The convenience that K cups bring to the table is unmatched. A quick, effortless cup of coffee is an idea we can all get behind.
Keurig machines can be as simple as a way to quickly deliver coffee. Or, they can be more complex with a range of features and options. While Keurig is the linchpin of the system, K cup coffee can also come from Keurig alternatives.
With those observations, let’s take a look at the best cheap K cup coffee makers that you can buy right now. This includes coffee makers on offer from Keurig as well as other companies. While being inexpensive is a necessary trait, considerations for dependability and quality are necessary.
Top Inexpensive K Cup Coffee Makers For Your Budget
- Keurig K-Mini Plus Coffee Maker
- Chefman InstaCoffee Single Serve Coffee Maker
- Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Single Serve Coffee Maker (49974)
- Sboly Single Serve Coffee Maker Brewer
- Mixpresso Single Cup Coffee Maker
- Mueller Single Serve Pod Compatible Coffee Maker
- AICOK Single Serve Coffee Maker
Editor’s Choice: Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Single Serve Coffee Maker (49974)
Hamilton Beach FlexBrew is an excellent line of coffee makers for brewing coffee and K cups. Versatility and the overall good value make these desirable appliances. Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Single Serve Coffee Maker (49974) is easy to use and brews a good cup of coffee.
Reviews — Top Picks For Cheap K Cup Coffee Makers
1. Keurig K-Mini Plus Coffee Maker
Keurig K-Mini Plus Coffee Maker is a compact, well-priced machine that puts convenience at top of the list. The small K cup coffee maker includes a removable water reservoir, removable drip tray, auto-off function, and built-in space to store up to 9 K-cups.
Its water reservoir can hold a maximum of 12 oz and the coffee maker can brew 6-12 oz cups. Take the water reservoir, fill it up to the volume you want, and place it back on the coffee maker. There is no brew size selection button available – Keurig K-Mini Plus will brew the entire water reservoir.
Adjustments to the drip tray enable placement of tall travel mugs. Additionally, the available storage for K cups is a decent feature that can also be something of a space saver. Sure, it doesn’t save a lot of space, but you may not have to invest in a K cup drawer.
K-Mini Plus includes strength control so you can choose to brew “Regular” or “Bold” K cups. A cheaper option is available in the form of Keurig K-Mini. This one has similar dimensions and looks as the K-Mini Plus. However, it lacks the built-in K cup storage, removable water reservoir, and strength control.
Pros
- Includes built-in K cup storage
- Compact coffee maker with sleek looks
- Includes brew-strength control
- Removable 12 oz water reservoir
- Built-in cord storage
Cons
- Can be a bit temperamental (inconsistent brew quality)
- Takes more than 2 minutes to brew a cup
2. Chefman InstaCoffee Single Serve Coffee Maker
Chefman InstaCoffee Single Serve Coffee Maker turned out to be a pleasant surprise for this review. This coffee maker is priced low, but it punches far above its weight. The impressive single-cup coffee maker can have the brew ready in just 30 seconds. Competing coffee makers in this category usually take 2-3 minutes to deliver coffee.
You can use K cups, regular ground coffee, and even loose leaf tea in this machine. A reusable filter is included, which enables the use of regular ground coffee and tea. It doesn’t quite work with reusable K cups, but the presence of the filter prevents that from being a downside.
Chefman InstaCoffee doesn’t offer a brew size selection. Instead, it will brew the entire water reservoir. The machine’s water reservoir has a max capacity of 14 oz. It is possible to manually set brew size by only pouring the amount of water you need into the reservoir.
Pros
- Brews K cups in just 30 seconds
- Reusable filter works with pre-ground coffee and loose leaf tea
- Can fit travel mugs with ease
- Excellent value for money
Cons
- Initial brewing temperature can be low, leading to weaker coffee
3. Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Single Serve Coffee Maker (49974)
Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Single Serve Coffee Maker (49974) is our top pick for this category. The brand name is pretty much assurance of good value and versatility. The FlexBrew range is a well-featured offering and this cheap single serve coffee maker fits in well with its siblings.
FlexBrew 49974 maintains the ideals of simplicity and convenience. To get your favorite coffee, simply place the K cup or coffee grounds of your choice, and let the machine do its job. While the coffee maker doesn’t offer brew-size selection, it does offer a choice in brew strengths of “regular” and “bold”.
A reusable basket is available for coffee grounds, should you need to go beyond K cups. Interestingly, while it sports a 14 oz reservoir, it caps K cup coffee volume to 10 oz. However, if you’re using coffee grounds, feel free to go for the full 14 oz coffee.
I suspect this is to enable a strong K cup coffee. A 14 oz K cup brew is bound to feel weak and watery. Even 10 oz is pushing it, but still, that’s better than 14 oz! The drip tray can be adjusted to make room for taller travel mugs. When in its original position, it provides storage for the reusable filter and pod holder.
Pros
- Good value for money
- Brews K cups, Melitta pods, and ground coffee
- Includes brew strength adjustment options
- Easy to use
- Auto shut-off after brewing
Cons
- Takes more than 3 minutes to brew a cup
- Questionable durability
4. Sboly Single Serve Coffee Maker Brewer
A well-known non-Keurig K cup brewer, Sboly Single Serve Coffee Maker Brewer offers very inviting top-range features. The coffee maker brews wonderful hot coffee and appears to have a good grip on maintaining extraction temperature.
Like most other coffee makers on this list, it can work with K cups and ground coffee. Sboly includes its own reusable filter for this machine for use with coffee grounds. However, the general compatibility with conventional reusable K cups (especially Keurig My K Cup) remains questionable.
