Created for Coffee Lovers.

How to Grind Coffee Beans - Simple Ways to Grind Your Coffee!

Dave Carter

Published: August 17, 2021

Last updated: October 23, 2022

Do you ever have those mornings where you can't find the time to start your day? You are tired, grumpy, and in desperate need of caffeine. What do you do? Well, luckily for all coffee lovers out there, we have a quick fix solution: grind coffee beans! Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. 

There are many ways to make coffee, but grinding your beans may be the best. Grinding your coffee beans at home gives you more control over how it tastes and can save you money because store-bought ground coffee is costly! This article will show you how to grind coffee beans with or without a grinder. Let’s get started!

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How To Grind Coffee Beans Without A Grinder

How To Grind Coffee Beans Without A Grinder Complete Guide

There may be times when it is not convenient to go out and buy pre-ground coffee beans from the grocery store or your favorite café.

You may be too busy working late on an important project, perhaps? Whether now or in the future, one thing is certain: there will always come up occasions where you will need your morning cup of joe!

During such times you may find you have no strength or time left over after work. So what do you do? You opt for home-ground coffees! Most coffee lovers may think it is a difficult job to pull off without those huge grinds. However, that is not the case. Today you will learn how to grind coffee beans without a grinder!

Below are some of the common ways you can grind coffee without your grinder:-

  • Mortar and Pestle
  • Crush with a Rolling Pin
  • Use a Hammer
  • Use a Hand Sander
  • Use a Knife

Mortar and Pestle

This is an excellent tool for grinding coffee beans! They can be used to crush or grind herbs, nuts, and spices. The small side of the pestle is perfect for crushing smaller amounts. You could use consistency grind if you do not want too much coffee in one cup or add some cinnamon and nuts for a mocha cookie!. 

The best part is that you can use it to crush the beans while out camping. It is small and easy to carry around but does not make much noise which means no curious bears or raccoons getting in on your snack! If you have some time, try roasting the coffee before you grind it! Roasting coffee beans can be fun and is a process that makes grinding easy (we reviewed an article about small coffee makers of which some also include a grinder).

How to use a Mortar and Pestle

  1. The first step is to add your beans. Place 1-2 tablespoons of coffee beans in a mortar and pestle. They are usually made up of ceramic or stone.

  2. Grind the beans by hitting down on them with the pestle as hard as you can for at least 10 seconds (you should be able to smell the aroma from the beans by this time). Toss and repeat!

  3. Once you are done grinding them, scoop out the grounds into a french press or pour over your favorite cup! Make sure to clean your mortar and pestle after each use.

Crush With Rolling Pin

Rolling pins are great if you want a little bit of everything in your brew. They can pulverize coffee beans so that they are nice and small or so that it is a medium grind.

Turkish coffee grinding is done this way. If you use one with a handle, you could even do the crushing over the container you will be pouring into! If you don't have a rolling pin at home or if you find that they are not long enough, check your local dollar store! You can often buy them there for less than $1.

How to use a Rolling Pin

  1. Place the coffee beans in the center of the rolling pin, then roll back and forth to grind them into smaller pieces.

  2. Grind the amount of coffee you want in your rolling pin. You can choose from fine, medium, or coarse grinds depending on how strong you want your cup to be.

  3. Once it is ground up, put them into a container and add some hot water!

  4. If you want an extra fancy touch, you can use a towel to polish the coffee grinds.

Use A Hammer

Use A Hammer to Grind Coffee Bean

If you do not have anything else at home, then grab a hammer and maybe some towels for the mess!

If you use a hammer, make sure that it is a plastic or rubber mallet to avoid damaging any surfaces or cracking your stone countertops. You can use a hammer to "pound" the coffee beans into smaller pieces.

How to use a Hammer

  1. First, scoop out your desired amount of coffee grounds and place it in a container.

  2. Once you have done that, start pounding away at the mesh for about 15-20 seconds. The more force you put in, the finer the grind will be.

