The 5 Best Coffee Grinders Under $50 (2024 Guide)
Fresh-ground coffee beans are one of the easiest ways to improve your daily coffee. The flavors and aromas that come from beans that have been ground just moments before brewing will change your mind about pre-ground coffee, forever.
To enjoy this experience, you need a coffee grinder, grinders can be built into machines but are often a separate tool. If you are looking for a coffee grinder, you’ll notice that they come in a wide range of styles, options, and prices. You might think that you have to spend a lot of money to get a good coffee grinder. That, however, is not the case.
There are plenty of great coffee grinders under $50. In this article, we’ll give you our picks for the best and offer our thoughts on how to successfully shop for the perfect coffee grinder for your needs.
at a glance: Best Coffee Grinders Under $50
How to Choose the Best Coffee Grinders Under $50
When you are looking for an inexpensive coffee grinder, you will want to consider a number of different features. Just because a coffee grinder is inexpensive doesn’t mean that it’s a lower-quality product, but you need to have some tools to use when shopping.
There are other features that you may want to consider when shopping for a coffee grinder under $50. However, if you want the best quality product, the features that we cover below will allow you to select a good quality product that will perform well.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Coffee Grinder
Type of Grinder
When it comes to coffee grinders, you really have two options; a burr grinder and a blade grinder. This may seem like a challenging decision, but really it can be an easy choice, especially if you are basing your selection on price.
Burr grinders use round metal plates that have “teeth” or ridges on them. They work kind of like sprockets. The teeth fit together and work to crush your coffee beans. Generally, burr grinders are longer lasting, provide a more consistent grind, and can be more expensive.
Blade grinders are just what they sound like. These grinders use sharpened blades to chop up your coffee beans. Blade grinders are low maintenance, easy to use, and typically inexpensive. The challenge with blade grinders is that they don’t provide a very consistent grind.
Settings
If you can find a good grinder for under $50 that has a range of settings, you’ll want to look for some particular options. First, you’ll want to look for a grinder that has a range of grind sizes.
The different coarseness of beans provides better results depending on the type of coffee you are brewing. You may also want to look for a grinder that has an auto grind setting. This setting will allow you to grind the right amount of coffee for the number of cups you’ll be brewing.
Capacity
When it comes to capacity, you’ll want to look at how much the bean hopper will hold. For blade grinders, you’ll find that there’s not much variation when it comes to the hopper capacity.
You’ll get enough space to grind beans for a standard pot of coffee. Burr grinders tend to have a greater variety of capacities. Look for hoppers that have 3 to 10 ounces of capacity. This will hold most of a standard bag of coffee.
Ease of Use
There really is nothing more disappointing than buying a coffee grinder and finding that it is as complicated to use as the space shuttle.
Look for coffee grinders that are fairly simple to use. Look for grinders that have a push-button operation, easy-to-assemble bean hoppers, and grind bins. Grinders that also have easy-to-adjust coarseness selectors are another good option.
You’ll also want to look for a grinder with that auto-stop feature. This is a great feature that will take the guesswork out of how many grinds you need. The machine does the thinking for you, and that is great when you’re still half asleep trying to make your coffee.
Electric Vs Manual
Yes, you can still buy manual coffee grinders. These options are fantastic if you don’t mind doing a bit of work to get your morning coffee.
Manual grinders are also great for traveling, camping, or for making coffee in the office. Manual grinders are quiet and give a bit of nostalgia to making coffee.
Obviously, electric coffee grinders use some sort of power source to grind your coffee. These grinders are typically noisy and fast. They are great if you need coffee grinds now and without any fuss. The downfall of electric grinders is that they aren’t great for coffee on the go.
The 5 Best Coffee Grinders Under $50
1. Kaffe Burr Coffee Grinder
You can’t go wrong with the Kaffe Burr KF8020 burr grinder. This coffee grinder is one of the most compact, yet efficient coffee grinders in the under $50 category. This grinder has many of the features that we think make a great coffee grinder, and it all comes in a compact and elegant design.
The Kaffe coffee grinder has a good-sized bean hopper so you don’t have to constantly refill the hopper. Grinding your coffee is amazingly simple thanks to one-button operation and an auto-stop feature. The Kaffe burr grinder also has a great coarseness adjustment dial. You can easily select grind size that ranges from extra fine for espresso to coarse for drip, and extra coarse for pour-over.
Grinding your beans, the Kaffe KF8020 has a really nice set of burr plates that work together to grind your coffee with ease and precision. The grinds container is larger than many other grinders on the market. You’ll be able to grind and hold enough grounds for up to 20 cups of coffee. This means that you may only need to grind coffee every other day.
The Kaffe is relatively quiet. It’s not the loudest grinder that we tried, but it also isn’t super quiet. Overall it’s a pretty great pick for one of the best coffee grinders under $50.
Pros:
- Grind bin holds enough coffee for up to 20-cups
- Easy to maintain
- Easy to adjust
- Compact size for smaller kitchens
Cons:
- Hopper for beans is kind of small
- We don’t really love all of the plastic parts on this grinder
- Could be quieter
2. Secura Electric Burr Coffee Grinder
Our second choice for a great coffee grinder under $50 is the Secura burr coffee grinder. This small coffee grinder is one of the most efficient and easy-to-use coffee grinders that we considered.
The Secura electric burr grinder allows you to easily set the grind size using the 17-setting control knob. This selector allows you to easily grind for espresso, pour-over, drip, french press, or even cold brew. You can also select the grind capacity, for the perfect quantity of coffee for you or for a crowd.
