this recipe

Easy: To make espresso in a french press all you have to do is grind coffee beans (or use pre-ground beans), add them to a french press along with hot water, and allow it to steep for 4 minutes. The brewing method is just like making regular coffee with less water.
Quick: This espresso is ready in less than 10 minutes!
Great for flavored drinks: I love adding this great espresso substitute to my flavored lattes like this Strawberry Latte. It tastes just perfect.
Saves money: This is a great way to make espresso-like coffee without an expensive espresso machine. French presses can be found for less than $20, and if you’re a bargain hunter, check out your local thrift stores for some great deals. Pro tip: I use a stainless steel french press coffee maker because I have broken too many glass ones.

🗝️Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Coffee: You can use either espresso beans or regular coffee beans. Aim for a good coffee if you can as the quality will affect the taste. The grind size is important. You want to grind the coffee grounds to a medium coarseness. Too much of a coarse grind will leave you lacking flavor, and very finely-ground coffee beans will escape through the mesh filter into your cup making the coffee cloudy.
Water: The water should not be boiling when you pour it into the french press because it can leave a bitter taste. The perfect water temperature for a french press is around 95°C/203°F, which is somewhere between boiling and hot. If you don’t have a kettle that has different temperature options, boil the water and then let it sit for a minute or two.

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🥣How to make espresso in a french press

1. Begin by grinding the coffee beans to a medium grind in a coffee grinder.

French Press Espresso Recipe (easy!) - Make Healthy Recipes (3)

2. Heat the water to 95°C/203°F. You can use an instant-read thermometer to check if you’re unsure, or you can let the water boil in the kettle and allow it to sit for a minute.

French Press Espresso Recipe (easy!) - Make Healthy Recipes (4)

3. Add the coffee beans and just over 3/4 cup of water to the french press and let the coffee brew for 4 minutes.

French Press Espresso Recipe (easy!) - Make Healthy Recipes (5)

French Press Espresso Recipe (easy!) - Make Healthy Recipes (6)

4. Slowly plunge the french press and enjoy!

French Press Espresso Recipe (easy!) - Make Healthy Recipes (8)

🫙Storage Instructions

Espresso coffee will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

🪄Recipe Notes & Tips

Coffee-to-water ratio: The amount of coffee I use for the french press method is 28 grams of coffee to 180ml water (just over 3/4 cup). This makes 120ml of french press espresso coffee, which is the equivalent of 2 double shots of espresso.
Crema: If you’d like to attempt to make some “crema” on top of the espresso, plunge the coffee halfway down, pull it up again, and then plunge it all the way down. It’s not really a necessary step, but it looks nice!

☕What can I use French Press Espresso with?

You can drink it as a shot on its own or try it in one of these espresso drinks:

Cappuccino (espresso topped with froth)
Latte (espresso topped with milk and frothy milk)
Americano (espresso + water)
Redeye (espresso + regular black coffee)
Breve (espresso + half and half)
Strawberry Latte
Vanilla Latte
Iced Mocha (chocolate milk + espresso)
Mocha (hot chocolate + espresso)
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Dirty Chai Latte

❓Frequently Asked Questions

Is this really espresso?

Not in the true sense of the word “espresso”. A shot of traditional espresso is made under high pressure (hence the name esPRESSo) in a dedicated espresso machine. The machine forces warm water (hot but not boiling) through the coffee making the perfect shot. This recipe is technically strong coffee made in a french press, however, it is a great substitute for espresso when you don’t have a machine handy.

Can I make espresso with instant coffee?

You can’t make espresso with instant coffee, but you can make a strong coffee to use instead of espresso in coffee drinks. Add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee to 60ml hot water to make a double shot of espresso.

Can I make espresso with a drip coffee maker?

You can’t make espresso with a drip coffee maker, however, you can make a very strong coffee to use instead of espresso. Add 2 tablespoons of finely ground or medium-finely ground coffee to a paper filter in the coffee machine. Press the grounds down to pack them in, like traditional espresso. Add 2 ounces of warm water to the water reservoir and press brew.

🤔Espresso machine vs. French Press: What is the difference?

Espresso machine

An espresso machine is an expensive machine that is fairly large. It makes espresso by forcing hot (but not boiling) water through fine grounds that are packed tightly in a portafilter. The result is a perfect shot of espresso coffee, full of intense flavor with crema (bronze foam) on top.

French press

A french press (or coffee press or cafetière) is a small coffee pot that works by adding medium-coarse coffee grinds to the bottom of the french press followed by hot water. Then allow the coffee to steep in the water for 4-6 minutes to release all of the coffee flavors before plunging it down and pouring a cup of delicious coffee.

😋More drink recipes you will love

Greek Frappe Recipe (iced coffee with foam)
Strawberry Latte
Creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
Butterfly Pea Blue Latte
Sumac Tea

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📖 Recipe

How to make French Press Espresso

Bethany Galloway

Ingredients

28-32 grams 5 slightly heaped tablespoons coffee beans (see note 1)
180 ml just over 3/4 cup water

Instructions

Begin by grinding the coffee beans to a medium grind in a coffee grinder.
Heat the water to 95°C/203°F. You can use a thermometer to check if you're unsure, or you can let the water boil in the kettle and allow it to sit for a minute or two.
Add the coffee beans and just over 3/4 cup of hot water to the french press and let the coffee brew for 4 minutes.
Slowly plunge the french press and enjoy!

