Best Keurig alternatives 2024: café-quality coffee makers

Keurig coffee makers are iconic. There's no denying that they're useful for quick, simple cups of coffee. However, the average K-Cup contains seven to eight grams of coffee, which means that you're only enjoying half the amount of flavor (and caffeine) that a specialty brew has to offer. 

With that in mind, our experts have been testing the best single-serve coffee makers and, whilst Keurig offers a competitive price, there are some more premium machines that deliver better flavors and will last twice as long as even the best-selling Keurigs.

We've spent the last year testing the best Keurig alternatives, ranking them based on capacity, convenience, and appearance, as well as the all-important price. These machines are slick, quick, and easy to use, offering all the benefits of Keurigs without the drawbacks.

The quick list

These are the best Keurig alternatives at a glance. Scroll down for more specifics. 

The best Keurig alternatives, in depth

Best Keurig alternative overall

Whatever kind of coffee you're craving, you can make it in the Philips 3200. This coffee maker incorporates a brand-new built-in milk system, known as LatteGo, which uses cyclonic frothing technology to produce thick layers of foam. It's fully compatible with dairy milks or your favorite plant-based alternatives. 

This coffee maker contains durable ceramic grinders that can be adjusted in 12 steps to create anything from fine powder to coarse shavings. You can set and save your favorite strengths and quantities of coffee for a quick and easy brew in the morning. You'll save time cleaning, too, since the milk system, the drip tray, and the coffee ground container are all dishwasher-safe.

If you want to batch-brew, this is not the machine for you. The Philips 3200 is most suitable for single servings. There's an option to make two cups at a time, but they'll brew consecutively, rather than simultaneously. 

But it's easy to use, simple to store, and makes café-quality coffee at the touch of a button. That's why the Philips 3200 is our best coffee maker of the year.

You can find more detail in our Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine review.

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Best pod free Keurig alternative

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The Cuisinart Grind and Brew makes by far the best single-serve coffee we've ever tested and it's easy to tell why. Rather than use coffee that's been holed up in pods for months, if not years, the Cuisinart has a conical burr grinder integrated. You place a Keurig-style reusable pod inside and you get freshly ground coffee milled straight into it. The resulting flavors are bold and strong. It's seriously impressive. 

The reusable pods are great for a number of reasons. The first is that you get to enjoy fresh coffee in a single-serve format. However, they also suit eco-conscious coffee drinkers, because you never have to dispose of more than coffee grounds. You'll also be able to slot your favorite Keurig pods in place of the Cuisinart, so if you're craving one of their holiday flavors, you don't need to miss out.

The only thing we missed from our favorite Keurigs was some sort of steam wand or milk-frothing capacity. This only makes espressos and Americanos, which is fine if you only drink a latte on occasion, but might be a problem if you crave your morning cappuccinos.

You can find more detail in our Cuisinart Grind and Brew review.

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Best Nespresso alternative

The Nespresso Vertuo Next is the best single-serve coffee maker on the market. This machine takes just 40 seconds to heat up and can brew anything from a single espresso shot to an 18-oz. carafe. 

One button does all the work on this highly versatile machine. All you need to do is pick your pod and press go. The Nespresso Vertuo Next incorporates automatic blend recognition technology, which identifies the best brew size, pressure, and temperature for each capsule. This is hands-off coffee making.

With its matte black finish and rose gold detailing, this coffee maker should complement any kitchen color palette. It's small and slim, so it shouldn't take up much space on your counters or inside your cabinets. 

All that's missing is a milk frother, so you'll have to buy one separately or go without.

You can find more detail in our Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee Maker review.

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Best drip Keurig alternative

The OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker is one of only a handful of home machines that meets the Specialty Coffee Association's Golden Cup Standard. That means it uses a top-of-the-range water filtration system and precise temperature controls to brew a quality cup, every time. 

This machine is designed to be used with a larger brew basket, though it also comes with smaller filters and a single-serve brew basket. On test, this machine could brew as many as eight cups at a time, each as rich and flavorful as the last.

