The disclosure describes growing a data cache using a background hash bucket growth process. A first memory portion is allocated to the data buffer of the data cache and a second memory portion is allocated to the metadata buffer of the data cache based on the cache growth instruction. The quantity of hash buckets in the hash bucket buffer is increased and the background hash bucket growth process is initiated, wherein the process is configured to rehash hash bucket entries of the hash bucket buffer in the increased quantity of hash buckets. A data entry is stored in the data buffer using the allocated first memory portion of the data cache and metadata associated with the data entry is stored using the allocated second memory portion of the metadata buffer, wherein a hash bucket entry associated with the data entry is stored in the increased quantity of hash buckets.