Use Your Coffee Grounds!

Earth Day is here and the question of “what should I do with my grounds after I drink my coffee” is on everyone’s mind. After drinking the best cup of coffee on the planet, what can I do with the ground to help save our planet a little? We have so many fun ideas on what to do with your grounds before and after you brew it! 

Check out the 10 best ideas on how to use your coffee grounds!

1: Fertilize Plants: After enjoying your favorite brew, you can spread coffee grounds in your flower beds to help them flourish or use them as compost because the grounds release nitrogen as they degrade which makes for very rich compost! Grounds can also be very beneficial to your young seedlings to help them get a great start before transplant because the grounds add organic material to the soil, which improves drainage, water retention and aeration in the soil, helping them grow.

2: Coffee Body Scrub: Used coffee grounds are a perfect exfoliator in a body scrub. By adding them to melted coconut oil and sugar, it creates a super soft exfoliating scrub. You can used equal parts sugar and melted oil, and then add the amount of grinds you want.

3: Make a Natural Dye: Day old coffee, or used grounds steeped in water are perfect for using as a natural dye for clothes or napkins, anything cloth! It can give it a darker color the longer you leave it on.

4: Coffee Soap: We know coffee makes a great body and face scrub, so why not put it right into your bar of soap! All you need is plain glycerin soap and grounds! Melt your soap base in the microwave until it has melted completely, checking on it until it is totally liquid. You can start at 20 seconds and keep going! Then stir in 1/3 cup of your coffee grounds. Pour into a mold, preferably silicone so it is easily removable, and let it harden!

5: Coffee Cocktails: Everyone loves coffee, but when 5:00 hits on Friday, sometimes an espresso martini, or something else fun is in order! Take coffee grounds before they are brewed and put them in your favorite vodka to steep for 1 week. Strain your liquid through a cheese cloth and back into the bottle for some coffee-liquor goodness!

6: Rubs & Marinades: Coffee grounds (not brewed) are perfect to add to chilis, or rubs and marinades for meats, like our Coffee Rubbed Flank Steak, Coffee Marinade or Coffee BBQ Sauce!

7: Wood Stain: You can use day old coffee, if you ever have any left, and rub it on wood as a stain, or you can make stain by seeping used grounds in water to create a darkness you like and stain wood that way!

8: Lip Scrubs: Used coffee grounds are perfect to add to coconut oil to make a softening scrub for you lips!

9: Home Décor: We admit, we get so caught up in trying new flavors, sometimes a bag of beans falls to the bottom of the cupboard and we don’t find it until it's too late…oops! Now, our coffee will never go bad, it will never harm you, but for the freshest brew we say drink it within one year. But we won’t let these older beans go to waste – we will use them around the house! These beans still have a great smell, so grab a clear vase or bowl and place a plain candle inside and fill around it with your beans. Now light it up and your favorite coffee is now your favorite candle scent throughout your house! You can also use beans in different shaped jars on your coffee bar for a fun added touch!

10: Coffee Ice Cream: If you are looking for a fun treat, you can take coffee grounds (before brewing them) and steep them in heavy whipping cream to make the base for a delicious coffee flavored ice cream at home!

We hope that after seeing the 10 best ideas for coffee grounds, you found the perfect way to use yours! So go out, enjoy that cup of coffee, and reduce, reuse and recycle those grounds!