Learn how to make the best cup of French press coffee with this simple step-by-step guide! Perfect for a single-serve coffee and an easy part of your morning routine.
It’s not a good morning unless you start it off with a killer cup of coffee, amiright?
If you’ve ever wondered how to get the perfect cup of French press, look no further! We’ve got the ultimate French press guide here for you today with lots of step-by-step photos and probably one too many nerdy coffee facts.
Trust me, it’s all worth it in the end. Once you turn to the French press dark side there’s no going back!
Coffee lovers, this one’s for you. Grab a cup and settle in, we’ve got a lot of coffee info to get through today.
This French Press Coffee features…
- A smooth and rich brew that tastes better than most coffeehouses
- 10 minutes to make and a super easy morning coffee routine
- Option to make single-serve or multiple servings
Making the French Press Coffee
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Coffee to Water Ratio
How strong you want your coffee to be is entirely up to you, but for this recipe we prefer to use a ratio of 1:15. This means for every 1 gram of coffee, you will want to use 15 grams of water.
To put this ratio in simpler terms: for 1 (8 oz) serving of coffee you will use 8 oz water to 14 grams of coffee. You can easily double or triple this based on how much liquid your press will hold and how many servings of coffee you would like to make.
French press is slightly stronger than your average drip coffee, but feel free to play around with the amount of coffee you use until you find a strength ratio that works for you!
Pre-Ground or Whole Beans?
If you have access to a grinder, we recommend always grinding whole beans yourself for French press coffee. You’ll be able to control the grind size of your beans plus freshly ground coffee has much stronger aromas and flavors resulting in a richly-flavored cup of coffee.
If pre-ground coffee is all you have access to, no worries! You can still make a perfectly good cup of French press coffee with pre-ground, it just may not be quite as flavorful.
Tips for Perfect French Press Coffee
- Weigh coffee before grinding – we highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your coffee for precise brewing.
- Grind beans to coarse consistency – you don’t want huge chunks, but you also don’t want the grounds too fine either. We typically aim for a flaky sea salt-like consistency.
- Prewarm French press – pouring a little boiling water into your French press before brewing gets a head-start on heating which makes for a perfectly hot cup of coffee.
- Pour water over grounds and let sit without stirring 1 minute – this is called “blooming” your coffee.
- Stir coffee after blooming – use a long spoon to break up the top crust of the grounds and allow your coffee to steep 3 additional minutes.
- Slowly push plunger down – this will push the grounds down and keep the coffee on top.
- Decant coffee immediately – if you let the coffee sit in the French press too long it will start to develop a bitter flavor. For best results, pour immediately into mugs after brewing.
How to Clean French Press
Cleaning and disposing of all the grounds in your French press can be a bit annoying, but we found an easy trick is to swirl a few splashes of water in the bottom of the French press to easily release the grounds. Rinse the French press well in warm water, making sure no grounds are stuck in the plunger top.
How To Enjoy French Press
You can treat French press coffee just like you would any other morning coffee. Enjoy it black, mix in your favorite creamer, half-and-half, oat milk, or coffee syrup.
What about iced? You can easily convert this French press into an iced drink. Allow the coffee to cool slightly then pour over lots of ice and mix in your favorite creamers or syrups.
This is just the absolute most perfect cup of coffee there ever was! French press really does work its magic and produces a smooth, rich, and flavorful cup of coffee that just starts a day off on the right foot every time.
Trust me, once you try brewing French press coffee at home you will NEVER go back to drip coffee again!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Watch this coffee made step-by-step on Google web stories.
More ways to get your coffee fix!
How To Make French Press Coffee
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Ingredients
- 14 grams (2 tablespoons) whole coffee beans
- 8 oz water, plus more for warming
Instructions
- Bring about 1/2 cup water to a boil and pour into French press. Set the French press plunger on top and allow the water to sit to warm the French press while you grind the beans.
- Place coffee beans in a grinder and grind to a coarse consistency (about the texture of flaky sea salt) Drain warming water out of French press and place ground coffee in bottom of French press.
- Bring 8 oz water to a boil (212F), then remove from heat and let sit offheat 1 minute.
- Pour water over ground coffee and allow to sit 1 minute without stirring to bloom the coffee. Stir coffee well to break up the top layer and and place plunger on top (do not push down coffee yet) Allow coffee to sit an additional 3 minutes.
- Push French press plunger down to separate the grounds from the coffee and immediately pour coffee into a mug for serving. Serve coffee immediately and enjoy!
This post was updated with new recipe tips and photos on 7/20/23.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
That’s so exciting about your graduation party! Sounds like the dessert table is going to be amazing! And I don’t think I’ve ever had french press coffee before. I know, what’s wrong with me? I can’t believe how easy it is to make. And it sounds so delicious, too. Thanks for the tips, friend!
