How to Make Coffee Without Electricity: 10 Power Outage Tips
Power outages can be a cozy time of snuggling near the fire, lighting candles, and enjoying books and board games and genuine family companionship. But going days (or even hours) without a cup of coffee is not one of the highlights! Fortunately, you don’t have to! There are a number of methods you can choose from for how to make coffee without electricity, and most of them don’t require fancy equipment.
When we first moved into our house in the country 5 years ago, we would lose power all. the. time. About 3 years in, we found out that the power company had made an installation mistake on the electrical pole.
After many days and nights of lighting candles, reading books in dim light, and trying to remember to not flush the toilet, (and honestly, overall just enjoying one another’s company!), they were able to fix the problem, and power outages are much more rare out here now. Wohoo!
But during that time, we learned to get by without power for a lot of necessary (and maybe debatably necessary) tasks! Brewing a pot of black coffee is usually one of the very first things we do in the morning, and no power outage is going to stop that!
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And although our camping trips have waned with many young kiddos at this stage in life, we’ve had our fare share of great tasting coffee brewed outside of tents with minimal equipment.
How to Make Coffee Without Electricity: 10 Ways
The methods we’ll share here all require slightly different supplies. Some work really well for power outages when you still have the comfort of your own home and kitchen tools. Others are better for camping or making the perfect cup of coffee on the go – even with no electricity.
Not every option is ideal for every situation, but with so many ways to make coffee without electricity, you should be able to find one that works well for you!
And if you don’t have what you need on hand for any of them (and you lose power as much as we did for those first few years!), investing in $20-$30 worth of equipment (such as a french press [#2] or small portable propane stove [#10]) might be able to save you from many trips to the local coffee shops for a $3-$5 cup of hot coffee. It adds up!
Here are the top 10 ways to make coffee without electricity, whether you’re at home without power or out in the great outdoors.
- Propane stove + regular coffee maker
- French press
- Whole bean coffee
- Instant coffee
- Pour over
- Portable power station
- Car kettle
- Cold brew
- Cowboy coffee
- Camping stove
1. Propane Stove + Regular Coffee Maker
If you have a propane stove and a pot or kettle, you don’t need electricity to heat your water! Simply turn the stove knob to “light” while holding a lighter to the burner. (Make sure to turn the dial after it ignites, just like you would normally do with electricity.)
While it’s heating, place your coffee grounds and coffee filter in your coffee maker as usual. After heating your water (it doesn’t need to be boiling, just hot), pour it slowly over the grounds.
If you only have whole coffee beans and can’t use your grinder due to lack of electricity, here are some alternate ways to grind your coffee (3 of them don’t require any electricity!). Of course, a manual coffee grinder works well too if you have one!
If you have a propane stove, this method may be the cheapest and easiest option. It doesn’t require any extra tools except for a lighter!
2. French Press
If you can find a heat source for warming your water (and if you don’t have a propane stove at home, keep reading for more ways you can heat water without a power source!), making french press coffee might be the best way to easily brew a cup of delicious coffee without a regular electric coffee maker.
French presses are pretty inexpensive (you can buy a decent one for less than $20) and they can make great coffee when used correctly. Plus, they’re compact – perfect for taking on a camping trip or stashing in your cabinet.
To making coffee using the french press method, all you have to do is:
- Heat your water
- Add coarse grounds
- Pour your hot water over them and let the coffee steep for 4-5 minutes
- Press the plunger down to separate the grounds, then pour out your fresh cup of coffee!
(Here’s a complete guide to making french press coffee if you want to give it a try!) The whole thing takes just a few minutes and makes a delicious, rich-flavored cup of coffee.
3. Whole Bean Coffee
Did you know that you can make whole bean coffee without a grinder? This might be the easiest way to brew coffee without a traditional coffee maker or a coffee grinder, but it does still require being able to heat and simmer your water for awhile.
It’s a good method for if you don’t have any traditional “coffee tools”, like a coffee pot, kettle, grinder, or french press. But it does take about an hour to make, so it’s not ideal if you’re a coffee drinker who reaches for your coffee cup first thing in the morning!
