Can I use a coffee grinder to grind almonds: Yes, you can use a coffee grinder to grind almonds. The reason is that almond nuts are not that hard so, they become friendly to the coffee grinder. In order for the grinding to be ok, you need to use the grind and pulse method.
In this article, I will list out other things you can grind using your coffee grinder. However, before then, let us check how to grind almonds in a coffee grinder.
Important Links:
Can I Use a Coffee Grinder to Grind Spices?
How to Grind Almonds in a Coffee Grinder
If you want to grind your almond in a coffee grinder but don’t know how to go about it, I have prepared these steps for you:
1. Get your coffee grinder ready by dusting it to be free of any dirt or dust.
2. If you are using an electric coffee grinder, plug it into an electric source.
3. Get your almond nuts ready in small batches depending on how much you need them.
4. Pour the nut in small quantities into the coffee grinder in such a way you can cover the lid.
5. Start grinding your almond nut using the grind and pulse method.
6. Once you get to your desired consistency, you can then transfer the almond to the preferred container.
Other Things you can Grind with a Coffee Grinder
Apart from grinding your coffee with a coffee grinder, you can as well grind other things other than almond nuts. In a short while, I will explain this trick.
To Grind Spices: it is not news that spices are flavored ingredients we can add to our meals to bring out the aroma and taste that we deserve. The good news is that we can as well grind these spices using a coffee grinder. That means, if you don’t have a spice grinder, you don’t need to worry since you already have a coffee grinder, go ahead and grind it.
To Grind Breadcrumbs: you can also grind your breadcrumbs using a coffee grinder. All you need is to tear your breadcrumb into small pieces, and your coffee grinder will handle the rest. With this, you don’t need to stress yourself bringing out a food processor. The coffee grinder will give you enough fine grind. You shouldn’t overload the machine with breadcrumbs; this is where grinding in batches has to play a good role.
To Grind Small Quantity of Flour: coffee grinders are also good for grinding your favorite ingredients such as flour but should be in small quantities. I always advise people to grind any of their ingredients in batches so as to not overload the coffee grinder and get damaged as a result.
To grind pumpkin seeds: the idea of using a coffee grinder to grind some food items is that the ingredients are not tough enough to damage the blade. In as much as that rule is obeyed, you can grind such food items using your coffee grinder. You can grind pumpkin seeds in a coffee grinder and nothing will happen to it (your coffee grinder).
To Grind Melon: melon seeds should not be too hard to grind in a coffee grinder. In as much as you are able to grind them in small quantities, you are good to go. However, the coffee grinder you will be using here, I suggest should be a blade rather than a burr. My reason for this suggestion is because; I believe melon needed to be sliced first before grinding it.
Alternative Methods of Grinding Nut without a Coffee Grinder
If you don’t have a coffee grinder, don’t worry, since there are other methods you can use to grind your nuts or other food items not mentioned. As you continue to read on, I will reveal the hacks about this matter at hand.
Grinding with a Professional Blender
It shouldn’t be news that grinding your nuts with a Professional Blender is the best method you should adopt immediately. If you want to be free of cleaning your coffee grinder, the best alternative for you is the Professional blender. It will help you grind your nuts comfortably in the comfort of your home. In fact, if you don’t have a nut chopper, and you wish to grind nuts without issue, a professional blender is an answer.
However, if you insist that you want to use a professional blender instead. I have some recommendations for you and they are powerful blenders such as Magic Bullet or Nutribullet blender. These blenders are perfect for making your job easier and hassle-free.
One other good thing about Magic bullet blender is that it is a high-performance blender that chops nuts easily compared to a coffee grinder that is not basically made for that purpose. It is a blender with 250 watts motor and that makes it sufficient to handle that job without any problem.
However, if you really want to make fine powder or nut butter, I will honestly recommend a Nutribullet blender to you. The reason is that it has a more powerful motor which is 900 watts and can easily blend and grind varieties of nuts without issues.
Grinding with a Nut Chopper
If you are in need of the most affordable and as well as ideal option, I recommend that you go for a nut chopper. This will be a perfect tool for you at home.
I have this to tell you about Prepworks by Progressive International that which is the best nut chopper based on experience.
The reason why I selected Prepworks by Progressive International as the best is that:
It is very easy to use and as well very affordable. If you can’t afford expensive nut choppers, kindly go for this amazing chopper that can still get your job done with complete ease. It will be a perfect alternative for your daily routine.
