How to Roast Coffee Beans in An Air Fryer
Roasting coffee beans at home? Who thought that was a possibility?! Well, it is!
Nothing beats a cup of coffee from beans you’ve just ground yourself. But what if you could roast them yourself too?
If you have an air fryer, you’re in luck! These wonderful machines can be used to roast coffee beans! So not only will you end up with a delicious coffee, but you can also take pride in the knowledge that bar growing and harvesting the beans, you’ve done all the preparation yourself.
The whole experience of roasting coffee beans at home is terrific. In this article, we’ll tell you one easy way to do this- and all you’ll need is an air fryer.
Why Roast Coffee Beans at Home?
Buying coffee beans that have already been roasted is a convenience many people appreciate. How much you like your coffee is often directly correlated to how much preparation you do yourself.
Those who aren’t true coffee enthusiasts are happy buying instant coffee for a quick caffeine fix. But when you get to your die-hard fans, you’ll find lots of people perfecting their cups by trying out different beans and brewing methods. Perhaps the most extreme of us even try to roast coffee beans ourselves.
The Benefits of Roasting Your Own Coffee Beans
Roasting your own coffee beans has lots of benefits compared to buying ready-roasted coffee beans:
- You can use fresh coffee beans straight away in your coffee.
- You have ultimate control over the roast, its boldness, and its flavor.
- There is a broader flavor choice when you buy unroasted, raw coffee beans.
- It’s less expensive to buy fresh coffee beans that still need to be roasted – after all, you’re not paying anyone for the roasting process.
- It is incredibly satisfying to drink coffee knowing that you roasted the beans yourself.
What Is an Air Fryer?
Air fryers are small, countertop cooking devices similar to convection ovens. They cook foods similarly to deep frying but don’t submerge them in oil. Instead, an air fryer will have a fan that circulates hot air to produce a crisp finish and browning to the food.
Is It Possible to Roast Coffee Beans in An Air Fryer?
Air fryers have become increasingly popular in the last few years for many reasons. Not only are they a healthy way of cooking food, but they’re also very energy efficient. Air fryers are also inexpensive and easy to get to grips with.
An air fryer works by circulating hot air to ‘fry’ the food instead of being fried in oil, like a small convection oven. As a result, the food you cook in an air fryer will have the same crispiness you’re used to. Though without the oil, there is a taste difference.
When it comes to coffee beans, however, you can use an air fryer to roast them effectively. Air fryer conditions are almost perfect for roasting coffee beans. With the circulating hot air, the roast is even, and there is minimal smoke or burning.
It’s also really quick.
The Roast Outcome
Due to how an air fryer works, the coffee beans will roast evenly. However, whenever you air fry coffee beans, you’ll find it impossible to get a dark roast. Air fryers work well to roast coffee beans to a light roast or medium roast, but any more time air frying tends to lead to burning rather than a darker roast.
The most common roast favored by coffee lovers is a medium to dark roast, which isn’t achievable with an air fryer. You might get a nice dark brown color, but dark roasts taste a little burnt compared to usual store-bought ground coffee beans.
If you’re a lover of dark roast coffee, air-frying your beans might disappoint you.
How to Roast Coffee Beans in An Air Fryer
It will take less than fifteen minutes to roast coffee beans in an air fryer! Here are the steps you need to take:
- Turn on the air fryer and pre-heat for three minutes. You should set the temperature to its highest setting.
- Put your coffee beans into the air fryer basket.
- Return the basket to the air fryer.
- Roast the coffee beans for at least eight minutes up to around ten minutes. You should check the beans from time to time and stir them two or three times – unless you have a rotating air fryer basket or you only have a small number of beans to roast, in which case you don’t have to do this.
- When the beans have finished roasting, remove them from the air fryer and allow them to cool.
- When they have cooled, store them in an airtight container ready for use.
Things to Consider Before You Use an Air Fryer to Roast Coffee Beans
It would be best if you considered a couple of things before you cook coffee in your air fryer.
Firstly, though the roasting smell is incredibly satisfying, it is highly potent and will linger. If you can roast coffee beans in a ventilated area, this is a good idea. An even better idea would be roasting coffee beans outside (provided you can find an appropriate outlet).
Secondly, once you’ve roasted coffee beans in an air fryer, clean it thoroughly before using it for other things. You don’t want your fries to taste like coffee! What’s more, you don’t want fries-flavored coffee, either.
Don’t overload the air fryer. It’s better to roast coffee beans in smaller quantities. Otherwise, they will roast unevenly.
How to Know when The Beans Are Roasted Enough
There are several ways of knowing if the beans are roasted enough.
The Crack
When a coffee bean is roasted, it will crack. When one crack appears, your beans will have a very light roast. Then, a few minutes later, you’ll see another crack occur. This second crack means that the beans are a medium roast.
The Color and Smell
By its color and smell, you can also tell if a bean is roasted enough. The fresher the aroma and the darker the bean is will tell you how roasted it is. If the beans smell acrid and don’t have that fresh coffee bean smell, it’s a sign of over-roasting.
The roasted coffee beans will be a medium brown color for a medium roast and a light brown color for a light roast.
Potential Setbacks of Using an Air Fryer for Coffee Roasting
Besides being unable to produce dark roasts, there are some problems you might encounter when you first start using an air fryer for roasted beans.
Like a popcorn machine causes popcorn kernels to pop at different times, coffee beans roast at different speeds. As such, you might get some beans only displaying the first crack while others already have a second crack. This uneven roast can be prevented up to a certain point.
To prevent the beans from roasting unevenly, you should place them in a single layer to roast. Remember that as long as you keep the roasted beans in an airtight container, you can do as many batches as you want to.
Remember to put them on a cool surface to cool down after the heating process. Trying to use too many beans will undoubtedly cause uneven roasting.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Roasting Coffee Beans in An Air Fryer
If you’re considering the air fryer method, here are its advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages
- Air fryers are easy to use and can be adjusted in terms of temperature and time quite easily.
- Air fryers are cheap compared to other coffee roasters.
- You can also use this roasting method for other foods like French fries.
- Air fryers are compact and won’t take up too much countertop space in your kitchen.
- You can enjoy freshly brewed coffee using freshly roasted beans in minutes.
- You can experiment with coffee roasting times to produce different flavors.
- Using an air fryer to roast coffee beans will deliver an excellent light roast to medium roast.
Disadvantages
- The air fryer might produce an uneven roast.
- In smaller kitchens, an air fryer might take up too much space on your counter.
- You can’t easily produce a dark roast with DIY home roasting methods like this.
- You will need some practice before achieving a perfect roast.
- Low-cost, budget air fryers are not the best quality.
Conclusion
If you’ve ever wondered if you can roast your own beans in an air fryer, well, now you know you can! Fresh beans are much cheaper than pre-roasted beans, and nothing can beat a home roast of green coffee beans – once you get the process nailed for the perfect roast.
It’s easy to start roasting coffee beans in an air fryer at home. Using an air fryer as a coffee roaster is a quick and easy solution for those who want to experiment with roasting their coffee beans.
Most air fryers are programmable to specific temperatures, so you can experiment with creating different roasts and flavors.
There are many benefits to owning an air fryer, and roasting coffee beans is just one of them. Above all, starting with green coffee beans and ending up with freshly roasted coffee can feel satisfying.
We hope this article has helped you with your fresh-ground coffee needs! Good luck!
