These 4 Electric Spice Grinders Made Milling Spices (Even Cinnamon Sticks!) Easy

There are plenty of reasons to grind whole spices. Keeping seeds, dried chiles, nuts, and hardy herbs in their whole forms can help you save money—but even better, they look and taste more vibrant. The reason comes down to the science of flavor. See, when spices like cumin seeds or rosemary leaves are broken up, the smallest and lightest molecules within them escape into the air or start to break down. These flighty volatile compounds are responsible for many delicate “top” flavor notes, like vegetal, fruity, citric, acidic, and floral qualities. 

Some aroma loss is inevitable during drying (it’s why dried ginger or garlic will never have the same zip as fresh, for example), but the loss can be further catalyzed by grinding. The finer a spice is crushed, the more of its volatile oils are exposed to evaporation or oxidation. When pre-ground seasonings sit on a grocery shelf or in a spice cabinet for more than a few months, they lose complexity until all that’s left is their most stable base notes (think woody and earthy flavors) or worse, they become stale and pale.

Spices that are kept whole, on the other hand, keep their flavors locked in relative stasis and can stay good for years when stored in a cool, dark place. This is where the cost savings come in since you don’t have to replace them as often. You can also use less because they retain more of their flavor density.

Spice grinders are the best way to unlock the character in whole spices, and they can come in a few different shapes. We’re big fans of mortars and pestles for crushing small batches and pastes. But when you need to grind a lot of seasoning for a recipe or want to batch out a week’s worth of your go-to sprinkle, there’s no better choice than an electric spice grinder. We originally tested a lineup of blade grinders in 2018. To find the best options available these days, I reviewed the top performers from that review alongside a few additional competitors. My three favorites scored top marks in speed, control, and cleanability. I've also included our winning pepper mill—you can read that full review here.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Spice Grinder

KRUPS Fast Touch Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder

View on Amazon $19 at Walmart $22 at Sur La Table

This streamlined grinder has been our standby favorite for over six years. It was the quickest of the lineup to finely grind pepper, pulverize fennel seeds, and break woody cinnamon sticks into a delicate powder. Even though its bowl doesn’t come out for cleaning, it was quick to wipe out in between uses.

Another Great Spice Grinder

Mueller Austria HyperGrind Precision Electric Coffee Grinder

$22 $20 at Amazon

The Mueller was neck-and-neck with the Krups in every test. It had enough power and control to achieve a uniform, coarse sprinkle as well as a fine dust. Storing it was also easy, thanks to its compact size.

The Best Spice Grinder with a Removable Cup

Cuisinart Electric Spice and Nut Grinder

$40 at Amazon $40 at Williams-Sonoma $40 at Home Depot

The Cuisinart spice grinder has been another longtime favorite of the Serious Eats team. It didn’t just have powerful grinding capabilities—it had convenience, too. Its removable bowl can be cleaned in the dishwasher, plus it comes with a lid for storing leftover spices directly inside. This model also has cord storage built into the base.

The Best Pepper Mill

Peugeot Paris Pepper Mill

$48 $38 at Amazon $69 at Williams-Sonoma $62 at Walmart

The Peugeot is pepper mill perfection: comfortable, simple to adjust, and speedy.

The Tests

• Black Peppercorns Test: I timed how long each spice grinder took to grind whole black peppercorns to an even, fine sprinkle. To verify the consistency, I pulsed the pepper in 10-second increments until a majority of its particles were granulated enough to pass through a lab-grade 28 mesh sieve.
• Cinnamon Stick Test: To evaluate the spice grinders' ability to withstand hardy ingredients, I ground about 10 grams of cinnamon sticks (broken into one-inch pieces) per model. After one minute of 10-second pulses, I compared how even and fine the resulting cinnamon powder was out of each model.
• Fennel Seeds Test: I repeated the cinnamon test with 10 grams of whole fennel seeds, analyzing how efficiently each spice grinder pulverized the lightweight, fibrous seeds after one minute of pulses. I passed the fennel powder through a lab-grade 40 mesh sieve and compared how many pebbly granules were left from each model.
• Cleaning and Usability Tests: Throughout testing, I noted how straightforward each model was to use and if it was loud or leaked spice dust while grinding. I cleaned the grinders after each test according to the manufacturers’ instructions, wiping out fixed-blade grinders and washing the removable cups and lids by hand. 