  3. Now that you have done all of your poundings, scoop out some water and let it drip onto the grounds.

  4. Once you add enough water, take a sip!

Use A Hand Sander

If you are using this method inside, cover everything up with sheets to not ruin anything in your house! If you use it outside, make sure no animals are around because they could get hurt by the sanding process. 

You can use a hand sander to rough up or smooth down the coffee grounds to be smoother. The issue here is that hand sanders don't have specific settings for different types of coarseness, so you will need to guess and make sure that the coffee beans are adequately ground.

How to use a Hand Sander:

  1. First, scoop out your desired amount of coffee grounds and place it in a container.

  2. Once you have done that, start sanding down the coffee grounds for about 2 minutes. Once again, the more force you put into it, the finer the grind will be!

  3. Make sure to clean your hand sander after each use.

  4. If your coffee starts to taste funky, stick your tongue on the coffee grinder part and see if there's any residue left behind. If there is, wipe it down with some soap and water and try grinding one more time.

Use A Knife

If you are worried about breaking your excellent knives, then grab a cheap $2 knife from the dollar store, and you should be good to go! If this is not an option, then make sure that you have plenty of other metal utensils around so that you can grab them instead.

However, if you are using one within your home, make sure it is plastic-backed to prevent slicing up any surfaces and cut yourself while grinding. It will also probably work best with large beans since smaller beans might get stuck in the crevices on the backside of the blade grinders.

How to use a Knife:

  1. Throw in your desired amount of coffee grounds and place them on a hard surface. Make sure you clean the knife before every use!

  2. Start pressing down on top of the grinds with the backside of the knife.

  3. Make sure to move it around a bit so that they don't get stuck or trapped underneath!

  4. Once you have finished grinding, remove the knife and turn it around.

  5. With the edge side of your blade grinder, grind up some more beans!

Can You Grind Coffee Beans In A blender?

Most coffee lovers often ask, can you grind coffee beans in a blender? Coffee grinders are great for grinding coffee, but you can also use a blender to do the job! Blenders are a great option for making your coffee while at home. You can add as many beans as you want, even if it is just one or two! And then, use the blender to grind them until they are nice and smooth. 

This is a good option to make large batches, which will allow you to store the ground coffee so that you can make coffee any time! The issue here is that most blenders don't have a specific setting for "coarse," which means you will need to use the pulse function on your blender until it gets close enough to coarse grinds. If you are worried about burning out your motor, then set it on low while pulsing slowly. Do this until all of the beans are ground up into powdery goodness!

How to use a Blender

  1. Put the coffee beans into the bowl of the blending machine.

  2. Add hot water to wet the beans and grind them with an electric mixer on low speed for a few minutes.

  3. Pour off any excess water from the ground coffee, then add sugar or milk to taste before drinking!

Can You Grind Coffee Beans In A Food Processor?

Can You Grind Coffee Beans In A Food Processor Facts

Food processors make excellent tools for grinding up things. However, as with blenders, they tend to have trouble grinding up coffee beans if you are trying to do a coarse grind.

You can pulse the food processor until all of the beans are ground up into fine powder! Most people often ask “Can you grind coffee beans in a food processor?”

Well, the answer is yes and we shall discuss below how you can do it.

Examples of food processors/ burr grinders to use include:

  • Magic Bullet
  • Meat Grinder
  • Nut Grinder

Magic Bullet processor

The Magic Bullet is a small, travel-sized food processor that can be used to grind coffee beans. The machine has two different blades for chopping and blending as well as an attachment for grinding your favorite beans into the perfect morning cup of Joe before you head out on your way!

It has a powerful 250-watt motor with two speeds and ten different functions to give you the perfect grind every time, whether iced or hot! The blades are made of durable stainless steel that never rusts, making it one kitchen appliance you will be glad to have around your house when you want to grind a bag of coffee beans!

How to use the Magic Bullet Processor:

  1. Clean your food processor and load it up with all of your coffee beans. Don't add any water to this mixture!

  2. You might have to do multiple batches or grind some extra just in case you need it. A general ratio of 1/10 should work fine for most average-sized mugs.

