Recipe
🥤 DRINK
Qishr
A warming Yemeni infusion of roasted coffee husks with ginger and cinnamon, coffee's fragrant, low-caffeine cousin.
Yemeni · easy · serves 4
prep 5 min · cook 15 min
~37 cal · 0g protein · 10g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber · 10g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Long before the world knew Yemen for its coffee beans, Yemenis were drinking qishr, an infusion made not from the beans but from the dried husks of the coffee cherry, the fruit that surrounds them. Frugal and fragrant, it turned a part of the harvest that might be discarded into an everyday hot drink.
The husks are steeped or brewed with warming spices, most characteristically ginger and cinnamon, into a light amber liquid with only a gentle hint of caffeine, quite unlike a strong cup of coffee. Sweetened to taste, it is warming, aromatic, and easy to drink through the day.
In Sanaa and across Yemen it is a staple of home and hospitality, sipped from morning to night and offered to guests as readily as coffee itself. Spiced, light, and comforting, qishr is a reminder that Yemen's coffee culture runs deeper than the bean alone.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1/2 cup dried coffee husks (qishr)
4 cups water
1-inch fresh ginger
1 stick cinnamon
3 tbsp sugar, to taste
Instructions
1
Rinse the coffee husks quickly in cold water, then bring the water to a simmer with the sliced ginger and cinnamon stick.
2
Add the coffee husks and simmer gently for 10 minutes until amber and fragrant.
3
Sweeten to taste and steep off the heat for a couple of minutes.
4
Strain into a dallah or a jug and serve very hot in small cups.
✎ Chef’s note
Qishr is made from the dried husks of the coffee cherry rather than the bean, so it needs no roasting, and in the Yemeni highlands it is what people actually drink day to day while the beans themselves go for export. Travellers in the coffee country have remarked on the oddity of being offered husk infusion rather than coffee in the very place the coffee grows.
Yemeni Sanaa tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Sana’a. Sana'a is famous for saltah, a bubbling stew crowned with whipped fenugreek froth and served still boiling in a stone pot. Yemeni bread, hot green zhoug relish, and slow-roasted lamb feed a highland kitchen at the base of the Arabian coffee trade.
🗺️
Yemen. The green relish Israelis call zhug is sahawiq or bisbas in Yemen, and it is chilli, coriander, garlic and cardamom pounded fresh rather than jarred. Bint al-sahn is the layered honey bread, brushed with clarified butter between sheets, and the honey poured over it is a serious export, sidr honey in particular fetching prices that surprise outsiders.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Yemen
SaltahA bubbling stone-pot stew crowned with whipped fenugreek froth (hulba) and fiery green sahawiq, Yemen’s national dish.
MasoubMashed flatbread and ripe banana bound with honey and topped with cream, nuts, and dates.
MandiSmoky spiced rice and tender meat traditionally cooked in an underground oven, a celebrated dish of Yemen and the Gulf.
Browse all Yemen recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Best straight off the heat. Leftovers keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated and reheat well in a hot oven rather than the microwave.
Make it a Yemen meal
FahsaDinner
Bint al-SahnDessert
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Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What is Qishr?
A warming Yemeni infusion of roasted coffee husks with ginger and cinnamon, coffee's fragrant, low-caffeine cousin.
Where does Qishr come from?
Qishr is a Yemeni dish from Sana’a, Yemen.
Can Qishr be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Qishr recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Qishr safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Qishr take to make?
About 20 minutes total (5 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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