How to Grind Coffee Beans Without a Grinder- 6 Simple Ways

Learn how to grind coffee beans at home without a coffee grinder with these 6 methods

Wondering how to grind coffee beans without a grinder? Don’t worry!

Sometimes you might want to make a cup of coffee but because you can’t access a grinder at that moment or yours is not working, you start to wonder how you can grind coffee beans.

Let the lack of a grinder not hinder you from enjoying your morning kick starter.

In this article, you will learn how to grind coffee beans without a grinder.

You may also read: Top 5 Coffee Makers With Grinder

Some people like pre-ground coffee beans due to convenience, however; these coffee beans lack the freshness and flavor you can get by grinding whole-bean coffee right before making coffee.

But if you don’t have the coffee grinder it can be challenging to grind fresh beans every time you need your cup of coffee.

But it doesn’t have to be challenging.

With the methods we will share in this article, you can get the texture and near-the-consistency you can get by using a grinder.

What bean grinding tools can you use if you don’t have a grinder (or if it has a problem)?

So you are in a campsite or you don’t have enough resources for grinding beans in your kitchen or your coffee grinder isn’t working; do you stay without drinking coffee until you get a grinder?

Well, you might think of buying ground coffee from the nearest grocery store, but getting a little creative can save you from that. Just check around your campsite or kitchen to see if there are tools you can use to grind your whole coffee beans.

How can you grind coffee beans without a grinder?

Many coffee drinkers are used to the usual way of grinding coffee beans (the only equipment known to them for grinding whole coffee beans is the grinder). But there are plenty of ways to turn your coffee beans into grinds when you want to brew your cup of coffee.

The methods we will share here won’t get you the consistency you could get by grinding coffee beans with a grinder. However, they will help you make your cup of coffee even when you don’t have the grinder at the time when you need a cup of coffee.

The good thing?

The tools you can use are readily available.

Let’s get started.

Grind Coffee Beans in a Blender

Trying to figure out how to grind coffee beans at home without a grinder? Do you have a blender?

Although grinding coffee beans with a blender can be trickier it is one of the best alternative methods you can use if you don’t have a grinder.

Well, a blender works better when it has some liquids but with solids, it can hang up the motor or even damage it. You need to check whether your blender allows grinding of solids.

Blenders that allow grinding of solids have grinder settings but even if yours doesn’t have the settings, you can grind by adding small amounts of beans and using short quick bursts of power until you get your preferred consistency.

Blenders have blade chops that work much like a blade grinder. Note that a blender cannot deliver the consistency you can get when you use a burr grinder. But it helps!

Note that the blades in a blender move fast and can heat the beans and this can result in coffee beans that have a bitter taste when you brew your cup of coffee. Just put small amounts of coffee beans in the blender, run it then remove the ground beans and add another small amount until you get the quantity you want.

The process

• Check your blender to see whether it has a grinder setting. Don’t worry if yours doesn’t have one. If the blender model you have doesn’t have a grinder setting, grind with the medium-high speed setting.
• Add your coffee beans to the blender in small quantities and cover it with a FIRM lid(coffee beans might pop out during grinding).
• Run the blender in short quick bursts until your beans are ground properly
• Experts advice tilting the blender slightly from one side to another when it’s running to allow large beans to come into contact with the blade to make them ground completely
• Once done, empty your beans and add a small amount until you get the grinds you want to use.

Use Mortar and Pestle

Mortar and pestle is another method you probably have used to crush or grind herbs, spices or medicines into a fine powder. This method can also grind your coffee beans and are the mortar and pestle is readily available.

Similar to a blender, mortar and pestle won’t get you the perfect grind you can get when you use a grinder but will provide you with grinds you can use in a pinch. You also need to watch out so that you don’t over-grind the coffee beans.

How to grind coffee beans with mortar and pestle

It’s simple

• Add small scoops of coffee to your mortar. Don’t fill the mortar with coffee beans
• Use your hands to grind your coffee beans by pressing the pestle in a twisting motion to crush the beans
• Grind repeatedly until you see the consistency and texture you are looking for
• Once done, empty the ground coffee beans and add small scoops, then repeat the process until you have enough coffee to brew

Use a Hammer

Sometimes people use a hammer to tenderize pieces of meat but a hammer can also be a helpful tool when you want to grind or crush your coffee beans. Just be careful not to hurt yourself when using a hammer to crush coffee beans into a fine powder.

