For Moles and Adobos: Picking the Best Spice Grinder Machine

A mole poblano can call for a dozen or more spices and seeds: cumin, cloves, allspice, black pepper, canela, anise, sesame, and the dried chiles that give it its color. An adobo for pork or a recado for cochinita pibil asks for many of the same. Whole spices keep their flavor longer than ground ones, and toasting them on a comal before grinding brings out more. The hard part has always been the grinding. A molcajete does it beautifully but slowly; an electric spice grinder does it in seconds.

This guide compares seven electric spice grinders sold on Amazon, all blade grinders, the type America’s Test Kitchen tested for spices. For each we give the bowl, capacity, controls, cord storage and what the maker says it can grind, plus where ATK’s testing found strengths and weak spots.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for in a spice grinder, the makers’ own specifications, the details on each Amazon listing and published equipment reviews, which we cite.

Quick verdict: which spice grinder to buy

The rest of this page explains what to look for and how to grind toasted spices and dried chiles without scorching the motor or the flavor.

Five spice grinders at a glance

One pick for each kind of kitchen, with the bowl and capacity each maker or listing states. All seven grinders are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Capacities are as stated by each maker or listing; several are given as cups of brewed coffee rather than weight.

Our picks for the best spice grinder machine

These seven grinders range from a spice-specific Cuisinart to simple coffee-and-spice blade grinders from Krups, Hamilton Beach and Capresso. Each pick says who it suits, what the maker or listing states, what ATK found where it tested the model, and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a spice grinder for a Mexican kitchen

A removable bowl is worth having. ATK’s testers liked detachable grinding bowls: you pour the spice straight into the pan and wash the bowl in the sink. With a fixed bowl, ATK suggests grinding dry white rice to clean it. If you switch between cumin and canela in the same afternoon, a removable bowl saves a lot of wiping.

Look at the blade and the lid. ATK favored long, low blades, a large clear lid so you can see the grind, a large comfortable button and a wide bowl that is easy to fill and wipe out. A clear lid matters with chiles, which go from flakes to powder in a few seconds.

Think about hard spices. Cinnamon sticks were the hardest test in ATK’s review: some grinders never broke them down. Mexican canela, the soft, flaky Ceylon type covered in our best Mexican spices guide, is easier than hard cassia bark, but break any stick into small pieces before it goes in. Secura’s own listing for its grinder tells owners not to grind very hard foods such as cinnamon or cloves.

Dry only, unless the maker says otherwise. None of the grinders here is sold for wet pastes. For an adobo, a recado or a salsa, toast and grind the dry spices, then blend them with chiles and liquid in a blender, or work them in a molcajete. Our guide to molcajete vs blender explains the difference in texture.

Capacity and storage. Most blade grinders hold 70 to 90 grams. That is plenty for a mole’s worth of spices. Cord storage and a small footprint decide whether the grinder lives on the counter or in a cupboard.

How to grind toasted spices and dried chiles

1. Toast whole spices in a dry skillet or on a comal over medium heat, shaking the pan, until they smell fragrant and darken a shade. Cumin and coriander take a minute or two; cloves and allspice a little longer.
2. Let them cool before grinding. Warm spices are oilier and can clump.
3. Prepare dried chiles by wiping them, removing stems and most seeds, tearing them into pieces and toasting them briefly until pliable and fragrant. Let them cool and crisp before grinding. Our guide to Mexican chiles covers which chile does what.
4. Grind in short pulses, shaking the grinder between them, and stop as soon as the texture is right. Seeds such as sesame and pepitas turn to paste if you grind too long.
5. Unplug before cleaning. Wipe the blades with a dry brush or cloth, or wash the removable bowl. The CPSC once recalled Starbucks-branded blade grinders after reports that they could turn on unexpectedly, including three hand lacerations during cleaning; unplugging first removes that risk on any model.

For a fine powder from fibrous chiles, sift the ground chile and regrind what stays in the sieve.

How we picked these seven grinders

We started from the grinding a Mexican kitchen does: toasted cumin and coriander, cloves, allspice and canela for moles and adobos, dried chiles for chile powder, and seeds for pipián. We looked for electric spice grinders from identifiable makers sold on Amazon in the United States and checked each one’s stock with Amazon’s product data before writing. Bowls, capacities, controls and warranties come from each brand’s Amazon listing, and we used the blade grinder review from America’s Test Kitchen for performance. We did not use these grinders ourselves.

Two brands often suggested for spices are left out on purpose: ATK did not recommend the Secura Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder (“This grinder was ineffective and made a mess the second we turned it on”) or the KitchenAid Coffee and Spice Grinder, in which “the cinnamon stick danced in the grinding bowl”. Breville’s grinders on Amazon are burr coffee grinders, covered in our best coffee grinder guide, and we found no Breville spice grinder there. We checked the CPSC’s recalls and found none covering the models picked here; the Starbucks recall above concerned grinders sold in Starbucks and Seattle’s Best stores.

Spice grinder questions, answered

Can I use a coffee grinder as a spice grinder?

Yes; most of the grinders here are sold for both, and ATK’s standard test was blade grinders. Keep one for coffee and one for spices, though, because spice oils linger and flavor the next batch.

Blade grinder, burr grinder or mortar and pestle?

For spices, a blade grinder is fast and cheap. Burr grinders are made for coffee. A mortar and pestle gives the most control and works for wet pastes as well; see the best mortar and pestle and the best molcajete.

Can an electric spice grinder grind dried chiles?

Yes, once the chiles are stemmed, mostly seeded, torn into pieces and dry and crisp. Pulse, shake and stop when you have the texture you want; let the dust settle before you open the lid.

How do you clean a spice grinder?

Unplug it first. Wash a removable bowl by hand or in the dishwasher if the maker allows. For a fixed bowl, ATK suggests grinding dry white rice, then wiping out the powder.

Can a spice grinder make a wet paste for adobo?

None of the makers here sells its grinder for wet use. Grind the dry spices first, then blend them with soaked chiles and liquid in a blender or a molcajete. Our guide to what mole is shows how many dry and wet steps go into one sauce.

Our final pick for moles and adobos

Buy the Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder if you grind spices often and want the most even results and a removable bowl. Choose the KRUPS 3-ounce grinder on a budget, the Cuisinart Grind Central for bigger batches and tidy cord storage, and one of the Hamilton Beach models if you want a lift-out bowl in a small kitchen.

More small-appliance guides: food processors, personal blenders, hand mixers, vegetable choppers, meat grinders, food dehydrators, yogurt makers, pasta makers, bread machines.

Grinding wet masala or batter? See our guide to the best masala grinder machines.

Related guide: Best nut grinder.

For what to grind, see the best Mexican spices; for coffee, the best coffee grinder. And if you would rather someone else made the mole tonight, see the menu or call to order.