The Best Single-Serve Coffee Makers of 2021

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Did you know the average American spends roughly $3,000 a year on coffee? Instead of dropping your hard-earned cash on overpriced lattes or lukewarm cappuccinos, consider investing your money into a single-serve coffee maker of your own.

Gone are the days of having to set the coffee timer and wait for the slow drip of your favorite beans to brew. With single-serve coffee makers, you’re able to get the perfect cup in a matter of minutes (or sometimes even seconds).

With tons of programmable options, flavor settings and more, you can find your groove without having to accumulate hours waiting in line at your local cafe. Simply drop your K-cup or pod into your coffee maker, choose your preferred darkness settings and enjoy a quick cup. No mess, no fuss, no problem.

Check out the best single-serve coffee makers below; we’ve included both the best Keurigs and Keurig alternatives. And while you’re at it, you may want to glance through our list of the best (and most fun) coffee mugs. Even the best coffee can taste better with the right presentation.

1. Keurig K-Elite

BEST OVERALL

Making delicious coffee is easy with the Keurig K-Elite. The touchscreen display makes navigating through your options shockingly simple. You can control the strength as well as how much coffee you want. If you want your coffee ready right when you wake up, you can program your fresh brew for the morning. The tank holds up to about seven cups of coffee before it needs to be refilled. It’s an easy way to start your day off right.

2. Keurig K-Slim Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod

RUNNER-UP

This undisputed king of single-serve coffee makers, the K-Classic, has gotten a makeover, and lost a few pounds in the process. The new and improved K-Slim Keurig coffee maker is less than 5″ wide so it’ll fit easily on your countertop. It has a 46 ounce reservoir so you can brew at least four cups without needing to refill, and it makes three different cup sizes including 8, 10 or 12 ounces. It has a removable drip tray that makes it easy to fit travel mugs underneath and has an auto off feature that turns the maker off five minutes after the last brew to save energy.

3. Keurig K-Supreme Plus Coffee Maker

HONORABLE MENTION

Yup, rounding out the top three is, of course, another pick from Keurig. We don’t typically like to feature multiple picks from one brand, but if one company makes many of the best single serve coffee makers then we think we have to cover them.

The Keurig K-Supreme Plus Coffee Maker lives up to the hype of a product with the word “supreme” in its name. This coffee maker is large and in charge, with programmable favorites, custom strength and temperature brew settings, brew sizes from four to 12 ounces, a giant 78-ounce water reservoir and back-to-back brewing capability. This makes it great for a single person with lots of different coffee moods or great for families with different coffee preferences.

It’s designed to only work with K-Cups, but if you get a reusable cup you can use your favorite tea or coffee grounds no problem.

4. Keurig K-Café Coffee Maker

COFFEE PLUS FROTHER

When you can’t live without cappuccinos or lattes, the Keurig K-Café Coffee Maker is here to save the day. The frother only takes about two minutes to work its magic, and it makes both hot and cold milk. If there is still some milk left, slap the included lid on it and store it in the fridge for next time. The frother is dishwasher safe, so cleaning it is just as easy as making those delicious coffee drinks.

5. AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker

BEST FRENCH-PRESS STYLE

Any coffee-snob will tell you it’s difficult to beat a French press. Fill the AeroPress with hot water — unfortunately, you have to boil water separately — and press the coffee down through the plunger. You’re left with delicious French-press style coffee. And this thing is so compact and lightweight, you can bring this contraption with you anywhere you go. Say goodbye to burnt coffee on your next camping trip.

6. BLACK + DECKER Single Serve Coffee Maker

BUDGET PICK

If you like things easy — like, real easy — then the Black + Decker coffee maker is right up your alley. Load it up with coffee grounds and press the button to brew. That’s it, that’s the whole operation. It comes with a 15-ounce travel mug so you can literally grab and go that fits into most car cup holders. The coffee maker also has useful features like a removable filter basket and a permanent filter you can install if desired. The machine’s parts are dishwasher-safe and it has an auto shutoff feature as well.

7. Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System Auto-iQ

GREAT FEATURES

The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed system is essentially a personal barista, but at the size of a toaster. You choose how much coffee you want, the brew type (rich, over-ice, etc.), and whether or not you want frothed milk. Yes, it has a milk frother built-in. Not in the mood for coffee? This puppy makes tea as well. It’s literally as easy as pressing a button. It comes with smart basket recognition and six different brew sizes depending on the type of day you’ve got ahead of you. No matter what your caffeine needs are today, this machine has got you covered.

8. Keurig K-Mini Plus Single-Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker

BEST FOR SMALL SPACES

This pint-sized coffee maker is a great choice for small spaces. Measuring less than five inches wide, you can fit it almost anywhere. It’s able to hold up to nine K-Cup pods and is incredibly easy to use. Just add fresh water, pop the pod in a voila! The removable bottom reservoir is really the only thing that needs cleaning, and it’s extremely easy to access. What more could you ask for in a pint-sized coffee maker?

9. Chefman InstaCoffee Single Serve Coffee Maker

AMAZON’S CHOICE

With over 3,800 ratings on Amazon, the Chefman InstaCoffee Single Serve Coffee Maker puts plenty of smiles on the groggiest of consumers. You aren’t confined to K-cups or ground coffee, which is convenient when you’re either craving ground coffee, or find yourself with only enough time for a K-cup. An auto-cleaning system makes keeping your machine clean and your coffee fresh as simple as pressing a button. And, it’s nice and compact. No wonder it’s a popular Amazon pick.

10. Cuisinart SS-10P1

GOOD FOR HEAVY COFFEE DRINKERS

The Cuisinart comes with a large 72-ounce water reservoir that cranks out cup after cup when you need a pick-me-up. There are five different coffee size selections, and it’s compatible with virtually all K-cups. When coffee doesn’t sound delicious (which is hard to believe), you can pour hot water to make tea or hot cocoa instead. It’s a bit big for a single cup maker, but that just means more coffee, right?

11. Hamilton Beach The Scoop Single-Serve Coffee Maker

MOST VERSATILE OPTION

This Hamilton Beach model is one of the few single-serve coffee makers that uses a mesh scoop filter so you can fill it with whatever grounds you have on hand. Simply scoop your java, drop it in the hatch, choose your boldness level and enjoy a hearty brew. In addition to being extra versatile, this coffee maker is also extra durable. If you have little ones running about, or a rogue pet who loves to run amok in the kitchen, this is one coffee maker you won’t have to worry about breaking thanks to its rugged construction.

12. Nespresso Vertuo Evoluo Coffee and Espresso Machine

LUXURY PICK

Not only does this Nespresso Vertuo make a stunning centerpiece, but it’s also an incredibly robust and sophisticated espresso maker. With five cup sizes to choose from, the Vertuo serves up aromatic fresh ground coffee in a matter of seconds. Nespresso’s patented Centrifusion technology sets the coffee maker apart by giving it a leg up in the brewing process. Able to produce faster, fuller and even richer espresso than other machines, each purchase comes with a complementary set of 12 different 12 Nespresso Vertuo packs.

13. Coffee Gator Paperless Pour-Over Coffee Brewer

BEST POUR OVER

While coffee makers are undoubtedly convenient and brew very solid coffee, coffee gurus know that nothing can beat the flavor of pour-over coffee. The Coffee Gator Paperless Pour-Over Coffee Brewer is a simple,  great tool for home pour-over coffee.

You get a solid glass carafe and a stainless steel mesh filter for easy pour-over brewing. Though this brewer does make a little bit more than a single serving, with 10.5 ounces of coffee, we’ll bet you won’t regret having a few extra ounces of coffee once you get a taste of this coffee. And you can always use less grounds and less hot water if you’re concerned about wasting coffee.

14. Presto MyJo Single Cup Coffee Maker

MOST PORTABLE

This single serve coffee maker from Presto is not only inexpensive and easy to use, it’s also super portable and easy to bring with you anywhere — from your office to your hotel room and beyond. You fill the reservoir with hot water, insert a Keurig K-cup into the bottom, pump and brew easily. It makes a great single cup of coffee and is very easy to assemble.

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