Coffee grounds are full of nutrients that can benefit gardens, compost piles, and even your skin But fresh grounds spoil quickly, growing mold after just a few days To preserve used coffee grounds for later use, it’s important to dry and store them properly. Here are some tips for saving coffee grounds without wasting this valuable resource.
Drying Coffee Grounds
The key to long-term storage is to thoroughly dry the used coffee grounds Wet grounds will rapidly develop mold or rot,
There are a few methods for drying used grounds:
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Sun drying – Spread the grounds in a thin layer on newspaper or a baking sheet. Place in direct sunlight and stir periodically to promote even drying. Replace the newspaper as it becomes damp. Drying can take 1-2 days.
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Oven drying – Spread the grounds on a baking sheet and place in the oven on its lowest setting, around 175°F to 200°F. Stir every 30 minutes until completely dry, about 1-2 hours.
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Air drying – Spread the grounds in a thin layer on absorbent paper towels. Allow to sit for 1-2 weeks in a dry spot, stirring periodically. The paper towels help wick moisture away.
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Freezing – Place wet grounds in an airtight container or bag and freeze. The grounds won’t completely freeze into a solid block, allowing you to continually add more. Freezing stops mold growth.
No matter the method, the grounds should be crisp and crumbly when fully dried, with no detectable moisture.
Storing Dried Grounds
Once dried, the grounds can be stored in sealed containers at room temperature for up to a year. Glass jars, plastic containers, or zipper bags all work well.
For longer storage, keep in the freezer. The grounds won’t fully solidify, allowing you to remove smaller portions as needed.
If storing in containers, add a desiccant pack to absorb any residual moisture and prevent mold growth. Silica gel packs work well.
When to Save Coffee Grounds
Collect grounds year-round for later use. Here are some reasons to save up a stash:
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Amend garden beds and pots in spring with stored grounds collected over winter. The nutrients give plants a boost at the start of growing season.
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Mix into compost piles whenever convenient. The grounds provide nitrogen for faster decomposition.
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Use in DIY skin scrubs and exfoliants. The abrasive texture helps remove dead skin cells.
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Eliminate odors in refrigerators and trash cans by placing some dried grounds in a small bowl.
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Sprinkle onto pathways or icy patches as a traction agent during winter. The coarse texture provides grip.
Use Fresh When Possible
While dried grounds can be stored conveniently, fresh grounds provide the most benefit. Use them immediately when possible, directly in gardens or compost piles.
If you generate more grounds than you need day-to-day, then drying and storage allows you to stockpile the excess for later. Proper drying and storage lets you hold onto this valuable resource.
How to Dry and Store Used Coffee Grounds
To preserve used coffee grounds for long-term storage, follow these steps: Collect fresh grounds, spread them on newspaper, dry them in the sun, and replace the top layer of the grounds and newspaper daily. After drying, store in plastic, glass jars, or paper packaging. The dried grounds can be stored for at least a year,…
This post is in response to some questions I’ve received about drying coffee grinds and then how to store them.
This becomes important when you are collecting large quantities of used grounds, or large enough that you can’t use right away.
Used coffee grounds do not store too well due to their high water content; in this state they are primed to decompose which is a great thing for everything but long term storage.
Just follow these steps for dried coffee success:
- Get yourself some used coffee grounds. If you are unsure of where to go to get them, your local cafe is a good place to start, and if still in doubt then check out the Ground to Ground Map on Google for more locations.
- The grounds you collect should be fresh and not at the point where they have started to mold. If they start getting a mouldy smell, and go blue or white (or blueish or green), then those used coffee grounds are perfect for adding to the compost but not for drying out and then storing.
- Find one of those bakers trays with the crisscross gaps in the base. Cover the base with dry newspaper (and removing any staples), about 6 sheets thick.
- Lay the coffee grounds over the newspaper, keeping the grounds no more than 2-3 inches (5-8cm) thick at a time.
- Place the tray in a sunny spot with noticeable air flow.
- Work in strips of newspaper through the grounds and leave them there
That should be enough to get you started. Now just replace those strips of newspaper every day or so, and mix the whole lot up so the wetter grounds at the bottom are given a chance at the top. You will know the difference between wet and dry grounds by feel and by color.
In case you were wondering, there are other ways to dry used coffee grounds.
