Wondering how to grind weed without a grinder? You’ve come to the right place!
In this post, we’re going to explain exactly how to grind weed without a grinder, because believe it or not, it’s probably easier than you think!
Sometimes, we want to grind weed but may have misplaced our proper grinder. We can all be a bit forgetful at times!
Or, perhaps your grinder broke – this is the worst-case scenario!
Whatever the case, there are several alternatives to grinding buds when you don’t have your grinder available. We’re going to cover those here and now!
Pro tip: If you have wet weed, make sure to dry your buds first. If you don’t, you won’t be able to grind it successfully!
Why is it necessary to grind your marijuana thoroughly?
The more you break down cannabis flowers, the more surface area is exposed to your heating element. The inside of a nug is covered in trichomes, which are tiny sticky resin glands containing all the THC and CBD cannabinoid goodness.
If you’re not grinding your bud up well enough, it will be tougher for bud combustion. Thus, your body won’t be able to absorb the cannabinoids because the bud isn’t getting thoroughly burnt or vaped. This can lead to wasted goodness!
In this article, we cover some of the easiest ways to grind weed without a grinder. Some are obvious, some not so much. But by the end of this post, you’ll have no trouble grinding your bud without a weed grinder.
What’s the best way for grinding weed?
While the most effective way to grind your weed is by using a good-quality grinder with a kief catcher, other methods exist. You can still get great results by using a grinder alternative.
Some of the most popular alternative methods for grinding cannabis without a grinder are listed below.
Quick Ways to Grind Weed Without a Grinder
Coffee Grinder
Believe it or not, you can use your coffee grinder to grind weed. However, be warned that the resin glands known as trichomes are sticky and will get stuck all over your grinder’s blades.
After grinding your weed in a coffee grinder, you’ll probably need to clean up the mess before using it for anything else! Use rubbing alcohol to get those blades as clean as new.
To use your coffee grinder, simply place the nug inside and hold down the power button. Pulse settings work best. Try to avoid overly grinding it to ensure it’s not as powdery as parmesan cheese!
After you’re done with the coffee grinder, if you don’t want sticky weed in your coffee next time, make sure to clean it thoroughly to get the leftover weed inside out!
Blender or Food Processor
Blenders are great kitchen appliances that blend up many different types of foods, which includes your cannabis! If your blender came with an assortment of blender jar “add-ons,” carefully examine them and select one that is designed for blending dry products like marijuana flowers.
Blender jars usually have a sharp blade, which can be used as a built-in grinder when you blend cannabis buds in them. Here’s how to do it.
Start by breaking down your nugs of weed into smaller pieces. Technically speaking, any way you can do this will work – scissors, hands, or break it up with a knife if need be.
Put all of the material into either a blender or food processor and turn the sucker on. If you’re using a blender, use short bursts instead of constantly running it otherwise your device will overheat! Keep on pulsing until you have an evenly ground-up mixture ready for consumption.
Slower Ways to Grind Buds Without a Grinder
Pick Apart Method
You can grind dried weed using only your hands if you don’t have any equipment and don’t mind getting your fingers dirty. Simply make a bowl-like shape with one hand and use the other to pick away at your buds and break them apart into small pieces.
The only real downside to picking apart cannabis flower with your fingers is that the resin will build up on your hand. So keep some hand wipes or some soap nearby to clean off your fingers!
Scissors & a Shot Glass
All you need is a clean shot glass and a pair of sharp scissors! Start by using the scissors to cut the flower from any large stems from your cannabis nugs.
It’s always better to have more bud than less when learning how to grind weed without a grinder, even if it means taking a few hours to sort the stems out.
Place the de-stemmed nug in your shot glass and start slicing away at it with your scissors. Chances are, you won’t get an even grind going on your first try.
That’s ok though – just keep practicing until you have an even blend that smokes smoothly. Keep the fine powder inside the shot glass while you’re cutting the weed buds.
Kitchen Knife & Cutting Board
If you don’t have scissors, a shot glass, or a coffee grinder available, there are other ways to grind weed without a grinder. Perhaps the easiest way is by using your kitchen knife or chef’s knife and cutting board.
You can use a butcher knife, a steak knife, or a paring knife. Any sharp kitchen knife or serrated edge knife will do the job.
Start by using a sharp knife – razor blade sharp, if possible – to separate any large stems from your nug. You can put them into your compost bin or, for true cannabis connoisseurs, if you’d like to make a tea, you can catch a buzz that way later on!
Place the cannabis flower on top of your cutting board. This solid surface should ensure it doesn’t fall down while grinding!
Now pick up your blade and start slowly slicing through the cannabis material with firm pressure until you’ve created an even grind! Keep on slicing until you have the perfect consistency for your weed smoking needs.
This method is not particularly the most efficient, so you’ll probably need to do it a few times before getting an even mixture.
Pestle & Mortar
This is the oldest method to grind herbs, and it’s still used today.
But why? Because it works!
