14 Deliciously Bizarre Ways To Upgrade Your Next Cup Of Coffee

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Waking up to a warm brew every morning can be likened to a cozy hug — it's one of the most comforting parts of the day for many. With its energizing boost, rich aroma, and bold taste, coffee is easily one of the most beloved drinks in America. And while most of us are satisfied with adding simple ingredients like cream and sugar to our morning cup, the truth is that there's a whole world of interesting ingredients out there, all of which can stand to make your next sip that much more satisfying.

What kind of ingredients are we talking about here? We aren't just referring to extracts and whipped cream. On the contrary, we're revealing some of the most bizarre yet oh-so-delicious ingredients you could ever put in your coffee. Sound interesting? If so, settle in. We're brewing up several wild but totally viable ways to upgrade your next cup of coffee.

We know what you're thinking. Add salt to coffee — really? Yes, really. Though it might seem like a ridiculous move, the truth is that it makes sense.

Like adding salt to a sweetened treat or baked good (hello, salted caramel), salt in coffee works to mask bitter flavors while simultaneously highlighting its sweet notes. The results? Smooth and balanced coffee perfect for the daily hustle.

Celebrity chef Alton Brown affirms the tip, recommending at least ¼ teaspoon of salt per every 12 tablespoons of coffee added directly to the grounds before brewing. Already have a cup of coffee made? No worries — this hack is totally versatile. Add a pinch of salt directly to your cup, stir, and see what you think. Be careful not to sprinkle in too much — you can always add more later if you need to. 

Note that adding salt to coffee works particularly well with brews taken black as it can highlight its complexity, but feel free to enjoy this bizarre yet effective upgrade with any type of coffee you wish.

Coffee seems to be more expensive now than ever. Why not make an easy mocha at home that's just as good, if not better?

Adding chocolate milk to your morning brew infuses it with loads of luscious flavor, adding chocolaty goodness with a hint of sweetness. Pulling off this sweet upgrade couldn't be easier: simply add chocolate milk to your coffee the same way that you'd add traditional white milk, and you've got an easy homemade mocha. The amount of chocolate milk you need will depend on how sweet you want your drink and your desired level of chocolate flavor; feel free to add more sugar to the brew if you like it a little sweeter. 

Don't have chocolate milk on hand? Store-bought hot cocoa mix works just as well. Simply brew your coffee as you normally would before adding a scoop or two of your favorite hot chocolate powder. Add milk or heavy cream until you achieve the richness you crave before topping with whipped cream. Who knew making a satisfying mocha could be so easy?

If you've been lucky enough to sample Vietnamese coffee, you already know how addictive it can be. There's a reason for that — though Vietnamese coffee is often made in a variety of ways, one of the most common ingredients you'll usually find in the unique brew is condensed milk. If you aren't familiar with the ingredient, condensed milk is heavily sweetened and slow-cooked, yielding thicker and creamier characteristics than traditional milk. It is often used in baking recipes and sometimes makes its way into unsuspecting drinks, including TikTok viral whipped lemonade.

In the case of coffee, sweetened condensed milk can be used on its own or, preferably, as a part of several other ingredients to make a homemade coffee creamer. To make a creamer using this canned ingredient, consider adding your choice of milk (half-and-half works well) along with vanilla extract and, of course, sweetened condensed milk. If you want to get super fancy, try adding a splash or two of almond or peppermint extract. Mix the ingredients together and store chilled in a jar. Genius, right?

Fans of low-carb dieting are often familiar with the idea of putting butter in coffee, but if this pairing sounds disgusting to you, allow us to explain. Often referred to as "bulletproof" coffee, this brew typically combines grass-fed butter and MCT oil in an effort to provide long-lasting energy and stave off hunger. If you don't have any MCT oil, no worries — a knob of any ole butter works fine as long as you aren't looking for specific health benefits. Think about it — butter is essentially cream, which many of us put in our coffee already, so it really isn't that weird. 

Still like your coffee sweet? Go ahead and add your favorite sweetener if you wish –- we find that the combination of velvety butter with a touch of sugar yields a coffee that features deeper, richer, and more decadent flavor than you could ever imagine. Try it yourself and see if you don't love the results; just remember that putting butter in your coffee won't make it super creamy, so if you're a lover of lattes, you might still need a splash or two of milk or cream.

