The Best Single-Serve Coffee Makers of 2020
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. 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.
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2. Keurig K-Classic Coffee Maker K-Cup Pod
RUNNER-UP
This undisputed king of single-serve coffee makers, the K-Classic, is a classic for a reason. Able to brew coffee, tea, hot cocoa and even certain iced beverages, this bad boy guarantees a fresh cup in under a minute flat. With a removable water reservoir that’s able to hold up to 48 ounces, a handy side indicator light and a removable drip tray for easy cleaning, it’s easily the most well-rounded single-serve coffee maker on the market. But hey, don’t take our word for it — just check out the 41,000+ glowing reviews.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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6. Black + Decker DCM18S
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. If you don’t have time to fiddle with things, consider this affordable Black + Decker coffee maker.
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7. Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System
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.
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
Courtesy of Amazon