Using a mortar and pestle to break up marijuana buds might not be as quick as using a blender to work your herb into dust. But there are benefits that have kept this technique around for hundreds of generations.
For one thing, you can easily see how finely ground up your bud material has become by watching what happens inside the bowl-shaped mortar as you crush away with its spoon-like pestle. Plus, it provides a more intimate experience than just tossing your flower into a blender!
The best option is to use a mortar and pestle made of ceramic or wood. But that’s not always necessary since the herb will be ground up pretty finely anyways.
If you don’t have either of those materials on hand, get creative with what you do have! You could also use a small bowl and spoon if they are available instead of using your hands to break up the nugs. However, keep in mind, metal isn’t recommended unless it’s stainless steel because other metals can react with oils.
For the best results, try washing and drying both your mortar and pestle before using them. This is how you’ll avoid contaminating your bud material.
Place all of your cannabis in your mortar and start breaking it down with the pestle until it’s roughly ground up. If you prefer an even finer consistency, keep on crushing away until you’re satisfied!
Other Ways to Break Buds Without a Grinder
Pill Bottle & Coin Method
This might sound like one of the more desperate measures. But this diy shaker works well with heavier coins!
Using a coin and an old pill bottle or film canister is one of the easiest ways to grind up weed. Place your cannabis in the empty pill bottle and place a small coin or two (dimes work best) at opposite ends of the container on top of the bud material. Make sure they both have room to move freely so they don’t get stuck.
Securely close the lid of your pill bottle, hold it shut with one hand, and start shaking it vigorously for a couple of minutes. Once everything’s broken down into smaller pieces just open up that lid and grab your weed.
The downside of pill bottles or film canisters is that it can be tough to get all your cannabis broken down evenly. Keep checking the result after a minute or two of shaking it, for the greatest results.
Cheese Grater
One of the most effective ways of grinding cannabis is by grinding it up with a grater. If you have a cheese grater, you can grate your weed right onto a plate or cutting board without any hassle! Just make sure your hands are extra stable so the weed doesn’t slip off the grater accidentally.
Don’t use your nice cheese grater to grind up weed though, that would defeat the purpose of a nice grater! You can use an old one that you no longer care about or get a cheap grater from a dollar store.
Just make sure it’s big enough for your needs and you’ll be set!
Graters are efficient at finely grating even the densest, toughest nugs quickly and easily. Be gentle when moving it over your material with slow and short movements. Putting too much pressure on the grater can cause it to get stuck in your weed – just press down lightly until everything’s ground up!
After, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean the cannabis resin off of the grate, too.
Pizza Cutter
If you have a pizza cutter in your kitchen, grind up a small amount of weed with it to see if you like the results! Keep in mind, if you don’t have an even grind, you can expect an uneven burn. If you can’t get an even grind, a different type of cutter could be a good alternative.
When using a pizza cutter, there is no need to break down your bud into smaller pieces first. Just place it on top of the chopping board with a little parchment paper and press down on the handle as you roll it around, cutting through the pile repeatedly.
Be careful not to over-grind your weed, as it will lose some of its sticky THC crystals this way. Keep going until everything is finely ground up and then use a spoon or spatula to put it in a small container for dispensing.
Wash the chopping board and your weed cutter a decent amount after every use. This will ensure that there will be no surprises on your pizza next time you decide to bake one!
Paper Bag & Hammer
Another old-fashioned method of grinding weed is using a hammer and an empty paper bag. Just place your nugs inside the paper bag, seal it well, and proceed to crush it with a hammer!
This method works, but it’s best to use dried and cured weed. If the buds are too damp, you’ll likely just flatten them.
Make sure you’re using a sturdy bench as a work surface. Make careful not to harm your surface or yourself with the hammer.
Credit Cards
All you need for this method is a credit card or driver’s license. Simply clean the card before and after using it.
This is a last resort and a pair of scissors will be better, of course. But you might not be able to get an even grind with this method unless you break the buds up by hand in smaller chunks before.
When using either something like a credit card or driver’s license to grind weed, remember to only lightly press down on the material being cut instead of pushing it through forcefully. After all, you don’t want to bend your cards!
After that, be sure to clean your cards thoroughly so that they do not reek of marijuana!
How to Preserve Trichomes & Terpenes
Be gentle when you break up your cannabis, don’t apply too much pressure to the grinder otherwise you might risk ruining all that good stuff.
Don’t break up your weed too finely – you don’t want it to feel dusty, but some trichome and terpene powder is perfectly acceptable. Also, if possible, use a grinder with a kief catcher. This is the best way to preserve your trichomes to add an extra kick to your bud.
Concluding on Grinding Weed Without a Grinder
These are all great methods for grinding up cannabis without a grinder, but there is no one right way. The type of kitchen equipment you have available will dictate your next move in terms of the best method to grind your buds for use in a spoon pipe, bongs, and vape pens.
However, if you’re looking for a simple consumption method, perhaps try to consume cannabis tincture, instead!
