Add a swig of booze to your coffee to make Amaretto Coffee! This spiked hot drink is part cocktail, part dessert: and you won’t be able to stop sipping it.

Ready for a cocktail that’s part drink, part dessert, and 100 percent irresistible? Try Amaretto Coffee! When Alex and I first tried this boozy coffee drink, we expected it to taste good. But one sip and our eyes widened. Wowza, is this stuff good! It’s one of those flavor combinations that’s years beyond the sum of its parts. The amaretto brings a nuttiness and spice to the coffee that’s hard to quantify in words. Topped with frothy whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, it’s truly to die for.

What’s amaretto coffee?

No, this is not amaretto flavored coffee. Amaretto coffee is hot coffee spiked with a shot of amaretto liqueur and topped with whipped cream. Essentially, it’s an Italian spin on Irish coffee! You can serve it as a nightcap, or it’s perfect as a dessert for a sweet ending to a meal. It’s a great fall cocktail or winter drink, but it works any time of the year! The ingredients you need are simple:

Amaretto liqueur
Coffee brewed using any method
Homemade whipped cream

Use the best coffee possible

You can make the coffee using your favorite brewing method. Like any drink: the higher quality coffee, the better! Low-quality coffee in a coffee maker won’t taste nearly as good as single origin coffee made using the pour over method. Here are a few notes on our favorite coffee making methods:

Chemex (pour over): This is our top choice for a great cup of coffee. There’s a bit of equipment involved, but it’s our preferred method we’ve been making every morning for years. Go to How to Use a Chemex to Make Coffee.
Aeropress: Another great one cup method is the Aeropress. It makes a great cup with a quick and easy method. Go to How to Use an Aeropress to Make Coffee.

How to make homemade whipped cream

Homemade whipped cream is required for this spiked amaretto coffee, because let’s face it: homemade tastes approximately 1,057 times better than store-bought. (It’s a scientific fact.) OK, we jest: but it’s true! Once you’ve made homemade whipped cream once, the flavor is so good you’ll never go back. Here are a few of our best whipped cream recipes:

Homemade Whipped Cream The classic! Quick, simple, and seriously fluffy.
Dairy-Free Whipped Cream Looking for a dairy-free or vegan option? You can make whipped cream using coconut milk and it’s just as satisfying.

We also have an Infused Alcoholic Whipped Cream where you can add rum or Kaluha to your cream to add nuance in flavor. But with this boozy amaretto coffee, that might be overkill! (Or is it?)

More about amaretto

Amaretto is an almond liqueur that originates from Italy. It tastes both sweet and bitter (amaretto means in Italian “little bitter”). It has such a distinctive flavor, once you’ve had it once: you’ll remember it forever. It’s one of our favorite bottles to keep on hand because of the tasty drinks you can make with it!

There are several brands of amaretto. The most common is Di Amore Amaretto, which is inexpensive. A more expensive brand is Lazaroni Amaretto, which has a much stronger and developed flavor. Either type works for this recipe!

More amaretto cocktails

Speaking of…there are lots of drinks with tasty liqueur outside of amaretto coffee! Here are a few of our favorite amaretto cocktails:

Amaretto Sour The classic! Our take is the perfect recipe that will impress everyone! It’s got just the right balance of amaretto with bourbon and lemon.
Toasted Almond A tasty dessert drink with Kahlua and vodka.
Italian Margarita An Italian margarita uses amaretto to give this classic cocktail an Italian makeover.
French Connection Equal parts Cognac and amaretto make a sophisticated slow-sipper.
Godfather Cocktail A simple Scotch and amaretto drink that’s full of flavor.
Amaretto Stone Sour Cousin of the amaretto sour, it’s a spin made with orange juice and homemade sour mix, ideal for brunch or lazy afternoons.

This amaretto coffee recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free, use the vegan whipped cream option.