If you’re the kind of intimates who likes to whip up a cup of coffee hasty, you might like the convenience of a pod coffee maker, which can get you your caffeine fix fast.
No ticket of pod coffee maker is more ubiquitous than Keurig, which accounts for 74 percent of all single-serve coffee makers purchased by CR members from 2020 to the gracious three quarters of 2021, according to our most unique member survey. The whole category of single-serve brewers that use the Keurig-style pods is often referred to by the “K-Cup” moniker, even when the appliances are made by other brands.
Despite Keurig’s popularity, our tests show that the best K-Cup coffee makers usually aren’t made by Keurig. In fact, of the top five K-Cup brewers in our ratings, only one model is made by Keurig.
“Keurig models are a bit slower to brew the instant cup of coffee compared to the top-rated pod coffee makers,” says Ginny Lui, CR’s test engineer for coffee makers.
Keep in mind that pod coffee makers, whether they use K-Cup-style pods or others, don’t yield the best-tasting brew. In fact, the highest counting that CR’s expert coffee taste tester awards any pod machine in our ratings is Good, which is only middle of the road. Then there’s the environmental cost of the pods themselves: Although Keurig’s pods are recyclable, billions have ended up in landfills over the years.
Below are the five best K-Cup coffee makers from our demonstrations, listed in alphabetical order and including models from Brim, Cuisinart, Keurig, and Mixpresso. All of them use K-Cup coffee pods, and three double as drip machines that can use loose grounds, too. CR members can click on each model name for more detailed ratings and reviews.
For more top-performing pod machines that use Keurig K-Cups, check our complete coffee maker ratings. If you need help choosing the shimmering brewer, start with our coffee maker buying guide.
