The Air Fryer Hack Every Coffee Lover Should Know

Whether you just drink coffee for a morning pick-me-up or you're a certified connoisseur, you've got to admit that there's no better feeling than sipping on a fresh, aromatic cup of joe. And if you've had your share of different coffees, then you'll know that your brew is made all the better when you use freshly roasted coffee beans — although it should be noted that you don't want your coffee beans to be too fresh. But if you don't want to be at the whim of your grocer's coffee selection, or if even if you're just feeling particularly self-sufficient, you can actually roast your own coffee beans at home. All you need is an unlikely coffee ally: Your everyday air fryer.

There are actually a bunch of different air fryer hacks out there that can help you turn your air fryer into a multipurpose powerhouse — and roasting coffee is one of them. Using an air fryer to roast your own coffee beans not only guarantees the freshest coffee possible in the comfort of your own kitchen, but it also means you have total control over how light or dark the roast is. Once you get this technique down, there's no reason to rely on store-bought roasts again.

Of course, even though this is a super simple hack, you can't just throw a bunch of coffee beans into your air fryer and leave it. There's still some decorum to maintain here. To start, you'll want to make sure you're using only green coffee beans (i.e. coffee beans that have not been roasted prior to their purchase). These are rarer than standard roasted coffee beans, but they shouldn't be too hard to track down either online or in-store. Naturally, the fresher you can get the bean, the better. But as long as you have the green coffee beans, you're set to get roasting.

Different recipes will give you different temperatures to preheat your air fryer — most guides place the temperature around the 375 to 400 degree Fahrenheit range –- but preheating the air fryer itself is key. You'll also want to make sure you don't crowd your vessel. You want one uniform layer of beans so that each one gets roasted evenly. It shouldn't take long to roast these, only about 5 to 10 minutes depending on your air fryer and how dark you like your coffee. But when it's all said and done, you've got freshly-roasted coffee beans ready for storage and (soon) usage in your morning brews. Indeed, coffee beans are just one of the many unexpected foods that showcase your air fryer's versatility!