Affogato Recipe: Espresso and Ice Cream for One Serving

An affogato is a scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot espresso poured over it. For one serving, start with Nespresso's one-scoop, 40 mL recipe if you have the named capsule system. Put the ice cream in a small cup, brew the coffee over it, and serve it with a spoon.

You can also use an espresso machine. Follow its own basket and brewing instructions. A double shot does not always mean 40 mL.

Make the coffee when the ice cream and serving cup are ready. Breville's affogato method uses a double espresso and recommends 1 or 2 scoops. The two makers give you different starting servings. Choose one and write down what you made.

Choose one starting recipe

Nespresso gives the more specific coffee volume. Its Ireland recipe names either a 40 mL Barista Creations Scuro extraction for an Original machine or a 40 mL Barista Decaffeinato Intenso extraction for a Vertuo machine, with one scoop of vanilla ice cream. The source names its own capsules and machines. It does not say that every other capsule, machine, or coffee will produce the same result.

Breville starts with a double espresso and 1 or 2 scoops in a large glass. Its page describes grinding and tamping but gives no finished shot weight, liquid volume, or scoop size. If you use a different machine, brew your usual double espresso according to its manual.

Weigh the output if that is how you normally keep a repeatable shot. Keep grams and milliliters separate in your notes.

Source method	Ice cream	Coffee	Serving choice
Nespresso Original or Vertuo	1 scoop vanilla ice cream	40 mL from its named capsule	Start here when you have the named capsule and want one small serving.
Breville espresso-machine recipe	1 or 2 scoops vanilla ice cream	A double espresso; finished amount unstated	Start here when you already make a repeatable double shot. Record its actual yield.

The table separates the makers' quantities. Neither page gives a scoop mass. Measure yours if you want to repeat the serving. Do not convert a double espresso into 40 mL from its name alone.

Prepare the cup and pour

Use a cup or bowl that holds the scoop with space for coffee. A wide opening makes it easier to eat. Choose a vessel that your coffee maker's instructions allow near its hot outlet.

If that is uncertain, brew into your usual espresso cup and pour from there. Do not put a cold or fragile glass directly under the outlet unless it is suitable for hot coffee.

For one serving, follow these steps:

1. Put one scoop of vanilla ice cream in a serving cup. Set out a spoon.
2. For the Nespresso version, use its named capsule and machine instructions to prepare 40 mL coffee over the scoop. For an espresso machine, make your usual double shot in a separate cup or jug, then pour it over the scoop.
3. Serve at once. Breville allows a second scoop and offers dark chocolate-coated hazelnuts as a topping. Leave toppings out of your first comparison if you want to judge the coffee and ice cream together.

Carry the hot coffee carefully. Keep your hand away from the stream and the hot cup. Follow your exact machine manual for operation, stopping the shot, power-off, and cleaning.

A spoon lets you eat the cold center while the edges soften in the coffee. The hot coffee starts melting the ice cream as soon as it touches it.

You can set out the cup and spoon in advance. Keep the ice cream in the freezer until the coffee is nearly ready. You do not need a special affogato glass to follow either source recipe.

Try this with your next scoop

Suppose you have a Nespresso Original machine and the Barista Creations Scuro capsule named on Nespresso's page. Put one scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cup and prepare the stated 40 mL coffee over it. Write “one scoop, 40 mL” in your notes. The source does not give a scoop weight, so those notes are a partial recipe, not a measured mass of ice cream.

Taste a spoonful that includes both coffee and ice cream. If you want more ice cream next time, keep the same 40 mL coffee and use a larger scoop that you measure or record. If the coffee flavor is too faint, keep the coffee fixed and try a smaller scoop. Change one choice at a time.

These are suggestions for your own comparison. We did not prepare or taste either result.

For a Breville-style double shot, write down the dry coffee dose and finished drink weight if your machine and scale let you measure them. Add the number or measured mass of scoops. Suppose your usual double shot weighs 36 g and you use one scoop.

The 36 g is a hypothetical input, not Breville's stated yield or a tested Espresso Receipt serving. Next time, keep that coffee recipe and change only the ice-cream portion if you want to compare the balance.

If you like the first spoonful and the last one, save that recipe. If only the last spoonful seems too melted, serve sooner next time before changing the coffee dose. Keep the coffee and ice-cream portions steady while you compare timing.

Handle substitutions and limits

Vanilla ice cream is the ingredient in both source recipes. A different flavor or a dairy-free frozen dessert is your own variation. Check its ingredient label for milk, nuts, soy, or other allergens that matter to you. Breville's optional hazelnut topping adds a tree-nut allergen.

The makers do not establish the texture or sweetness of a substitute. Record the one you choose so you can repeat it.

For a later-day dessert, Nespresso's Ireland page provides a 40 mL decaffeinated capsule option for its Vertuo version. “Decaf” does not mean zero caffeine; our decaf espresso guide explains the limit. The ice cream does not remove caffeine from the coffee.

If caffeine is a concern, check the actual coffee label and your own medical guidance rather than using a generic number for this dessert.

Do not borrow a calorie total from a café affogato. Scoop mass, brand, coffee, and toppings differ. The makers do not give a total for this exact cup.

If you need one, use the ice-cream package's serving amount and the coffee you actually chose. Our espresso calorie guide explains why the plain coffee and additions need separate accounting.

If your plain espresso tastes sharply sour or harshly bitter before it meets the ice cream, use the espresso dial-in guide for one controlled adjustment. Keep the ice-cream portion unchanged while you fix the coffee. If your usual espresso tastes good, make the affogato with it first. A new accessory is unlikely to help you decide whether you wanted another spoonful of ice cream.

The photo shows coffee-colored liquid being poured over two pale scoops in a glass. It illustrates assembly but cannot prove the ingredients, coffee amount, maker, or taste. The source recipes were read on September 28, 2026.

We did not physically test, own, prepare, taste, or measure this dessert or the equipment. Use your machine's own safety and cleaning instructions.

Put out one scoop and a spoon, make the coffee you chose, and pour when you are ready to eat. Record the coffee and scoop you used. The next affogato can follow the same recipe or one small change.