Coffee Drink
Crema Di Caffè: Italian Coffee Cream Recipe & Tips
Crema di caffè is a chilled Italian coffee cream with a soft, spoonable texture. This home version folds cold sweetened espresso into softly whipped cream, then chills it before serving in small portions.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- 25 mg referenceOne third of the batch's 36 g espressoGeneric composition estimate; actual espresso caffeine varies.
- Calories
- Estimated 190 kcalOne of three small cream-based portionsNo cocoa, syrup or garnish included.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- One third of the 201 g (7.1 oz) ingredient batch; about 67 g (2.4 oz) before bowl losses
- Made with
- Chilled espresso + softly whipped heavy cream
- Sugar
- Estimated 6.5 g total. Includes sugar added to the espresso and sugar in the cream.
- Preparation
- About 90 minutes including cooling and a one-hour rest
Measured home adaptation of Lavazza’s chilled-coffee and soft-whipped-cream method. USDA SR28 composition estimates checked 26 September 2026; portions are weighed, not measured in ml. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- Stop whipping at soft peaks so the cream folds easily with the coffee and stays softly spoonable.
- For a hot black coffee, choose caffè crema; crema di caffè is the chilled cream dessert despite the similar name.
- Cool the sweetened espresso fully before folding it into soft cream, then refrigerate the mixture for one hour.
On This Page10 Sections
Crema Di Caffe Recipe
Chill the sweetened espresso, fold it into soft-whipped cream and refrigerate before serving. Our crema di caffè follows the cold-coffee method described by Lavazza, using the portions below.
Recipe
Crema di Caffè
- Makes:
- 3 servings
- Time:
- About 90 minutes including cooling; about 10 active
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) cold, unsweetened liquid heavy whipping cream
- 36 g prepared espresso
- 15 g (3½ US tsp) granulated sugar
Equipment
- Scale
- Small heatproof container
- Spoon
- Chilled mixing bowl
- Whisk or hand mixer
- Spatula
- Cover
- Refrigerator
- Three 150 ml (5.1 US fl oz) glasses
Method
- Stir the sugar into the warm prepared espresso until dissolved. Refrigerate until completely cold, allowing about 20 minutes; cooling time varies.
- Whip the cold cream in a chilled bowl until it forms soft peaks that bend over when the whisk is lifted. Stop before it becomes stiff or grainy.
- Gently fold the cold sweetened espresso into the whipped cream until the color is even.
- Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Divide evenly among three small glasses and serve cold; keep any waiting portions refrigerated.
Estimated nutrition: 190 kcal · 6.5 g total sugar. Per one-third batch, using unsweetened heavy whipping cream.
Recipe notes
Contains milk. Use liquid cream suitable for whipping, not sweetened aerosol cream.
The 201 g (7.1 oz) ingredient batch makes three portions before bowl losses; keep refrigerated at 4°C (39°F) or colder.
Use liquid dairy cream suitable for whipping, rather than milk, half-and-half or a can of sweetened whipped topping. Check its label. There is no egg, alcohol, cocoa or garnish in this base recipe.
Equipment and Preparation
Use a small heatproof container for the espresso. Glasses of 150 ml (5.1 US fl oz) capacity leave room for the aerated cream.
If brewing the coffee now, the espresso guide explains the preparation. One home starting point is 18 g dry grounds yielding 36 g collected espresso; weigh that prepared output for this recipe. Use the collected espresso in the cream.
The ingredients total 201 g (7.1 oz), giving about 67 g (2.4 oz) per portion before bowl losses. For even servings, weigh the finished mixture and divide its actual mass by three. Whipping adds air and volume, not extra ingredient mass.
What Makes This Coffee Cream Different?
This recipe gets its airy texture from whipped dairy cream, with cold coffee folded through it. Lavazza presents crema al caffè as a cold dessert found in Italian bars, a creamy alternative to gelato on a warm day. The comparison below shows how it differs from dalgona and espresso con panna.
Choosing the Coffee and Cream
Use a small, concentrated coffee portion so the mixture receives coffee flavor without a large addition of water. For a no-machine variation, use 36 g (1.3 oz) prepared moka-pot coffee with the same cream and sugar portions, chilling the sweetened coffee fully before folding. Lavazza’s linked preparation also uses moka coffee; its caffeine differs from the espresso reference here.
Cream labels matter as much as coffee choice. Choose a product intended for whipping and keep it cold. Heavy whipping cream supplies the fat needed for this soft whipped structure. A plant-based whipping product is a separate adaptation: follow its instructions and recalculate its nutrition and allergens.
What Does Crema Di Caffè Taste Like?
Crema di caffè tastes like sweet coffee cream with the lightness of a soft mousse. The cream leads: it coats the tongue, then melts away to a mellow coffee finish. Espresso is folded through the whole mixture, so each spoonful has the same flavor rather than separate coffee and cream layers. Sugar softens the coffee's bitter edge.
