Keurig revolutionized how millions of Americans make their coffee each morning, and soon after they released their single-serve coffee makers, hundreds of companies started producing K cups containing their coffee. The result was more choices for quick and convenient coffee than ever before.
The number of options for Keurig coffee pods is excellent, but choosing the best Keurig Kcup pods for your taste can be challenging. We did the research for you and put together these reviews and our buyer’s guide to help you find the K cup that’s best suited for you. Grab a cup of coffee, and let’s get to it!
Table of Contents
The 10 Best K Cup Coffee Pods
Table could not be displayed.#1. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Breakfast Blend K Cups
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These pods from Green Mountain have a lightly roasted coffee that delivers a beautifully balanced acidity with some fruitiness and brightness that will wake up your senses in the morning.
The coffee is made with 100% arabica beans, so you won’t get that undesirable bitterness that often comes from robusta beans. The coffee is smooth and full of flavor.
The pods are licensed by Keurig, but some of them did get rejected by our coffee maker. They are very affordable, though, so we think the quality of the coffee is worth the occasional pod rejection.
What We Like
- Well balanced
- Bright acidity and fruitiness
- Lacks bitterness
- Affordable
What We Don’t Like
- Some pods get rejected
#2. Starbucks Blonde Roast K-Cups – Veranda Blend
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The Veranda blend from Starbucks may be better for you if you prefer a slightly darker roast than our top pick. This coffee is full of flavor and delivers a perfect blend of acidity and chocolate flavors. It’s rich, strong, and perfect for starting your day off on the right foot.
These pods are made with Keurig and won’t be rejected by your machine often, and they’re recyclable, so you can use these every day without worrying as much about your impact on the environment.
This coffee has a slight bitterness that you may not enjoy, and the pods are relatively expensive.
What We Like
- Full-flavored
- Well balanced
- No pod rejection
- Recyclable
What We Don’t Like
- Somewhat bitter
- Expensive
#3. Illy Intenso Dark Roast K Cups
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These K cups from Illy are our favorite dark roast coffee and produce the strongest Keurig Kcup coffee we’ve ever had. If you like intense coffee flavors and complex tasting notes with nicely balanced acidity, you will probably love this coffee!
This coffee is made from 100% arabica beans, so you won’t get overwhelming bitterness. The taste is smooth and easy-drinking, even though the roast is very dark.
Your machine won’t reject these pods because Keurig licenses them. They are very expensive, but they will not disappoint if you’re looking for strong coffee each morning.
What We Like
- Strong, robust flavor
- Well balanced
- Not overly bitter
What We Don’t Like
- Very expensive
#4. Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll K Cups
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We think these K cups from Cinnabon are the best flavored coffee K cups and will be perfect for you if you enjoy delicious and exciting flavors in your cup each morning. It actually tastes like you’re drinking a liquified cinnamon roll!
The coffee is nicely balanced and lets the smooth and roasty flavor of the 100% arabica coffee shine through the strong taste of cinnamon roll.
These pods are somewhat expensive, and you may find that the flavor is too much if you drink multiple cups each day.
What We Like
- Delicious flavor
- Well balanced
- Lacks bitterness
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
- The flavor may be too much for you
#5. Peet’s Coffee Luminosa Breakfast Blend K Cups
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Peet’s is a well-known coffee brand, and these K cups will show you why! Their Colombian light roast coffee offers a delicious fruitiness and perfectly balanced acidity.
The coffee is full of flavor and will be a lovely addition to your morning coffee routine. You’ll find that the 100% arabica coffee is smooth, easy to drink, and has a slight bitterness that serves to round out the flavors nicely.
These pods are relatively expensive, but they are recyclable. They did give us some issues with pod rejection in our Keurig.
What We Like
- Delicious and complex
- Full of flavor
- Lacks bitterness
- Recyclable
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
- Some problems with pod rejection
#6. Gevalia Signature Blend Mild Roast K Cups
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These K cups from Gevalia may be perfect for you if you’re looking for full flavor and quality at a great value. Given the large number of pods you get, we think these are the best Keurig coffee pods for the money.
The coffee has a light-medium roast and brings a delicious and well-balanced acidity and nuttiness to your cup. They’re perfect for morning coffee with their citrusy flavors and smooth texture. The coffee is made with 100% arabica beans, so it won’t taste overly bitter.
The pods are made with Keurig, but we did have some issues with pod rejection. The pods are recyclable and minimize the negative effect on the environment.
