Air fryers are easy to use and affordable. They are a great way to roast your own coffee beans at home. Turn on your morning playlist and sing along to your favorite tunes while you prepare an aromatic cup of freshly ground coffee. It sounds like a great morning ritual, right? You’ll soon discover that roasting coffee beans in an air fryer can be easy and fun.
This article will help you to determine the pros and cons of roasting your own coffee. We will also discuss different types of coffee beans and roasting methods. It will also give you a nice comparison to regular store-bought coffees and the benefits of home roasting.
What is an Air Fryer?
An air fryer is a type of convection oven that is small, compact and easily fits onto a kitchen countertop. Air fryers use a high-speed fan to circulate hot air, imitating the cooking method of deep-frying. The difference? You don’t have to cook excessive amounts of unhealthy oil.
Author Note: Most air fryers have an adjustable timer and temperature options. Use an air fryer to roast your own coffee. You can ensure that your morning ‘cuppa’ turns out exactly how you like it!
Steps for Roasting Coffee Beans in an Air Fryer
Most air fryers will come with specific instructions and precautions according to the appliance model. Ensure you read this information well and understand how the machine works before attempting to roast your own coffee beans.
A basic method of roasting coffee beans in an air fryer is:
- Preheat the air fryer to the desired temperature, usually 300-450F
- Place a single layer of green coffee beans into the basket. 1-4 cups depending on the size of the convection oven. Trying to roast too many beans at once may lead to uneven roasting.
- Roast the beans for 10 – 20 minutes according to desired roast strength. It is important to pay attention to the color of the beans.
- Pour the beans from the air fryer onto a cool surface such as a clean dish towel to allow them to cool down evenly.
- Grind up your freshly roasted beans and enjoy your favorite coffee beverage choice!
- Store in an airtight container to prevent loss of flavor.
Why Roast Your Own Coffee Beans at Home?
We all know how easy it is to simply purchase a bag of our favorite coffee blend. They are usually roasted and ready to go, so why bother with the effort of roasting your own coffee beans?
There are many benefits to roasting your own beans that pre-roasted coffee bought from the supermarket doesn’t provide.
- Drinking a cup of coffee that you have roasted yourself gives you a rewarding feeling of accomplishment. And, it is a great way to start your day!
- Do you love drinking coffee and are looking to cut down on expenses? It is usually cheaper to roast your own beans at home than to buy ready roasted beans.
- You have more control over the type of bean, strength, and roasting method if you roast your own coffee.
- Coffee bought in the supermarket has less flavor than freshly ground coffee. This is because coffee only maintains its full flavor for about 7 days.
- Home roasting will ensure that you enjoy fresh coffee at its peak. It is quite possible that store-bought coffee is already weeks or possibly months old.
Top Tip: The main reason for roasting your own beans at home is to enjoy the freshest coffee possible. Make sure you grind the right quantity of coffee according to the number of daily cups you drink. If you grind large quantities at a time, coffee will lose its flavor the longer it sits on the shelf. Fresh is best!
Finding the Right Roast for You
In order to find the perfect roast for you, it may take some time practicing and experimenting with different types of:
- Coffee beans
- Length of roasting time
- Air fryer temperature
Experiment with these factors until you find your match. Don’t give in. Your efforts will be well worth it, and you will enjoy the benefits for years to come!
Here are some guidelines for you:
A good starting point is choosing the right type of coffee bean to roast.
Arabica and Robusta are the two main types of coffee beans. Arabica beans will provide you with an easy to drink, smooth, and sweeter coffee drink. If you prefer something with a bit more kick, then Robusta is recommended. Robusta beans have a higher caffeine content and a stronger, more bitter flavor than Arabica coffee beans.
Top Tip: When you start roasting, you should begin with green coffee beans. After you have placed the green coffee beans into the air fryer, keep an eye on the beans. You will see them start to change color from light to dark as they cook.
The darker the beans, the more bitter the coffee will be. Remember that the caffeine content will decrease as the roast gets darker.
While the coffee is roasting, the beans will go through two audible ‘cracks,’ starting around 8-9 minutes of cooking time. The coffee beans expand with heat. They crack due to the beans’ moisture evaporating into steam and causing pressure from the inside. Light to medium roasts are ready after only one crack, while dark roasts will go through two cracks.
