The best single-serve coffee makers of 2025 come from brands like Nespresso and Keurig — and they brew it all! (Jessica Dodell-Feder/Yahoo)
Sometimes you need your morning buzz without having to do anything other than push a button. That's the beauty of the best single-serve coffee makers — you simply drop in a pod and fresh coffee is yours in just a couple of minutes. No wonder 42% of Americans own a single-cup brewer, according to the National Coffee Association.
Having worked as an editor at lifestyle and food magazines for 20 years, I've seen many single-use appliances that promise to make life easier, when all they do is clutter your counter. Although pod machines like Nespressos and Keurigs don't always produce the kind of brew you'd get from the best espresso machines, a great French press or a solid pour-over coffee system, they make a decent cup of joe — and they make it fast. Over the past year, I've tested more than a dozen of the best single-cup brewers, looking for ease of use, eco-friendliness and more. I brewed cup after cup of hot coffee (and espresso and iced coffee when the machines offered those functions). Yes, I was jittery for days ... and yes, it was worth it.
Update, Aug. 28, 2025: We checked all product prices and availability. We also added reviews of the Keurig K-Mini Mate and K-Brew+Chill, which we named "best single-serve coffee maker for iced coffee." Our No. 1 pick for best single-serve coffee maker overall remains unchanged.
Of course you want your machine to brew good coffee, fast. But you should also consider these factors:
Ease of use: Even if you're not someone who makes coffee the second you wake up, you probably don't want to have to mess with a lot of settings every time a caffeine craving hits. The best machines offer you options to customize without a lot of fuss. Are you looking for a programmable single-serve coffee maker? Most Keurig and Nespresso machines don't have that function, but other models we tested, including the Ninja DualBrew Pro, do and can be quickly programmed with a few buttons.
Size and weight: The top machines on our list don't have huge footprints — and they can tuck away under upper cabinets when not in use. You should also look at a machine's weight before buying if there's a chance you'll have to drag it to a different spot in the kitchen on a regular basis. Many of the machines are a pain to move around, so look for something on the lighter side, like the Keurig K-Café Barista Bar, which clocks in at about 7.7 pounds.
Color and design: Single-serve coffee makers typically look sleek and compact — no bulky coffee pots or built-in grinders. Most come in basic black or stainless steel, but if you're interested in making a design statement, consider the Nespresso Vertuo Plus, which is also sold in red or gray. Nespresso's Vertuo Pop+ (which we'll test soon) also comes in fun colors, as do several of Keurig's more compact models, including anything from the K-Mini line.
Eco-friendliness: Unlike with a regular drip coffee maker, you don't need a grinder or coffee beans to make coffee in single-serve machines because they use disposable pods (also called capsules or K-Cups). This creates a lot of trash, and so many companies try to counteract the idea that single-use machines are wasteful by touting how sustainable their brands are. Nespresso's Vertuo Next (read more about it below) is made from 40% recycled plastic, and both Nespresso and Keurig use recycled material in their boxes and packaging. K-Cups and Nespresso pods are also recyclable — though it does require some effort. If you are concerned about excess waste, your best bet is to find a machine that fits a reusable filter and use that with your favorite grounds.
Variety of cup sizes: Do you want to brew just a shot of espresso and call it a day? Or are you looking for a machine that can make a wide range of drinks, from shots to 8-ounce coffee mugs to 12-cup carafes? Despite their name, many single-serve coffee makers can brew multiple sizes. They usually range from a 2- or 4-ounce shot to 12 ounces (for a travel mug's worth of coffee). But others can brew larger cup sizes and even carafes, handy if you're serving multiple family members.
Variety of drink types: All the machines we tested make espresso-style shots and most make 8-ounce mugs of coffee. But the options abound in some of the best coffee makers. If you're craving a powerful jolt, look for a button that lets you control brew strength — some Keurig machines, for example, feature a "strong" button for a more concentrated drink. Others include a button for making iced coffee or settings for making lattes or cappuccinos.