What We Learned

Blade Grinders Were Better for Spices

Almost all of the spice grinders I tested were blade-style grinders. This means they had a double-armed blade set on a central axis in their bowls that crushed spices by cutting and knocking into them at blurring speeds. They were largely marketed as coffee grinders, often listing spice instructions as an aside at the end of their user manuals (if at all) or stating their capacities only in terms of weight or cups’ worth of coffee beans (rather than a standard volume measurement). 

Despite their brewing focus, our coffee experts don’t actually recommend blade grinders for milling your morning beans. While my favorite Krups Fast Touch Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder could grind spices to an impressively uniform sprinkle, it didn’t have (or, frankly, need) the precision to stop when the granules were ideally sized for say, the perfect pour-over or 25-second shot of espresso. For that, we recommend a burr grinder, which cuts the beans between two sets of teeth and can be dialed into exact specifications to fit your brewing method. (Don’t worry, we have an extensive list of recommendations for burr coffee grinders, too.) Having separate coffee and spice grinders also prevents flavor crossover, so you never risk sipping a cumin-scented cup of joe or infusing your curry with coffee (unless, of course, you’re into that).

The only non-blade grinder I tested was the handheld FinaMill Rechargeable Spice Grinder, It had a tiny conical burr grinder set into the bottom of its pod that dispensed spices as soon as they were ground. It felt underpowered and even its finest setting produced coarser pepper and fennel than every other blade grinder. It was also quick to jam, and couldn’t process cinnamon sticks at all.

Blade Height Mattered for Uniform Grinds

What set the winning Krups Fast Touch, Mueller HyperGrind, and Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder apart was their ability to grind all of the spices in their bowl at about the same rate. During the cinnamon test, their sticks turned gradually from large chunks of bark to coarse sand and then to dusty powder as I pulsed. Most of the other models in the lineup tended to grind unevenly. The Krups Silent Vortex Electric Grinder, for example, quickly ground a portion of the cinnamon to a fine dust that caked against the bottom and sides of the cup but left discernable, pebbly nuggets of partially ground cinnamon on top.

I couldn’t discern a commonality in bowl height or shape among the high or low performers, nor did blade shape seem to matter. (Some had blades that flared up on both sides while others had one side that angled downward.) The one aspect the winning models had in common was that their blades were between 8.5 and 10 millimeters from the bottom of the cup. This meant that large pieces couldn’t settle below a too-tall blade, like in the Capresso Cool Grind Coffee & Spice Blade Grinder, which had arms that were 16.6 millimeters high. Shorter blade heights weren’t good either. The Secura Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder’s blade was only 2.7 millimeters tall, which was too low to catch the bouncy pebbly bits while they were spinning. Because of their inefficiency, the Capresso and Secura models also became warm to the touch before they were done grinding, which wasn’t ideal since heat can hasten the loss of aromatic compounds before the spice is even added to your food.

Removable Bowls Weren’t Always Easier

While some removable bowls made cleanup a snap, not all made life easier. The KRUPS Silent Vortex (not to be confused with the top KRUPS Fast Touch) had a blade that was loose in its setting, which let a significant amount of spice dust leak down into the base of the grinder. This fine powder got stuck in the angled corners and around the ridges (which there were plenty of both in the base and the lid) and actually took longer to clean than a fixed-cup system. The KitchenAid Blade Coffee and Spice Grinder was also hard to wipe out when spice ended up in its base (which happened after every test), plus its bowls had thin edges that I couldn’t twist from above without fear of cutting myself. 

Removable cup models also felt generally less efficient than fixed-bowl ones. Despite having a 10-millimeter tall blade and a similar wattage to the Mueller, the Hamilton Beach Fresh Grind Coffee Grinder couldn’t grind cinnamon as finely or other spices as evenly. Its short cup was also hard to get in and out of the base, and it held onto spice dust and moisture underneath the steel lining in its bottom. The Cuisinart was the only removable-cup model that ground spices as powerfully and evenly as the fixed-cup winners, if a few seconds slower.

No Lid Was Completely Mess-Free

All of the grinders had some level of spice spillage, whether it was during or after grinding. For example, the Secura was one of the tidier models since its two-lid system prevented powder from escaping, but some seasoning still fell onto the outside of its base and the counter when I removed the lid to check inside. Even if they were better at containing the spice while grinding, I didn’t find any models that were significantly messier or cleaner in terms of the quantity of spice that was left on the countertop after I pulsed and unlidded them a few times.

