Can You Use A Coffee Grinder As A Blender? -

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Can You Use A Coffee Grinder As A Blender? Depending on what you want to blend, the answer is No. A coffee grinder is made to grind dry and small ingredients that can fit into the grinder and will easily be broken down by the blades of the coffee grinder.

While a Blender is relatively bigger and is used to make things like Smoothies, which makes it ideal for liquids.

Using your coffee grinder as a blender has more Cons than it has Pros, I’ll go into a few of them below, so you can determine if the risk is worth the reward.

Reasons not to use coffee grinder as a blender

Outlined below are a few reasons not to use your coffee grinder as a blender.

Not ideal for wet ingredients

Although the motor and blades of a coffee grinder is sturdy enough to grind hard substances like nuts and spices, it is designed to be used to break down dry ingredients, therefore it is not sealed properly to be water-resistant.

If you use the coffee grinder to blend fruits, the juices of the fruits will gradually seep through the crevices of the grinder into the motor which may cause damage.

As long as what you want to blend has liquid, or can produce liquids, it’s best to avoid using your coffee grinder as a blender.

May ruin your coffee grinder

It’s no secret that water and electricity can cause chaos, if you substitute a coffee grinder as a blender and use it to grind tomatoes for example, when the liquid inevitably begins to seep through the seal into the motor of your coffee grinder, it may end up causing irreparable damage to your grinder.

May affect the taste of your coffee

After you’ve blended tomato or fresh ginger, even if you wash it out, If water does not damage your grinder, what you blended may end up affecting the quality of your next coffee grind. This cross-contamination will only happen when you use your coffee grinder as a blender.

If you need to blend tomato, garlic or ginger, it’s best you use a grater or a knife to finely chop into bits if you don’t own a blender.

It can electrocute you

Using your coffee grinder as a blender to process liquids is the fastest way to get shocked, I don’t know about you but electric shocks aren’t fun at all.

No matter how properly insulated your coffee grinder maybe, when it comes in contact with water, it may cause “partial contact” especially when the water enters into the device. To avoid causing physical harm to yourself, get a blender to make your smoothies if you don’t own one.

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Will change the taste of your smoothies

When you use a coffee grinder to make smoothies, the oils and coffee residue in the device will still be present no matter how much you clean it.

This will end up influencing the taste of your smoothies. If you don’t want your milkshakes or smoothies tasting like stale ground coffee, use a blender to make them. A food processor would be a better fit to make smoothies if you do not own a blender.

Waste of time

Coffee grinders are usually small, the average coffee grinder holds about 4-8 cups of coffee, and that’s dried.

Blenders are usually large and get more processing done at a fast rate, when you use your coffee grinder, you end up taking a lot of time because you have to grind in several batches in order to blend completely.

Trust me, it’s not worth the stress, just get yourself a cheap and affordable blender off Amazon.

Rust

The more you use your coffee grinder as a blender, the faster the internal components rust, although the blades may be made of stainless steel which makes them less prone to rusting.

The components made of copper will rust over time, therefore, if you have succeeded in the past and used it without getting shocked, you should know there may still be side effects that will eventually make your coffee grinder stop working.

Things you can grind in a blender and coffee grinder

In case you were wondering, outlined below are a few food substances that you can grind in a coffee grinder as well as a blender.

Grains

If you don’t have a grain mill and you need to process your wheat, oats or rice, the easiest way you can do this in the comfort of your home is by either using a coffee grinder or a mini blender.

They are powerful enough to grind the grains into a smooth consistency, it will take no time at all. Since it’s dry it wouldn’t have any side effects on your coffee grinder either.

Spices

Spices like Thyme, Cloves, and Cinnamon can be easily ground in a coffee grinder or blender, some coffee grinders are also considered spice grinders which makes them an ideal pick.

Nuts

If you need your Nut ground into flour, you can easily get it done by using either of the devices, a blender would be most effective in this case but a coffee grinder too will get the job done.

Ensure you remove the husk from the nuts before processing. It will dull the blades of your device, and the husk is inedible anyway.

Cocoa beans and Nibs

Looking to process some cocoa for chocolate? You can easily use your blender or coffee grinder to get it done in the comfort of your home, no sweat.

Always remember to clean your devices after use, to avoid ruining the taste of any food you may make in the future.

FAQS

What else can I grind in a coffee grinder?

As mentioned earlier, it’s mostly dry ingredients that get processed in a coffee grinder, which means you can grind your nuts, spice (dry of course), and some herbs with your coffee grinder. As long as it is dry and can fit into your device, it can get processed.

Be careful not to put overly hard substances in the coffee though, so you don’t chip the blades, ensure you get a sturdy device like the Hamilton Beach Fresh Coffee Grinder.

Is a coffee grinder the same as a blender?

No, not at all. They are similar in the sense that they are both used to break down and process foods, but they are very different in many other aspects.

There are certain ingredients you can process in a coffee grinder as well as a blender, such as spices and nuts.

Can I use a coffee grinder instead of a food processor?

Depending on what you’re grinding, if it’s dry then sure you can, however, for food substances like veggies and dough that can be processed in a food processor, I would not advise you to use a coffee grinder.

Also, dry ingredients such as crackers that are processed in the food processor should also not be put in a coffee grinder.

Can I use a blender to grind spices?

Absolutely, there are blenders small and powerful enough to grind spices into a smooth powder for seasoning.

However, for larger model blenders, using them to grind spices may be a bit tricky, because the quantity may not be enough for it to even reach the level which the blender blades are at. It’s best to use a small blender when grinding spices, a perfect example of such a blender is the NutriBullet Blender.

Can I grind wheat in a coffee grinder?

Yes, you can. It’s possible to grind wheat in a coffee grinder if you absolutely need to, it’s dry and small enough to fit in the coffee grinder anyway. The “fine grind” setting on your coffee grinder is ideal for grinding the wheat into a smooth powder.

However, the only drawback that may arise is the fact that you should not overwork your coffee grinder and damage the motor.

Wheat is usually grounded in large quantities and coffee grinders just may not cut it, instead, you should use a grain mill to get the job done faster and more efficiently.

Can I use a blender to chop veggies?

I don’t think you should. If you need to chop veggies, it’s best to use a knife to chop them up as best as you can. Using a blender will ruin the texture of the veggies and will make the sizes inconsistent, unless you’re making a broth which you only need the flavor without the aesthetic, then you can go for it.