Breville Spice Grinder: Can You Actually Use It for Coffee?

Breville makes a dedicated spice grinder that a lot of people wonder about repurposing for coffee beans. The quick answer: Breville's spice grinder uses a blade mechanism, which means it chops rather than grinds. It will turn coffee beans into particles, but the results won't be anywhere near as consistent as a proper burr grinder. I've tested it, and the grind size variation is massive compared to even a cheap burr grinder.

That said, there's a specific use case where a Breville spice grinder makes sense for coffee people, and I'll cover that along with how to get the best results if you decide to use one. I'll also explain why Breville's actual coffee grinders are a much better investment if you're serious about your morning cup.

How the Breville Spice Grinder Works

Breville's spice grinder uses a two-pronged blade that spins at high speed inside a stainless steel bowl. Think of it like a tiny food processor. When you press the lid down, the blade spins and chops whatever is inside into smaller pieces.

For spices like peppercorns, cumin seeds, or cloves, this works great. Spices don't need uniform particle size to taste good. A mix of fine powder and slightly larger pieces actually releases flavor at different rates, which many cooks prefer.

Coffee is different. Brewing coffee is an extraction process, and uneven particle sizes mean some grounds over-extract (producing bitterness) while others under-extract (tasting sour and weak). This is why burr grinders exist. They crush beans between two abrasive surfaces set at a specific distance apart, producing much more consistent particle sizes.

The Numbers Tell the Story

A good burr grinder produces particles where roughly 70-80% fall within the target size range. A blade grinder like the Breville spice grinder? You're looking at maybe 30-40% of particles in the right range, with everything else scattered from dust-fine to half-bean chunks.

I ran some beans through my Breville spice grinder and sifted the results. After 15 seconds of grinding, I had visible dust on one end and pieces larger than 2mm on the other. That spread is too wide for any brew method to handle well.

When a Breville Spice Grinder Actually Makes Sense for Coffee

There's one situation where I think using a spice grinder for coffee is perfectly fine: Turkish coffee. Turkish coffee traditionally calls for an extremely fine, powder-like grind. While a blade grinder won't get every particle to that level, the brew method involves boiling the grounds directly in water and letting the sediment settle. The uneven grind matters less here than with other methods.

Another situation: you need ground coffee in a pinch and your regular grinder just broke. A blade grinder producing uneven grounds is still better than pre-ground coffee that's been sitting open for two weeks. Coffee freshness matters more than grind consistency in that extreme comparison.

How to Get the Best Results

If you're using the Breville spice grinder for coffee, these techniques help:

Grind in short pulses (2-3 seconds each) instead of holding the button down. Shake the grinder between pulses to redistribute the beans.
Don't overload it. Fill the bowl only halfway. Too many beans and the ones at the top never reach the blade.
Sift the results. A fine mesh strainer removes the dust particles. This won't make the remaining grounds uniform, but it eliminates the worst offenders.
Aim for about 20-25 seconds total grinding time for a medium grind. Less for coarse, more for fine.

Breville's Actual Coffee Grinders: A Better Path

If you're searching for "Breville spice grinder" because you want an affordable Breville-branded way to grind coffee, look at Breville's dedicated coffee grinder lineup instead. The difference in cup quality is night and day.

Breville Smart Grinder Pro

The Smart Grinder Pro uses conical steel burrs and has 60 grind settings. It handles everything from espresso to French press. I've used one extensively, and it produces consistent grounds that are in a completely different league from any blade grinder. The price sits around $200, which is more than the spice grinder, but the improvement in your daily cup makes it worth every dollar.

Breville Dose Control Pro

If the Smart Grinder Pro is more than you want to spend, the Dose Control Pro comes in around $170 and still uses conical burrs. It has fewer grind settings (25 instead of 60), but for drip coffee and pour-over, that's plenty of range.

For a full comparison of Breville grinders and similar options, check out our best coffee grinder guide. And if you're interested in the Breville Dynamic Duo setup that pairs a grinder with an espresso machine, we have a Breville Dynamic Duo price comparison as well.

Cleaning Your Breville Spice Grinder After Coffee

If you do use the spice grinder for coffee, cleaning it properly is important, especially if you also use it for actual spices. Coffee oils are persistent and will flavor your spices if you don't clean thoroughly.

Here's my cleaning routine:

Wipe the bowl and lid with a damp cloth immediately after grinding. Don't let oils dry.
Grind a small piece of bread (about half a slice, torn into pieces). The bread absorbs coffee oils and picks up stuck particles.
Wipe again with a slightly soapy cloth, then rinse and dry.
Smell test. If you can still smell coffee, repeat the bread trick.

Some people keep two separate spice grinders, one for coffee and one for spices. At that point, though, you're spending almost as much as a basic burr grinder, so I'd just invest in the right tool.

Blade vs. Burr: Why the Difference Matters So Much

I want to explain this clearly because it affects every cup of coffee you make. A blade grinder slashes through beans randomly. The longer you run it, the finer the average particle gets, but you always have a wide spread of sizes. There's no way around this with blade technology.

A burr grinder crushes beans between two textured surfaces. The gap between the burrs determines the grind size, and every bean passes through that same gap. The result is particles that are mostly the same size, give or take a small tolerance.

This matters because water extracts flavor compounds from coffee at a rate determined by particle size. Smaller particles extract faster. When you have a mix of sizes, the small ones are already over-extracted and bitter while the large ones are still under-extracted and sour. Your cup ends up muddled, tasting neither clean nor balanced.

FAQ

Can you grind coffee beans in a Breville spice grinder?

Yes, physically it works fine. The blade will break down coffee beans into grounds. The quality of those grounds, though, is far below what a burr grinder produces. Expect significant variation in particle size, which affects taste.

How long should you grind coffee in a spice grinder?

For a medium grind suitable for drip coffee, pulse for about 20-25 seconds total. Use 2-3 second bursts and shake between pulses. For finer grinds (espresso-ish), go up to 30-35 seconds, though the results still won't match a burr grinder's consistency.

Will grinding coffee damage the Breville spice grinder?

No. Coffee beans are softer than many whole spices (like cinnamon sticks or allspice berries). The motor and blade can handle coffee beans without any issue. The limitation is grind quality, not machine capability.

Is a Breville spice grinder good enough for French press?

French press is actually the most forgiving brew method for uneven grinds, since the metal mesh filter allows all particle sizes through and the long steep time (4 minutes) gives everything time to extract. If you must use a blade grinder for coffee, French press is the method where you'll notice the least negative impact.

My Recommendation

Don't buy a Breville spice grinder for coffee. Buy it for spices, because that's what it's designed for and it does that job well. For coffee, even a $30-40 entry-level burr grinder from Bodum or JavaPresse will produce better, more consistent results than any blade grinder at any price. If you want to stay in the Breville family, their dedicated coffee grinder lineup starts around $170 and is worth the investment for anyone who makes coffee daily.