Roasting Green Coffee Beans… in a Frying Pan? | Raw Coffee Beans
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the only realistic way to successfully roast green coffee beans would be using at least some kind of specialist equipment. In reality, it’s perfectly possible to roast raw coffee beans using the everyday utensils you’ve probably already got in your kitchen.
In fact, arm yourself with a batch of quality unroasted coffee beans and all you need is a frying pan!
Now, it’s worth remembering that while the frying pan method is perhaps the most approachable, it’s definitely not the easiest way of roasting green coffee beans. It’s definitely worth trying, but don’t be surprised if you aren’t particularly satisfied with the initial results. As such, you might want to get started with some of the less exclusive unroasted coffee beans on the market, rather than wrecking the best money can buy!
Roasting Green Coffee Beans: The Frying Pan Method
If you fancy trying your luck with a batch of modest unroasted coffee beans, you’ll need a relatively sizeable frying pan with a thick bottom and no non-stick coating of any kind. Cast iron and stainless steel pans usually produce the best results.
Along with the green coffee beans you intend to cook, you’ll of course also need a gas or electric burner, along with something to stir the beans with during the process.
Once you’re set up with the right equipment, the process looks a little like this:
- Open as many windows and doors as possible, as chances are you’re going to be dealing with a fair amount of smoke! If possible, roast your green coffee beans
- Measure a small amount of beans at a time, giving them plenty of space and ensuring they can be easily stirred. Don’t get carried away with your first experimental batch.
- You can then preheat your pan over a medium heat, ideally to a temperature of around 400° F (200° C). The more consistently the temperature can be held, the better.
- Pour the green coffee beans into the pan and begin stirring straight away. You don’t need to get carried away with manic or aggressive stirring, just as long as you keep them moving.
- During the process, you should see the colour of the raw coffee beans change steadily from green to yellow to light brown to a darker brown. Stirring will help ensure even roasting on all sides.
- After around 5 minutes, the beans should release an audible ‘first crack’ which indicates they are now lightly roasted. If you prefer a light roast, you can remove them and leave them to cool down.
- If you prefer a darker roast, you can give them a little longer and wait for the ‘second crack’. However, push things much further than this and you will be looking at a pan of useless charcoal.
- Place your roasted beans in a metal colander, allow them to cool and give things a good stir to remove all the chaff.
- Clean up the mess you will undoubtedly make in the process.
- Grind your freshly roasted coffee beans and enjoy a uniquely satisfying cup!
At Hayman’s online coffee store, you will find the world’s finest raw coffee beans for home roasting with your frying pan or coffee roaster, including legendary coffees such as Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, best Kona coffee Hawaii, and Panama Geisha coffee beans (a.k.a. Gesha coffee). For those not into home roasting, we also offer roasted coffee, Nespresso compatible pods*, and coffee pods compatible with Keurig K Cup coffee makers (incl. Keurig 2.0 models)**. Click here to order today we ship worldwide!
* Nespresso® is a registered trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., unrelated to Hayman®. Our espresso pods are not created or sold by Nespresso®.
** Keurig and K-Cup are registered trademarks of Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. unrelated to Hayman®. Our pods are not created or sold by Keurig®.