Water tank capacity: If you hate the idea of having to refill your machine's water tank every time you want another cup, then look for a reservoir that can hold at least 40 ounces. Don't leave water in the tank for extended periods of time; all the machines were very specific in their instruction to use fresh water for the best taste! Keurig machines even come with an optional water filter.
I made so much coffee it seemed like I should open a café out of my home. In all seriousness, I evaluated every machine from the moment I opened the box to its final brew. I used each machine at least five times, with an 8-ounce cup of coffee as my control, and kept in mind the following:
Ease of use: Did setup take forever? Was the control panel intuitive? I wanted to make sure each machine was foolproof, even if you're operating on a couple of hours of sleep.
Speed: I timed each machine to see how quick it was. All the machines took less than two minutes to brew an 8-ounce cup, and most took less than 90 seconds.
Coffee quality: Though taste is subjective, I did note the coffee's flavor and smoothness, and whether there was any grit at the bottom of the cup. I also used a food thermometer to test the temperature of each freshly brewed cup.
Bonus features: Once I knew how the machines compared making regular joe, I tested any other brews they could make, including espresso, lattes and larger servings using grounds. If they came with an attachment (like a milk frother), I used that multiple times as well.
I also had less technical considerations. I hunted for sleek design, pieces that fit together well and high-end finishes. After all, most of us keep our coffee machine on the counter in broad daylight — I wanted to make sure our top picks looked as good as they functioned.
Because taste is so subjective, I kept my notes on flavor to a minimum and instead focused on how hot the coffee was, its mouthfeel (did it seem watery?) and whether there was any grittiness or sediment left in the bottom of the mug.
Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Trio 2-Way: This was one of the best programmable single-serve coffee makers I tried, with a clear-cut digital display and a solid range of cup sizes, from 6 ounces to 14. I also liked that it was quiet (no loud whirring or humming) and comes with its own reusable filter basket for ground coffee that tucks inside the cup rest when not in use. It would have made it to the top of this list if not for a few reasons: At about 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep, this machine takes up a ton of space (it has a carafe for drip coffee that sits next to the single-serve brewer); I also found sediment at the bottom of every cup I brewed. And it gets K-Cups searing-hot, so you have to wait quite a while before you can remove them.
Nespresso Essenza Mini: There's a reason this single-serve coffee machine resides in hotel rooms all over the world — it measures just 3 inches wide and 8 inches tall and makes decent single and double shots of espresso. I found it a bit loud and drippy, but if you're looking for something failproof and you love espresso, this itty-bitty brewer will do the trick.
Nespresso Vertuo Next: If Nespresso never made the VertuoPlus, this machine would jump to the top of my list. Though it's narrower than the VertuoPlus, it makes five cup sizes to the VertuoPlus's four and offers Wi-Fi connectivity to an app so you can personalize your experience and keep track of your pod stash. Alas, this machine is noisier than the other models I tried, and you have to physically lock the machine after inserting a pod (it's not automatic like with the VertuoPlus). It takes some muscle, and I could see it becoming difficult for someone who doesn't have a ton of hand strength.
Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima: I love a good latte and so I loved this machine, which operates — and looks — almost exactly like the Vertuo Next but with one major upgrade: a built-in milk frother that lets you make a latte or cappuccino with the push of a single button. I've been using it for close to a year and it's reliably great. My one complaint is that it retails for $500, more than twice the price of the Vertuo Next, even if you buy the Next with a standalone frother!
Keurig K-Elite: This machine made some of the strongest coffee of any Keurig machine I tried. Unfortunately it also looked pretty clunky, like something you'd see in a '90s office kitchen. I also found the buttons on this one confusing because they're just icons and don't indicate what size drink you're making. That said, it does offer lots of drink sizes and styles, and it gets raves on Amazon, with more than 52,000 five-star reviews.
