How to Grind Coffee Beans Without a Grinder

Ever accidentally bought coffee beans instead of ground coffee? Before you panic and try and return them, there are a number of common household objects capable of grinding coffee beans – why not give them a go? We’ll discuss these items below and how best to utilise them, to ensure a ‘useable’ ground coffee is produced.

Use a Blender

Using a blender is one of the easiest ways to grind your beans to a good consistency at home, when a coffee grinder isn’t available. Some blenders may have a ‘grind’ setting built into them, which makes this even easier. If yours doesn’t, the ‘pulse’ setting is your best bet at creating a consistent grind. Keep in mind that during the blending process, your beans will begin to heat up if not pulsed correctly. Use a blender the same way you would use a blade coffee grinder – short bursts at a time.

How To Grind Beans With a Blender

1. Select ‘medium-high’ setting or ‘grinder’ setting
2. Pour desired amount of coffee beans into the blender and close the lid
3. Using a pulse setting, grind the beans in bursts of 3-5 seconds
4. Repeat the process until it’s been either 30 seconds or the beans look like they have a good consistency
5. Tilting the blender whilst grinding can ensure that grounds are loosened come into contact with the blades more frequently

Use a Food Processor

Similar to the blender, a food processor can also be a suitable alternative to a coffee grinder. Due to their width, in comparison to a blender, it’s best to add more coffee beans for this method. Doubling the amount of coffee beans should work. If you end up with surplus ground coffee from doing this, simply add it to an airtight container to save for your next brew.

How to Grind Coffee Beans With a Food Processor

1. Pour desired amount of coffee into food processor
2. Using a pulse setting, grind the beans in bursts of 3-5 seconds
3. Repeat the process until desired consistency is achieved or a total of 30 seconds is reached
4. Tilting the food processor can ensure that the grind is roughly the same size

Use a Rolling Pin

If you’re having to resort to a manual method, a rolling pin can get the job done. This method is best suited when a coarse grind is required, like for French Press. Simply place your coffee beans into a Ziplock bag and crush them with the rolling pin, until a coarse grind is reached.

How to Grind Coffee Beans Using a Rolling Pin

1. Place an amount of coffee beans in a Ziploc bag, ensuring there’s no trapped air so the bag doesn’t pop when pressure is applied
2. Crush the beans with the rolling pin, shaking the bag regularly to loosen the coffee
3. Gently but firming drive the rolling pin over the bag, applying even pressure to the beans
4. Continue until desired consistency is met

Use a Mortar and Pestle

Although laborious, this method creates finer grounds which are better suited to drip coffee or chemex. Simply alter the pressure applied or time spent grinding to create the coffee consistency you desire.  

How To Grind Coffee Beans With a Mortar And Pestle

1. Fill your mortar with the amount you want (for smaller mortars, you might have to do two grinds to get the desired strength of coffee)
2. Pound the coffee beans with the pestle to start, which will break the coffee beans into manageable pieces
3. Once they have been crushed, move the pestle in a circle motion to finely grind your beans

Use a Hammer

If all else fails, a hammer can be used to grind your coffee beans. Similar to the rolling pin technique, place the beans in a bag and crush them firmly. Due to the nature of this process, ensure you place your bag on a strong and sturdy surface before beginning. Like the rolling pin method, this technique is really only suitable for brewing methods were a coarse grind is required.

How To Grind Coffee Beans With a Hammer

1. Place desired amount of coffee beans into a bag
2. Crush the beans with the hammer, by pressing down firmly (as opposed to hammering like you would a nail)
3. Continue until your desired consistency is met