What We Like
- Full-flavored
- Very affordable
- Smooth taste
- Recyclable
What We Don’t Like
- Some issues with pod rejection
#7. Dunkin’ Donuts Original Blend K Cups – Medium Roast
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We couldn’t put together a list of the best Keurig coffee without including Dunkin’ Donuts! Their original special blend, medium roast kcup coffee is one of our favorites and tastes just like the original donut shop coffee.
It’s bold and flavorful, and the taste is a bit heavier than others with notes of chocolate and hazelnut, making it perfect for coffee with milk in the morning or black coffee in the afternoon.
We didn’t have any issues with pod rejection with this coffee, and the pods are recyclable, so you can feel good about drinking this coffee daily. They are on the more expensive side, and the flavor is less bold than we look for. However, this is an excellent option for medium-roast coffee K cups.
What We Like
- Bold and flavorful
- No problem with rejection
- Recyclable
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
#8. Peet’s Coffee French Roast K Cups
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Peet’s Coffee makes our list again with these French Roast K cups. Although we prefer lighter roasts, this coffee makes rich, delectable coffee that we really couldn’t get enough of.
It offers flavors of chocolate, toffee, and caramel, and it brings a beautiful complexity to your coffee experience. Combine that flavor profile with the fact that it’s made from 100% Arabica beans, and you’ve got a deep, smooth coffee that is sure to please cup after cup. This coffee may be too dark for you, but we enjoyed every sip!
These pods don’t have many problems with rejection, and they are recyclable.
What We Like
- Great dark roast
- Deep, rich flavors
- Lacks bitterness
- Recyclable
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
#9. Glorybrew The Duke Medium Roast K Cups
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If you’re looking for the best coffee pods with a minimal impact on the environment, you will love “The Duke” from Glorybrew. This coffee comes in compostable pods that limit the amount of plastic use in production. You can feel good about drinking this coffee every day, even if you have multiple cups.
The coffee is nicely balanced and tasty, and we get flavors of chocolate and caramel that are complemented by a slight fruitiness. It’s made with 100% arabica beans, so you won’t get much bitterness at all.
The pods are somewhat expensive, but the coffee can’t be beaten if you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint.
What We Like
- Biodegradable
- Well balanced
- Little bitterness
What We Don’t Like
- Expensive
#10. Caribou Coffee Caribou Blend K Cups
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Last on our list but certainly not least is the Caribou blend K cups from Caribou Coffee. This is a beautiful, medium roast coffee and delivers flavors of chocolate, hazelnut, and some delicate and enticing spice. The taste is less bold than most other coffees on our list.
The coffee is made from 100% arabica beans, so it’s smooth and easy to drink, and it has a nice acidity and fruitiness that is impeccably balanced with the light bitterness from the chocolate flavors.
The pods are recyclable and gave us no issues with rejection in our Keurig machine.
What We Like
- Nice flavor profile
- Smooth and easy-drinking
- Recyclable
What We Don’t Like
- Less flavorful than other options
What Is K Cup Coffee?
If you’ve somehow missed the Keurig and K cup craze that has changed the way millions of Americans make their coffee each morning, we’ve got your back!
K cups are pre-packaged pods made of plastic or a biodegradable material with a foil seal on the top. There is a small filter set inside the pod that holds a single serving of ground coffee.
K cups are used with Keurig machines to make one serving of coffee. The coffee maker pierces the foil and the bottom of the plastic pod and pumps hot water through the coffee and the filter contained inside.
K cups present one of the most effortless ways to make coffee.
Pros vs Cons of Keurig Coffee Pods
There are both upsides and downsides to using K cups to brew your coffee.
One of the most significant positive factors is convenience. To brew your coffee, you simply place a pod into your machine and press a single button to brew your desired serving size. That’s all there is to it!
Coffee pods come with pre-measured and individually packaged servings, so there’s no guesswork, no measuring, no grinding, and no timing of the the brewing process. The machine does everything for you, and the pods make dosing and cleanup as straightforward as possible.
Coffee for Keurig machines also comes in numerous flavors and sometimes even in variety packs. With regular drip machines, you’re usually stuck with one type of coffee for an entire pound, but K cups can help bring variety to your morning.
K cup coffee isn’t without its downsides, though. On a per-cup basis, K cups are significantly more expensive than if you bought pre-ground or whole bean coffee by the pound. You pay a large premium for convenience and the additional packaging.
Speaking of the packaging, the plastic and foil used to produce K cups put additional strain on the environment, so they’re not ideal if you’re trying to reduce your carbon footprint.