I prefer crema di caffè just softly spoonable, because the little bubbles make each mouthful feel lighter before it melts into coffee cream.
Why Is My Coffee Cream Runny or Grainy?
Check temperature and whipping stage before changing the ingredient amounts. A fridge rest is part of this method, but it cannot reliably repair a mixture whose structure was lost during preparation.
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| What you see | Likely thing to check | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Cream stays liquid while whisking | Cream type, temperature and whether the whisk reaches this small batch | Use cold cream labeled for whipping in a suitably sized bowl |
| Whipped cream loosens sharply after coffee is added | Coffee still warm or too much coffee liquid | Chill the sweetened espresso fully and weigh the 36 g coffee portion |
| Mixture turns grainy during whipping | Cream has been whipped past the desired stage | Stop at soft peaks next time; do not keep beating a grainy mixture |
| Finished cream has dark streaks | Uneven folding | Fold gently just until the color is even, scraping the bowl's base |
| Dessert seems too firm or rich | Whipping stage or portion size | Aim for soft peaks and divide the batch into all three portions |
Chilling times and whisking speed depend on your equipment, cream and starting temperature.
Crema Di Caffe vs. Caffe Crema, Espresso Crema and Dalgona
The similar words describe very different things. Crema di caffè on this page is a chilled coffee-cream dessert.
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| Name | What it describes | Main difference from this recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Crema di caffè | Chilled, sweet coffee cream | The cream itself forms the dessert |
| Caffè crema | In Swiss-style usage, a longer pressure-brewed black coffee | No whipped dairy cream is required |
| Espresso crema | The thin foam on a fresh espresso | A brewing feature, not a cream ingredient |
| Dalgona coffee | Whipped instant coffee, sugar and water, commonly spooned over milk | Coffee foam supplies the topping rather than whipped dairy cream |
| Espresso con panna | Espresso served with whipped cream | Coffee and cream are served as distinct components |
| Affogato | Espresso poured over ice cream or gelato | Uses a frozen dessert rather than chilled whipped cream |
How Should You Serve and Store Crema Di Caffè?
Serve with a small spoon in chilled glasses. The base is already sweetened; taste before adding any optional cocoa, syrup or extra sugar. Additions are outside the recipe's calorie and caffeine estimates, and cocoa can contribute caffeine of its own.
Keep the covered mixture refrigerated at 4°C (39°F) or colder and portion it close to serving. Make it for the intended serving occasion for the best soft texture. Follow the cream's storage and use-by instructions.
USDA advises refrigerating perishable food promptly and not leaving it at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour above 32°C/90°F. Keep it chilled until serving. USDA safe food-handling guidance.
Crema Di Caffe Calories, Sugar and Caffeine
One of the three portions has an estimated 190 kcal, 6.5 g total sugar and 25 mg reference caffeine. Cream supplies most of the energy. The estimated totals for two larger servings would be 285 kcal, 9.7 g sugar and 38 mg reference caffeine each.
This recipe contains milk. The stated ingredients have no eggs or alcohol. For a decaf version, use the decaf coffee’s caffeine information.
Serving calculation and source assumptions
USDA SR28 values per 100 g are: heavy whipping cream, NDB 01053, 340 kcal and 2.92 g sugar; prepared espresso, NDB 14210, 9 kcal, 0 g sugar and 212 mg caffeine; granulated sugar, NDB 19335, 387 kcal and 99.8 g sugar.
For the whole batch, energy is 510 + 3.24 + 58.05 = 571.29 kcal. Total sugar is 4.38 + 0 + 14.97 = 19.35 g. The 36 g espresso contributes 76.32 mg reference caffeine. Dividing by three gives 190.43 kcal, 6.45 g sugar and 25.44 mg caffeine per serving, rounded for display.
The estimates use these public composition records. Coffee, extraction and cream labels affect the result. Bowl losses may slightly reduce the amount actually served; toppings and substitutions require their own calculation.
Common Questions
Does crema di caffè contain alcohol or eggs?
Can I make crema di caffè with instant coffee?
Can I replace the cream with milk in crema di caffè?
Can I make crema di caffè in advance?
Is this the crema on an espresso?
Editor's Take
Sources and Further Reading
View 5 references
Serving estimates
- Heavy whipping cream, NDB 01053PDFUSDA Standard Reference · Generic cream energy and sugar composition(opens in a new tab)
- Prepared espresso, NDB 14210PDFUSDA Standard Reference · Generic espresso energy and caffeine reference(opens in a new tab)
- Granulated sugar, NDB 19335PDFUSDA Standard Reference · Generic sugar energy and total sugar composition(opens in a new tab)