Everyone wants to do their part to reduce, reuse, and recycle and be more environmentally friendly. Luckily, there is a way to reuse your old coffee beans or coffee grounds from your favorite brew.
Coffee beans and grounds can be reused in a variety of different ways, including but not limited to nutritious soil for your garden, a way to de-odorize the most pungent parts of your house, and creative art pieces. Here are 13 creative ways to reuse coffee beans to make you think twice about throwing yours away.
As a coffee lover I’m always left with two things after brewing my daily cup – old coffee beans that have gone stale and used coffee grounds. In the past, I would simply throw these out without a second thought. However, after doing some research, I’ve discovered there are actually many clever ways to repurpose old coffee beans and grounds, rather than sending them straight to the landfill.
In this article, I’ll share 14 innovative ways you can reuse old coffee beans and grounds, ranging from fertilizing your garden to making homemade beauty products. I was really surprised by the versatility of used coffee beans! By repurposing them around your home and garden, you can get the most out of your coffee while reducing waste.
Determine if Beans are Still Usable
Before we get into the various uses, it’s important to check if your coffee beans are still usable, or if they’ve gone completely stale. Here’s a quick test:
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Give them a sniff – if the beans smell rancid or bitter, they’re no longer usable Fresh beans have an aromatic, pleasant smell
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Brew a small batch – if the resulting coffee tastes bitter or flat, the beans are stale. Good beans make tasty coffee.
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Check the expiry date – whole beans typically last 6 months after roasting. Once opened, use within 2-3 weeks.
If your beans fail the sniff, taste and expiry date checks, it’s time to repurpose them through other means.
1. Fertilize Houseplants and Garden
Used coffee grounds make excellent fertilizer for houseplants and gardens. The grounds are high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are nutrients plants need to thrive.
To use, simply mix grounds into the soil around your plants. For gardens, you can also add them directly to your compost bin. The grounds help accelerate the composting process.
Tip: Don’t over-fertilize with coffee. Too much can make the soil overly acidic.
2. Make DIY Cosmetic Exfoliant
Mix used coffee grounds with coconut oil or olive oil to make an invigorating skin exfoliant. The coarse texture of the grounds helps scrub away dead skin cells.
To make, mix 2 tablespoons used coffee grounds with 1 tablespoon of oil. Gently rub onto skin, then rinse. Use once a week for smooth, glowing skin.
Tip: This also works wonders at removing any kitchen odors from your hands like garlic and onions.
3. Craft Upcycled Coffee Bean Art
Let your creativity flow by using old coffee beans to make unique art pieces. Options include:
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Gluing beans onto wood or cardboard to make shapes and patterns
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Drawing with crushed coffee beans mixed with water to make “coffee bean paint”
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Arranging beans in clear resin to make coffee tables, wall hangings and jewelry
Upcycling old beans into art makes great handmade gifts for fellow coffee lovers!
4. Make DIY Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans
Here’s a tasty way to use stale beans – turn them into homemade chocolate-covered espresso beans!
Simply melt some chocolate over low heat, throw in your old beans and coat thoroughly, then place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet to cool. This makes for a crunchy, coffee-flavored treat.
5. Deodorize Fridge and Garbage Bins
Placing bowls of used coffee grounds in your fridge, garbage bins and anywhere else that tends to get stinky helps absorb unpleasant odors. The grounds effectively trap and neutralize food odors.
Replace the used grounds weekly to keep smells at bay. It’s an all-natural deodorizing method.
6. Create Brown Dye for Fabrics
Brew up a batch of strong coffee with your old beans. Let it cool, then soak white fabrics in the coffee to naturally dye them a rustic shade of brown.
Depending on how concentrated the dye bath is, you can produce light brown hues to deep espresso tones.
7. Use as Natural Pest Repellent
Here’s a neat trick – sprinkle used coffee grounds around your garden and anywhere else you want to deter pests like slugs, snails and ants.
The caffeine and compounds in the grounds act as natural deterrents that creepy crawlers don’t like. It’s an eco-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides.
8. Scrub Pots and Pans
Harness the abrasive texture of used coffee grounds to scrub away stuck-on food residue on pots and pans.
Simply dip a sponge into some damp grounds and scrub as usual. Rinse thoroughly afterwards to avoid leftover coffee stains.
