How to grind coffee beans at home without a grinder? What’s the best way to ensure that you’ll have a cup of coffee to start your day?
Without a grinder, you can still grind your coffee, but you may not achieve the same consistency as like as a burr coffee grinder.
Here are several ways you can grind your coffee beans without a grinder:
- Mortar & pestle
- Blender
- Rolling pin
- Food processor
- Hammer
- Hand Mincer or garlic press
- Knife
Get A Grinder If You Can
Before looking at other options, we want to remind you that nothing beats a quality coffee grinder for consistently grinding your coffee to your preferred fineness and flavor. Because of this, we strongly recommend that you buy one. See our related articles for more information on where to get a coffee grinder.
Find The Grinder Based on Coffee Type
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- Best Burr Coffee Grinder For Cold Brew (Review & Recommendation)
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- The 7 Best No-Mess Coffee Grinder To Help Minimize The Clutter
Get the Price-Specific Grinder For Your Home
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- Best Burr Coffee Grinder Under 200 USD: 8 Picks Reviewed With A Buying Guide
- 10 Best Espresso Grinders Under 300 USD (Updated)
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7 Methods for Grinding Coffee Beans Without a Grinder
Using basic kitchen tools, you are able to emulate the texture achieved by a grinder. However, it takes hard work, dedication, and patience as these techniques require a bit more time.
1) Mortar And Pestle
This method employs hammering and roller motion for achieving an even texture [1]. From French-press coarseness to Turkish coffee fineness, you have complete control over the grinding size.
Grinding Procedure
- Add a small amount of coffee to your mortar and pestle for a consistent grind in minutes.
- Using your dominant hand, pound the pestle and mortar together. As you thrash away with the pestle, keep the mortar in your hands, so it doesn’t fall out of your grasp.
- Forcibly smash down the coffee beans with a pestle if necessary. To have a constant grind, you must grind every corner.
- Crush the beans as you add them to the pot until you’ve reached the desired amount. Adding a tiny bit at a time will ensure more consistent outcomes.
- Use a pestle to crush and roll the coffee grounds for a finer texture.
- Once the coarser bits of coffee have sifted out, keep grinding and rolling your beans until they have reached the desired consistency.
2) Blender
Instead of using a coffee grinder, a standard blender that utilizes blades to crush the beans can be utilized.
In fact, a “grinder” function on some blenders is specifically for grinding coffee.
Blending should be done in brief, rapid sessions instead of running the blender nonstop. Using a high-speed grinder can result in a harsh and bitter-tasting cup of coffee because of the risk of scorching the beans’ inherent oils.
It’s recommended to use an on-and-off grinding method for a coarse grind. When cleaning a blender, thoroughly remove any stale coffee residue before using it again.
Grinding Procedure
- When using a blender with a “grinder” mode, use it. Otherwise, choose a medium-to-high-speed setting.
- Place the grinder’s lid on tightly after adding a tiny amount of coffee grounds.
- Using a “pulse” technique, grind your beans to your desired consistency, in short, fast bursts.
- Blender tilting slightly from side to side while grinding ensures that larger beans enter the blade path, resulting in a more evenly ground product.
- Repeat until you have the desired amount of ground coffee in the blender.
Read for more details: Can You Grind Coffee Beans In A Blender? The Answer & How To Do.
You can watch the video below to understand the blender’s performance in grinding coffee beans.
3) Rolling Pin
A rolling pin is also an option for creating French press coffee grounds, even though it’s a bit time-consuming. This is a great alternative if you don’t have access to other tools, as the French press requires more course grounds than drip coffee.
Put your coffee beans in a plastic bag before using a rolling pin to ground them. Then, when you’re grinding the beans, you won’t have to worry about stray beans flying over your kitchen.
Grinding Procedure
- Place the desired amount of coffee beans in a bag or between two pieces of parchment paper.
- Place the bag or parchment paper on a solid, even surface.
- Roll the rolling pin over the beans slowly, making sure to press down firmly in order to grind them evenly.
- Turn and rotate the paper as you continue grinding until you achieve the desired consistency.
4) Food Processor
A food processor is a great alternative to grinding coffee beans without a grinder. A standard food processor can grind coffee beans evenly and quickly, just like its electric counterpart [2].
Grinding Procedure
- Place 1 to 4 ounces of whole beans in the bowl of a food processor.
- Secure the lid and pulse 8 to 10 times, pausing in between pulses to check the consistency.
- For finely ground coffee, mix for an additional 10 to 15 seconds, or until desired texture is reached.
- Empty the grounds onto a large kitchen towel and discard any chunks or unevenly sized pieces before use.
Once your coffee grounds are ready, it is recommended that you use them right away as they won’t retain their freshness for long.