Notes

Coffee Beans: Either regular coffee beans or espresso beans will work. If the coffee is pre-ground, measure 5 even tablespoons or 28-32 grams.
Coffee-to-water ratio: The amount of coffee I use for the french press method is 28 grams of coffee to 180ml water (just over 3/4 cup). This makes 120ml of french press espresso coffee, which is the equivalent of 2 double shots of espresso.
Crema: If you'd like to attempt to make some "crema" on top of the espresso, plunge the coffee halfway down, pull it up again, and then plunge it all the way down. It's not really a necessary step, but it looks nice!
Storage: Leftover espresso coffee will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make a triple batch and store it for easy coffee drinks in the morning.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 0.1kcalProtein: 0.01gFat: 0.01gSodium: 0.3mgPotassium: 7mgCalcium: 0.3mg

Keyword americano, breakfast, brunch, bulletproof coffee, caffeine, cappuccino, coffee, cold drinks, easy, espresso, french press, hot drinks, latte, quick, redeye

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FAQs

Is a French press a healthy way to make coffee? ›

So is French press coffee bad for you? French press is one of the more popular forms of unfiltered coffee and thus falls into the less healthy category in terms of cardiovascular illness and mortality rates. That being said, switching your coffee preparation likely isn't going to make or break your heart health.

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How to make homemade espresso? ›

Here's what you do: Boil one cup of water. While you wait for the water to heat up, add two tablespoons of freshly, finely ground coffee to your French press. Add a bit of the boiling water to the French press and stir briefly. Wait four minutes, then slowly push down the plunger, pausing every few seconds.

What is the standard recipe for a French press? ›

The perfect French press coffee ratio is generally considered to be 1:12, meaning one part coffee to 12 parts water. However, this ratio can be adjusted to suit your personal taste preferences, as some people prefer stronger or weaker coffee.

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What is the ratio for espresso in a French press? ›

A good starting point is to use 1 ounce (28 grams) of coffee for every 4 ounces (118 milliliters) of water. You can adjust the ratio to your taste, but this is a good starting point for making espresso with French press.

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How long to let espresso sit in French press? ›

Use a kitchen timer or your phone timer to keep track of the steeping time, usually around 4 minutes for maximum extraction. Any longer and the coffee will become over extracted, leading to a bitter flavor.

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Why is French press coffee bad for cholesterol? ›

Coffee itself isn't a source of dietary cholesterol — the oily materials released from the beans during steeping, known as diterpenes, have been linked to elevated blood cholesterol when consumed in larger quantities (six cups or more per day, according to a 2022 review published in the cardiology journal Open Heart).

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Is French press coffee bad for your cholesterol? ›

Benefits of drinking coffee

Unless you're drinking significant amounts of unfiltered or French press coffee on a daily basis, raised cholesterol levels shouldn't be much of a concern — at least, not when it comes to coffee. On the contrary, coffee may be able to deliver numerous health benefits.

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What can I use for espresso at home? ›

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Moka pot.
High-quality coffee beans.
Tablespoon or scale.

How to make good espresso shots at home? ›

Choose high-quality, freshly roasted coffee beans and grind them finely. Fill the espresso machine's portafilter with the ground coffee and tamp it evenly. Place a cup under the portafilter and turn on the machine. Pull the shot for about 25-30 seconds, until the shot volume reaches 1-1.5 ounces.

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Is espresso better than French press? ›

French press: more caffeine, suited for lighter roasts and Arabica beans, longer brewing time, rich and full-bodied flavor. Espresso: lower caffeine concentration but stronger taste, versatile with roasts and blends, quicker brewing time, bold flavor and creamy texture.

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Which is better drip coffee or French press? ›

Quality: French press coffee is often considered richer and bolder in flavor due to direct contact between water and coffee grounds, while drip coffee may taste smoother and less acidic due to the use of filters.

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How do you make two shots of espresso on a French press? ›

Top with the hot water and stir. Set a timer and wait 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, place the lid on the French press and slowly press the plunger all the way down. Pour into two espresso cups and serve immediately, or use in Espresso Drinks like a latte, cappuccino, macchiato, and more.

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Can you put espresso in a French press? ›

Using a French Press, you can use espresso grind for the same coffee drinks. Though technically, Espresso grind is much finer. For French Press, you need coarse, even grind. That is because coffee is brewed for longer in the French Press, as you cannot stop it from brewing without draining it.

Is French press as good as espresso? ›

French press produces a richer, less acidic coffee with more body; best for medium roast beans. Espresso offers a concentrated and sometimes more acidic taste. French press requires coarse grounds, while espresso uses fine grounds. French press brewing time is 4-5 minutes; espresso takes only a few minutes.

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Is French press coffee as strong as espresso? ›

The roast and grind size also affects the amount of caffeine in the coffee. Espresso is made with very finely ground coffee beans, usually with a dark roast. This results in a more concentrated brew with more caffeine than French press coffee.

Does espresso taste better than French press? ›

French press coffee tends to be fuller-bodied with a rich and robust flavor. It has a smoother and less intense taste compared to espresso, so it's commonly enjoyed on its own or with some milk.

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