9. Craft DIY Coffee Candles
For an inviting home fragrance, pour melted wax over used coffee grounds and let it harden to make caffeinated candles.
Place the finished candles around your home and light whenever you desire a cozy coffee aroma.
10. Rub on Meat for Tenderizing
Here’s an unexpected use – rubbing used coffee grounds onto meat to tenderize it! The grounds help break down muscle fibers.
Let meat marinate for 30 minutes or more in a rub that contains coffee grounds for maximum tenderization.
11. Add Texture to Crafts and Projects
Gluing old coffee grounds onto crafts is an easy way to add interesting texture. Adhere them onto picture frames, candles, vases and other crafts you’d like to give a coffee makeover.
12. Growth Medium for Mushrooms
Used coffee grounds make an excellent growing medium for mushrooms. The nutrients help mushroom spawn thrive.
Simply place soaked mushroom spores along with damp coffee grounds into a container. Maintain humidity and mushrooms will grow!
13. Stain and Age Paper
For an antique look, steep paper in brewed coffee made from old grounds. The coffee will naturally stain and age paper a sepia tone.
Try staining envelopes, stationery and other paper crafts.
14. Make Coffee Flavored Desserts
Don’t toss old beans if you love coffee flavored desserts! Use them to whip up coffee cakes, tiramisu, chocolate espresso pots de crème, coffee ice cream and more.
The beans don’t need strong flavor to impart a delicious coffee taste.
And there you have it – 14 clever and creative ways to repurpose old coffee beans and grounds around your home, garden and in crafts rather than discarding them. I was so surprised by how versatile used coffee truly is.
Next time your beans go stale or you have leftover grounds, take a quick look through these coffee bean and ground uses. With a little imagination, you can give them new life. Not only will you reduce waste, but you’ll find innovative ways to use coffee to improve your garden, home and cooking.
I’d love to hear any other ideas you have for reusing old coffee beans and grounds! Share your tips and tricks in the comments.
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Everyone wants to do their part to reduce, reuse, and recycle and be more environmentally friendly. Luckily, there is a way to reuse your old coffee beans or coffee grounds from your favorite brew.
Coffee beans and grounds can be reused in a variety of different ways, including but not limited to nutritious soil for your garden, a way to de-odorize the most pungent parts of your house, and creative art pieces. Here are 13 creative ways to reuse coffee beans to make you think twice about throwing yours away.
13 Clever Ways to Use Old Coffee Beans
Before we dive into ways to use old coffee beans, heres a video with 8 reasons why you shouldnt throw away your coffee grounds:
Coffee contains several key elements—nitrogen, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and chromium—that are beneficial for plant growth. (Source)
Since plants absorb nutrients from soil, adding coffee grounds as a fertilizer is a great way to help your plants stay healthy and nutrient-dense.
If coffee is great as fertilizer, its also great as compost! Worms love coffee grounds and attracting more of them is great for soil. Heres the science to prove it: a study found that compost made with coffee grounds and kitchen waste was richer in nutrients compared to compost made with waste only (Source).
When life gives you old coffee beans, make dessert. Old coffee beans are perfect for making chocolate-covered espresso beans, tiramisu, coffee cake, coffee ice cream, and other coffee flavored desserts. Desserts dont rely on the freshest coffee beans to taste amazing, so old coffee beans will do the trick. In baking, coffee is a common item to add into chocolate baked goods as coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate.
Just like the desserts, coffee ice cubes dont need the freshest coffee to serve its purpose. You can make these ahead of time and add them to your iced coffees or cold brew so that it doesnt dilute.
Coffee is a great alternative to chemicals that neutralizes odors, since it contains nitrogen, which helps absorb odors from the air. Put some coffee grounds in your garbage can, fridge, shoes, or anywhere that has an odor and the coffee grounds will neutralize it.
Did you know that coffee can be used to repel insects? The caffeine and other compounds in coffee deters insects away. It might even help deter fleas away from your pets. You can sprinkle coffee grounds around areas you want to be insect free, such as a patio, deck, or your plants.
Coffee beans are a great tool to use in art! The beans itself can be glued to paper or wood, smashed and used, brewed into watercolor “paint,” used to dye paper, and etc. The great thing about coffee is that it stains, so the possibilities are endless.