4. Instant Coffee
If your goal is simply to get a cup of joe in your coffee mug, instant coffee is probably the easiest way to go during a power outage or camping trip. Of course, you’ll still need a way to heat your water – see #1, #6, and #10!
5. Pour Over
With an propane stove, you can also make pour over coffee easily! Just heat your water on the stove and make your pour over as usual.
For coffee lovers, investing in pour over equipment (which includes a Chemex, filters, and usually a gooseneck kettle) is an excellent way to make a quality cup of coffee at home – with minimal power.
6. Portable Power Station
Investing in a portable power station is a great way to prepare for more emergencies than just coffee. These are ideal for camping but can also be an excellent way to be ready for power outages. This smaller portable power station is fairly inexpensive and can be charged using solar power.
If you want to get serious about having another power supply, you might also consider a Milwaukee compact inverter. (But we are a Milwaukee family, so this might be a biased suggestion!)
With a portable power station, you can easily plug in your regular coffee maker or use an electric kettle for heating water.
7. Car Kettle
Did you know that you can actually heat water in your car with an electric car kettle? If you have access to a vehicle, this is another really easy way to heat water and brew coffee in case of a power outage.
I have not personally tried this method, but it seems like a great option for both electricity loss and just for road trips where you don’t want to have to buy coffee!
8. Cold Brew
Cold brew coffee takes quite a few hours to make. But on the plus side, it doesn’t require any electricity!
To make cold brew, you just need to steep coarsely ground coffee in water for 12-24 hours. (A longer steep time makes stronger coffee.)
Here’s a simple guide to making cold brew – with measurements!
Cold brewing is probably the easiest brewing process for making good coffee without electricity, since it doesn’t require any heating at all. On the downside, the process takes a long time. (Hey, if you know in advance you might have a power outage though, it could be perfect!)
Cold brew is different from iced coffee. With iced coffee, you can brew it hot (like normal) and then chill it or add ice cubes. Cold brew, on the other hand, is steeped in cold water for many hours.
If you’re going camping and know ahead of time that you won’t have power, making a big batch of iced coffee in advance is another option, of course!
9. Cowboy Coffee
The history of cowboy coffee dates back hundreds of years, to the cowboys and pioneers who made coffee on the trail with nothing but an open fire, a metal can, some water, and coffee grounds. These days, it’s still used by many who love making a delicious cup of coffee in the great outdoors. The cowboy method is similar to the french press method, but with no fancy tools.
Here’s how to make it:
- Add some water to a pot or kettle and use an open flame or your propane stove to heat it until the water boils. Then, remove from the heat and let your boiling water sit for 30 seconds.
- Next, add 2 tablespoons of coffee to 8 tablespoons of water. A finer grind size works best for this method.
- Stir, then let the coffee grounds sit for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes, give it another stir. Then, let it sit for 2 more minutes.
- After 4 minutes total, sprinkle the grounds with some cold water. This will help them sink to the bottom and become easier to strain.
- Lastly, slowly pour the brewed coffee into your mug. The grounds should stay at the bottom! If you’re making your coffee at home, you could also use a fine strainer to ensure that no grounds get into your mug.
Tip: Don’t let the coffee sit after it’s finished brewing. It can over extract and you’ll end up with bitter coffee.
While some people think that cowboy coffee is for a worst-case scenario situation, other coffee enthusiasts insist that it has the best flavor compared to other methods! If you try it, be sure to let us know what you think!
10. Camping Stove
A camping stove is another excellent alternative for heating your water so that you can start brewing coffee using a regular coffee maker, french press, or pour-over coffee maker. Or, you can use it to boil water for making whole bean or cowboy coffee.
If you camp often, you might consider investing in a good camping stove with multiple burners so that you can heat more than just a few ounces of water for making hot coffee. (Keep in mind that you’ll also need a propane tank to hook up your stove.)
We like to pack light and just use a small portable propane tank stove. This option is easy to stick in a backpack and isn’t too heavy to carry around.
Enjoy Your Fresh Brew!
Of course, out of all the various methods for brewing the best coffee without electricity, there’s always the option of turning on a generator, too…! But that’s just not as rewarding, is it?!
Which one of these different ways for brewing coffee without electricity seems the easiest to you? Let us know in the comments! And enjoy your coffee!
