Can You Make Coffee With Whole Beans? The Surprising Truth

Typically, making a good cup of coffee starts with buying whole bean coffee, grinding it fresh, and then brewing. But if you accidentally bought whole bean coffee, don’t have a grinder, or your grinder broke, can you make coffee with whole beans? As it turns out, you CAN make coffee with whole beans. And actually, the result, if you do it correctly, isn’t nearly as bad as you might think. It’s even kind of…good.

But before you start brewing, there are some things you need to know, like how it will taste different, the methods for brewing coffee with whole beans, and some alternatives to grinding you can try instead. In this guide, I’ll explain everything you need to know about brewing whole-bean coffee.

Why You Might Want or Need to Make Coffee With Whole Beans

There are several scenarios that could lead to you wanting or needing to make coffee using whole coffee beans without grinding them first:

You accidentally purchased whole bean coffee and don’t have a grinder. To avoid wasting the beans, you decide to try making coffee with them whole. Waste not, want not, right?
You’re backpacking or traveling and brought whole bean coffee but not your grinder. You still want your morning caffeine fix.
Your grinder broke and you haven’t replaced it yet, but you have a bag of whole beans you want to use up.
You’re curious about the process and want to experiment with an unusual technique just for fun. This was my reason for brewing coffee with whole beans.
The grinder you have produces completely inconsistent grounds, leading to sour, bitter, acidic, or generally bad tasting coffee. You hope whole beans could lead to better flavor.

For me, it was mostly curiosity and experimentation that led me to try making coffee with unground beans. But your case might be different; you could be in need of your caffeine fix with nowhere to turn. If you want to avoid wasting the precious beans, making coffee without grinding first actually IS a viable option.

Pros of Making Coffee Without Grinding

Believe it or not, there are a few advantages to using whole coffee beans to make coffee rather than pre-ground beans or grinding them yourself first.

You don’t need any special equipment like a coffee grinder or blender. The beans themselves are all you need in addition to a pot and a source of heat.
There is no risk of inconsistent grind size leading to over-extracted or under-extracted coffee. The integrity of the whole bean is maintained.
Pre-ground coffee loses flavor and aroma and stales very rapidly, usually within minutes. Whole beans retain more aromatic oils and compounds for longer, leading to a sweeter, fuller flavor than using pre-ground coffee.
The process leads to lower acidity and a smoother mouthfeel. You’ll also notice some natural sweetness in your coffee that you might not otherwise be able to taste.
You can control contact time and extraction more easily by removing the beans when desired flavor is achieved. No need for a paper filter.
Speaking of not needing a filter, brewing coffee using whole beans is more environmentally friendly than using disposable filters for drip machines, pour over cones, and Chemex coffee makers.

Cons of Making Coffee With Whole Beans

However, there are also some downsides to making coffee with whole beans instead of grinding them.

It takes significantly longer to extract flavor from the beans. Cold brew can take 24 hours or more. Hot coffee takes at least an hour of simmering. If you’re in a jam and need caffeine, it might be better to hit your local coffee shop while your batch brews.
Maximum extraction and full coffee flavor is unlikely. Large portions of the beans’ interior remains untouched, so you’ll miss out on some of that flavor.
It typically results in weaker coffee since less surface area is exposed for water to interact with.
The coffee may be less consistent batch to batch since extraction is hard to control.

Overall, the tradeoff for simplicity is waiting much longer for a cup of coffee that is likely weaker in flavor. But in a pinch, it’s doable.

How to Make Coffee With Whole Beans

If you find yourself needing or wanting to make coffee using whole beans, there are two methods you can use. One makes hot coffee, while the other results in cold brew.

Making Hot Coffee With Whole Beans

To make standard hot coffee with whole beans, follow the process below:

Bring clean water to a boil in a pot on the stove. Use roughly 4 parts water to 1 part coffee beans as your ratio. For example, 400 grams of water means 100 grams of whole coffee beans. I recommend using a scale to make coffee, but you can also use volume for measurements. In that case, 4 cups of water to 1 cup of beans should do it.
Once boiling, remove from heat and add the whole coffee beans.
Return the pot to low heat and maintain a gentle simmer. Occasionally stir the beans around gently.
After 45 minutes to an hour, turn off the heat. Taste a small sip of coffee by carefully scooping out some liquid. It will be hot, so sip carefully and don’t burn yourself.
If the flavor seems strong enough, use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the beans. If it’s still weak, return to low heat for up to 15 minutes more, and taste it again.
Once strained, enjoy your hot whole bean coffee! Add milk, sugar, or other additives as desired.

