Coffee grinders are a wonderful tool to have in your kitchen because they can grind much more than just your average coffee beans.
These versatile tools can grind spices, wheat, tea leaves, rice, and other grains. But what else, if anything, can your coffee grinder grind? Can you grind ice in a coffee grinder?
You Can and Cannot Grind Ice in a Coffee Grinder
The answer to whether you can grind ice in a coffee grinder or not is a little more complicated than yes or no. The straight answer is that you can, but it depends on the type of coffee grinder you have.
You Can Grind Ice with a Burr Coffee Grinder
If you own a burr coffee grinder, you’re in luck. This is the type of coffee grinder that you should use for your ice if you must use a coffee grinder. A burr coffee grinder is much stronger than a traditional blade coffee grinder. Therefore, it can withstand the strength of ice cubes.
However, it would be better if you don’t use your burr coffee grinder for ice. While you can do it, of course, it doesn’t mean that you should do it. It might dull the blades of your burr coffee grinder.
Not only that, the water from melted ice will seep through the blades, making it rust at some point. Prudence dictates that even if you can grind ice using a burr coffee grinder, there might be better tools for the job, which we will discuss later.
You May Not Want to Grind Ice in a Blade Coffee Grinder
While a burr coffee grinder is a great tool to grind ice with, you may want to avoid doing this if you have a blade coffee grinder. The blades on your bladed coffee grinder are usually not strong enough to handle grinding ice cubes. Ice cubes could cause the blades to break or, even worse, the entire grinder.
We’re not saying that you can’t put ice cubes in your blade coffee grinder. But if you don’t want to risk damaging the blades or motor, we suggest getting a burr coffee grinder or crushing up ice cubes another way.
Reasons to Grind Ice in a Coffee Grinder
You may be wondering why people would want to grind ice in their coffee grinder in the first place. There are a surprising number of reasons people crush ice in these grinders.
Your Ice Maker Doesn’t Have a Crush Setting
If you have a fridge with an ice and water dispenser, you probably have the option to choose between ice cubes and crushed ice. Some people don’t have a preference between the two styles of ice, but some people do.
For those who love chewing on crushed ice, yes, it’s not great for your teeth, but people will do what they want; using your coffee grinder to crush ice for you is a great option.
You Only Need a Small Amount of Crushed Ice
Even if your fridge has a water and ice dispenser, it may be better to grind in your coffee grinder if you need a tiny bit of crushed ice. Since coffee grinders can only grind a minimal amount of ice at one time, you’ll have better control of how much crushed ice you have.
Grinding ice in a coffee grinder is perfect when you only need to fill one glass with crushed ice. You can toss three or four ice cubes into your grinder and have the perfect amount of ice for your chilled beverage.
You Can Grind Coffee Ice Cubes for Your Iced Coffee or Cold Brew
Even if you’re not a big iced coffee or cold brew drinker, you’ve probably heard about people freezing coffee in ice cube trays. This simple but effective idea is the perfect ice to use in iced coffee and cold brew because it won’t dilute your coffee. As it melts, it just adds more coffee to your drink.
Usually, people serve these chilled coffee beverages with ice cubes. But if you love crushed ice, you can make coffee ice cubes and then grind them in your coffee grinder. The end result will still be ice that won’t dilute your coffee, but it will definitely give your coffee a different look.
Alternatives to Grinding Ice in a Blade Coffee Grinder
So, if you only have a coffee grinder but want to grind ice for whatever reason, there are other options for you. Check out these alternatives to grind ice that won’t cause your coffee grinder to break.
Buy a Blender
Blenders are great for crushing ice. They’re just more suited for the job. We use a blender for smoothies and the like. So, instead of risking damage to your coffee grinder, we think it’s better to just use a blender, the right tool for the job.
Use Your Food Processor
We know what you’re thinking. We suggested that you don’t use your blade coffee grinder for ice in the fear that it would break the blades, but we’re suggesting using your food processor? Food processors have blades as well, therefore aren’t the best options, but it is an alternative at the end of the day.
Crush Ice in a Resealable Bag
This isn’t the most glamorous way to achieve crushed ice, but it is an effective way. If you have any resealable plastic bags around and a meat tenderizer, you can use these to crush ice.
You’ll just fill the small plastic bag with ice cubes and then seal the bag. You’ll take your meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or something similar to begin hammering the ice. Another option is to, instead of using ice cubes, fill the bag with water and freeze it solid before crushing.
Buy an Ice Crusher
If you use crushed ice more than you use ice cubes, you may want something that can crush a more considerable amount of ice at a time. Since your coffee grinder can only grind so much ice at once, an ice crusher may be a good option.
There are appliances made specifically to grind ice into crushed ice. Some of these devices tend to be on the pricey side, but if you use crushed ice frequently, it may be an excellent investment to save your blade coffee grinder from breaking.
