How to Use a Moka Pot on an Electric Stove

Those buying a Moka pot may be concerned about using it on electric stoves. Moka pots were designed and intended for use on gas stoves, and this can confuse first-time Moka users. After you’ve learned how to use a Moka pot on an electric stove, you’ll be making delicious coffee in no time.

How to Use a Moka Pot on an Electric Stove

Pour hot water into the bottom chamber before brewing, then turn on your stove’s burner and set it to medium heat. Halfway through, turn it down to low heat and let it simmer for a few minutes. As soon as the pot has finished brewing, remove it from the stove and serve.

Three stainless Moka pots and two glasses were placed on top of a tray in the kitchen

Let’s have a deeper look at the technique for using the Moka pot on an electric stove:

1. Start With Heated Water

Pour preheated water from a kettle into the bottom of your Moka pot and fill it up at the valve. You can also start by boiling water in the base and allowing it to cool a bit before brewing.

Starting with pre-heated water in the bottom means you have a faster brew at ideal temperatures and have better extracted and sweeter coffee.

2. Place Coffee Grounds in the Filter Cup

Now, add the coffee grounds to the filter cup without applying pressure or excessive force, being mindful of not getting grounds on the coffee maker’s edge. Screw the upper section firmly onto the heating unit without yanking on the handle.

3. Place on Your Stove

Place your pot on your stove over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the water begins to boil and steam comes out of your pot lid. Take care not to burn yourself by lifting or moving it while it’s hot, as this can cause the coffee grounds to spill out onto the burner.

This is especially important if you have a stove with only one burner, as most do not have an automatic shutoff feature like gas stoves.

4. Reduce the Heat and Allow the Coffee to Brew Completely

I don’t want it to be so hot that the coffee begins to boil on the pot’s top. The goal is not to go through all that trouble to get lovely, fresh coffee, just to boil everything to vapor.

You need to adjust the heat just right so that it doesn’t take too long to boil though not so hot that everything boils over the second you turn your back for even a minute.

5. Turn off the Heat After the Coffee in the Top Is Finished Brewing

The coffee has finished brewing when the top tank is filled, and there is a constant stream of coffee pouring from the spout. As soon as this occurs, turn off the heat to avoid over-extraction of the coffee.

Take a spoon and mix the coffee to distribute the oils and coffee grounds in your brew evenly.

6. Enjoy

Congratulations! You have successfully made a pot of coffee with your Moka coffee maker. Try various grind sizes and brewing times to find out what works best.

The Benefits of Using a Moka Pot on an Electric Stove

Electric stoves are ideal for making coffee and other beverages because they heat up quickly and can maintain a consistent temperature. Other benefits are:

The cost of buying one is much lower than that of a gas stove
They are easy to clean up afterward because no parts need to be washed separately from each other.
Eco-friendly: Using an electric stove instead of a gas stove will help reduce your carbon footprint and save money on electricity bills.

When Your Moka Pot Extracts Too Fast, Here’s What to Do!

When making Moka coffee on an electric stove, you may be surprised that your pot is extracting too fast. In this case, you need to be aware of what’s happening in your pot. If the water is boiling too hard, it will overflow and make a mess on the stove.

Use a Different Grind

If you’ve already changed the amount of coffee that goes into your Moka pot and still extracts too quickly, try changing the grind type and size. Different grinds have different extraction times – some are slower than others. If you’re using a fine grind, try switching to a medium or coarse grind instead!

A blue Moka pot beside coffee beans and a white cup of coffee on a white saucer placed on top of a black table

Use Less Coffee

The more coffee grounds inside your brew basket, the longer it will take them to extract flavor from your coffee. It is advised to use about 2 teaspoons of coffee for 6 ounces of water. However, if you discover that the coffee is still extracting too rapidly, you might need to reduce the coffee even further.

Don’t Compact the Grounds Before Brewing

While it might be tempting to tamp your coffee grounds before brewing, tamping can cause faster extraction because it compacts the grounds, which speeds up the flow of water through them.

When you tamp down your coffee grounds before brewing, you can push them too far into the bottom chamber of your Moka pot, which means that they’ll be over-extracted by the time all of them are pushed up through the filter basket.

Different Moka Pot Materials

Hands down, the most important material in any Moka pot is the metal used to make its parts — specifically, aluminum and stainless steel. Other materials include plastic handles and lids, often made with BPA-free polypropylene plastic.

Aluminum

Aluminum is softer than stainless steel or nonstick, so these aren’t as durable as stainless steel Moka pots. However, they’re much more affordable and still work well on an electric stovetop if you take care of them properly.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is the best choice for electric stoves. They can either be built entirely of stainless steel or simply have a stainless steel bottom with an aluminum body. Stainless steel pots are also durable and easier to clean because they don’t have any texture that could trap coffee grounds.

Conclusion

If you can master the art of the stovetop Moka pot, then feel free to use it on an electric stove. Start with hot water and set the stove to medium heat. Halfway through, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for a few minutes to avoid over-extraction.