The trouble starts when it comes to cleaning. There's a button on the machine that blinks when you need to descale your coffee maker. It's easy to remove and rinse the carafe, and the brew baskets are dishwasher-safe. It's much harder to clean the water tank, which is awkwardly attached to the back of the machine and cannot be removed. 

The OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker is best suited to large households of coffee lovers who won't miss the bells and whistles of modern machines.

You can read more in our OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker review. 

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Best portable Keurig alternative

Even if you haven't used an AeroPress, you'll have heard of them. These compact coffee makers look like they've come straight out of a laboratory and they make, both scientifically and subjectively, some of the best coffee I've ever tasted.

The process is almost as simple as using a Keurig. You put your ground coffee in and then add some hot water. Wait a few minutes for your coffee to brew, screw the top on and push to extract your coffee through either a paper or metal filter. It's slightly more involved than a Keurig, but the coffee tastes better and you're liberated from any cords and plugs. Both of those are reasons why the AeroPress is a favorite amongst commuters, holiday goers, and campers. 

You can choose from a range of AeroPresses, but most can serve one to two people, which is exactly the same as a Keurig. Even better, AeroPresses rarely retail for more than $50, so you'll be able to save money whilst making more delicious coffee. You don't need to compromise on anything.

You can read more in our full AeroPress review.

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Most versatile Keurig alternative

This machine is for the coffee lovers who don't discriminate. The Ninja DualBrew Pro can handle grounds and pods alike to produce Classic, Rich, Over Ice, and Specialty brews in every size from cup to carafe.

The Specialty brew tasted best on test. You can incorporate this super-rich coffee concentrate into lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, and even coffee-based cocktails. While the Classic brew left a little to be desired, the flavor was rich, robust and didn't diminish over time.

This machine comes with a built-in, fold-away milk frother that works particularly well with oat milk. You can fit the water tank to the side or the rear of your coffee maker, as suits your space. Each of these parts is removable for quick and easy cleaning. 

The Ninja DualBrew Pro is a versatile coffee maker with the capacity to serve a whole house of coffee lovers.

You can find more detail in our Ninja DualBrew Pro review. 

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How we test coffee makers

If you're wondering how we test the best coffee makers, we have a range of different trials. Where possible, we use each machine to make an espresso, a cappuccino, and an Americano, for a sense of range on these three classic coffees. When a coffee maker claims to make lots of other brews, we'll test every single one, and also test them with milk alternatives for vegans and lactose-intolerant people. 

Where applicable we always use the same brand of beans to best compare flavor and aroma extraction across coffee makers. When it comes to milk frothers, we test with dairy and non-dairy milks before we reach a verdict. 

Our expert testers start assessing coffee makers from the moment they're delivered. That means we document how easy it is to unbox, set up, use, store, and clean a machine. 

FAQs

Are Keurig coffee makers any good?

If you're looking for an inexpensive single-serve coffee maker Keurig makes some of the best options available. However, the plastic casing and cheaper build quality means that they tend not to last as long. Plus, the coffee pods don't taste quite as good as freshly ground coffee. That's why we've written this buying guide for the best Keurig alternatives, because you can still save money whilst making better coffee.

Is Nespresso better than Keurig?

Our experts have gone deep into the details of the Nespresso vs Keurig debate. If you want a summary, Nespresso's coffee makers are better quality with more authentic flavors. However, they're also more expensive and can be limited with their pod options. If you're buying a single-serve coffee maker, Nespresso makes some of the best, but if you want something cheap, Keurigs are a reasonable option.

Are single-serve coffee makers good?

If you want simple, speedy, automated coffee, you can't go wrong with a single-serve coffee maker. Whilst these can make reasonably good quality coffee, they'll rarely deliver on the same rich flavor profile as a drip coffee maker or an automatic espresso machine. So, if you need convenience, single-serve coffee makers are great. If you want quality, you're better off looking at other options.

Final thoughts

Once you've bought one of the best coffee makers, it's important to take good care of it. It's worth learning how to clean a coffee maker so that you can get the most out of your machine.