Sarah says
You totally need to give FP coffee a try, Gayle! You’ll be hooked. 😉
Ashley says
Have so much fun at your grad party this weekend!! And yay for coffee! We love fresh press coffee! Love these photos!
Sarah says
Thanks Ashley!! Isn’t FP coffee just awesome??
Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze says
Hope you have a fabulous time at your party this weekend!! 🙂 And I’ve always wanted to make French Press coffee, but never knew how. Now I do. Excited to try this soon. Happy Weekend. Try to rest a bit too. 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
We are a french press house all the way! I don’t even own a coffee maker. Shawn’s the coffee drinker, and this is the way he likes. I especially like that it takes up so little space. I would go nuts having a big coffee maker (or even worse a Keurig!) on my counter.
Sarah says
*high five* YES! I’m so glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t own a coffee maker! Like you said, they’re so big and clunky and take up tons of room!
Manali @ CookWithManali says
Enjoy your graduation party Sarah!! 🙂 and thanks for the tutorial!
Sarah says
Thanks Manali!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Aaw yay, have a wonderful time at your grad party! It’s totally going to rock – especially the food 🙂 Yay for french press, love the gorgeous photos girl! Have a great weekend!
Sarah says
Thank you, Kelly! The weekend was definitely unforgettable! Glad things can slow down now though. 😉
Mary Frances says
Mini cupcakes?? Girl, you are crazy in the best way possible! Ha I was in the middle of finals and my mom picked up all my slack in the food department for my party. I have SO much respect for you taking that all on. Is your middle name superwoman or what?
And holy cow, this is a caffeinator’s dream! I’ve never had French press but considering me and my mom are the only coffee drinkers in my house too, I need to try this. It looks ridiculously good!
Sarah says
Ugh, RIGHT?! Sometimes even I question my “bright ideas.” The food was definitely a little extra work than I originally thought it would be. LOL. Haha! And that’s so funny that you and your mom are the only coffee drinkers in your house too! Are we long-lost twins or something, girlie?? 🙂
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
I don’t drink coffee, but my husband is the coffee lover 😉 He loves fresh coffee. Have so much fun at your grad party this weekend, my dear!!
Sarah says
Thanks Olivia! You should definitely make your husband some FP coffee!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Hope you have a fabulous graduation party! I didn’t know it was so easy to make french press coffee. I’ve been using a Chemex glass coffee maker because I got tired of trying to clean our electric coffee maker, but this looks much easier.
Sarah says
Oh, it’s seriously SO easy you may never go back to regular coffee again!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
Love this post! I LOVE using my bodum and it makes such incredibly delicious coffee 🙂 Have a super fun time at your grad party!! 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks girl!! You’re so sweet. 🙂
Bradley Anderson says
I’ve never tried coffee made in a french press. Does it change the flavor?
Sarah says
I’ve found that french press coffee gives it a much deeper flavor that I personally really love! 🙂
Jackie says
I love using a French Press! It’s just so, so, so much better than a drip coffee machine. Thanks for all the tips.
gregor says
Wow you are amazing at describing the method ! I love it 🙂
I also love French pressed coffee. Since it’s now summer, I actually turn my French pressed coffee into ice cubes and put it in some cold milk. It’s awesome !!Enjoy Your graduation party!!
Thanks for sharing the post!!
Sarah says
Thank you Gregor! I love your idea of using the french pressed coffee for ice cubes in milk!
Anne Katie says
I love French press very much. It is one of the most delicious recipes that I have tried and I totally addicted. Thanks for sharing your own way to make it by ourselves. I will try to follow your guidance and hope it works well.
Sarah says
French press coffee is one of my favorites too! Hope you like this tutorial, Anne!
David @ MilkFrotherJudge says
While not everyone is a lover of the French press, it’s one of the most classic methods of brewing coffee, and if we do it right, it can produce a great cup. Another piece of advice I have to offer after years of using a French press is to make sure you use a burr grinder. You won’t believe the difference it makes verses using prepackaged grounds or a blade grinder. You can taste the freshness!
meredith @Wired for Coffee says
French press is great! Here’s a fun tip: For a hot summer day, you can use the press to make cold brew coffee!
Using a 4 to 1 ratio of water to grounds:
Pour cold water into the press – filtered is best.
Add the grounds to the water.
Stir the mixture well.
Pop the plunger on top – don’t press anything yet.
Put it into the fridge for 12-18 hours.
Now press the plunger as normal.
You can further filter through cheesecloth, but other than that, get the ice out!