Think maple syrup only belongs on pancakes? If so, we need to talk. Maple syrup has too many uses to name, one of which is as a natural sweetener for coffee. Because of its robust flavor, adding maple syrup to coffee is a real game changer — you may even find you need less of it than typical sugar thanks to its bold taste.

Let's be clear — we're talking about pure maple syrup, here, and not pancake syrup. If you don't have any maple syrup on hand, honey works well, too. Just be sure to note its unique flavor profile — honey's bright floral taste often contrasts beautifully against the backdrop of rich coffee flavors, serving as a comforting twist on your morning brew. And considering the multiple benefits of honey, there's even more to love about using it as a swap to traditional cane sugar sweetener options.

Popular in California, Arizona, and a few other regions across the U.S., horchata can be a major upgrade as an ingredient in coffee. In case you've never heard of it, horchata is a drink commonly enjoyed around the world made from ingredients like rice, water, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. And though rice isn't usually found in most American lattes these days, horchata possesses a unique flavor profile that may cause you to wonder how you ever lived without it.

Wondering how to pull off this treat at home? You'll first need horchata. Use a good blender to combine all the ingredients. Once the horchata is made, use it the way you would a coffee creamer, tasting as you go to determine how much of it you'll need. It's that simple. Enjoy the rich cinnamon and vanilla notes infused in robust coffee at home.

A touch of citrus can put an unsuspecting twist on coffee without requiring much effort. The nice thing is that the kind of citrus you use here generally doesn't matter — grapefruit, lemon, orange, and lime are all viable options.

When it comes to infusing citrusy flavor into your coffee, you may wish to do a bit of experimentation to see what works best. If making iced coffee, whip up your brew as usual before adding ¼ to½ cup of citrus juice to the mix, along with ice and a splash of milk or cream. If that doesn't strike your fancy, consider throwing a few fine slices of citrus peel into a French press just before adding your boiling water. 

Using a regular coffee pot? No worries – try zesting your citrus peels directly into your coffee grounds for a brighter cup of Joe. Use a handheld grater like this OXO Good Grips Zester and Grater to zest the skin of your citrus fruit before dumping the shaved peels into your grounds. Brew your coffee as you normally would, and you've got citrus-infused coffee with little to no effort.

Think adding hot sauce to your coffee takes things a bit too far? We feel you. Though certainly a peculiar addition, one Redditor insists that sriracha is one of the best things you can put in coffee. Apparently, the spicy flavor of sriracha works in perfect harmony with the natural bitterness of coffee. Still, the poster adds a few much-needed caveats to the tip, stating: "If you're going to try it, only put a few drops in it.Then, if you like that, slowly work your way up to more. If you squeeze in too much, it becomes unenjoyable, kind of like when you put too much hot sauce in soup and it directly hits the back of your throat."

If you don't happen to have sriracha on hand, you could always use traditional hot sauce; we've read about daring fans using whatever hot sauce they choose, with some suggesting the addition of cardamom and vanilla to help balance the heat. Is it totally out of left field? Yeah, but that's the beauty of it. Though certainly not everyone's first pick, hot sauce can work as a bizarre yet totally delicious ingredient when you're looking for a good coffee upgrade.

For some of you PSL fans out there, adding pumpkin spice to coffee may be old news. Still, it bears repeating, especially if you've never actually put the actual pumpkin puree in your coffee.

Sound like a bit much? It really isn't. Just a few simple ingredients can upgrade your typical cup of coffee into a fall-themed sip that'll give your usual coffee shop latte a run for its money. When adding pumpkin puree to your coffee, first prep your ingredients. We recommend starting with brewed espresso (or any type of strong brewed coffee) doused in a few warming spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. To this mixture, add a couple of spoonfuls of canned or fresh pumpkin puree along with vanilla and your choice of sweetener. Stir all ingredients until well incorporated before pouring in steamed milk.

And there you have it — a coffee infused with the beautiful flavors of autumn right from the comfort of your own home. Feel free to experiment with measurements and ratios when it comes to the amount of spice, milk, and sweetener used, and don't forget to top with whipped cream.