The bean hopper holds 3.5 ounces of beans, so you know when you need to refill the hopper. Most parts of this grinder are dishwasher-safe and easy to remove. The burrs are quite easy to remove and clean, and the grinder even comes with its own cleaning brush to remove grinds from the burrs.
This is a nice-looking grinder. We like the sleek design and the reasonably compact size. It would be nice if it had more stainless steel details, but otherwise, it is another great option.
Pros:
- Grinds enough for 2 to 12 cups
- Has a nice auto-off function
- Grinder has 17 coarseness settings for a variety of brewing styles
- Hopper holds 100g of beans
Cons:
- The 17-grind options can get jumbled. There’s not a lot of precision with this grinder
- Too much plastic construction
- Cleaning the burrs is difficult
3. Manual Coffee Grinder by JavaPresse
Just because you are traveling, doesn’t mean that you have to give up the joy of fresh ground coffee. The JavaPresse manual coffee grinder is one of our favorite manual coffee grinders.
This great burr grinder is a quiet and efficient option for the person that wants to make a great cup of coffee without all the noise. This compact coffee maker option is fully adjustable and makes the perfect amount of grounds for a couple of cups of coffee on the road.
One of the best features of this coffee grinder is that it has nice burrs. The burs that this grinder comes with are some of the best you’ll find on a travel, manual coffee grinder. They are adjustable, allowing for up to 20 different levels of coarseness.
Unlike many automatic burr grinders, this grinder does not use metal burrs. The JavaPresse uses ceramic grinders that are long-lasting and provide a long life and exceptional grind consistency.
The housing of this grinder is simple but durable and attractive stainless steel. This grinder will look amazing in your camping gear or can even be a nice addition to your office coffee routine.
Pros:
- Very quiet operation
- Has 20 different grind settings
- Durable housing made from stainless steel
- Compact option for camping, travel, or use in the office
- Has really nice instructions
Cons:
- Grind consistency isn’t great
- This is a low-capacity grinder. Only makes enough grounds for a couple of cups of coffee
- You’ll have to work to get your beans ready for brewing
4. Mueller Ultra-Grind Conical Burr Grinder
The Mueller Ultra-Grind is our favorite automatic coffee grinder. This great burr grinder gives you tons of control in a handy automated grinder. The Mueller Ultra-Grind is well-made, easy to use, and looks great on your counter.
Inside the Mueller grinder, you’ll find a set of steel conical burr grinders. These grinders allow for some of the most precise and consistent grinds you’ll find.
Before you start grinding, the Mueller starts with a high-capacity bean hopper that holds more than double the amount of beans of other grinders in this price range. The grounds container holds up to 32 cups worth of grinds, making this grinder an outstanding option for the home that likes to entertain.
The control panel of this grinder is very intuitive and easy to use. You can easily adjust coarseness, number of ups, and grind time. Besides being easy to use, and easy to adjust, this grinder is also easy to clean.
The upper burr is removable for easy cleaning, and the grinder comes with a nice stiff bristle brush for cleaning grinds from the burrs. The grinds cup and hopper are both dishwasher safe if you need to really clean your grinder well.
Pros:
- Between the hopper and the grinds container, this coffee grinder can make enough grounds for 32 cups of coffee
- This grinder is surprisingly quiet despite the low price
- Grinder is attractive and looks great on any countertop
- Grind’s bin has a nice cover so you don’t have to worry about ground coffee drying out.
Cons:
- This grinder won’t fit well in all kitchens. The tall grinder isn’t going to fit on all counters, or under many cabinets. This grinder is a bit too tall for many kitchens.
- This grinder should be cleaned daily.
5. Chefman Coffee Grinder Electric Burr Mill
The Chefman electric burr coffee grinder is a great pick for a quiet and easy-to-use home grinder. This grinder features push-button operation combined with a bit more automation than you’ll find on other options under $50.
The large hopper holds up to 8 ounces of coffee which is more than enough for a couple of days of coffee. The Chefman easily adjusts to make extra-fine to coarse grounds, which are perfect for espresso to french press style brewing. The grinds bin allows you to grind enough coffee for up to 12 cups of coffee.
This grinder is one of the easier ones to clean and maintain. The burr grinders are completely removable for easy cleaning. The grinder comes with a cleaning brush and instructions on how to properly maintain this grinder.
Besides the technical features, the Chefman is really nice looking and fairly compact. This grinder fits well on most kitchen counters and is able to tuck easily under standard-height cabinets.
Pros:
- This is a really quiet coffee grinder
- Compact size is great for most kitchens
- Provides a consistent grind
- Hopper and grind bin are dishwasher safe.
Cons:
- Only has 17 grind options, which is fewer than other options.
- Coarse grind isn’t as good as other grinders
- The plastic grind bin can be very static, which means messy.
Final Thoughts
The Kaffe burr coffee grinder is our favorite coffee grinder under $50. It offers a consistent grind quality, a large bean hopper, and easy-to-clean and maintain burrs.
This combination of features make it a great option for the coffee lover that wants to enjoy fresh ground coffee but isn’t ready to invest in a more expensive option.
When it comes to great coffee grinders under $50, you really have some nice options. For a long time, you could only find good grinders in this price range that were blade grinders. However, today the burr grinder rules.
Burr grinders are awesome for consistently ground coffee, which results in the best-tasting cup of coffee you can make in your own kitchen.