Different Kinds of Roasts
Light Roasts
True to their name, light roasts are light in color and body. They have a toasted grain taste. Light roast coffees are not roasted beyond the first ‘crack’ (usually around 300-350F). They have no oil on the surface. They have pronounced acidity and retain a large amount of the beans’ caffeine content.
Some popular light roast coffee names are New England Roast, Half City, Light City, and Cinnamon Roast.
Medium Roasts
Medium brown in color, a medium coffee roast has a more balanced flavor, acidity level, and aroma than a light roast. It also has a less grainy taste. While there is less caffeine content than the light roast, there is still more than darker roasts. Beans are roasted until after you hear the first crack but before the second crack. They usually reach an internal temperature of 410-428F.
Some medium roasts are Breakfast Roast, City Roast, American Roast, and Regular Roast.
Medium to Dark Roasts
Medium to dark roasts are the most common roast in the US. They are dark brown in color and have a heavier body compared to medium and light roasts. The beans will start to show some oil on the surface. They are roasted between 437-450F to the beginning or middle of the second crack. With a rich and almost spicy taste, a medium to dark roast coffee has a full and aromatic roast flavor.
Full-City Roast, After Dinner Roast, and Vienna Roast are examples of common medium to dark roasts.
Dark Roasts
Chocolatey brown or almost black in color, dark roasted coffees have a bitter, smoky taste with a decreased caffeine content. To reach a dark level coffee roast, continue roasting until after the second crack. The internal temperature reaches between 465-480F. Anything beyond this may result in flavors of burnt charcoal.
Author Note: Many dark roasts are used for espresso blends. Some examples are French Roast, Italian Roast, Continental Roast, Spanish Roast, and New Orleans Roast.
Pros and cons of roasting coffee in an air fryer:
Pros
- Air fryers are simple and easy to use with an adjustable timer and cooking temperature
- They are cheaper than other types of coffee roasting machines
- Air fryers are versatile and can be used for cooking a number of different food items
- Compact and easy to store on the kitchen countertop
- Enjoy freshly roasted coffee in under 15 minutes
- Enjoy a variety of different types of coffee flavors
- Produces good results for light and medium roasting
Cons
- Coffee beans may not roast evenly
- If you have a small kitchen, you may not have enough counter space for an air fryer
- It’s difficult to achieve a dark roast with an air fryer
- It may take some practice to get the perfect roast
- Cheaper air fryers may have quality issues and often have parts that need to be replaced
- Not ideal for large families, most air fryers are suitable for households of 1-4 people.
Conclusion
Roasting your own coffee at home in your air fryer is easy. Plus, it is an affordable way to ensure you get your daily dose of fresh, delicious, and aromatic coffee. You can experiment with a variety of different flavors according to the type of bean, roasting times, and temperature. Home coffee roasting is a nice morning routine and will awaken your senses. It will fill the kitchen with a full-bodied aroma as the coffee beans roast to perfection.
Fresh is always best. With home roasting, you get the best flavors possible. Without drinking coffee that has been sitting on the shelf for an extended period, of course.
Make sure to follow instructions and precautions for your specific air fryer machine model so as to achieve the best possible results. Store roasted coffee beans in an airtight container that doesn’t let in too much light. This avoids flavor loss.
There are pros and cons to roasting coffee in an air fryer. Although air fryers are convenient, it may take some time to get used to the machine. We hope you enjoyed this article on roasting coffee beans in an air fryer.
Once you have mastered this countertop convection oven, you will be sipping on your favorite blend of home-brewed coffee in no time. With such a satisfying feeling, it’s a great start to the day!
Stay caffeinated friends!
You should mention the chaff and smell, I put my air fryer on the porch and use a fan to separate the chaff although the air fryer itself does that a bit. Make sure you clean out the chaff or it may cause a fire or clog up the fan in the fryer.
Make sure the fryer is really hot when you put the beans in(400+) roast till they turn yellow, reduce the temperature to 340F then roast to the desired darkness, works well on my ninja.