Before crushing beans with a hammer, you will need a freezer bag or a parchment sheet to keep the beans from frying away during crushing. You will also need to crush the beans on a large cutting board.

How it works

• Fold your coffee beans between two sheets of parchment or put them in a plastic bag (if you have a freezer bag the better).
• Press down the coffee beans firmly with your hammer but don’t hit them.
• Crush one side of the bag after another until the beans are crushed completely.
• Empty the beans and add some more and then crush again until you get the bean grinds you want

Grind Coffee Beans with a Knife

Another tool to help you grind coffee beans is a knife. But you should use the flat side of the knife and not the sharp one.

If you have a butcher or chef’s knife that has a slightly wider and firmer blade, you can use it to grind your coffee beans.

To grind coffee beans with a knife, you will need a large cutting board to keep the beans from running away.

How to grind with a Knife

• Pour the beans on a larger cutting board.
• Use the flat side of the knife to carefully press down the beans firmly until they crush. You need to put a towel on top of the knife to keep the grounds from flying away during grinding.
• Don’t strike the blade as this will make the beans to fly away but press down the knife firmly.
• Continue pressing down the beans with the knife until you get the beans finely ground.

Use a Rolling Pin

Grinding coffee beans with a rolling pin will deliver a bit more even grind than the methods we have explained above but you will need a little elbow grease. The good thing is that most kitchens have a rolling pin. So don’t go without drinking your morning cup of coffee because your grinder isn’t working yet you have a rolling pin.

To grind coffee beans with a rolling pin, you will need a large cutting board or counter space or any wider and flat surface, and a plastic bag or parchment paper.

How to grind coffee beans with a rolling pin

• Add a small amount of coffee beans into the plastic bag or fold them between two sheets of parchment paper.
• Place the plastic bag or the two folded sheet of parchment that contains the coffee beans on the counter
• Press down the beans with the pin the same way you could do with a hammer to grind your beans.
• Continue crushing by rolling the pin over the beans until you get the consistency you want.

Grind Coffee Beans with Food Processor

Probably you are wondering how you can grind your coffee beans with a food processor but if yours came with a blade it is possible to do it. A food processor works similar to the blade grinder although it cannot get you similar results- a food processor will get medium-sized grind.

How it works

• Add a few scoops of coffee into the processor bowl and cover it with a firm lid. This will prevent the beans from frying out during grinding
• Grind your coffee beans in short quick bursts. You can tilt your processor slightly the same way you can with a blender to get the best results
• If you want to brew too much coffee, empty the grinds and add a few more scoops, and repeat the grinding process once more until you get the quantity of coffee you want.

What’s the Best Alternative to Coffee Grinder?

As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can grind your coffee even if you don’t have a grinder but if you want to achieve the best results, a mortar and pestle is the best option.

When it comes to grinding coffee beans, consistency is everything and using a mortar and pestle can help you achieve a near-consistency.

Just make sure your mortar and pestle are made of ceramic material.

If none of these methods seem to work for you, you still don’t have to go without drinking your cup of coffee.

If you aren’t aware of how to grind coffee beans with the methods we have shared here, you can take your coffee beans to the nearest grocery store or coffee shop and grind them there. Just find out whether they can grind coffee beans from outside. Some coffee shops don’t grind coffee beans that come from other shops.

You will be required to pay a small fee for having your coffee beans ground in a coffee shop or grocery store.

No Grinder? Don’t Worry!

If you had been wondering how to grind coffee beans without a grinder, we hope this article helps you.

Whether your coffee grinder is not working or you just don’t have one at the time you need to drink coffee, you can still grind your coffee beans with the consistency you prefer. Regardless of the method you use, just make sure to grind or crush a few beans at a time to achieve a uniformly fine texture in your grounds.

Have you ever used any or all of the methods we have shared above? How was your experience?

Let us know whether you have used any other method apart from the ones we have discussed above.

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