Hot Coffee | Beaten Coffee (Cafe Style)

Creamy, cozy, and deliciously frothy, my 4-ingredient recipe for cafe-style Hot Coffee is the perfect way to give yourself a little pick-me-up. Best of all, you don’t need any special equipment to make your cuppa taste as good as if a barista had done it for you, and it’ll be ready in less than 15 minutes!

About Hot Coffee

Normally, I stick to tea, but sometimes nothing but coffee will do the trick. Whenever I’m feeling blue or am having trouble shaking off the yawns, this is the frothy coffee method I turn to. Known in India as “Beaten Coffee,” this method can also be used for making cappuccinos and lattes.

While I love getting coffee from a trained barista at a cafe, it’s only something I do on special occasions because it gets so pricey! This method for making cafe-style hot coffee produces a delightfully frothy replica for a fraction of the price.

Using just 4 easy-to-find ingredients and no special coffee devices, you can make the best tasting coffee at home. Better yet? It takes less than 15 minutes to make, which is about as long as you’d spend trying to get one from your local coffee shop.

Also, while the recipe is written for one medium-sized coffee, note that you can halve it or double it to suit your caffeine needs!

If you are a coffee lover, then you can check out some of my other coffee recipes:

1. Cold Coffee – Cafe style recipe
2. Filter Coffee – South Indian style
3. Coffee Milkshake – Creamy thick coffee shake
4. Dalgona Coffee – Korean Whipped Coffee

You Will Need

You don’t need much to make this cafe-style coffee at home. Here’s your list:

• Instant Coffee Granules – I have used Nescafe classic instant coffee but you can also use Bru instant coffee (for Indian readers) or any other instant coffee or espresso granules you prefer. Feel free to swap in a decaf variety if needed!
• Milk – I’ve found that whole milk and 2% milk does a better job of frothing than skim milk, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. You can even make a vegan coffee using your favorite plant-based milk alternative. There’s no need to boil it if it isn’t dairy; simply heat it until it reaches the temperature you desire.
• Sugar – I used cane sugar here, but feel free to swap in the sweetener of your choice. Brown sugar or powdered jaggery will give more of a caramelly taste.
• Hot Water – Preferably boiling!
• Spoon – The first part of this cafe style coffee recipe is beating the coffee with a spoon briskly and vigorously.
• Jar With Tight-Fitting Lid – Creating a perfect, foamy milk head on your coffee is as easy as heating the milk and shaking the heck out of it in a mason jar. If possible, I suggest choosing one with a handle to prevent any discomfort while holding it.

You can use a milk frother in place of the spoon and jar if you prefer, but as promised, my recipe shows you how to make cafe style beaten coffee with zero fancy equipment. 🙂

How To Make Coffee

1. In a cup, take 1.5 teaspoons of instant coffee and 1.5 tablespoons sugar (or add as per taste).

2. Add 3 tablespoons hot boiling water. You can heat water in an electric kettle or in a small pan. ¼ cup of water can also be added if you prefer a slightly weaker coffee flavor.

3. First mix the coffee and sugar with water.

4. Then begin to stir briskly and beat coffee for 3 to 4 minutes. You can take a break after 1 to 2 minutes and then continue if your hands start aching. You can also feel free to use a milk frother here if you prefer!

5. Beat the coffee till its color lightens and you see a frothy layer on top.

6. Then take 1 cup milk in a small but heavy saucepan and boil it on a medium to medium-high heat.

7. Let the milk come to a brief boil.

8. Now pour the milk in a glass jar or a thermos flask.

9. Do not use a plastic bottle or jar. Steel is fine. A glass jar with a handle helps while shaking as the milk is hot.

10. Now shake the jar vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes.

Alternatively, you can also use a handheld frother or blend the milk in a blender.

10. There should be a good layer of frothy foam on the milk.

11. Here’s the coffee brew in the cup with the foam still on top.

12. Pour the foamy milk in the cup.

13. After adding ⅓ or ½ of the milk to the coffee, stir with a spoon.

14. Pour in the remaining milk.

15. Make sure to add the frothy layer to get the real cafe effect.

16. Serve the frothy cafe style hot coffee straightway.

17. Feel free to sprinkle some cinnamon powder or cocoa powder on top for a bit of extra yumminess. I hope you enjoy this homemade cafe-style hot coffee as much as I do!

Expert Tips

• Alternative methods of foaming milk. If you don’t have a glass or steel jar with a tight-fitting lid, you can opt to either blend the milk in a blender, use an immersion blender, use a handheld milk frother, or use a French press coffee maker by quickly and repeatedly agitating the handle up and down.
• Make it stronger. Using instant espresso will give you a richer coffee flavor.
• Or, make it lighter. Add more water to mellow out the brew.

FAQs

This Hot Coffee recipe post from the archives first published in February 2018 has been republished and updated on November 2022.