As with desserts, cooking is also a good way to use old coffee. The flavor of a dish wont depend on how fresh the coffee is, as long there is a coffee taste. Some popular coffee dishes include coffee braised meat, carrots in a coffee glaze, and coffee rubbed meat.
Yep, coffee can also tenderize meat! Coffee contains natural acids and enzymes, making it effective at tenderizing meat without the loud and tiring nature of a meat hammer. It can also work as a flavor enhancer or marinade, so you get a bang for your buck. You can tenderize meat with coffee as a dry rub or brewed.
Similar to a skin exfoliator, coffee grounds can be used to “exfoliate” spots on dirty dishes that a sponge cant remove. Its harsh enough to get food that sticks but gentle enough that it wont ruin your kitchenware). Its a unique way to clean dishes thats environmentally friendly. Using a sponge, you can add your coffee grounds to it and scrub away.
Coffee beans make a great display piece. Cafes and coffee shops usually have coffee beans displayed and its a nice decoration. You also can put coffee beans in a clear jar and display on a shelf or table.
For example, our Santa Felisa Gesha coffees come in beautiful reusable tins that make great decor and can easily be repurposed for storage.
The one time you actually want to stain your clothes with coffee! You can make a pretty brown dye using coffee and use it to dye cloth. Depending on how strongly concentrated your dye is, it can create a very faint brown color or a strong brown color.
Its common knowledge that coffee grounds can be used to exfoliate skin. However, we do not recommend using it on your face, as coffee grounds are quite rough and might cause abrasions. The skin on your body, however, is tough enough to handle it. Mix it with a little sugar and water, and your old coffee grounds are a unique way to exfoliate your skin.
Use Up Your Old Coffee Beans! | Coffee Collaboration
FAQ
Can you do anything with old coffee beans?
Arts and Crafts: Coffee grounds can be incorporated into arts and crafts projects. You can use them for texture in paintings, create rustic-looking paper, or even make coffee-scented potpourri. Flavor Enhancer: While not ideal for brewing coffee, old coffee beans can still add a subtle coffee flavor to recipes.
Can expired coffee beans be used?
Expired coffee may taste stale or flat, which can affect your overall coffee experience. Safety: While expired coffee beans or grounds are unlikely to cause illness, they can develop mold or bacteria if stored improperly. If you notice any unusual smells, discoloration, or signs of mold, it’s best to discard it.
Can you use 10 year old coffee beans?
There is no such thing as an “expiration” date for coffee. They just don’t taste as good or fresh as they get older. Time and oxidation will degrade the aromatics and oils within the beans. Though not physically harmful to use…they will not be at their best.
What to do with old coffee beans?
Old coffee beans can make some amazing-looking decor in your home. Put some on the bottom of glasses, and then place a candle on top for a beautiful look. You can also create artwork and crafts to decorate your home with or give to your fellow coffee lover friends.
What is the best way to eat beans?
The best way to eat beans is to first cook them in a large pot of water, about 4 cups of water to every 1 cup of beans. Adding lemon grass or other herbs to the water can improve the flavor. Once beans are cooked the best thing to do is combine them with cooked rice, this is because beans are low in methionine and rice is low in lysine, so combining them makes a more complete protein.
Can you still use old coffee beans?
Yes, you can still use old coffee beans, but the taste may not be as robust as when they were fresh. The flavor of coffee beans begins to deteriorate after two weeks, but they can still be used for up to 6-9 months past their shelf life. How do you revive old coffee beans?
What can you do with unused coffee beans?
Use ground coffee to provide texture or brew up some coffee and paint with it. Get creative! Or, you can even create home decor out of your unused beans. Fill a candle holder or flower vase with beans to spruce up your kitchen, dining room, or home office. Check out these crafty coffee artwork and decor ideas. 3. Compost Your Coffee Beans
Can You repurpose old coffee beans?
One of the easiest ways to repurpose old coffee beans is by making a coffee bean candle. I would caution against adding coffee to a jar candle. That’s because when coffee beans come in contact with a flame, it can potentially be a fire hazard. But, it can work for wax melts!
Can you use old coffee beans for cold brew?
This means old coffee beans that might have lost their vibrancy are perfect for smooth, rich cold brew. You can use it in many recipes, from cold brew cocktails to protein shakes, if you brew it as a strong concentrate. You can’t go wrong with the classic cold brew over ice, too. What can I make with whole coffee beans?