The hour and a half of simmering slowly extracts flavor from the whole beans. When strained, you’re left with hot coffee that’s ready to drink.

Making Cold Brew With Whole Beans

For cold brew coffee made with whole beans, the process takes significantly longer since extraction slows down at lower temperatures. You can follow the process below to make cold brew with whole beans:

Add whole coffee beans and cool water to a container like a mason jar, French press, or glass carafe. Use the same 4:1 ratio of water to beans that you’d use for hot coffee with whole beans.
Stir or agitate the beans to make sure they are saturated and submerged.
Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 24 hours, or in the refrigerator for around 48 hours. I recommend stirring occasionally and tasting periodically once 12 hours passes on the counter or 24 hours pass in the fridge.
Once the flavor is strong enough for your liking, strain the beans from the concentrated coffee liquid.
Dilute concentrate with a 1:1 ratio of water or milk to coffee. Add ice and enjoy!

The lengthy steeping time slowly extracts flavor without heat for low-acidity coffee. When diluted, it makes smooth cold brew that has a surprising amount of body and natural sweetness.

While making coffee with whole beans is certainly possible, I can’t say I fully recommend it. There are two main reasons for this.

First, the purpose of grinding coffee beans is to increase their surface area. More surface area exposed to water means much faster and more balanced extraction of flavorful compounds like the oils, acids, sugars, and polyphenols that we love in coffee. Finer grounds have more surface area and lead to fast, even extraction.

Larger grounds—and whole beans—extract much more slowly. Whole coffee beans have a tiny fraction of the surface area of finely ground coffee. This means extracting flavor from whole beans happens at a snail’s pace in comparison. Even after lengthy brewing, you’ll never achieve full extraction of everything inside the bean that would lead to amazingly rich, aromatic coffee. Bottom line: you’ll lose out on some of the flavor if you brew coffee with whole beans.

On top of that, most people start wondering about making whole bean coffee when they desperately need their morning brew but find themselves without a grinder. Waiting an hour (at minimum) for hot coffee and up to a full day for cold brew probably isn’t going to cut it if you’re a true coffee addict and need your caffeine in a pinch.

My advice? Fix the grinding situation ASAP so you can enjoy the best possible coffee tomorrow morning. Head to your local roaster or coffee shop to buy pre-ground coffee for now, or just pay a little more and buy a coffee from your local coffee shop for now, and make sure you have the means to grind your coffee tomorrow.

Alternatives to Making Whole-Bean Coffee

Making coffee with whole beans is possible and, surprisingly, doesn’t lead to terrible results. But ideally, you should work with ground coffee for better results. Luckily, going from whole beans to ground coffee is possible even without a grinder. It just likely won’t result in an ideally consistent grind size.

But when you’re in need of caffeine, the following methods can work in a pinch.

Use This as an Excuse to Buy a Grinder

If you’ve found yourself with whole bean coffee but no way to grind it, let this motivate you to buy a coffee grinder! Investing in a good burr grinder is the best way to step up your home brewing game, and if you needed an excuse to drop some money on a grinder, let this be it.

Nothing beats the flavor of coffee ground fresh right before brewing. The aromatic compounds are preserved, and you get maximum flavor and body. It’s an indispensable kitchen tool for coffee lovers. So…let this serve as the impetus to buy a good coffee grinder.

Borrow a Grinder

If you just can’t find your grinder or your grinder broke, call up your coffee-obsessed friends or family members and see if anyone has a grinder you can borrow in the meantime. Explain your situation and ask to borrow theirs for a day or two until you can get your own. Most coffee aficionados will be happy to help out someone in need!

