• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • About
  • Contact
  • Podcasts
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Classes
    • Gift Certificates
    • Testimonials
  • Videos
  • Lifestyle
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Lifestyle
  • Cooking Classes
    • Gift Certificates
    • Testimonials
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Cinde wearing a white Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet apron; standing at the counter chopping tomatoes, peppers and cucumber.
      How To Cook A Meal For A Celiac
    • Food Allergy Survival Kits made with an eraser, a penny, a marble, a elastic, a paper clip and a small heart to match the saying on the printed card inside.
      Food Allergy Club at School
    • Someone holding a full sheet of pasta in front of the hand-cranked pasta machine.
      Homemade Gluten Free Pasta Dough
    • Gluten Free Chicken Pesto Pasta in a blue bowl
      Chicken Pesto Pasta
    • A card listing many edible flowers you can grow surrounded by fresh edible flowers from my garden.
      How to Use Edible Flowers in the Kitchen
    • If you went to the trouble of cutting brownies with perfect edges you get to eat all the leftover edge pieces. I say it's worth it every time!
      Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies
    • Gluten free recipes for Cinco De Mayo
      Cinco De Mayo Recipe Ideas
    • A metal rack with cheese buns and someone pulling one apart showing how stretchy they are.
      Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)
    • A bottle of Balsamic Glaze vs Balsamic Vinegar surrounded by fresh tomatoes, basil, bocconcini and olive oil.
      Balsamic Glaze vs Balsamic Vinegar
    • Grilled Salmon with West Coast Dill Barbecue Sauce on top of cooked asparagus with a purple pansy garnish.
      Grilled Salmon with West Coast Dill Barbecue Sauce
    • Asparagus with Black Bean Butter Sauce
      Asparagus with Black Bean Butter Sauce
    • Dinner Club Thai Menu
      Dinner Club: A Thai Menu
    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Affogato

    Published: Aug 7, 2020 · Modified: Jul 26, 2023 by Cinde LittleThis post may contain affiliate linksLeave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Grated chocolate and hazelnuts being sprinkled on cups with ice cream and espresso, Italian Affogato.

    Affogato is one of those food words that sound fun. If you haven’t heard of it you want to know what it is, and if you like coffee you want to try it.

    Contents show
    1 Espresso vs Coffee
    2 PIN for later...
    3 Get The Tools
    4 Everyday to Gourmet
    5 More Recipes with Coffee
    6 Affogato
    6.1 Ingredients
    6.2 Instructions

    This is a simple dessert that doesn’t require a recipe. Just a dish of ice cream with espresso poured over it, topped with grated chocolate and hazelnuts if you like. When there’s nothing for dessert if I have vanilla ice cream in the freezer I can make affogato.

    I have an inexpensive, stovetop style espresso maker in the back of a cupboard in my kitchen. I’ve had it for thirty years, it doesn’t take up much room and if I want a latte or cappuccino I can make one. I also keep espresso beans because you never know what you might want to make, so that’s how affogato became my favourite pandemic dessert.

    Grated chocolate and hazelnuts are the final toppings for my Italian Affogato.
    Shaved chocolate and toasted hazelnuts make a delicious topping.

    Espresso vs Coffee

    The topic of coffee goes deep and I’m no expert but I’m a consumer and I own a few different coffee makers.

    Espresso is made with finely ground beans and then brewed with a high ratio of grounds to water. Coffee is more coarsely ground and less concentrated so has a more mild flavour.

    Affogato is made with espresso but part of the joy of cooking is that you can make whatever you want and you can call it whatever you want. So you can pour any kind of coffee on any kind of ice cream and I don’t have a problem with you calling it affogato. Just for fun.

    In case you’re wondering you can buy decaf espresso beans, whole or ground.

    PIN for later...

    Grated chocolate and hazelnuts being sprinkled on cups with ice cream and espresso, Italian Affogato.

    This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase using these links your cost is the same, but I receive a few cents for every dollar spent. I appreciate your support for this website.

