Wattleseed Substitute: Coffee, Cocoa or Hazelnut?

Wattleseed is the roasted, ground seed of certain Australian acacias, and it’s even sold as a caffeine-free alternative to coffee. Warndu, an Aboriginal-owned food business, describes its aroma as roasted coffee, sweet spice, raisin and chocolate, and its flavor as savory, nutty and like a wheat biscuit.¹ If you’re out, instant coffee with a pinch of cocoa gets you closest, and ground toasted hazelnuts cover its nutty side. One job none of the substitutes can do, though: in a casserole or sauce, ground wattleseed also thickens.

Quick answer

What wattleseed is doing	Best substitute	Starting amount, per 1 tsp ground wattleseed	Treatment
Roasted, coffee-like note in ice cream, cream or mousse	Instant coffee or espresso powder	1/2 tsp	Method
Coffee and chocolate together, in desserts or baking	Instant coffee plus unsweetened cocoa	1/4 tsp each	Method
Nutty, toasty note in bread or cookies	Finely ground toasted hazelnuts	1 to 2 tsp	Method
The same flavor, in liquid form	Wattleseed extract	Cherikoff: 2 to 3% usage rate	Attributed

How the ratios on this page are labeled

Every ratio carries one of four labels.

Computed: based on a measurable physical relationship.
Attributed: a named source publishes this ratio. We quote it as theirs.
Disputed: named sources give different answers to the same swap. You get each one, side by side.
Method: our starting point, based on how the two compare. Taste and adjust.

No source gives a standard amount of wattleseed per recipe, so treat every amount here as a starting point and adjust by taste.

If wattleseed is the roasted, coffee-like note

This is what wattleseed is best known for. Warndu lists ice cream, sorbet, mousse, yogurt, cheesecake and whipped cream among its sweet uses, and says the seed is dried and roasted much like coffee.¹

1. Coffee

The connection runs both ways. The Royal Society of Victoria notes that wattleseed is used as a coffee or hazelnut substitute,² and Warndu sells it as a caffeine-free alternative to coffee, brewed like plunger (French press) coffee.¹ So coffee covers wattleseed’s main note. What it’s missing is the savory, wheat-biscuit and raisin side, and it brings caffeine and more bitterness.

Ratio (Method): Use instant coffee or instant espresso powder, which dissolves into a custard or cream base. Start with half as much as the wattleseed called for, since coffee is the stronger flavor, then taste. If the recipe steeps wattleseed in hot milk or cream, you can steep coarsely ground coffee the same way and strain it.

2. Coffee with a little cocoa

Warndu names chocolate among wattleseed’s aroma notes,¹ and Vic Cherikoff, who sells wattleseed, describes its flavor as a mix of coffee, chocolate and hazelnut.³ A pinch of cocoa next to the coffee gets you closer.

Ratio (Method): For each teaspoon of wattleseed, start with 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee and 1/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder. Neither amount is tested, so adjust next time.

If wattleseed is the nutty, toasty note

In bread, biscuits and cookies, wattleseed adds a nutty, roasted depth. Warndu says it goes well in bread.¹

1. Toasted hazelnuts

Hazelnut is the other flavor the Royal Society of Victoria pairs with wattleseed, which it says is used as a hazelnut substitute.² Cherikoff also names hazelnut in wattleseed’s flavor.³ Ground toasted hazelnuts give you the nuttiness but none of the coffee.

Ratio (Method): Grind toasted hazelnuts finely and start with 1 to 2 teaspoons per teaspoon of wattleseed. Nuts are milder and oilier than a roasted seed powder, so you’ll need more, and the texture will change a little. Hazelnut extract is another option where a liquid flavoring suits the recipe.

2. Vanilla, for a sweet note only

The Royal Society of Victoria says ground wattleseed, or its extract or paste, can replace vanilla in baking.² Flip it around and vanilla gives a dessert sweetness and roundness, but nothing of wattleseed’s roasted or nutty flavor. Use it only if those don’t matter. See vanilla extract substitutes for amounts of the different vanilla forms.

If you can find wattleseed extract

Wattleseed comes as extract and paste as well as ground.² Cherikoff sells a 200 ml wattleseed extract, which it also calls wattleseed essence, and suggests it for beer, cream or red wine sauces, marinades and dessert sauces.³

Ratio (Attributed): Cherikoff gives an approximate usage rate of 2 to 3 percent for its extract, depending on the other flavors in the dish.³ It doesn’t say whether that’s by weight or volume, or of what total. For a drink, it suggests diluting a tablespoon of extract in a quarter cup of hot water. We found no conversion between extract and ground seed.

If wattleseed is thickening a sauce

Warndu also uses ground wattleseed to thicken casseroles and sauces.¹ None of the flavor substitutes above will do that in the same amounts. If you swap in coffee or cocoa for flavor, thicken the sauce the usual way, with a little flour or a reduction, and check the texture before serving.

What isn’t known

You’ll often read that wattleseed extract keeps its flavor longer than the ground seed. We found no source that measured shelf life for either.

Samara Vercoe, “Warndu’s Guide to Wattleseed”, Warndu, 2019. warndu.com · Merchant ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶
Priya Mohandoss, “Wattleseed”, Science Victoria, Royal Society of Victoria, 2022. rsv.org.au · Publication ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
“Wattleseed and Wattleseed Extract”, Vic Cherikoff, Australian Functional Ingredients. cherikoff.net · Merchant ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

Wattleseed Substitutes: Coffee, Cocoa, Hazelnut and What Each Covers