Keurig K-Mini Go: At less than 5 inches wide, this pipsqueak is ideal for tight spaces, plus it comes in colors other than black, like navy, lavender and charcoal (as a design lover, I really appreciated this!). I liked its straightforward design and how easy it was to clean the few parts that needed it. It lacks the bells and whistles of other models, but at $100, it does enough, with three cup sizes and a "strong" option for a more concentrated brew.
Keurig K-Mini Mate: Want something even tinier? At less than 4 inches wide and 2.1 pounds, this is Keurig's smallest brewer ever. You fill up the tank with the exact amount of water you need for your cup (anywhere from 6 to 12 ounces), then press a single button. The result is a strong cup of coffee, but that's it — don't expect any bells or whistles. It doesn't get more basic than this machine, and for that reason I'd consider it best for a dorm room or Airbnb.
Keurig K-Supreme: A 66-ounce water reservoir means you can quickly make cup after cup with this model, which looks similar to the Keurig K-Mini Go. It's just as easy to use but slightly larger and features a movable water tank that can go from the back to the side of the machine. In theory it's a nifty feature; in reality it only caused me problems. I ran into the same issues I did with my beloved Nespresso VertuoPlus — the tank did not clip firmly onto the machine and so it proved very easy to knock over, leading to major spillage.
Cuisinart Single-Serve Coffee Maker SS-10: There is a lot to like about this programmable single-serve coffee maker — plus Cuisinart makes one of our top drip coffee makers. It has an LCD screen that leaves little room for confusion (I laughed when I saw it said "not ready" while I was filling the water tank), a handle by the brewing head that makes it easy to open and close, a reusable, dishwasher-safe filter and a water tank that holds a whopping 72 ounces. My only gripe was with its chunky size and design, which could use an update.
A single-serve coffee maker brews enough coffee in one go for just a single cup. But the size of cup varies — most machines can make everything from 4 ounces of coffee to 12 ounces, so you're covered whether you want something akin to a shot of espresso or want to fill a large travel mug. To make matters more complicated, some machines do more than single servings and can also brew full carafes of drip coffee.
It depends on the machine, but generally you should rinse the water tank regularly and hand-wash any removable components (some machines, like the Ninja DualBrew Pro, Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Trio 2-Way, Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima and Cuisinart Single-Serve Coffee Maker SS-10, have dishwasher-safe parts). As with any coffee maker, you'll also need to descale (a.k.a. deep-clean) your machine — check the manual for how often this should happen. For more details, check out our full-on tutorial guided by experts on how to clean your coffee maker.
You won't get the kind of brew you'd expect from an espresso machine, but you can come close with a Nespresso. For something closer to what you'd get from a drip coffee maker, a Keurig or other machine that uses K-Cups is the way to go. Both Nespresso pods and K-Cups come in a ton of varieties, with coffee sources from all over the world. They have limited-edition flavors, pods specifically meant for iced coffee and even celeb-crafted bean blends.
If you opt for a reusable filter with grounds, you have even more options because you can choose any bagged coffee you like.
In general, yes. Nespresso offers free recycling bags for sending back its aluminum pods, and in some areas, you can drop them directly into recycling bins. Plastic Keurig K-Cups can be recycled in many areas, but double-check your local guidelines. To do so, you have to pull the paper filter and grounds from the plastic cup.
It's all a matter of personal taste. Both companies make a huge range of machines with various levels of bells and whistles. Generally, Keurig machines are more affordable (they start at $90 in comparison to Nespresso's $130 entry point), whereas Nespresso machines are known for their quality of coffee.
Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee and Espresso Maker | Keurig K-Café Barista Bar | Ninja DualBrew Pro 12-Cup Coffee Maker | Keurig K-Brew+Chill Coffee Maker | |
Water tank capacity | 40 oz. | 42 oz. | 60 oz. | 70 oz. |
Size | 8.7" W x 12.7" D x 12.8" H | 5.1" W x 12.6" H x 12.8" D | 11.4" W x 9.1" D x 15.5" H | 9.8" W x 15.35" D x 12.16" H |
Color options | Gray, red, black and matte black | Black | Black | Black |
We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.