If you already ordered a grinder and are just waiting for it to arrive, just grind enough coffee for a day or two to hold you over. That way, those whole beans will be ready for you when your grinder gets to you.

If you don’t intend to buy a grinder at all, just grind the entire bag. After making a cup with freshly coffee, you might just be convinced that a grinder is worth the investment. If not, the worst-case scenario is that you at least didn’t waste the bag of whole bean coffee.

Lean On Your Local Coffee Shop

Sometimes, your local coffee roaster or coffee shop will be willing to grind a small bag of beans for you in their commercial grinder before they open for the morning rush. Some may refuse or charge a small fee, but it’s worth it.

Use a Blender or Food Processor

While inconsistent, using a blender or food processor to “grind” whole beans for a few pulses can do the trick. Use short pulses to avoid over-grinding into a fine powder. Sift out the largest chunks after, and you should have decent grounds for brewing. It’s not perfect, but it will work in a pinch. And if you’re used to using a blade grinder, you might not even notice a difference.

Use a Rolling Pin

You can also try using a rolling pin to crush your beans in lieu of grinding. Place the beans in a sealed plastic bag. Carefully use a rolling pin to crush them up by rolling back and forth. Apply medium pressure, and fold the bag over frequently to expose new beans. It takes some work, but you can break the beans into rough grounds.

I’d only recommend using these grounds in a drip machine or French press, as these brewing methods tend to be a little more forgiving when it comes to grind size inconsistency. And trust me: your grind size WILL be inconsistent if you use a rolling pin.

Use a Pestle and Mortar

Traditional but effective, a mortar and pestle can grind up a small batch of beans with some elbow grease. Add a handful at a time and grind in a circular motion with the pestle. Remove rough grounds and repeat.

This method is also highly inconsistent, so I recommend brewing in a drip machine or French press. It can help to sift out large pieces using a mesh strainer before brewing.

Smash Beans in a Bag

Add your beans to a sealable plastic bag, and close it up securely. Place that inside another plastic bag, and carefully smash the beans with a hammer or another blunt object. Make sure not to do this on your countertops or floors, as you could damage them. I’d recommend hitting carefully against concrete, if possible. Keep flipping the bag over to expose all beans to the hammer strikes. Stop when the beans reach a mix of fine and coarse textures.

This method sounds fun, but it’s probably the least consistent way to “grind” coffee, so I’d recommend trying the other options instead.

So, Is Making Coffee Using Whole Beans a Good Idea?

At the end of the day, can you make coffee by brewing whole coffee beans? Yes, absolutely. But should it become part of your regular coffee routine? Probably not. While it makes drinkable coffee in a pinch, the incredibly long brew times and weaker coffee flavor make it far from an ideal method.

Nothing can fully replace the complex flavors extracted from fresh, properly ground coffee beans. But if you ever find yourself stuck without a grinder and with whole beans on hand, give one of these methods a shot. Hopefully it’s just a temporary holdover until you can get your hands on a proper grinder and enjoy coffee the traditional way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to consume coffee made from whole beans?

Yes, it is completely safe to drink coffee made by brewing whole coffee beans. The beans simply steep in hot water longer to extract flavor rather than being quickly extracted through contact with finer grounds. No dangerous chemicals are released in the process. The only risk is slightly burning your mouth if you try to drink it before it has cooled down enough. Also, be careful not to swallow whole beans if you don’t strain thoroughly.

Will whole bean coffee keep me awake just as well as regular coffee?

Whole bean coffee will still provide caffeine to help keep you awake and alert. However, since the flavor extraction is not as thorough and complete, the caffeine content will probably be lower than traditional brewed coffee using grounds. If you need an intense caffeine kick, this method may leave you wanting more. If you’re really in a pinch, chew a few coffee beans instead. This will deliver all the caffeine the beans have to offer, although it’s not very pleasant.

What kind of beans work best for making whole bean coffee?

Dense, hard beans with an even surface and texture tend to brew better whole. Try beans known for their strong, bold flavor like dark roasts, French roast, or coffee from Brazil. The bolder beans hold up well to the low-and-slow extraction. Delicate beans can get overpowered and taste woody or bitter. Always use freshly roasted, high quality beans for the best flavor.