Can You Grind Nuts In A Coffee Grinder?

Although coffee grinders are designed specifically for grinding coffee beans, can you grind nuts in a coffee grinder? Let’s find out!

A coffee grinder can grind nuts and even spices! It can turn nuts into powder and butter in just a few seconds. Some people use it to grind pumpkin seeds, so they blend better in smoothies. 

I’ve seen some of my friends grind nuts and dry spices in their electric coffee grinders, and it works well for them. However, several issues can arise when using a coffee grinder to grind nuts – the first one would be cleaning it. You can solve this problem by grinding rice in your coffee grinder.

We often think of our appliances as having only one function – perhaps, this is why our cupboards are overflowing with all the latest devices. Your coffee grinder, however, is quite versatile. Let’s find out more about how you can grind nuts in your coffee grinder.

How To Grind Nuts In Your Coffee Grinder

Fortunately, grinding nuts in your coffee grinder can be as simple as grinding spices or coffee beans. One of the main differences here is the small prep work needed to make the grind easier for your coffee grinder blades.

To grind nuts in your coffee grinder more effectively, follow these steps:

1. Choose the type of nuts you want to grind. You need to consider the density and hardness of the nut you’re planning to grind in your coffee grinder. For example, if you want to grind pecans, it will probably not crush as easily as grinding walnuts. 

2. Chop nuts into halves or quarters before putting them in your coffee grinder. Chopping the nuts isn’t technically required, but it will lighten the burden on your coffee grinder. If you do some prep work beforehand, the blades will not have to work as hard or for as long.

3. Put the nuts in your coffee grinder in small batches. You need to allow some space in the coffee grinder compartment for the nuts to move about while the blades and burrs are rotating. Furthermore, putting smaller batches will allow for a more effective grind.

4. Grind the nuts to your preferred coarseness. You can choose whether you grind your nuts into a coarse batch of finely chopped nuts or turn them into a more finely ground powder. However, this depends on your coffee grinder’s effectiveness, so make sure that you know its capabilities. 

You might also be wondering can you grind wheat in a coffee grinder.

How Does The Quality Of A Coffee Grinder Affect The Grind 

Whole coffee beans are great, but they’re useless unless they’ve been ground. Your coffee grinder may transform something whole into a fine powder with the flip of a switch. 

Your coffee grinder is just as important as the coffee bean itself when it comes to making a cup of coffee. The fast spinning of blades or burrs allows the grinding process to take place. These blades and burrs spin rapidly, with the quality of the grind depending on the quality of the grinder. 

You might also be interested in our explainer on can you use a coffee grinder for spices.

Blade Grinders Vs. Burr Grinders: What’s the Difference? 

There are two types of coffee grinders available on the market – the Blade Coffee Grinders and the Burr Coffee Grinders. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between these two grinders.

Blade Coffee Grinders

Blade grinders have a blade that resembles a propeller and spins quickly enough to make your head spin. There are no settings on this type of grinder because the grind is decided by how long you let it run. You can have a super-fine but inconsistent grind with only one blade with a few large chunks.

The constant spinning of the blades causes static, which can cause your coffee grinds to stick to any surface around – your hands, your cabinet, your clothes, etc. 

Burr Coffee Grinders (Conical and Flat Plate)

Blade grinders can get the job done despite their shortcomings, but a new grinder has arrived in town – the Burr Coffee Grinders. These grinders grind the coffee beans into a very consistent size, which is essential for a smooth cup of coffee. 

There are two types of burr grinders available on the market – the conical burr grinders and the flat plate burr grinders. The conical burr grinder is made up of two cone burrs with ridges, which helps grind your coffee beans to perfection. 

On the other hand, the flat plate burr grinder comprises two rings (serrated on the sides that face one another) and grinds vertically. Both perform an excellent job of uniformly grinding your coffee beans, which gives you the smoothest coffee.

Read our guide on the Best Coffee Grinders For Home: Ultimate Buyer’s Guide.

Alternative Ways To Grind Nuts

There are many excellent products out there that are inexpensive and don’t take up a lot of your kitchen space, including:

Nutribullet

The Nutribullet is one of the best multipurpose products available on the market. It comes with a milling blade that can make those very fine cuts of nuts or even turn them into peanut butter.

Small Food Processor

A typical food processor can take up a lot of countertop or cabinet space. However, there are also excellent options for small food processors (like Hamilton Beach 3-Cup Mini Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper) that will let you control how coarse or fine your nuts are chopped.

With these mini culinary treasures, you can pulse and chop your nuts into any size you need. Furthermore, aside from nuts, a small food processor is also ideal for chopping other ingredients without having the risk of cutting your fingers on accident.

Spice Grinder

Since there is a tool for everything in the kitchen, you should invest in one of these if you plan on chopping nuts or grinding spices daily. For this, we recommend Mueller HyperGrind Precision Electric Spice/Coffee Grinder – it has excellent customer reviews, not to mention that it’s Amazon’s #1 best seller in grain mills.

Chop Them Yourself

By far, chopping nuts by hand is the least appealing option on our list. Nevertheless, it is indeed an alternative. With this method, you can ensure that you get the consistency you desire.

You might also be interested in our guide on the best coffee grinders for spices.