7 Best Single Serve Coffee Makers

We love that it preheats in a mere 30 seconds and appreciate the 9-minute auto shut off feature. But, the best things about this machine are the smooth, compact styling and that it’s remarkably quiet. That’s a big deal when you want to wake up to espresso, but you want the rest of the house to remain sleeping. Oh, and coffee snobs love it.

This only works with Nespresso pods. The selection isn’t as extensive as with K-Cups, but the pods are arguably better for espresso fans. They are, however, more expensive.

 The removable reservoir holds 24 ounces. That’s not huge, but it does help to maintain the slim design of this machine.

Two rubber buttons on the top of the machine enable basic controls.

• Coffee styles: Espresso or lungo (Americano-style).
• Espresso sizes: 1, 2, and 3 ounce shots.

It can deal with up to 10 used pods before you need to get in and remove them. That’s on par with the 24 ounce water reservoir if you drink espressos. If you’re primarily a fan of Americano-style coffee, you probably want another machine. It has an auto shut off feature which activates after 9 minutes of non-use. And, every machine comes with a 16-capsule starter pack, which makes for a good gift.

You’ll pay about $135 for one of these machines. That’s right down the middle in terms of pricing – and it is a great value for the money if you’re after a daily shot of espresso.

The reusable filter is dishwasher-safe, and you’re saving huge amounts of money because you’re not using K-Cups. Now, scooping the coffee and filling the reservoir for every cup can feel like a real pain, but if you’re after a low-cost machine, this is perhaps the best you’re going to get.

Pods or grounds? Grounds only. Hamilton Beach does make pod-friendly single-serve coffee makers, but they are more expensive.

Reservoir size? Up to 14 ounces only (enough for a single cup).

What are the adjustable options? Realistically, there aren’t that many options. But, you can adjust the strength through the amount of water you add.

• Cup size: from about 4 to 14 ounces. To make a strong 14 ounce brew, you’ll need to add a fair amount of grounds.

Any other features? There is a dishwasher-safe reusable filter, though many users report going the paper route. But that’s about it.

The MSRP is $35, and if you pay anything less than that, you’ve gotten a good deal.

But, it’s the way this machine operates that set it apart in its class. It’s as simple as you can imagine, but there are indicator lights to guide you through if you can’t think until that first cup. Auto shut-off and pod storage make this machine feel intuitive, even if it is just a basic appliance. Add in the price and you can’t help but smile.

Pods or grounds? K-Cups all the way. Of course, you could go the My K-Cup route and make your own reusable pods.

Reservoir size? We’re big fans of the 48-ounce reservoir. It will give you a decent number of cups before you need to refill it.

What are the adjustable options? You hardly get the control you would have with a super-automatic machine, but there is a way to control strength.

• Cup sizes: Choose between 6, 8, and 10 ounce cup sizes. We think that’s decent actually.

Any other features? There are indicator lights that will guide you through the brewing process (which means anyone in the house can use it). The drip tray is removable to accommodate larger glasses and mugs. You can program this to switch off automatically after 90 seconds and it stores up to 28 pods.

For all of that, the MRSP of $120 doesn’t seem bad, does it? And you should actually expect to pay about $80. When it comes up for even less, snag it.

The best thing about it is the flexibility of brewing what you want. From tea to K-Cups to grounds, this machine can handle it. You can also make your drinks as strong or as weak as you like.

But, it doesn’t have a reservoir to speak of. You add as much water as you want for the next brew. Now, that does mean that you have fresh water every time, and that allows for the tiny footprint of this machine. It also heats that water quickly for coffee in under a minute. But, we also feel the price is pushing it just a little bit.

Pods or grounds? The absolutely most brilliant feature of this coffee maker is that you have flexibility with what you brew. If you sometimes use K-Cups and sometimes grounds, this may be the best single serve coffee maker for you. You can also brew tea (in bags or loose).

Reservoir size? But, the biggest drawback to this machine is the reservoir. It cannot handle more than 14 ounces at a time. You will need to fill it for every single cup. That’s a bit of a pain.

What are the adjustable options? Sadly, you can’t control temperature, but you do have some control over the strength of your tea or coffee.

• Cup size: This can handle anything between 4 and 14 ounces. Use less water for a stronger brew.
• Brew strength: There is a pulse button so you can extract every last fiber of flavor in a single cup.

Any other features? We don’t know that you can call them features, but this has a tiny footprint so it works in even the smallest of kitchens and it still offers limited storage for pods, grounds, or whatever. There are also parts that are (top-rack) dishwasher-safe.

The MSRP sits at about $200. You can expect to pay between $160 and $175 on Amazon. The price doesn’t hurt much but you may feel a little sting every time you add fresh water to brew a cup.

If you’re down with the basics, this is the best single-serve coffee maker for you. There’s an on/off switch and that’s about all you get. It does, however, have a permanent filter so you don’t need to invest a fortune. By removing that filter, you can also “boil” water for making tea and hot chocolate. Incidentally, the included mug and filter are both dishwasher safe. (Which means nothing in a dorm room situation, but it is a nice touch.)

Now, it’s not the fastest single-serve machine. You have to give it the 4 or 5 minutes you would need for a larger percolator. But, consider the price again before you walk away.

Pods or grounds? You’ll use this with ground coffee. So, the choice is yours in terms of how much you want to pay, but you don’t need to pay a fortune for your morning joe.

Reservoir size? All you can fit in the reservoir is the amount of water you need for a single cup. Whatever you put in is brewed. Obviously, you can’t put in too much. Nor can you expect all the water to come through to your mug. Some turns into steam and some is absorbed by the grounds.

What are the adjustable options? There aren’t terribly many options, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have some level of control over your coffee. You can control the strength of your brew by adding more grounds to the filter or less water.

Any other features? Um no. But for the price, did you really expect anything else? We certainly didn’t.

Will it break the bank? Nope and that’s what makes this so valuable for dorm rooms. It offers enough coffee for the single user – and it does it for under $20. Nice.

There are a fair amount of settings to play with, but if you want to just push a button – you can do that too. You’ll have the perfect cup in less than 1 minute and you can also brew an iced beverage too. Plus, you can save a few bucks (and, you know, the environment) by not having to use those pesky K-Cups required of most single cup brewing machines. 

Pods or grounds? Use either a commercial style permanent filter, or paper filters, to hold your grounds in the removeable, easy-to-clean brew basket. 

Reservoir size? Yep… big. It holds 12-cups which means you don’t have to fill it every other minute.

What are the adjustable options? You have a lot more options with this machine than you might expect.

• Hot or iced: your choice, this machine can do both!
• Cup sizes: choose between 1–4 cup settings.
• Temperature: it’s adjustable between 182 and 192 degrees (controllable from the setup menu). There’s also an iced beverage feature.

Any other features? The filter basket is removeable and easy to clean. You also get a charcoal water filter and a filter holder in the box. That makes it easy to use this machine with tap water (where it’s safe and justifiable).

It’s not the cheapest singe serve coffee maker out there. In fact, you probably don’t want to pay more for one unless you’re heading into the super-automatic range. But, it does a lot more than less expensive options.