While spice grinders that had clear lids seemed to offer the additional advantage of being able to see inside while grinding, this was another aspect that wasn’t a significant boon. The lids quickly got caked with spice dust while the blade was spinning, obscuring any interior views of the cup. Plus, most of the translucent lids that came in contact with the cinnamon while grinding became opaque because the potent oils in the cinnamon can degrade plastic slightly, turning it cloudy. (Cloves can have a similar effect.) 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Spice Grinder

The best spice grinder should be able to mill ingredients finely and evenly without feeling warm to the touch. I found that models with blades around 8.5 to 10 millimeters tall were able to achieve the best uniformity and speed. Fixed-cup systems tended to be more efficient than removable-cup grinders, but a removable-cup model can be quicker to clean as long as its blade fits tightly into the bowl so spice doesn’t ge into the base. All the spice grinders will spill some amount of seasoning around them during and after grinding, but look for a spice grinder without too many sharp corners or seams in their bases, bowls, and lids because they are much easier to wipe down afterward. 

Our Favorite Spice Grinders

The Best Spice Grinder

KRUPS Fast Touch Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder

View on Amazon $19 at Walmart $22 at Sur La Table

What we liked: The KRUPS set a high bar for grinding consistent, fine powders faster than almost every other model. Not only did it handily granulate pepper and fennel seeds, but it also completely broke down hardy cinnamon sticks into a coarse sprinkle after just 30 seconds of pulsing. It got it about as fine as commercially ground cinnamon after one minute. Beyond its speed and power, I was most impressed by the uniformity of its spice mixtures at each step of the grinding process. At $20 at the time of writing, it’s also a wallet-friendly buy. 

What we didn’t like: This was a fixed-cup grinder, so cleaning it wasn’t as convenient as a removable-cup model. It held onto spice aromas from batch to batch, although this could be alleviated by grinding white rice between spices. 

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 3.9 x 6.5 inches
• Materials: Plastic and stainless steel
• Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Stated capacity: 3 ounces of coffee beans (approximately 14 tablespoons)
• Measured capacity: About 12 tablespoons (to rim); five to six tablespoons recommended for spices
• Wattage: 200 watts
• Care instructions: Unplug before cleaning. Do not immerse the grinder in liquid. Instead, use a small brush or damp cloth to clean around the exterior and inside the grinding bowl. The lid can be washed by hand with mild dish soap and warm water or on the top rack of the dishwasher on the gentle cycle. 
  

Another Great Spice Grinder

Mueller Austria HyperGrind Precision Electric Coffee Grinder

$22 $20 at Amazon

What we liked: This lightweight, powerful model was tied with the KRUPS for performance. It efficiently broke down peppercorns into a uniform sprinkle, produced a lovely cinnamon powder, and only took one 10-second pulse to granulate fennel seeds. It’s about the same price, too, so it’s a great alternative if the KRUPS is unavailable.

What we didn’t like: Since it’s another fixed-cup grinder, it must be wiped out with a damp cloth rather than washed under running water or in the dishwasher. Some ground spices got stuck in the seam between the stainless steel bottom and plastic walls, but a toothpick helped remove any leftover debris. Because the model I tested was white, a tan ring developed around the sides after the cinnamon test. A baking soda paste took care of most of the discoloration, though, and Mueller offers the grinder in other colors that would be less likely to stain.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 4.4 x 7 inches
• Materials: Plastic and stainless steel
• Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Stated capacity: 2.12 ounces of coffee beans (approximately 11 tablespoons)
• Measured capacity: About 10 tablespoons (to rim); four to five tablespoons recommended for spices
• Wattage: 130 watts
• Care instructions: Unplug before cleaning. Do not immerse the grinder in liquid. Instead, use a small brush or damp cloth to clean around the exterior and inside the grinding bowl. The lid is not dishwasher-safe, but it can be removed and cleaned by hand with mild dish soap and water.
  

The Best Spice Grinder with a Removable Cup

Cuisinart Electric Spice and Nut Grinder

$40 at Amazon $40 at Williams-Sonoma $40 at Home Depot

What we liked: The Cuisinart was the only grinder designed specifically for spices and nuts rather than coffee. Its dishwasher-safe, removable bowl and lid made it as easy to clean as it was to use. It ground the spices quickly and evenly in every test. The grinding cup had a clear max capacity line to prevent overfilling. It also came with a cover to store extra spices directly in the cup after grinding. I appreciated that I could tuck the cord into the base after using it, making for a tidy storage solution. 

