How to Grind Coffee Beans Without a Grinder? 7 Methods

When you talk of grinding coffee beans, the coffee grinder comes to our mind. But you can also grind coffee beans without a grinder.

This article will explain how to grind coffee beans without a grinder. 

We understand that coffee grind size always affects the flavor and texture of your hot brew. 

And it's crucial to get a uniform coffee ground size to fully extract the coffee flavor into your mug.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the best methods for grinding your coffee without a grinder.

Here are 7 Ways to Grind Your Coffee Beans Without a Grinder.

Just a heads up of how  your coffee ground grinds are going to turn out with different methods

Grinding coffee beans with a Food processor

Since most people use their food processors for a variety of cooking jobs, it is possible that unwanted flavors will be introduced to the coffee during the grinding process.

Before grinding your coffee, make sure that you thoroughly clean and dry the parts of your food processor before you grind coffee beans in a food processor.

Things you’ll need:

• A Food processor
• Roasted coffee beans
•  A Thin mesh  sieve
• Paper towels
• Airtight  container

Process:

1. Pulse-grind and shake to control grind size. The food processor's pulse setting allows instant grinding. Then add your roasted coffee beans.
2. Grind coffee by pressing and releasing PULSE 3-5 times. Or, use the on-off buttons to grind for 1-2 seconds. 
3. Shake the food processor to force large particles into the blades.
4. Empty the grounds onto the thin mesh sieve, the finer grinds will filter through, leaving the coarser grounds behind.
5. Put the coarser grounds into the food processor and pulse for an additional 3 to 5 seconds.
6. Repeat filtering and grinding until all grinds pass the sieve.
7. Take out the super fine coffee grinds or coffee dust that has formed. A paper towel can be used to collect the uniformly sized grinds from the container, and the grounds are fine enough to adhere to the towel. 
8. Spread sifted grounds on a paper towel and pull the corners to funnel them back into the container.
9. Repeat this process until you've ground enough coffee to brew.
10. Don’t worry if you have left some extra coffee grounds, you can just put them into an airtight container and use them later.

Grinding coffee beans with a mortar and a pestle

Pharmacists and cooks have used mortar and pestle for years to grind herbs, spices, and medicines.

Hammering and rolling produce a uniform texture. Furthermore, the grind may be adjusted from French-press coarse to Turkish-coffee fine.

Things you’ll need:

• Roasted coffee beans
• A box 
• Thin Mesh sieve
• Mortar and pestle

Procedure:

1. Add a couple of small scoops of coffee beans to your mortar.
2. Using the pestle, forcefully press down and twist the coffee beans to crush them.
3. Once crushed, roll the coffee around the bowl with the pestle until it reaches the desired consistency and texture.
4. If you need finer textured coffee grinds, keep filtering out the coffee through a thin mesh sieve. Keep the coarse grounds in the mortar and crush them. Repeat the process until you have no coarse coffee grounds left or you have reached the desired consistency of coffee grounds.

1. If you need to grind additional coffee, empty the previously ground coffee into an airtight container and repeat the process until you have enough grounds for your coffee.

There you go, Now you can brew coffee from freshly ground coffee beans without a grinder.

Grinding coffee beans with a rolling pin

The traditional rolling pin may crush and ground the coffee beans at the very same time. This results in a more equal texture and a finer ground than some other procedures.

This practice is very common among coffee lovers who grind coffee beans without a grinder. This process of grinding beans requires a lot of elbow grease.

Things you’ll need:

• A rolling pin
• Flat countertop space
• Plastic ziplock bag.
• Coffee beans

Procedure:

1. Fill the plastic bag halfway with whole bean coffee and place it flat on the counter.
2. Press down on the beans with the pin like a hammer.
3. Once the beans have been broken, roll the pin over them, pressing down strongly enough just to smash the bean fragments.
4. Roll the pin over the grinds until they are the consistency you like.
5. If the grounds are still too big, keep rolling and crushing until you have reached your desired coffee grind size.

Grind your coffee beans with a hammer

A meat tenderizer or a  hammer can easily crush your beans. As you crush the beans, you can keep improving your technique and get closer to making a fine powder out of them.

Things you’ll need:

• A Meat tenderizer or a Hammer
• A ziplock freezer bag
• Large cutting board
• Roasted coffee beans

Procedure:

• Fill the plastic bag with roasted coffee beans.
• Press down hard on the beans with your hammer to crush them until they reach the consistency you want.
• Start by crushing on one side of the bag and move slowly to the other side to get a more even grind.

Grind your Coffee Beans with a Knife

If you want to grind beans with a knife, the best way to do it is to use the flat side of the blade, not the edge.

With its slightly wider and stiffer blade, a butcher knife or chef's knife is better for crushing and cracking beans because it gives you more leverage.

When you crush beans with the flat side of the blade, you have a lot of control and can make a medium-to-medium-fine grind.

Things you’ll need:

• A butcher’s knife
• A wide countertop space or a cutting board
• Roasted coffee beans

Procedure:

• Arrange the roasted coffee beans on a chopping board.
• Place your knife flat on top of the beans, being careful to put the sharp edge on the board. 
•  Put a kitchen towel or paper towel over the knife to keep coffee grounds from flying off.
• Put the flat palm of your hand on top of the knife blade and press it down hard to crack the beans. 
• Once the whole bean coffee beans have been broken up, keep pressing down on the blade and slightly pull the blade toward you to make the grind even finer.

My thoughts on why a Coffee ground size matter:

Consistency and uniformity of the grind of coffee beans are important for making the best cup of coffee, says one of the most influential people in the coffee industry.

A consistent grind of coffee beans not only helps you get the best flavors out of your coffee, but it also helps make sure that every cup you make tastes as good as the last.

Ground coffee that isn't uniform tends to over-extract some grounds and under-extract others, which can leave a "chalky" taste in the coffee.