For best results, use freshly roasted organic beans that you can source from specialty stores or roasters online.
5) Hammer
A hammer is a great option if you don’t have a coffee grinder on hand or don’t want to purchase one. You can use any type of hammer, but a mallet is best since it has a bigger surface area and will do a better job grinding the beans.
With this method, you can expect a medium to coarse grind at most. Cold-brew, Chemex, and drip coffee makers can benefit from this grind.
Grinding Procedure
- To begin, put your beans into a sturdy plastic bag and squeeze as much air out of it as possible.
- Place the bag onto a solid, flat surface like your kitchen countertop, making sure the bag won’t move around too much during the process.
- Crush the beans with the hammer until they’re the right consistency, then set them aside.
It’s important to note that while this method is simple and cost-effective, it often won’t yield as fine of grounds as compared to an actual grinder since hammers aren’t designed for precision grinding.
You may also end up with some bits that are too small or large for brewing purposes so be sure to take extra care during this process!
6) Hand Mincer Or Garlic Press
A hand mincer or garlic press is a great way to grind your own coffee beans at home without the need for an expensive grinder. They’re easy to use and come in a range of sizes and styles. If you have one already, you don’t even have to invest in another piece of kitchen equipment!
Because the holes are so large, the ground tends to be coarser. Therefore, a second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth attempt may be necessary. However, be careful not to overdo it when squeezing beans, as this can cause them to break apart.
Grinding Procedure
- To use it, just place the beans in the press, and push down on the lever.
- The pressure from the lever will break down and grind the beans into a fine powder.
- Depending on the size and type of your press, you might need to pass through the mixture multiple times for the best results.
These items are great because they have multiple uses. Not only can you use them for grinding coffee beans at home without a grinder, but they also work great for garlic, ginger, and spices as well. And with some that require no electricity or batteries- they are even more eco-friendly!
7) Knife or Stone
A knife or stone can also be used to break down your coffee beans into smaller pieces. This will take a bit more time and effort than using other methods, but it can still get the job done.
A medium to medium-fine grind can be achieved by crushing beans with the blade flat.
Grinding Procedure
- First, pour some of the beans onto a cutting board.
- Spread the beans out on the board and lay your knife flat on top of them, being cautious not to let the sharp edge touch the beans.
- To get a finer grind of beans, press down on the blade and move it towards you when breaking them.
Various Kinds of Coffee Grounds
If you’ve repeated the process enough times, you can get one or more of the four coffee grounds commonly utilized in the brewing process. The four types of grinds that can be achieved are as follows:
- Coarse grind
- Medium grind
- Fine grind
- Pulverized or super fine grind.
In the absence of a grinder, the most uncomplicated technique to achieve a consistent grind in your coffee beans is to grind or crush only a few beans at a time. As a result, you’ll be able to fine-tune the texture and fineness of your grounds to your exact specifications. Make sure you grind slowly and consistently with a knife or a blender to achieve a completely uniform ground.
The following section lists the various approaches we’ve discussed and the grinds you can obtain with these methods!
| Method | Expected Grind Size |
|---|---|
| Mortar and pestle | coarse, medium, fine, super fine |
| Blender | coarse, medium |
| Rolling pin | coarse, medium, fine |
| Food processor | coarse, medium |
| Hammer | coarse, medium |
| Hand mincer or garlic press | coarse, medium |
| Knife | coarse, medium |
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, with the help of the 7 methods I discussed today, you can now grind coffee beans at home without the need for a grinder.
From food processors to blenders or even just a good old-fashioned mortar and pestle—there are plenty of ways to make sure that your coffee is perfectly ground and ready for brewing.
So go forth, grab some beans, and create your own unique cup of coffee!
Coffee Gears that I Use Daily
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
This is my favorite grinder when I’m at home to start my day with the perfect cup. It delivers excellent grind consistency & offers versatile settings. The price is also reasonable. I recommend this grinder to all my fellow coffee enthusiasts. Check it out on Amazon now.
VSSL JAVA Manual Hand Coffee Grinder
I travel a lot, but can’t take Baratza with me. So, I carry this fantastic manual hand coffee grinder made by VSSL. It’s compact and lightweight, and its crank handle comes with a convenient carabiner feature, making it the perfect on-the-go companion for me. Get yours on Amazon today.
Coffee Scale
I rely on my trusty digital scale to measure the exact amount of coffee grounds and water for the perfect flavor and strength. Whether I’m at home or on the go, this scale is a must-have. Available on Amazon, get your hands on one and elevate your coffee game to the next level.
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortar_and_pestle
- https://www.kitchenaid.com/pinch-of-help/countertop-appliances/difference-between-food-processor-and-blender.html
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