Try these methods to grind coffee beans without a grinder.
Most serious coffee drinkers own a reliable coffee grinder that sits indefinitely on their kitchen countertop.
When it comes to coffee, like the air you breathe in, fresher is always better. If you love coffee, you already know that the best coffee can be made only from freshly ground coffee beans.
Why use a coffee grinder?
By grinding roasted coffee beans, you are actually crushing them into smaller particles to reveal the inside of the beans for better extraction. This way, you are able to extract the right amount of oil and flavors for the finest cup of coffee. For this reason, it is recommended that you grind your coffee beans immediately before brewing.
Like most coffee drinkers, you probably rely on your coffee grinder to assist you in the coffee making process every morning. In the occasion that you find yourself in a situation without a coffee grinder or your favorite coffee grinder breaks, what do you do?
How to grind coffee beans without a grinder…
Thankfully, there are many techniques to brewing a cup of coffee without a coffee grinder. Just like if you don’t have a coffee maker (you can use a microwave instead), there are alternatives. And in this case, we’re here to tell you that you can grind coffee without a grinder.
Here are 8 techniques to grind coffee beans using 8 different tools, which you’re likely to have on hand already.
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Skip around and choose a kitchen tool you may already have at home:
- Blender
- Food processor
- Mortar and pestle
- Immersion blender
- Manual food chopper
- Rolling pin
- Hammer/mallet
- Cleaver
1. Blender
While it is not as ideal as using a coffee grinder specifically designed for coffee beans, you can easily grind coffee beans in a blender, and it won’t take a lot of effort. We used a Magic Bullet blender. Just load a small amount and blend them using the pulse setting. Watch closely and blend the coffee beans to your desired grind size.
2. Food Processor
Just like a blender, you can use a food processor, like our KitchenAid to grind your coffee beans but in a bigger batch with great results. However, don’t overload and toss too many coffee beans into the food processor all at one time to avoid uneven blending.
3. Mortar and Pestle
A mortar and pestle is an ancient tool designed for milling by pounding. It is an old school gadget that you might have used to crush spices or herbs into a finer paste or powder in your kitchen.
When you don’t have access to a coffee grinder, this gadget will play a role while grinding your coffee beans. This requires some patience and elbow grease but it is definitely worth the effort. Best of all, you have full control on any grind size you need.
4. Immersion Blender
For this option, you are going to grind coffee beans at the bottom of a tall and narrow container with an immersion blender, aka a stick blender or hand blender.
Insert the immersion blender into the container and blend for 20 to 30 seconds. It is recommended to cover the top with your hand to prevent the coffee beans from spilling all over the place. You might want to shake the container several times throughout the blending process to make sure you get a consistent grind size. We used a Cuisinart Smart Stick immersion blender.
5. Manual Food Chopper
Using a small and compact space-saving manual food chopper made of durable food grade stainless steel blades, which are strong enough to chop coffee beans, we were able to grind coffee beans in small quantities at a time. The result is not as good as a mechanical coffee grinder, but it’s not too shabby. It’ll get the job done if you don’t have a coffee grinder and it’s the only kitchen tool you have on hand.
6. Rolling Pin / Glass Bottle
If you have a rolling pin or even a glass bottle at home, you will be able to crush and grind coffee beans with it, thanks to its design.
To grind coffee beans with a rolling pin, all you need is a strong zipper freezer bag, a cutting board, and of course the rolling pin. Simply put a small amount of coffee beans into the zipper bag and move the rolling pin back and forth by applying downward pressure. Keep repeating the process until you reach your desired consistency. That being said, a rolling pin isn’t just for baking anymore.
7. Hammer / Mallet
A hammer or a mallet are great tools for grinding coffee beans. Put the coffee beans in a regular zipper bag, seal it, wrap the bag in a kitchen towel, then start pounding as gentle as possible. Check your coffee beans periodically until you get the perfect grind.
If you don’t have a hammer or mallet, you can use the same grinding technique with a meat tenderizer.
8. Cleaver
A cleaver knife’s broadside is the perfect crushing template for coffee beans. A cleaver is solid and bulky which is able to deliver mashing force on the downward smack. The idea is similar to using a knife for smacking garlic cloves.
To use a cleaver to grind coffee beans, spread the coffee beans on a big cutting board, place the cleaver flat on top and press down firmly with your palms using your own body weight. It is wise to be extra cautious when using this technique since you’re dealing with a sharp tool. Again, it’s not the perfect solution but it comes in handy when you need your coffee fix.
These are some alternatives to grind your coffee beans and they are great ways to substitute a coffee grinder. The techniques are considerably easy and practical if you know how to properly repurpose your existing kitchen tools.
Regardless of which technique you use, remember to have fun with it. So look around your house, you might find something that you can use. Have fun and be creative!
And before you go, if don’t have a grinder to begin with, here are some of our favorites:
