Definitive Guide: How To Dry And Store Used Coffee Grounds?

Skip to content Definitive guide: How to dry and store used coffee grounds?

How to dry and store used coffee grounds? Many Americans discard coffee grounds on a daily basis, but there are many creative and useful ways to re-use coffee grounds at home. In order to re-use them, be sure to properly dry and store used coffee grounds. How? Let’s find out!

This post contains references to products. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, at NO charge to you. Please visit this page for our Affiliate Policy. 

How should I store used coffee grounds? Should I dry them first?

Owly Choice reader Stephen

We appreciate Stephen’s question. In a previous article, we covered some awesome ways reuse coffee grounds. While coffee grounds are not great for brewing coffee twice, there are other great uses, such as the following:

• compost
• beauty routines as skin exfoliation
• natural scrubber in house cleaning
• natural scent to remove unpleasant odors
• fertilizer in the garden
• changes in water taste or coffee flavor when water is reboiled

However, we are not always able to re-use coffee grounds immediately. Instead, we may need to store them for a little while. In order to accomplish this, here’s our guide for today:

• How to dry used coffee grounds, and
• How to store used coffee grounds.

Drying and storing used coffee grounds

Drying coffee grounds

• Sun drying
• Oven drying

Storing coffee grounds

• Plastic jar
• Mason jar – 🏆
• Vacuum-sealed bag – most durable

Drying coffee grounds prevents nasty odors and bacteria growth

But why do we need to dry used coffee grounds anyway? Can’t we just store them as they are?

Storing wet coffee grounds can be dangerous for health, and can create a nasty and smelly problem down the line. This is because wet grounds can yield the following:

• Foul smells and nasty looking colors.
• A perfect environment for bacteria, fungi and mold.

Wet coffee grounds can be dangerous for health if you intend to use them in beauty treatments on the body.

Therefore, we very strongly suggest that you should thoroughly dry coffee grounds before storing them.

2 easy methods to dry coffee grounds

We would like to share 2 SUPER EASY methods of drying coffee grounds before storing them.

Using either method should yield fully dried coffee grounds of deep brown colors. Whichever method you select, be careful not to burn them! This may occur in high temperature environments.

• Drying in the sun, and
• Drying in the oven

We have also tried drying coffee grounds in clothes drier, microwave and with a hair dryer. However, those were not particularly successful. Hence, we recommend drying in either the sun, or the oven, or both!

Sun drying

PROs:

• Fairly hands-off
• No risk of burning grounds
• Flexible

CONs:

• Takes time

Oven drying

PROs:

• Quick
• Convenient
• Flexible

CONs:

• More involved
• Risk of burning grounds

✔️ Drying coffee grounds in the Sun – EASE, CONVENIENCE AND FLEXIBILITY

In order to dry coffee grounds in the sun, you will find the following helpful:

• a baking sheet or any other similar container (wide but not tall)
• dry newspaper/paper sheets
• sunlight

Going through the process is very easy and provides flexibility. Drying in the sun does not require your constant attention for a specific period of time. Instead, you can simply lay coffee grounds and leave them there for a couple of days.

In fact, drying in the sun takes anywhere between 2 to 4 days. Coffee grounds should dry faster if left outside in the direct sunlight.

If there are winds in your area, you may want to leave coffee grounds in the direct sunlight inside your home.

If you prefer drying coffee in the sun (like we do), it might be useful to follow these steps:

➡️ line the baking sheet with newspaper

➡️ place the coffee grounds inside forming a layer not thicker than 2-3 inches

➡️ place the coffee grounds in a sunny place

➡️ remember to turn the grounds around every day, so that the wet ones on the bottom can come on top

➡️change the newspaper sheet if necessary and replace it with a dry one

➡️bring the coffee grounds inside if it starts to rain or of it gets too windy

✔️ Drying coffee grounds in the oven – SPEED AND ACCURACY

In order to dry coffee grounds in the oven, you will find the following helpful:

• a baking sheet or any other similar container (wide but not tall)
• dry newspaper/paper sheets
• an oven

Going through the process is much faster, but requires more attention and accuracy. You need to be careful not to burn the grounds. The temperature of the oven cannot go over 200 degrees.

If you do not have a lot of grounds to dry, you can even pop them in the oven right after switching it off. The oven is still hot, and you can put the grounds inside and leave them in the oven overnight to dry. That might not work, however, if the quantity of grounds is large and they need to be turned around.

If you would like to dry coffee grounds in the oven, here are some steps to follow:

➡️ line the baking sheet with newspaper

➡️ spread the coffee grounds on the newspaper (the layer should be not thicker than 2-3 inches, to allow heat to pass)

➡️ pre-heat the oven at a temperature of maximum 200 degrees

➡️ put the baking sheet in the oven

➡️ turn the coffee every half an hour to facilitate the even spreading of the heat among the grounds

How to store coffee grounds?

Once nice and dry, we recommend storing coffee grounds carefully to prevent humidity. This would be in a dark place at room temperature in airtight containers.

• plastic containers (like those big plastic protein jars)
• glass containers (re-use those marmalade jars)
• vacuum sealed bags

How long can I store used coffee grounds

If coffee grounds are dried and containers are dry and stored in favorable conditions, used coffee grounds can be stored for up to 2 years. Remember to check on them every month or every other month, just to make sure that everything is ok. They should be dry and in a good condition.

Re-using used coffee grounds

Used coffee grounds can be really useful. While most people appear to discard used coffee grounds, these grounds can have some beneficial effects at home.

We shared some of the ways to re-use coffee grounds in our previous article. Here are the most important highlights:

• A fertilizer in the garden. Used coffee can contribute to the growth of some plants in the garden. In fact, there are people who intentionally dry used coffee grounds and sell them to gardeners for a profit.
• Speeds up decomposing in compost. The acid contained in coffee helps speeding up decomposing when added to composting mixtures.
• Effective scrubber around the house. Thanks to their abrasive texture, coffee grounds can help in the household chores.
• Great peeling for the body.
• Removes nasty odors.

Owly’s conclusion

While I initially thought that drying and storing coffee grounds was boring at first, I quickly fell in love with the scents, ease and convenience of the process. I was further fascinated with what I could accomplish with used coffee grounds.

I typically dry and store used coffee grounds on occasional weekends. Thanks to this, my house smells great (I love coffee aroma!), and my neighbors are jealous about my blossoming garden!

Show your coffee some love and re-purpose it!

What do you think?

Do you dry and store coffee grounds? What do you use used coffee grounds? Did we miss any creative ways to dry or store coffee grounds?

Let us know in the comments!

Did you find the post helpful? [Number of Owly votes: 42 Average: 4.7] Owl2022-05-03T00:03:25+00:001 August 2020|Categories: Coffee brewing tips|19 Comments

Wise up, share with your friends!

FacebookXRedditWhatsApp

19 Comments

1. Klaus Lesch November 25, 2024 at 11:44 am - Reply

   Of course, drying is important order not to mould. But it works much easier. I built an upcycling coffee filter dryer out of used wood. It dries the coffee grounds within 5 to 12 hours depending on the weather. The filter with grounds dries only with air without additional energy. The dryer hangs simply just above the coffee machine on a small nail. There will be no grounds lost by carrying them through the house.

2. Cathy October 8, 2023 at 11:46 pm - Reply

   I am drying the coffee because I read that squirrels don’t like the smell. I love to feed the birds in the Winter but the squirrels always find a way to get to the seed. I am going to try putting the coffee around my feeders to see if it works, plus it will be good for my garden in the Spring

3. Tracy May 3, 2023 at 11:30 pm - Reply

   We use coffee grounds for our chicken bedding. Helps keep the smell down and less dusty

4. Yer Dad May 2, 2022 at 4:23 pm - Reply

   “No risk of burning grounds” is listed in both the pros *and* cons of sun drying. 🤔

   • Owl May 3, 2022 at 12:03 am - Reply

     Hi, Yer Dad,

     Thank you so much for spotting this typo. We have corrected it!

     Appreciate your vigilance 🙂

     -Team Owly

5. Seb February 22, 2022 at 12:07 am - Reply

   Hi! Just a quick question.. is it 200 degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius?

   Thanks!

   • Owl February 22, 2022 at 1:24 pm - Reply

     Hello, Seb!

     It is indeed 200 degrees Fahrenheit! We are going to add this to the article for clarification 🙂

     Let us know if this helps! -Team Owly

6. Sabrina February 1, 2022 at 4:19 pm - Reply

   My coffee grounds turned pink after drying. Does anyone know why

7. katrina November 16, 2021 at 1:11 pm - Reply

   I’m wondering if coffee grounds smell vanishes after drying it in the oven.

   • Owl November 16, 2021 at 1:42 pm - Reply

     Hello, Katrina,

     Yes, it should!

     -Team Owly

8. Dan September 11, 2021 at 9:15 am - Reply

   I create coffee logs for the winter months. They burn fantastic and it is a great way to reuse the coffee grounds. It’s a great hobby trying to dry the grounds in the British summer which often involves running in and out due to the changeable weather.

9. Jo July 22, 2021 at 3:42 pm - Reply

   Can I air dry the coffee grounds inside?

   • Kathleen May 9, 2022 at 7:25 pm - Reply

     Very interesting article, thank you. I’m interested in using coffee grounds as a fertiliser but not making my own compost atm. What’s the best way to prepare and apply the grounds directly to plants?

10. Laurie November 15, 2020 at 4:16 pm - Reply

    How long do you need to keep the coffee grounds in the oven when using that method of drying used grounds? Could I put used grounds in a different container and dry them at a later date or should it be done immediately?

    • Owl November 15, 2020 at 8:38 pm - Reply

      Hi, Laurie,

      Welcome to Owly Choice! We are so excited to have you with us! 🙂

      Great questions! – Typically, 20-30 minutes is enough. We recommend checking and flipping the grounds every 10 minutes. The grounds need to be sand-dry. You may need to go over 30 minutes if the layer of grounds is thicker. – If you would like to wait, we suggest that you should keep used grounds in an open container with access to fresh air. We do not recommend closing wet grounds in a jar or other tightly sealed container; the grounds will grow mold and will be unusable. The sooner you dry the grounds the better. However, we had success drying grounds after a week.

      Let us know if you have any questions! -Owl

      • Laurie Green November 16, 2020 at 3:13 am - Reply

        Thank you so very much

11. Alfred August 25, 2020 at 1:11 am - Reply

    My family has been using coffee grounds as compost for decades. It’s an excellent fertilizer for the flowers in the garden.

12. Molly March 8, 2020 at 4:00 pm - Reply

    Used coffee grounds are used as compost in my house. We segregate waste and used coffee ground are thrown into compost containers with organic solid wastes such as vegetable waste, peels. How can I apply used coffee grounds for body peeling? I would be grateful for your recommendation.

    • Miu September 1, 2020 at 5:08 am - Reply

      Some will incorporate coffee grounds into self made soaps or body scrubs. For body scrubs, there are plenty of recipes on the internet which needs just a few more ingredients to make.

Leave A Comment Cancel reply

Comment

Δ

Page load link Go to Top