Using a Food Processor
Another good alternative is the food processor. This helps you to effortlessly grind all types of nuts with controllable issues.
Remember, all types of nuts are known for releasing oil when crushed or grounded. For this reason, it is very important for you to avoid your food processor parts from becoming oily.
For this reason, mentioned, you should ensure that the nuts you are about to grind are stored in the refrigerator before grinding them in your food processor.
After that, you should place the nuts inside of the food processor jar and then apply the pulse in the short bursts method only.
The method will help you get the fine or coarse grind as you may desire. Another important step you should follow is that you should avoid grinding for a longer period. If you grind nuts for too long, then they will begin to release oil and as a result, can clog the food processor parts.
Anyway, I don’t relax on making research, I was able to find the best food processor I can recommend to you which is the Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY 14 Cup Food Processor. You will be glad that I recommended it to you.
Using a Spice and Nut Grinder
If there is any other method I can recommend to grind your nuts easily at home, it is the option of a professional spice and nut grinder.
Professional spice and nuts grinders like Cuisinart SG-10 Electric Spice and Nut Grinder are perfectly designed to handle efficiently the grinding of all types of spices and nuts without any issue.
The jars that are attached to these grinders are made with high-performance and durable stainless steel blades.
The blades can grind all types of nuts with ease. Nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, and peanuts can be ground into coarse or fine powder.
This Cuisinart SG-10 spice and nut grinder, remain ideal as it also comes with extra storage space in the lid that is useful for storing grounded nut powder as soon as it is done.
It is a heavy-duty grinder because the motor is capable to grind all types of nuts into fine powder. Another powerful thing about it is that it is dishwasher safe which helps it to be free from clutter and oil-free whenever you set it to grind nuts.
Using Kitchen Knife
The final I have for you based on this article is the use of a kitchen knife manually. Perhaps, you are on a tight budget and you wish to save money for other more important things, I recommend that you make use of your kitchen knife as an alternative.
This will actually save you from spending too much on a food processor, or a professional blender, or any other grinder too expensive for the condition you currently find yourself. Thus, it is an ideal and proficient alternative.
You will need a chopping board and a large sharp kitchen knife to be able to chop your nuts.
Place the nuts on your chopping board and then continue to chop them with the knife slowly until you get the desired and accurate fine consistency.
3 Best times you can Use a Coffee Grinder
There are 3 situations I can recommend that you use your coffee grinder to grind ingredients other than coffee beans. The situations are explained below:
For Chopping Nuts: if you want to enjoy the taste of nuts in your salad, yogurt, or any other food that can take such a combination, then, you can use your home coffee grinder to do the magic.
Well refrigerated Nuts: nuts that are nut well refrigerated are not supposed to be ground in a coffee grinder.
To me, the mess they will cause will be hard to clean up. To avoid clogging by oil, it is ideal to first of all frozen or cool your nuts before grinding them in a coffee grinder.
For Nuts that are softer: there are soft nuts such as pecans, walnuts, peanuts, etc that you can grind in a coffee grinder and they will not give you any issues.
If you want to grind hard nuts such as almonds, unless you don’t have any choice, use a nut chopper or a blender. The reason is that your coffee grinder may not be sophisticated enough to handle a uniform powder of such hard nuts.
If you want a better result for hard nuts like almonds, the best tools I can recommend are food processors, blenders, and Nuts choppers.
What is the Best Coffee Grinder for Grinding Nuts?
The best coffee grinder for grinding nuts at home that I can recommend to you is this Hamilton Beach Fresh Grind Electric Coffee Grinder.
It comes with highly durable stainless steel blades that are sufficient enough to produce fine powder of all types of hard and soft nuts and spices. All you need to do is pay attention while grinding your nuts in this coffee grinder in particular as it could take a bit longer to get your desired fine nut powder from it.
If your choice is a manual coffee grinder, I recommend this Javapresse Manual Coffee Grinder.
This blender makes it easy for you to grind all types of nuts comfortably. It depends on your choice whether you want a coarse or fine powder, then adjusts its grind selector option.
To wrap things up
The only time I recommend a coffee grinder to grind other than coffee beans is when you must grind soft nuts.
If you actually want to get finer and healthier nut powder, I strongly recommend that you use either a high-quality food processor or blender.
However, if you are on a budget, and don’t want to spend beyond what you have targeted for the month, then purchasing a less expensive nut chopper or doing the job manually with a large kitchen knife will be the best alternative in such a situation.