Chagaccino: What Is It and How to Make This Drink?
Mushrooms and coffee aren’t an obvious pairing. But in this chagaccino recipe, Home Grounds has found a match made in vegan heaven.
We start this chagaccino with two shots of espresso, blending the mushroom powder to dissolve. Then, we add a creamy chocolate ganache made with cashew butter and dark chocolate. To round out the rest of this vegan chagaccino, we froth oat milk for a velvety finish.
Curious? Keep reading to learn how to make this amazing, healthy drink.
- For the Chagaccino Base
- 20 grams of fine-ground coffee
- One packet of chaga powder
- 240 ml of oat milk
- Honey, to taste
- An espresso cup
- One 600 ml mug
- Espresso machine
- Milk frother, French press, or steam wand
- For the Vegan Chocolate Ganache
- 85 g of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons cashew butter
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 240 ml of water
- 1 heat-safe, non-reactive bowl
- 1 small saucepan
- Whisk
At a Glance
Brew Time:
10-15 minutes
Yield
600 ml
How to Make This Chagaccino Recipe
If you’ve never heard of a chagaccino, then this is a healthy coffee trend and nootropic coffee you can’t miss out on. While you can find premade, flavoured mushroom coffee, at Home Grounds, we strive to make every coffee experience an indulgent one, and this one just happens to be good for you.
Read on to find out how to make this delicious and unusual coffee drink.
1. Make Your Dark Chocolate Ganache
Pour 240 ml of water into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Then, add 85 g of chopped, bittersweet chocolate to a heat-safe bowl.
Place the bowl over the saucepan of water and let it melt, whisking occasionally.
Once the chocolate has melted, add two tablespoons of cashew butter. Add ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and mix gently to combine.
2. Froth Your Oat Milk
Froth the oat milk using either a milk frother, steam wand, or French Press. While stretching and texturing oat milk is similar to frothing dairy milk, it may take a bit longer (1).
Pro Tip: If you plan to pour latte art with the oat milk, you may need to pour just a little harder. There are some subtle nuances to working with almond and oat milks that take practice to master (2).
3. Pull Your Espresso Shot
Weigh 20 grams of coffee, grind it on the fine setting, and transfer it into a portafilter. Next, tamp, polish, and pull a double shot of espresso.
Pro tip: You can replace the espresso with 90 ml of strong coffee if you don’t have an espresso machine.
4. Dissolve Your Chaga Powder
In a 600-ml coffee mug, dissolve the chaga mushroom powder by mixing it with the espresso. Whisk to make sure it’s completely dissolved.
Pro Tip: We recommend adding honey or another sweetener to your mushroom coffee because chaga mushrooms can make your chagaccino taste earthy and bitter.
5. Assemble Your Drink
To assemble your chagaccino, add approximately half the dark chocolate ganache to the chaga espresso. The ganache recipe makes enough for two drinks, but feel free to add as much as you like.
Pour your frothed oat milk over your chaga-and-espresso mixture by holding back the foam with a large spoon. When the oat milk is all in, top the drink with the foam.
Feel free to garnish your chagaccino with a sprinkle of cinnamon powder and a cinnamon stick.
Chaga Mushroom Health Benefits
What are chaga mushrooms, and what are their health benefits?
Chaga mushrooms—also known as black mass—are ten to fifteen-inch woody growths with orange cores that grow on birch trees. Traditionally, chaga mushrooms have been used to alleviate symptoms of diabetes and other ailments (3).
Along with helping to lower blood sugar, chaga mushrooms may also:
- Reduce inflammation
- Decrease unhealthy cholesterol
- Strengthen your immune system
- Protect against and help your body fight cancer
For these reasons, chaga mushrooms and other mushroom drinks are a great supplement to incorporate into your morning coffee routine.
On another note, here are more unusual coffee drinks you can try.
Final Thoughts
In this recipe, we’ve proven that your morning brew can be both decadent and healthy. With a little chaga mushroom powder, espresso, oat milk, and some homemade vegan ganache, mushroom coffee might be your new favourite drink.
Have you made this? Let us know how you liked it and made it your own in the comments.
FAQs
To turn this chagaccino into a Bulletproof coffee, simply replace the cashew butter in the ganache with grass-fed butter and add one to two tablespoons of MCT coconut oil.
If you opt for adding two tablespoons of MCT oil, you may need to add more chocolate and butter to balance the flavours.
Yes, you can use almond milk – or any plant-based milk – in this recipe. If you aren’t vegan, you can use regular dairy milk and add grass-fed butter or ghee.
No, chaga does not have caffeine. If you want to enjoy an afternoon or evening chagaccino, you can easily make this recipe using decaf coffee.
Yes, you can simplify this chagaccino by skipping the ganache. To make a simple chagaccino, dissolve chaga powder in espresso, add cocoa powder and cinnamon to taste, and top with oat milk.
References
- Grant, T. (2020, August 14). A Guide To Working With Plant Milks. Perfect Daily Grind; Perfect Daily Grind. https://perfectdailygrind.com/2020/08/a-guide-to-working-with-plant-milks/
- The Real Sprometheus. (2019). DAMN FINE TUTORIAL – Steaming & Pouring Alternative Milks [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKLN13Tcyxc
- Jane, M. (2018, October 25). What Are Chaga Mushrooms and Are They Healthy? Healthline; Healthline Media. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/chaga-mushroom
