Ever heard of someone willingly putting a tablespoon of gelatin into their coffee? Yes, the same stuff that makes Jell-O wiggly and fun. Bet you haven’t even considered this scenario! As gross as it might sound at first, though, there are real reasons why you’d probably want to start adding some to your morning cup of Joe, especially if you’re looking to boost your protein intake. You see, gelatin not only changes the coffee’s texture to be silken-soft, it’s also a superb source of protein.
First things first, what exactly is gelatin? You might’ve used it before in your desserts, but not everyone knows how exactly it’s made, and the answer is (mainly) pork. You heard that right: to get gelatin, people treat pork skin with chemicals to isolate a protein called collagen — a very strong and elastic compound that gives the skin structure (we also have collagen in our skin). After a bit of extra processing, collagen is broken down into gelatin.
By composition, gelatin is almost pure protein (it lacks tryptophan, an essential amino acid crucial for muscle growth). For every tablespoon (7 grams) of powdered or ground-down sheet gelatin, you’d get about 6 grams of protein in return — that’s over 90% protein by weight!
Incorporating gelatin into your coffee
For your first try with gelatin to test the water, simply stir two to three tablespoons of unflavored gelatin into your coffee. You’ll immediately notice the change in texture: the coffee will congeal a little, giving you a thick, silky texture that’s quite similar to syrup. In case you like your coffee light and milky, another approach you can take is stirring milk and gelatin together in a saucepan until the gelatin has “bloomed” (moisturized). When it does, steam the milk until both ingredients are nice and incorporated. Layer this gelatinized milk on top of your coffee and stir. Depending on how much gelatin you add, the texture of the coffee can be anywhere between “softened” to almost a gel-like texture.
A little bit too goopy for your taste? No worries, there’s another, more familiar way to add gelatin to your coffee: making homemade coffee jellies. Instead of gelatinizing your coffee halfway, you can turn it straight into jellies by mixing an entire package of gelatin with freshly-brewed coffee. Chill in the fridge overnight, and the coffee should turn into a block of coffee jelly. Cut it into shape (preferably cubes) and drop a few into your regular cuppa as a nice, protein-packed topping — more or less a perfect drink for dieting coffee-holics!