Eggnog already features beautiful layers of sweet, creamy milk, so why not use it to flavor your next cup of coffee? Coffee drinkers over on Reddit have already tried the flavor combination, and, unsurprisingly, the duo gets two thumbs up. 

Making a coffee with eggnog is easy — simply make your brew, grab the nog, and pour it in. Like a few other ingredients on this list, eggnog works like adding milk or creamer to coffee. Using homemade eggnog works great, but you could easily use store-bought, depending on the need. For extra decadence, consider frothing your eggnog with a hot frother like this Nespresso Aeroccino 3 Milk Frother, and you'll have an impossibly rich and creamy coffee perfect for cozy winter nights or a fun holiday treat. Add a little extra cinnamon and nutmeg for extra spice — a touch of the maple syrup we mentioned earlier can also enhance its sweetness.

Things are starting to get a little weird, but that's kinda the point. Though bizarre to some, adding cheese to coffee is actually quite common in some parts of the world. Types of cheese added to coffee vary greatly; some enjoy adding leipäjuusto (also known as "bread cheese"), but there are other, more familiar options for cheese in coffee, too. Take Monterey Jack, for example; we've seen some folks on social media tossing this mild cheese most commonly associated with foods like enchiladas and queso blanco in their lattes. This type of drink is also sometimes commonly referred to as cafe con queso – cubed pieces of cheese are placed into a cup before spiced coffee is poured over them.

Is it delicious? Those who have tried it claim it is. And while we admit this one might not sound quite as appetizing as the others, we figure there has to be a reason it's found a home on menus in other countries.

Who says avocados don't belong in coffee? Though admittedly an off-beat mix-in, their creaminess provides the perfect base to support coffee's bold flavors, especially when combined with other ingredients like sugar and milk. Drinks like the Indonesian jus alpukat often feature the irresistible combination of creamy sweetened condensed milk, ice, traditional whole milk, strong coffee, and, of course, avocados, to create a rich and creamy drink. There are even a few fans on TikTok getting in on avocado brew action as this trendy, yet somewhat outlandish, coffee ingredient gains steam in mainstream culture. 

To help you achieve a smooth and impossibly rich avocado coffee, we recommend using a blender; just toss in sliced avocado, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, coffee, and ice and give it a whirl. Pour the creamy concoction into a tall glass, top with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and you'll have a mean green avocado coffee to savor as the perfect way to start your day.

While we don't recommend cracking whole eggs into your next brew, we can at least vouch for making a delectable sweetened egg yolk custard to top it with. Inspired by Vietnamese ca phe trung, crowning your coffee with a whipped egg yolk not only makes for a frothy topping, but can also thicken (and sweeten) your coffee once stirred in.

To make this Vietnamese-inspired coffee drink, gather your egg yolks, place them in a pan, and heat with sweetened condensed milk and sugar in the top of a double boiler like this Farberware Classic Stainless Series 2-Quart Covered Double Boiler. Warm and whisk the mixture simultaneously until it becomes thick and reaches a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Once warmed, add a splash of vanilla and use a hand mixer to whip the custard until it becomes twice its size. Enjoy this deliciously light and airy creation spooned over your next cup of coffee for a luxuriously decadent sip you'll be surprised you pulled off at home.

Another Vietnamese-inspired option? Yep, and it's a good one. Yogurt is full of health benefits, including improved digestion and a lower risk of diabetes in some individuals, and also serves as a surprise ingredient that can transform your coffee. Though yogurt works as an effective coffee upgrade, you need to be careful how you add this non-traditional addition to your brew — spooning it directly into a steaming hot cup of Joe might result in a curdled mess.

Instead, try mixing the yogurt with a bit of sweetened condensed milk before adding your coffee on top. The condensed milk won't only sweeten the drink but can also help improve the yogurt's texture when combined with coffee. Another option is to combine your brew and condensed milk ahead of time before topping it with a spoonful of Vietnamese yogurt. Both methods are totally viable and give you a chance to savor the tanginess of yogurt alongside the robust flavors of coffee to deliver an intensely flavorful match-up you never dreamed possible.