    Get The Tools

    Coffee lovers probably have more than one way to make coffee at home and you might even own a fancy stainless espresso machine with steam wand, many people do. But for the everyday cook who wants to make espresso for the occasional dinner, a mocha flavoured recipe or affogato you can buy a simple stovetop espresso maker for less than twenty dollars.

    • Stainless espresso machine with steam wand
    • Stovetop espresso maker
    • Use the largest ice cream scoop you have so there's enough time to snap an Instagram photo before you eat.

    Everyday to Gourmet

    Quality ingredients and presentation are a large part of what makes a meal special or gourmet. Affogato is a perfect example of a simple dessert worthy of serving to friends.

    I write about starting a Gourmet Dinner Club and share some of my favourite menus. Here is an idea for a simple Italian menu, spend a few minutes on the presentation and it will be worthy of the word gourmet.

    Warm Spinach Basil Salad
    Warm Spinach Basil Salad
    A platter of Chicken with Tapenade and Tomato Basil Sauce garnished with fresh basil.
    Chicken with Tapenade and Tomato Basil Sauce
    Affogato is a simple dessert that doesn’t require a recipe. Espresso poured over coffee with a little grated chocolate and hazelnuts for good measure.
    Affogato

    Let me know in the comments below if you tried affogato.


    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    New here? Join our community and get your FREE resource, the tips I wish I knew when I started cooking gluten free.

    Yes, I need 29 Tips For Cooking with Gluten Free Flour.

    Still haven't mastered gluten free cooking? Check out our online Cooking Classes.

    More Recipes with Coffee

    • Mochaccino Cheesecake Brownies
    • Dairy Free Cappuccino Brownies
    • Cappuccino Cookies
    • Braised Beef Short Ribs in Coffee
    Affogato is a simple dessert that doesn’t require a recipe. Espresso poured over coffee with a little grated chocolate and hazelnuts for good measure.

    Affogato

    Cinde Little
    I call this a "no-recipe recipe". You need the ingredients if this dessert is new to you but you don't need specific amounts. It is so simple it became my go-to COVID dessert for any night of the week.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Italian

    Ingredients
      

    • vanilla ice cream
    • freshly brewed espresso
    • OPTIONAL GARNISH - grated dark chocolate, toasted hazelnuts

    Instructions
     

    • Put a large scoop of vanilla ice cream into a small coffee cup or dessert dish.
    • Pour 3 tablespoon hot espresso over the ice cream.
    • Sprinkle with grated chocolate and chopped hazelnuts if desired.
    • Serve immediately.
    Keyword affogato
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Dessert

    • Close up of small glass dishes with coconut ice cream topped with mango and peanuts.
      Coconut Ice Cream (Dairy Free)
    • Three dishes of Lemon Curd with a hand taking a spoonful out of one.
      Homemade Lemon Curd
    • A jar of Homemade Caramel Sauce wrapped and labelled for a gift; beside a sauce boat with caramel sauce on a ladle dripping back into the dish
      Easy Caramel Sauce
    • A white tray with slices of Light Christmas Fruitcake surrounded by holiday greenery and berries.
      Light Christmas Fruitcake
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Cinde Little, Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet

    Welcome! I’m Cinde, a foodie who loves teaching people to cook and have fun in the kitchen. I know you can learn to make the foods you miss and create a gluten free lifestyle you love.

    More about me →

    You might also like

    • A boule of Gluten Free Crusty Bread right from the oven.
      Homemade Crusty Bread
    • A stack of Chocolate Chip Cookies with teff flour.
      Chocolate Chip Cookies with Teff
    • Four bowls of gluten free flour for my EGFG flour blend; millet, sorghum, sweet rice flour and potato starch.
      EGFG Gluten Free Flour Blend
    • Three gluten free Banana Muffins resting on a turquoise tea towel waiting to be eaten warm.
      Banana Muffins

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Cinde
    • New to Gluten Free?
    • Contact

    Newsletter

    • Sign up here for updates and free resources

    Cooking Classes

    • Class Calendar
    • Gift Certificates

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Disclosure Policy

    Copyright © 2023 Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet