On the weekends, you love to grind coffee beans. The aromatic, flavorful cup of coffee you get is always worth the effort. You wish you had the time to grind coffee daily, but the weekdays are busy. Should you freeze fresh coffee grounds to use all week long?
Yes, you can freeze coffee grounds to use tomorrow or later in the week. Put coffee grounds in an airtight container before storing them in the freezer. Be sure to avoid light and heat. Use the ground coffee in two weeks for the best flavor.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about freezing ground coffee, from how to do it and why your choice of storage container matters.
Let’s begin!
Can You Freeze Fresh Coffee Grounds?
While some people gulp down subpar cups of coffee to get the caffeine buzz, that’s not you. You savor the experience of drinking coffee, so it’s important that it tastes good and energizes you. When you don’t have time to grind your coffee, which is the case Monday through Friday, you always long for the weekend when you can make fresh java.
That’s why you’ll be happy to learn that you can grind a week’s supply of coffee, freeze it, and then enjoy fresh coffee all week.
Compared to the ice cream, frozen peas, and frozen pizza in your freezer, adding ground coffee might seem like a strange choice, but it’s very much doable.
How do you freeze fresh coffee grounds? That’s the best part; it takes hardly any effort. All you have to do is grind the beans as you usually do, store the ground coffee in a container, and then put it in the freezer. We’ll talk in more detail about the types of containers you should use in the next section, but that’s the crux of it.
When you want to use your frozen ground coffee, we recommend taking it out of the freezer as soon as you’re up and out of bed for your weekday morning routine. By the time you make your cup of coffee, the grounds should have thawed out.
You then dump the grounds into your coffee pot with quality water and let them brew. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to enjoy a flavorful cup of coffee as you do on the weekend, but on a Wednesday! It will feel like the ultimate treat that will put you in a great mood.
Selecting the Right Canister to Freeze Fresh Coffee Grounds
As we said we would, it’s time to talk more about coffee storage and freezing. The container you choose dictates how fresh your coffee grounds will stay and, thus, how much flavor they’ll retain.
If you’ve ever had freezer-burned ice cream, we don’t have to tell you how the frost from a freezer can ruin your food. Now imagine trying to swallow down coffee made from freezer-burned grounds. Yeah, it wouldn’t be pretty.
You must freeze the coffee grounds in airtight bags or containers. If you decide on a bag, vacuum-sealing it will ensure it has zero air. Any storage container with a lid will also be airtight.
You have to consider where you put the stored coffee grounds as well. They could be ruined if they’re exposed to light, moisture, or heat when frozen. When you go to brew the grounds, the taste will be off.
An opaque container will prevent light from affecting the grounds. You can also wrap your vacuum-sealed bag in colored plastic packaging so light can’t hit the bag.
To avoid sources of heat, watch where in the freezer you put the coffee grounds. Both refrigerators and freezers have heat sources, even though these appliances feel cool to the touch. The back of your freezer is usually warmest since that’s where the vents are. Put your coffee grounds nearer the front of the freezer.
Will Freezing Ground Coffee Ruin it?
Frozen coffee grounds, like any frozen food, aren’t good forever. To avoid stale coffee and maintain that fresh taste like you brewed the coffee that day, use the frozen grounds within a week and no more than two weeks.
It’s okay if it’s two weeks and a day, but if it’s been closer to three or four, you’re better off throwing the coffee grounds away and grinding more. The frozen grounds might have become freezer-burned, and their taste will not be fresh either.
Can You Freeze Coffee Beans Too?
What about the whole coffee beans you use to grind your coffee? You may have a surplus and don’t want the ones you can’t use right now to go to waste. Could you freeze them as well?
If you don’t plan on using the whole beans within a week, freezing them is not a bad idea. However, if you plan to use them in the next day or two, you might want to store them at room temperature.
According to this 2019 article from Consumer Reports, the smells of other foods can be imparted to the beans if they’re frozen. This can affect the integrity of the bean’s taste, which will trickle down into your coffee cup, altering the flavor.
Further, Consumer Reports says that freezing coffee beans could dampen them, potentially affecting their flavor. It’s not worth it for coffee beans you’ll use in 24 to 48 hours.
Should you decide to freeze your coffee beans, you want to store them the same way you do fresh coffee grounds. Put the beans in an airtight container and keep the container away from light, heat, and other foods. Check the seal of the container to ensure it is still good.
How Long will Coffee Beans Stay Good Frozen?
Frozen coffee beans are good for three to four months, which is quite a lot of time! Just don’t forget about them any longer than that.
Related Reading: How to Tell if Your Coffee Beans Have Gone Bad
The Benefits of Freezing Your Fresh Ground Coffee
Although you might not freeze ground coffee all that often, that this is an option at all is pretty great. Here are some of the advantages you can enjoy.
It’s Easy to Do
We explained the process of freezing fresh ground coffee earlier. Outside of the considerations for the container you choose, the process couldn’t be any more straightforward. The hardest part is remembering to take the ground coffee out early to thaw in time for you to brew your morning cup.
Fresh, Flavorful Coffee Anytime You Want
The fresh taste of ground coffee is not something you usually enjoy every day, but by pre-grinding and then freezing your coffee, that all changes. Sure, frozen coffee grounds don’t taste as amazing as when you grind the coffee fresh, but frozen grounds still have a fantastic flavor if you use them not long after freezing them.
Saves Money
How often do you decide to drive to Starbucks rather than make a flavorless cup of coffee at home? Those $5 or $6 drinks add up if you buy one every weekday or close to it. That’s hundreds of dollars per year you’re spending on coffee alone.
When you pre-grind your coffee for the week, a little goes a long way. You’ll have more pocket money to use for anything you want.
Check out, “How Much is a Cup of Coffee When I Brew at Home?”
Coffee on the Go
You don’t necessarily have to brew your frozen coffee grounds at home. If you run out of time in the morning, you can bring the bag or container of grounds to the office and brew coffee in their kitchen. The coffee grounds will certainly thaw out during your drive to work!
Should Ground Coffee be Kept in the Refrigerator or Freezer?
Ground coffee should only be stored in the freezer, not in the refrigerator.
If you put your coffee beans in a refrigerator with the leftover dinner from the night before, there could be some cross-contamination of smell or taste. No one wants their coffee to smell or taste like the garlic chicken they had last night.
It’s better to place them in a dark pantry than the fridge.
To read more, click the link.
How to Keep Coffee Fresh After Opening?
If you want to avoid storing your coffee in the freezer, what are your best options for keeping it fresh and extending its shelf life?
You can do a handful of things to keep your coffee fresh.
- Check the roast date on the package.
- As the beans are exposed to oxygen, their taste begins to alter. Especially if you are buying coffee from the supermarket, be sure to check the roast date. You want to purchase one that was roasted recently.
- Whole beans (pre-ground beans) over ground coffee
- Once coffee beans are ground, more area is exposed to the air. You go from having a few hundred beans in a bag to a few thousand ground particles, so air can reach more coffee and degrade it quicker. Use a coffee grinder to grind a small batch. You only want to grind what you need for the day.
- Buy smaller portions
- Only buying what you need will limit the time the coffee sits in your cupboard.
- Purchase from a Master Roaster
- Buy high-quality Arabica beans from a roaster.
- Store in an airtight container
- Good storage is essential for storing coffee beans. Especially if you have specialty coffee, you want it to stay fresh. Once opened, it should be stored in a quality canister, like the coffee gator. The coffee gator is a stainless steel canister with a one-way valve letting carbon dioxide out.
- To learn more about keeping your coffee fresh, click here.
Final Thoughts
Freezing fresh ground coffee might not be something you’d think to do, but it works! Keeping your grounds in an airtight container away from light and heat is the key. Don’t forget to use the frozen coffee grounds within two weeks.
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