You don’t need a coffee grinder to have freshly ground coffee at home. While a coffee grinder definitely makes things easier, you can use other appliances that you have in your kitchen to accomplish this task.
For example, a blender can quickly chop and grind other ingredients, so can you get freshly ground coffee beans from your blender?
Your Blender Can Grind Coffee Beans
The short answer to this burning question you have is, yes, you can grind coffee beans in a traditional blender. You read that correctly. That tried and true blender you use to make delicious smoothies can grind coffee beans. Grinding your coffee beans in a blender will work in a pinch if you don’t have a coffee grinder or have no desire to purchase one.
It’s perfectly safe to grind coffee beans in a blender. You don’t want to put too many beans in the blender at once, though. If you put too many, you’ll end up with some ground beans and others that barely touched the blades.
Will the Coffee Beans Affect the Blender’s Equipment?
It is perfectly safe to grind coffee beans in the blender. The coffee beans shouldn’t have any adverse effect on the blender’s body or the blades.
The only reason the coffee beans may cause harm to the blender is if the blender is old, already has cracks, or the blades are damaged from prolonged use. But overall, coffee beans are not strong enough to cause damage to your blender.
How Will it Affect the Taste of the Coffee?
As long as you’re washing your blender in between uses, your coffee should taste like, well, coffee. You won’t need to worry about your smoothie or whatever else you’re making in the blender tasting like coffee either as long as you properly clean it.
The one way that your coffee may taste a little different after being ground in the blender is if you over-grind it. When the blender is running, the blades produce heat which can burn the beans. Burnt coffee is not a taste many people enjoy.
Cleaning a blender is relatively simple. If you have a dishwasher and your blender can go in the dishwasher, you can rinse it out and then put it in there, or hand wash the kitchen tool for a quicker clean.
Be sure you check your specific blender’s instructions for cleaning. You won’t want to put it in the dishwasher if it says you have to wash it by hand.
How to Grind Coffee Beans in a Blender
The best way to grind coffee beans in a blender is to make sure you’re using the correct setting. If your blender has a “grind” setting, you’ll want to use that. A grind setting will produce ground coffee that is the closest to what you would get with a coffee grinder.
If your blender doesn’t have that setting, don’t panic! You can still grind the beans in the blender. Almost every blender has a “pulse” setting. This setting is going to be your best friend for grinding coffee beans. You don’t want to overfill the blender. Start with 1/4 cup at a time to make sure you don’t have half-ground coffee and half-full beans.
You’ll pour the coffee beans into the blender and then begin pulsing until you see the consistency you want. Keep in mind that when using a blender, the blending process produces heat.
You don’t want to grind your coffee beans for more than 30 seconds in the blender because this heat can actually burn the beans. If you accidentally roast your coffee beans, you probably won’t like the taste of your coffee very much.
Pros of Using Your Blender to Grind Coffee Beans
Probably the most beneficial thing about grinding coffee beans in a blender is that it’s a quick process. You’ll only need to grind the beans for about 20 seconds, 30 seconds at the absolute most.
Another benefit of using this appliance that you already own is that you don’t need to spend more money on a coffee grinder. If you like how the blender grinds your coffee beans, you can put that money you would spend on a coffee grinder towards more coffee beans or whatever else you need to.
Cons of Using Your Blender to Grind Coffee Beans
If you’ve ground coffee beans before in a coffee grinder, you know that you can get a super fine consistency with all the beans the same size. When you choose to grind your coffee beans in the blender, it’s important to remember that there’s no way to ensure that all your coffee beans are ground to the same size.
Alternatives to Think About
Grinding your coffee beans in the blender will do in a pinch. But if you’ve tried it and want a more consistent ground coffee or don’t like using your blender, here are a few other alternatives you can think about.
Buy a Spice Grinder
Many spice grinders are actually marketed as coffee grinders. If you don’t have a spice grinder, purchasing one will provide you with a new kitchen tool with dual uses. If you are interested in looking at a spice grinder for your coffee beans, try to find one with burrs rather than blades. The burrs will give you a more consistent grind.
Buy a Coffee Grinder
This may seem like an obvious alternative, but you can always buy a coffee grinder. A coffee grinder will have burrs that are perfect for grinding coffee. When you use a coffee grinder for your beans, you’ll get a fine ground powder where all the beans are consistently the same size.
Use or Buy a Food Processor
Another kitchen tool that you may have lying around is a food processor. Food processors are a great alternative to grinding coffee beans in a blender. They tend to have more settings to choose from, but overall, they work very similarly to a blender.
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