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The short answer: yes, you can eat coffee beans. Roasted beans are safe for most healthy adults in small amounts, and chocolate-covered espresso beans are a popular snack. The catch is caffeine, because each roasted arabica bean holds roughly 1 to 2mg, so a big handful can match a cup or two of coffee.
Coffee beans are the roasted seeds of the coffee cherry, so eating them is less odd than it sounds. This guide covers how much caffeine they contain, how many you can sensibly eat, who should skip them and the nicest ways to try them.
Is it safe to eat coffee beans?
For most healthy adults, eating a small number of roasted coffee beans is safe. They are the same beans you grind for your morning cup, just eaten whole instead of brewed. The thing to watch is the dose, because you swallow the whole bean rather than just the part that dissolves into water.
Roasted beans are also hard and quite bitter on their own. That is why most people eat them coated in chocolate, which tames the bitterness and adds sweetness. Green, unroasted beans are a different story. They are very hard and taste grassy, so stick to roasted beans.
How much caffeine is in one coffee bean?
It depends on the type of bean. Arabica beans usually contain about 0.8 to 1.4% caffeine by weight, while robusta beans contain about 1.7 to 4%, according to the coffee bean entry on Wikipedia. A roasted bean weighs roughly 0.12 to 0.14g, as our guide to coffee beans per cup explains.
Put those together and one arabica bean holds roughly 1 to 2mg of caffeine. A robusta bean can hold around 2 to 5mg. Chocolate adds a little more, but the NHS puts a 50g bar of plain dark chocolate at under 25mg, so the coating is only a small share.
| Beans eaten | Approximate caffeine (arabica) | For comparison |
|---|---|---|
| 10 beans | 10 to 20mg | Less than a can of cola (about 40mg) |
| 25 beans | 25 to 50mg | Up to half a cup of instant coffee |
| 50 beans | 50 to 100mg | Up to a cup of instant coffee (about 100mg) |
| 100 beans | 100 to 200mg | Up to two cups of instant coffee |
These are estimates for plain roasted arabica beans, using the NHS figures for cola and instant coffee. Robusta beans, or blends that contain robusta, will be higher, so check the pack if caffeine matters to you.
How many coffee beans can you eat in a day?
The European Food Safety Authority says up to 400mg of caffeine a day is fine for healthy adults, and single doses up to 200mg do not raise safety concerns. That limit covers caffeine from every source, so your coffee, tea, cola and energy drinks all count too.
In practice, a small handful of 10 to 20 chocolate-covered beans is a sensible treat for most adults. If you have already had two or three mugs of coffee, keep it smaller, because the beans stack on top. Eating a whole tub in one sitting is a bad idea, even for a heavy coffee drinker.
Signs you have eaten too many
Too much caffeine can cause a racing heart, jitters, an upset stomach, anxiety and trouble sleeping. Some people also find that coffee beans give them heartburn. If that happens, stop eating them and drink some water. Speak to a GP or pharmacist if any symptoms worry you.
Who should avoid eating coffee beans?
Some people should skip them or keep to very small amounts.
Pregnant women. The NHS advises no more than 200mg of caffeine a day during pregnancy, so every bean counts. EFSA gives the same 200mg figure for breastfeeding mothers.
Children. Children are more sensitive to caffeine, and EFSA uses a much lower guide of 3mg per kilogram of body weight. A tub of chocolate coffee beans is not a children’s sweet, so keep it out of reach.
People sensitive to caffeine. If coffee makes you anxious, keeps you awake or upsets your stomach, whole beans will likely do the same. If you take medication or have a health condition, check with your GP or pharmacist first.
What do coffee beans taste like to eat?
Plain roasted beans taste like very strong coffee with a crunchy, slightly gritty texture. Darker roasts are more brittle and taste more bitter and smoky, while lighter roasts are harder and brighter. Our guide to coffee roast levels explains why roasting changes the flavour so much.
Freshness matters too. Stale beans taste flat and papery whether you brew them or eat them, so read our 15-15-15 coffee rule guide before you raid an old bag.
The best ways to eat coffee beans
Chocolate-covered coffee beans are the easiest way in. The chocolate balances the bitterness, and a tub makes it simple to keep portions small. Hatton Hill sells a 500g tub of dark chocolate coated coffee beans on Amazon UK, which suits snacking or scattering over desserts.
Check Hatton Hill Dark Chocolate Coated Coffee Beans prices on Amazon UK
You can also crush a few roasted beans and use them in baking, sprinkle them over ice cream or fold them into brownies. Eating beans is not new either. In Ethiopia, the Oromo people traditionally made a food called bunna qela from roasted beans, butter and salt, according to the history of coffee on Wikipedia.
Whichever way you choose, start with good whole beans. Spent grounds from your brewer are gritty and have little to offer as a snack, so leave those for the compost.
Should you eat coffee beans or just drink coffee?
For your daily caffeine, brewing is the better choice. You get more flavour, and it is far easier to keep track of how much caffeine you have had. If you want a bigger kick, our guide to making strong coffee shows how to get it from the cup instead of the tub.
For everyday brewing at home, we mostly drink 200 Degrees Brazilian Love Affair. 200 Degrees describes it as its signature espresso blend: medium roasted, with plenty of body, great crema and a strong, bold finish. It comes as whole beans or ground for cafetière, filter or espresso.
Check Brazilian Love Affair at 200 Degrees
FAQ
Can you eat raw coffee beans?
Raw, or green, coffee beans are edible, but they are very hard and taste grassy rather than like coffee. Roasted beans are much easier to chew and taste far better.
Is eating coffee beans healthier than drinking coffee?
Not really. You get the same caffeine plus the fibre of the whole bean, but chocolate coatings add sugar and fat. So treat chocolate coffee beans as a sweet rather than a health food.
Do coffee beans break a fast?
Coffee beans contain some calories, so strictly they do, and chocolate-covered ones certainly do. Our guide to whether coffee breaks a fast covers black coffee in more detail.
Can dogs eat coffee beans?
No. Caffeine is toxic to dogs and cats, so keep beans, chocolate-covered beans and grounds well away from pets. Call your vet straight away if your pet eats some.
The bottom line
Yes, you can eat coffee beans. A small handful of roasted or chocolate-covered beans is safe for most healthy adults, with roughly 1 to 2mg of caffeine in each arabica bean. Keep your total under the 400mg daily guide, take extra care if you are pregnant or sensitive to caffeine, and brew your beans when you want a proper cup.
Check Hatton Hill Dark Chocolate Coated Coffee Beans prices on Amazon UK