Sboly Single Serve Coffee Maker Brewer has a 14 oz pour over reservoir. It will brew the full reservoir when in use. Clearly visible markings are available on the reservoir for 6, 8, 10, and 14 oz, so you can brew the volume you want.
Two buttons are placed on the side of the machine. One, when you choose to brew coffee grounds, the other for K cups. Pressing both buttons together initiates a cleaning cycle that will run water through the machine to remove any coffee or flavor remnants in it.
Pros
- Auto-shutoff after brewing
- Good temperature control
- Auto clean function
- Can brew K cups and ground coffee
- Compact coffee maker
Cons
- Has trouble with conventional reusable K cups
- Takes at least 3 minutes to brew a cup
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5. Mixpresso Single Cup Coffee Maker
Mixpresso Single Cup Coffee Maker is an intriguing machine. It looks like it wanted to do a lot of things, but settled along the way. It is a good (and cheap) K cup coffee maker, but it likes to present itself as much more. Just the perils of overenthusiastic marketing, I guess.
Anyways, it has a 10 oz water reservoir and will brew it all in one go. You can add water from 4-10 oz to go along with your brew size requirements. Mixpresso Single Cup Coffee Maker takes about 2 minutes to brew the cup, but will ensure it’s piping hot.
The biggest downside is that it doesn’t sit all that well with tall travel mugs. The height from the drip tray to dispenser is just 4.3 inches, which doesn’t leave much room for tall mugs.
Pros
- Good temperature control
- Compact coffee maker
- Inviting price point
Cons
- Not tall enough for many travel mugs
- Has trouble maintaining the right brewing temperature
6. Mueller Single Serve Pod Compatible Coffee Maker
This is one of the best, feature-rich options in the sub-$100 range. Mueller Single Serve Pod Compatible Coffee Maker brews excellent coffee and keeps up the K cup spirit of convenience. It has precise temperature control that leads to good extraction and great tasting coffee.
Mueller Single Serve Pod Compatible Coffee Maker has a large, 45 oz removable water reservoir. This makes it possible to brew several cups without having to refill the reservoir. To that end, the coffee maker offers brew size selection at 6, 8, and 10 oz.
If you want precise brew-size selection, the closest competitor to this machine in the sub-$100 range is the Keurig K Classic. These are both great machines, but Mueller earned its spot on our list with (slightly) better temperature management.
Other notable features on this machine include a removable drip tray and auto shut-off.
Pros
- Excellent temperature control
- Three brew size options
- Large, 45 oz removable water reservoir
- Auto-off function
- Brews coffee in less than a minute
Cons
- Some machines can have a very persistent plastic smell, considering consumer reviews
7. AICOK Single Serve Coffee Maker
AICOK Single Serve Coffee Maker is an interesting and easy to use machine. This machine focuses on being compact and occupying as little space as possible. It succeeds at that and has a rather slim profile, even at the top where the K cup is placed. Possibly to accommodate this situation, the machine includes a “lock” at the top to keep the K cup in place.
It takes anywhere between 2-3 minutes for the coffee maker to deliver your cuppa. The single-serve water reservoir has a maximum volume of 12 oz. Again, your brew size selection is basically the water you add to the reservoir.
It’s a compact machine that does its job, and I like it for that. The lock at the top is a bit of an eyesore, but not a dealbreaker. The problem here is that its height isn’t enough to allow most travel mugs to be placed.
Pros
- Compact coffee maker takes minimal space
- Auto shut-off after brewing
- Brews 5-12 oz cups depending on the water in the reservoir
Cons
- Could use a facelift and better looks
- Has trouble accommodating travel mugs
- Doesn’t work well with reusable K cups
A Buying Guide For Budget K Cup Coffee Makers
Hold Your Horses On The Brew Time
When dealing with single-serve brewers, we generally expect the coffee to start pouring in seconds. However, this is generally a feature for the more expensive price range.
There are some exceptions, like the Chefman InstaCoffee and Mueller Single Serve listed here. However, most machines will take about three minutes before they start pouring your coffee. This timing is pretty standard, so give your coffee maker some time and let it brew at its own pace.
Getting impatient and pushing buttons won’t help. You’ll just have to wait for the machine to complete its brewing cycle.
What About The Quality Of These Machines?
We hear “cheap” coffee makers and we think they’re cutting corners on quality. This isn’t necessarily true. Your average low-cost coffee maker can be of acceptable quality. K cup machines generally use a pump to move water. More often than not, this pump is the culprit for the coffee maker giving out.
Cheaper coffee makers often suffer from the pump giving up sooner. To be clear, most K cup machines will likely croak before similar drip coffee machines. The pump is likely the most critical point of failure, especially for cheaper machines.
Other differences might be seen in lower heating power and a limited range of available features.
Finding Room For The Small K Cup Coffee Maker
Many of these coffee makers tend to be compact. You can easily find room to place the coffee machine even in the tiniest of places. Their small size (and low pricing) is a reason why these machines are often recommended for use in dorms and small apartments. The compact dimensions and low weight also makes these machines easier to move. Finding counter space is not a problem!
Finding Your Favored Coffee Maker On A Budget
Thanks to the wide range of options, it is possible to find a coffee maker with decent brewing skills even on a tight budget. The convenience and ease of use are big selling points for K cups and these should translate even to budget machines.
Our selection of the best cheap K cup coffee makers has the best-rated machines with low price tags. They offer quality at a decent price and have received note from users and reviewers alike. Our selection is intended to be useful for your search, and in learning more about the coffee makers you make a commitment.