Best coffee maker with thermal carafe and single serve

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This story was updated in October 2022 to ensure all picks tested and vetted by the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab were in stock and correctly priced.

Single-serve coffee makers have continued to stand out for the convenience of making a single cup of coffee in just a few minutes — no waiting for a pot to brew or wasted leftover coffee. A good single-serve coffee machine should deliver a tasty, hot cup of coffee just the way you like it without a lot of hassle.

Here at the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we love coffee and test coffee products and espresso machines year-round. Over the years we have brewed over 1,000 cups of coffee in different machines, including drip coffee makers, French presses, portable coffee makers, Nespresso machines, cold brew coffee makers and espresso machines, to find the tastiest cups of coffee you can brew at home. For this guide, GH experts tested 26 best-selling and highly-rated single-serve coffee machines from brands we trust such as Keurig, Cuisinart, Nespresso and more. When testing single-serve coffee makers we evaluate each model for its ease of use including how easy it is to fill the water reservoir and how well it performs. We perform water temperature testing to make sure the brew is as flavorful as it can be — and of course our coffee experts taste every cup. Our list includes the top-performing machines in our hands-on tests as well as popular ones from brands our experts have tested in the past.

Our top picks:

• 1

  

  Best Overall Single-Serve Coffee Maker

  K-Elite Keurig

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• 2

  

  Best Value Single-Serve Coffee Maker

  Single Serve Coffee Maker BLACK+DECKER

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• 3

  

  Best Single-Serve Coffee Maker With Grinder

  Grind and Brew Single-Serve Coffeemaker Cuisinart

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• 4

  

  Best Large-Capacity Single-Serve Coffee Maker

  Premium Single-Serve Brewer Cuisinart

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• 5

  

  Best Single-Serve Coffee and Espresso Maker With Pods

  Nespresso VertuoPlus Breville

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You can read more about how we evaluated single-serve coffee makers in our Lab — plus everything you need to know to shop for the best single-serve coffee maker — at the end of this guide.

1

Best Overall Single-Serve Coffee Maker

Keurig

K-Elite

2

Best Value Single-Serve Coffee Maker

BLACK+DECKER

Single Serve Coffee Maker

3

Best Single-Serve Coffee Maker With Grinder

Cuisinart

Grind and Brew Single-Serve Coffeemaker

4

Best Large-Capacity Single-Serve Coffee Maker

Cuisinart

Premium Single-Serve Brewer

5

Best Single-Serve Coffee and Espresso Maker With Pods

Breville

Nespresso VertuoPlus

6

Best Single-Serve Coffee and Espresso Maker Without Pods

De'Longhi

Dinamica Plus Single-Serve Coffee Maker & Espresso Machine

7

Best Single-Serve Coffee Maker Without Pods

BELLA

One Scoop One Cup Coffee Maker

8

Best Single Serve Coffee Maker for All Types of Coffee

SPINN

Single Serve Coffee Maker

9

Best Smart Single-Serve Coffee Maker

Keurig

Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart Coffee Maker

10

Best Single-Serve Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe

Keurig

K-Duo Plus

How we test single-serve coffee makers

The kitchen tech experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute tested 26 best-selling models from brands we trust to find the best single-serve coffee makers.

When we test single-serve coffee makers we evaluate their ease of use and performance. We assess how easy each coffee maker is to set up, the clarity of the instruction manual, how intuitive each one is to use and how easy it is clean the coffee machine after use. We also consider ease of use when it comes to filling the water reservoir, preheat time and brew time.

When making coffee, we measure the temperature after brewing to ensure a hot cup of coffee. We brew multiple cups to check for the consistency and functionality of the machine. We also note anything that's not consumer friendly such as coffee splashing out of the mug while brewing or a difficult-to-read control panel.

Finally, we taste each cup of coffee in search of a full-bodied brew with little to no acidity or bitterness. We also consider the cost and availability of coffee pods, refills and paper filters.

What to look for when buying a single-serve coffee maker

✔️ Single-use coffee pods vs. reusable filters: Most single-serve coffee makers use store-bought coffee pods, like the popular K-Cup pods from Keurig. Pods are small plastic or aluminum cups that contain pre-portioned ground coffee and a built-in filter. K-Cups and capsules are convenient to use but are more expensive than using your own ground coffee. And while some pods are recyclable, like K-Cups, you need to remove the grounds and foil first and check with your local recycling facility to ensure they can process the type of plastic your pods are made from. Soft pods are a popular alternative: The ground coffee comes in a tea bag-like round paper filter, which eliminates the plastic waste.

If you prefer a coffee maker with no pods, there are single-serve machines that feature a reusable filter to fill with your own ground coffee. Reusable filters are definitely the more eco-friendly option but the filters need to be washed after each use. All of the reusable filters we tested were easy to detach from the coffee maker and dishwasher-safe. We recommend adding 2 tablespoons of ground coffee into the reusable filter for a 6-ounce cup of coffee.

✔️ Water reservoir: Consider how often you brew coffee. For two or more servings per day, you would benefit from a large water reservoir which means less refilling. Some water reservoirs are removable and have handles that make it easy to carry to the sink to refill and clean. Others are permanently attached to the coffee maker so you may want to have a spouted pitcher on hand to refill it. Others lack a water reservoir altogether and require you to measure and add the amount of water you want to brew each time.

✔️ Brewing options: While some single-serve coffee makers brew only one cup size, some models provide more brewing options from single espresso shots up to 16 ounces (perfect for a travel mug). Coffee choices range from basic (like regular or strong brew coffee) to fancy (think iced drinks or even cappuccinos and lattes on more advanced models that have milk frothing attachments).

✔️ Speed: One advantage of a single-serve coffee maker is its quick brew time. Some models have a powerful heating mechanism that can heat the water and brew the coffee in less than a minute! Others require you to heat and pour your own water over the ground coffee. In our tests, the average time it took to brew an 8-ounce cup of coffee was about two minutes.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Jamie Kim's first job at Good Housekeeping Institute was testing a variety of consumer products, including coffee makers. Since then she has tested and written about many coffee and espresso makers as well as kitchen-related and cooking tools. She has a passion for coffee and has even attended a coffee cupping class. Over the years she's taste-tested hundreds of cups of coffee. She holds an apparel and textile design degree as well as mechanical engineering.

Nicole Papantoniouhas run the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab since 2019; she oversees all the content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, including coffee makers. Previously she worked in product development for small kitchen appliances and tools since 2014 as well as in several test kitchens, where she tested and developed recipes and food content starting in 2012. She has a grand diplome in classic culinary arts from the former French Culinary Institute and a certificate in culinary nutrition from the former Natural Gourmet Institute, now both known as the Institute of Culinary Education.

Jamie Kim Contributing Writer and Analyst Jamie Kim is a consumer products expert with over 17 years of experience in areas of product development and manufacturing.

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