Can You Grind Coffee Beans in a Ninja? Innovative Ways to Use Your Blender

Expert Consulted: Carl. Utilizing my 6 years of experience in the coffee industry, I’m able to provide accurate and concise information, helping you make informed choices about beans, brewing methods, and equipment, thereby elevating your coffee experience. In this article, I’ll share my knowledge and experience to help you answer the question: Can you grind coffee beans in a ninja?

Ninja blenders are extremely popular around the world and for good reason. But if you’re someone who enjoys drinking coffee, there’s one burning question to which the answer is hard to find.

Can you grind coffee beans in a ninja? For those who want a quick answer, look no further.

Yes, you can definitely grind coffee beans in a ninja blender. However, if you want to make espresso using ground coffee from a ninja, forget it. A ninja is incapable of grinding fine enough and consistent enough for espresso and most other methods. Although, for cold brew, you’ll be okay.

If that didn’t quite have the answers you’re looking for, don’t worry; in this article I go in-depth on this topic to supply you with all the information you need.

How Good Is a Ninja Blender At Grinding Coffee Beans?

Well, as stated above, a ninja blender can grind coffee beans. But, the result is probably not what you want.

If you’re grinding coffee beans with the intention of making cold brew, this may be perfect for you. This is because cold brew requires a very coarse grind size, and a ninja blender will have no problem reaching that level of coarseness.

You could potentially grind for a pour over using a ninja too, but don’t expect too much.

The real issues arise when you start wanting more, like espresso, Turkish coffee, or other finer methods.

A ninja blender simply can’t go fine enough for those drinks, this is a real bummer for any espresso lover out there thinking they could use their ninja blender for espresso.

If light roasts are your preference, this is not for you. Light roast beans are too dense and may damage your blender, so please do not use light roasts.

Equipment

Before you start the grinding, there are a few things you’re going to need.

1. Obviously, a Ninja Blender. But ensure that it comes with a hybrid-edge blade, this is essential for grinding coffee beans.
2. Fresh Coffee Beans. Choose the beans that best match your favorite flavor profile and intended brewing method.
3. Scale. A standard kitchen scale will suffice, this is to measure the coffee beans for consistent results.

Preparation

Now we’re onto some quick preparation.

1. Your grinder must be both clean, and dry for this, so make sure to check that first.
2. Grab the blender pitcher and insert the hybrid-edge blade.
3. Then use the scale you have and measure your coffee beans.
4. Open the blender pitcher and pour in all your beans, be careful not to overload the pitcher, as we want an even grind.

Grinding The Beans

This is what you’re all here for.

1. Place the lid securely on the pitcher.
2. Set your blender to the pulse setting to help avoid overheating.
3. Pulse the blender in short 2-3 second bursts. This also helps aid against overheating and ensures a more even grind.
4. Then after each pulse, look at how your grind is coming along. Depending on what your desired size is, you may have to pulse some more.

And that’s that! You should hopefully have some great ground coffee for cold brew, french press, and other coarser methods.

If you’re not brewing the coffee straight away, transfer it to an airtight container to keep the coffee fresh.

But, you’re now left with a messy grinder no doubt, so let’s go over cleaning it.

Cleaning Your Ninja Blender

There are a few reasons why you should thoroughly clean your Ninja blender after this, the biggest one being flavors transferring between uses.

1. Take out the blender components and wash them thoroughly to remove any rogue coffee grounds leftover.
2. Make sure the blade and lid are both removed from the container, then place the container in the dishwasher. This will do wonders.

Summary

So, while the Ninja blender is not specifically intended for grinding coffee beans, with some adjustments you can most definitely get it done.

Please do not try to grind any light roast beans though, as they could damage your blender.

The little tutorial I created in this article should guide you through how to secure a consistent grind for your coffee beans on a Ninja blender.

It’s very important to mention that coffee aficionados will most likely favor a dedicated coffee grinder for its vast flexibility and precision which are far superior to the Ninja blender.

But, those with a Ninja blender handy will have no issue having freshly ground coffee at their disposal.

Also, having an appliance that you can use for multiple purposes is very convenient and will save you a lot of grief.

Image Attribution and Licensing

Main Image: ‘coffee beans on blades of a blender’ by Fanfan Meng. (Canva Pro/Getty Images)

#1: ‘Five levels of ground coffee beans’ by kazuma seki. (Canva Pro/Getty Images)