  3. The longer that you pulse, the better! If you are having trouble getting them ground, then try pulsing longer.

  4. Grind up until they are nice and powdery! If you have some chunks leftover, then grind those too!

Use A Meat Grinder

You can grind freshly roasted coffee beans with a meat grinder. The idea of this might seem absurd, but it is actually really easy to do, and you will end up saving money on your grocery bill too!

The meat grinder is an essential tool in the coffee lover's kitchen. The way it grinds and pulverizes roasted beans into a uniform powder is beyond amazing! It is made for some of the best cups of joe you could find!

How to use the Magic Bullet Processor:

  1. Grind your desired amount of coffee grounds on one side, then push it through the other side.

  2. If you are worried about breaking any pieces of equipment, you might want to push it through with something like a wooden spoon or spatula.

  3. Once they are done grinding, put them back into your food processor or blender if you are using one.

  4. Add some cream/milk and enjoy

Use A Nut Grinder

Nut grinders are great for grinding up nuts and some spices, but they aren't the best for grinding up coffee beans. Most of them do not have a fine enough blade grinder that can finely lace through all the grounds. However, if you are interested in trying this method, you can also try pulsing until all the coffee has become powder.

How to Use a Nut Grinder:

  1. Add all of your coffee grounds into the container, then add some water/milk/creamer.

  2. For most normal-sized cups, you would want to put in 3 tablespoons of espresso grounds and 1 cup of water/milk.

  3. If you are using a personal grind size nut grinder, this may not work as well since the blade grinders are shorter, therefore, it won't grind up all of the beans.

  4. Once you have ground them up, remove all of the grounds from inside. Then add some hot water for a stronger brew or choose a brewing method of your choice!

Importance of Learning How To Crush Coffee Beans

Learning How To Crush Coffee Beans

Crushing coffee beans is one of the easiest and fastest methods that you can use in getting your cup of Joe! Many people are starting to enjoy grinding their beans since it is more cost-effective than buying them pre-grounded.

Also, keep in mind that if you buy pre-ground espresso coffee, there is a serious factor called "old bean coffee," which has lost most of its flavor potential.

Grinds also tend to lose flavor throughout the day, so this method prevents that from happening altogether! People who want an easy way to make sure they're not losing any nutrients or oils out of their coffee grinds will enjoy making their own as well.

Honestly, it is just a lot of fun grinding up your beans and watching them turn into dust! People are also always looking for ways to save money, and one of the best ways is to repurpose things into something else.

Learning how to crush coffee beans will help you use the beans for various uses thus saving on costs!

Below are some uses of crushed coffee beans:

  • Oven Roasting - If you are one of those people who enjoy roasting your beans, then this is a must-try! Just add some crushed espresso coffee grounds into the foil/old document or whatever else you use to roast your herbs and spices. It will help keep them more flavorful and make the entire process faster!

  • Put crushed beans in your shoes overnight to deodorize them. - A surprising solution to combat the ever-present smell of feet? That's what everyone is saying about beans. No joke — it works! Just place a handful of beans in the toe box and let them sit overnight for smelly shoe odor removal. Don't worry; they won't cause any damage when you step on them. If you have time, leave the beans in your shoes for several days in a row to get rid of that stinky scent completely.

  • Face Mask/Scrub - Using coffee as a scrub makes it super easy to eliminate any dead skin, dirt, or oil that clogs up our pores especially in the winter time! All you have to do is combine raw brown sugar with some leftover coffee grounds for an amazing face mask! It will leave your skin feeling refreshed and smooth after just one use.
10 Best Coffee Machines

The Best Coffee Machines that You Can Buy Online.
Extensively Reviewed by a Coffee-Enthusiastic.

The Best Coffee Machine Reviews

Conclusion​

We hope you enjoyed this article about how to grind coffee beans. The next time you want to grind coffee beans, use these methods and make sure your coffee grinder is set on coarseness. To get the most out of your freshly ground beans, we recommend that you store them in a sealed container away from light or heat for up to one week. Enjoy!

Dave Carter

As a coffee enthusiastic Dave share with you his latest and greatest coffee news and insights. He es always interested in trying out new things about the best bean of the world!

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