I have used a convection oven (OK for a handful), a microwave (started emitting a weird smell that stayed there for weeks), an old hair dryer (you need to be really desperate to do it this way, and I was!), and grounds in a cloth bag in the clothes dryer (again with the weird smell and what a waste of electricity). So do it in the sun and wind as outlined above if you can.
Drying Used Coffee Grounds in Pictures
And for all of you that prefer the visuals, we have those for you also.
The plastic bag full of used coffee grounds. Slightly damp as you would expect with plenty of coffee cakes.
The old screen door I’m using to break up the coffee cakes and get a heap of air through the whole pile.
Lay the grounds over the screen and start pressing them through onto the tray below.
Do check that there are no stray pieces of metal sticking from the screen, because you don’t want to be pressing down on it and then getting a piece of metal stab you under a pile of grounds coffee. No no no!
A lovely, fluffy pile of used coffee grounds waiting to be dried by the sun and wind.
Here we have a video of drying out grounds without putting them through the wire mesh. The results were not as good as what I’ve outlined above, but big thanks to my little helper!
Still wet, this heap of used coffee grounds has been prepared nicely for drying.
And after a couple of days in the sun, with a nice breeze, most of the moisture has evaporated out, leaving an end product that very much resembles freshly ground coffee.
Powdery fine used dried coffee grounds falling through the air.
Now once it is all dried off, time to get it stored. Here are some examples, and all work well. Dried coffee grounds can be stored in plastic, a glass jar, or even paper packaging.
These are the containers after a week. There is no evidence of mould or of the grounds getting lumpy, and they smell like fresh coffee. I’m using newspaper at the tops of the jars to absorb any remaining moisture.
To get an understanding of how much moisture there is in used coffee grounds, below is a bag that was weighed before drying – 1.47 kilos.
And here it is after been dried out, now weighing 600 grams.
How do you store your used coffee grinds for your #garden?
FAQ
How do you store used coffee grounds so they don’t mold?
Here are some storage tips: Transfer the dried grounds to an airtight container, such as a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or a resealable plastic bag. Add a moisture absorber, like a silica gel packet or a strip of newspaper, to the container to keep the grounds dry.
How long can you save used coffee grounds?
Some sources claim that if sealed, you can store your used grounds for over a month, but always check to make sure no mold has formed.
What to do with waste coffee grounds?
Used coffee grounds are great for compost as they add nitrogen that helps organic materials break down into mulch and, eventually, nutrient-rich fertilizer. If you don’t already have a kitchen compost bin, you can create one simply by disposing of all your organic kitchen waste (fruits, vegetables, egg shells etc.)
How to store coffee grounds after using?
Store your coffee grounds in a dry place at room temperature and avoiding moisture; Consume your coffee grounds within a month.
What can you do with used coffee grounds?
Used coffee grounds are great for a wide variety of purposes, from creating fertilizer for your backyard garden to making beauty products such as face masks to deodorizing your kitchen. By learning how to dry and store used coffee grounds, you can ensure you have a stockpile for your gardening, beauty, and deodorizing needs.
How do you store used coffee grounds?
By learning how to dry and store used coffee grounds, you can ensure you have a stockpile for your gardening, beauty, and deodorizing needs. Put your grounds on a baking sheet lined with newspaper. Keep the grounds no more than 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) thick.
Should you save coffee grounds?
Did you know that by saving your spent coffee grounds now, you can use them this spring and summer to help naturally power your garden and flowerbeds. Not only that, but you can use them to energize hanging baskets, perennial plants, and houseplants too!
Do used coffee grounds store well?
Used coffee grounds do not store too well due to their high water content; in this state they are primed to decompose which is a great thing for everything but long term storage. Just follow these steps for dried coffee success:
Can you store coffee grounds in a freezer bag?
A simple freezer bag can safely store a huge amount of coffee grounds with no worry of mold. Storing coffee grounds for the long haul is the most simple of all. There is really no reason or need to dry them out first if you will be freezing them. That’s because there will be no chance for mold to form in the freezer.
Can You reuse coffee grounds?
How Coffee Grounds Saved my marriage roses. Seriously! Using Coffee Grounds in the Compost. Plus, Get Your Compost Brew Right. If gardening isn’t your thing, here are some other articles on other ways to reuse your coffee grounds: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. 17 Ways to Reuse your Coffee Grounds. 15 Creative Ways to Reuse Your Coffee Grounds.