What we didn’t like: This model was pricey compared to my other two favorites and needed an extra pulse or two to match their results. It was among the bulkiest models in the lineup, but its roomy cup could only fit six tablespoons of black peppercorns. (It’s worth noting, however, that the user manual did say it could be filled with up to eight tablespoons of spice). Its lid had a seal along the top that could be hard to reach with a sponge when cleaning by hand. 

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 4.3 x 7.75 inches
• Materials: Plastic and stainless steel
• Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Stated capacity: 90 grams for coffee beans; 1/4 cup for almonds; 1/2 cup for spices and other nuts
• Measured capacity: 6 tablespoons (to max fill line)
• Wattage: 200 watts
• Care instructions: Unplug the grinder before cleaning. The removable cup and lids are top-rack dishwasher-safe. Wipe the grinder base with a damp cloth (do not immerse in water). 

The Best Pepper Mill

Peugeot Paris Pepper Mill

$48 $38 at Amazon $69 at Williams-Sonoma $62 at Walmart

What we liked: It was simple to choose and adjust the grind setting—choose from six coarseness settings that are clearly marked on the grinder. The generous length and rounded wooden top made it comfortable to hold.

What we didn't like: It's pretty small and will need to be refilled frequently. After refilling, you'll grind air for a while before all the peppercorns settle.

Key Specs

• Weight: 9.12 ounces
• Dimensions: 2.32 x 2.32 x 8.9 inches 
• Materials: Wood
• Capacity: 35 grams
• Grain size settings: 6 presets

The Competition

• KRUPS Silent Vortex Electric Grinder: True to its name, this spice grinder was quieter than most of the competitors. It didn’t grind spices very evenly, though, because of its high blade. The blade was also fairly loose, so a lot of dust fell through into the base. Its lid was hard to clean and slow to dry, thanks to its double layer of plastic on top.
• FinaMill Rechargeable Spice Grinder: This grinder was the only non-blade grinder I tested. It was more of an electric pepper mill with pods that could be filled with different spices and swapped out. It cracked the fennel seeds instead of grinding them, and it couldn’t break down the cinnamon sticks at all. It’s also quite expensive. 
• Secura Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder: This model stayed cleaner than most because its two-lid system helped contain spice dust while grinding. Unfortunately, it didn’t granulate consistently since spices tended to get stuck along the side walls, and it was the loudest grinder in the lineup. It also became noticeably warm during the cinnamon test.
• Capresso Cool Grind Coffee & Spice Blade Grinder: I liked the curvy retro aesthetic of this grinder, but it only ground cinnamon to a gritty, coarse consistency after a minute and left too many large, irregular pieces in the ground fennel. 
• KitchenAid Blade Coffee and Spice Grinder: This grinder was on the pricier side of the lineup, although it did include a coffee-specific grinding bowl and several lids. Its cups had thin (almost sharp) metal edges and were hard to twist in and out of the base. It also yielded uneven grinds. 
• Hamilton Beach Fresh Grind Coffee Grinder: The Hamilton Beach model ground pepper moderately well, but its ground cinnamon was coarse and chunky. Its cup was short and hard to twist in and out of the base. Its bowl also had a stainless steel lining along the bottom, under which spice dust and water seeped and built up from test to test. 
• Saachi Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder: This model was equipped with a deep bowl for high capacity. When we originally tested it, it was fast, but this unit struggled to get stuff really fine. The slim shape was easy to hold and handle with simple twist cord storage. Unfortunately, a lot of spice got stuck under the blade and the design had hard-to-clean plastic ridges.
• Proctor Silex Fresh Grind Coffee Grinder: The button on this model was hard to press down. Combined with a low capacity—20 grams of cinnamon maxed it out—and spillage upon opening, this unit didn’t make the cut the first time we tested it. It did, however, have great visibility while blending, so it’s a good choice if you wanna watch your spices whirl. It also seems to be unavailable.
• Bodum Bistro Blade Grinder: This model had a nice grippy rubber exterior and plenty of color options. Unfortunately, the unit didn’t easily sit flat because the cord doesn't stay put in its cord cutout. The cord storage was also tough to use. It had one of the slowest blending times when we tested it before, with spices often getting stuck under the blades.
• Quiseen One Touch Electric Coffee Grinder: This grinder's feet fell off immediately upon unboxing. There was cord storage, but it was difficult to use. Its design was similar to the Bodum, with nice grippy sides but an unstable base. The blade placement was very low, resulting in spices getting trapped beneath, and it was difficult to clean out. This unit had the shallowest lid and the most spilling. It's no longer available.
• Hamilton Beach Custom Grind: This grinder's removable blending cup was difficult to remove—and even harder to put back in place. The unit was large and clunky, making it tricky to grasp, clean, and store. It also yielded an uneven grind. This pepper mill is also unavailable as of September 2024.
• Epica Electric Coffee Grinder and Spice Grinder: The Epica had a similar lid design as the Cuisinart, but with a lip that kept spice dust from getting on the rim of the grinder. However, some spices still got under the grinding cup and it was harder to clean out than the Cuisinart due to narrow plastic ridges below the cup. This unit blended well and was very easy to clean. It was ultimately knocked out of the running due to the small size of the button, which was difficult to press down. It's currently unavailable, too.
• Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Bean Grinder: This unit quickly produced a surprisingly fine and even grind with a simple design that’s compact and easy to use. We ultimately ruled it out when we first tested it because of its small button design and spillage upon opening.
• Westinghouse Select Series Stainless Steel Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder: This grinder is cinched at the center, making it easy to grip and maneuver. The removable bowl was simple to remove and replace, slipping in and out without the need to twist or lock into place. Because the bowl sat snugly in the base, spices didn’t get caught underneath it, allowing for easy cleanup. Unfortunately, this unit didn’t make the cut due to a low capacity and excess spillage upon opening.

