Making your coffee at home can save you some serious money. The best cheap coffee makers can’t make fancy latte art like the barista at your favorite coffee place, but they will certainly satisfy your need for morning caffeine for a very low price — and they can even make a pretty decent cup o’ joe.
How to pick the best cheap coffee maker
A standard drip coffee maker is usually a pretty budget-friendly option. These machines use coffee, water, and a filter to simply and quickly make coffee. If you’re interested in being a little bit more hands-on in your coffee making, I also included two other types of coffee makers in my picks below: a really gorgeous french press pick and a super cheap cold brew maker.
There are lots of coffee makers to pick from — it’s seriously overwhelming — so to help you narrow it down, consider these factors:
- How much coffee can it make? A single-serve coffee maker makes just one serving of coffee at a time, which means it’s always nice and fresh. A coffee maker that produces a pot of coffee usually makes anywhere from just a few cups to twelve-plus cups of brew. If you live by yourself or don’t drink very much coffee, it might be smart to get a unit that makes a small amount so you don’t end up with a bunch of cold, leftover coffee. If you’re a total coffee lover or regularly brewing for a lot of people, then a unit with a large pot might be a wise investment.
- What are the controls like? Some coffee makers are really simple and have just your basic necessities to get the job done (i.e "on" and "off"). Others are snazzier and have some additional controls, like the ability to keep the pot nice and warm, or are programmable so you can wake up to fresh coffee every day. Decide which features are worthwhile for you.
Oh, and if you’re looking for a pick for your k-cups (or other coffee pods), just know that it’s tough to find a reliable super-cheap coffee maker that takes them. That said, you might be interested in our list of the smallest keurig and k-cup coffee makers, which happens to include a budget-friendly pick.
Coffee-lovers listen up; these five coffee makers are not only highly rated on Amazon, they all have a low, low price tag of $30 or less.