FAQs

What’s the best way to clean a spice grinder?

If your spice grinder has a removable lid and bowl, check the user manual to see if they are dishwasher safe. Otherwise, you can wash any removable parts with a soft cloth or sponge, warm water, and a mild detergent. For fixed-cup spice grinders, it’s easiest to dust out excess spices with a dry pastry brush, then wipe down the interior and exterior with a dampened cloth. Regardless of bowl style, most spice grinders are not watertight nor waterproof, so don’t add water directly to the bowl while it’s attached or submerge the base in liquid. For stains and lasting odors, try wiping out the interior of the grinder with a moist towel dipped in baking soda or distilled vinegar. To remove particularly stubborn aromas, grind two to three tablespoons of raw white rice until it is finely powdered, then clean the grinder as directed.

What kind of blades do spice grinders have?

Electric spice grinders are also called blade grinders because they have two winged blades that spin around a central base. They are often compared with burr grinders, which work by cutting ingredients (usually coffee beans) between two surfaces that are etched with sharp teeth. While we prefer burr grinders for coffee, blade grinders are better for spices because they are easy to clean, quick to set up, and good for small quantities.

Can you grind coffee in a spice grinder?

You certainly can pulverize coffee in a spice grinder (in fact, many blade grinders are marketed primarily for coffee), but we prefer using a burr-style grinder to prepare our beans. Burr grinders produce more uniform ground coffee, plus you can set them to specific particle sizes depending on your preferences and brewing method. 

What are spice grinders best used for? Are they good at grinding larger spices?

Our favorite spice grinders can pulverize just about any whole spice—from big chunks of cinnamon sticks to brittle dried rosemary leaves—in seconds. They can also make powders from ingredients like freeze-dried fruits and dehydrated chiles, crush tea leaves or dried flowers (like hibiscus), or break apart small quantities of crackers and cookies into crumbs. Most electric spice grinders are only suitable for processing dry ingredients, so check your specific model’s instruction manual before adding nuts, fresh herbs, or aromatics that can release moisture when ground. We’d recommend a mini food processor or a mortar and pestle instead for making pastes and herby sauces. 

What’s the difference between using a mortar and pestle and an electric spice grinder?

A mortar and pestle set is a traditional choice to pound dried herbs and seeds and prepare items like pesto, guacamole, and curry pastes that incorporate fresh components and oils or liquid. On the other hand, an electric spice grinder is specifically designed to granulate dried ingredients only. A spice grinder can be quicker and easier to achieve a fine powder with, but a mortar pestle is more adaptable and offers better control over the finished product. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Ashlee Redger has been reviewing equipment for Serious Eats since 2022. She has interned at America’s Test Kitchen, created consumer products and restaurant menus for national brands, and developed hundreds of recipes for home cooks.
• Ashlee has written many reviews for Serious Eats, including kitchen tongs and portable induction cooktops.
• She tested electric spice grinders by milling whole spices and evaluated them on their ability to produce consistent, fine powders. She also ranked them based on attributes like speed, loudness, and ease of cleaning.
• Sohla El-Waylly initially tested spice grinders in 2018. Ashlee tested her top performers alongside a few new and notable competitors. The KRUPS and Cuisinart models have continued to impress us after more than six years of evaluation, while the Mueller HyperGrind is a new addition to our favorites.