K Cup vs Coffee Pod vs Traditional Coffee
Many coffee drinkers who consider using K cups daily wonder how it differs from other brewing methods, namely coffee pods and traditional coffee. Coffee pods are similar to K cups in that they’re single servings, but they only consist of ground coffee sealed in a filter rather than a plastic cup. Traditional coffee is usually sold by the pound and can be pre-ground or whole bean.
We’ll break down the differences between these three based on the most significant factors.
Cost
K cups include much more packaging and will almost always cost the most compared to coffee pods and ground coffee. You’ll still pay a premium for convenience and individually sealed filters with pods, but they are between the price of K cups and ground coffee. Ground coffee, therefore, will usually be the cheapest option on a per-cup basis.
Taste
When it comes to coffee, most people will agree that taste is pretty important! Your best option for fresh, full-flavored coffee is usually whole bean traditional coffee that you grind yourself just before brewing.
Pre-ground coffee and coffee pods offer less freshness and flavor but still allow for decent extraction. K cups usually make coffee that’s good enough for most coffee drinkers, but some may find it a bit under-extracted.
Convenience
Convenience is where K cups and coffee pods excel. Traditional coffee needs to be weighed or measured before brewing and then monitored depending on your brewing technique and apparatus. K cups and coffee pods just need to be loaded into your machine and set to brew.
Traditional coffee also requires a bit of clean up, whereas single-serve coffee takes just a second to toss the spent pod or cup.
Variety
Lastly, you’ll notice a big difference in the variety of coffees available in each of the three options. K cups and traditional coffee have a seemingly endless number of coffees available, and they’re available just about everywhere you go. K cups take the selection a step further and can even contain tea, hot chocolate, cider, and other hot drinks.
Coffee pods are harder to come by and come in far fewer varieties. You may resort to purchasing pods online-only, given limited availability.
Best K Cup Coffee Buyer’s Guide
As you can see from our reviews above, choosing the best K cups coffee isn’t as straightforward as you may have originally thought! There are tons of options available, making it challenging to find the right one for your taste. To help pick one that brings the most joy to your morning, make sure you consider the below factors.
Roast Profile & Flavor
The most crucial factor for most coffee drinkers is the taste! The flavor of your coffee will largely depend on the roast profile and the quality and origin of the beans used. You may have a preference for darker roasts over lighter roasts, so you should first choose a coffee that suits your roast preference.
Once you find a K cup coffee that is roasted to your liking, you should, of course, make sure it’s full of flavor. Many K cup coffees lack complexity and robustness, so you should opt for one that delivers a flavor you can enjoy every morning.
Environmental Impact
Since K cups do put additional strain on the environment, you may want to choose a K cup offering that has a smaller impact. Many K cups are recyclable and help reduce your carbon footprint, provided you remove the foil seal, the coffee grounds, and the small filter before recycling.
Other K cups ditch the plastic altogether and use a biodegradable fabric to hold and filter the coffee grounds. These K cups are usually a bit more expensive but help reduce the negative effect you have on the environment.
Quantity & Cost
Next, you’ll want to consider both the quantity and cost of the K cups you’re considering. Some K cups only come in small amounts, while others come in packs of over 75 cups! If you’re a heavy coffee drinker or have multiple people who drink coffee in your home, you will likely find it more convenient and cost-effective to purchase a K cup that comes in large quantities.
You should also consider the cost of your K cups on a per-cup basis. A small pack of K cups may appear cheaper, but simply dividing the total cost by the number of cups you get may reveal that they’re significantly more expensive.
Pod Rejection
Lastly, you should opt for a K cup that won’t be rejected by your Keurig machine. Rejection is less likely with Keurig-branded K cups but can still happen. Rejected pods will waste coffee and money, so avoid pods with a high rejection rate at all costs.
How to Make Barista-Worthy K Cup Coffee
Most Keurig machines have little, if any, customization for brewing temperature. As such, making the best single serve Keurig coffee comes down to two factors: the coffee and the coffee maker.
First, your barista-worthy K cup coffee will require an excellent single-serve coffee maker. Some Keurig machines to give you control over the brewing process, and these will usually be the best K cup coffee makers for delicious, full-flavor coffee.
An adequate machine will reach the proper temperature for brewing and let you choose a strong brew and different coffee volumes. These factors in your device can help make the best coffee possible from a K cup.
Additionally, you’ll need K cups that contain full-flavor, bold coffee to get the proper flavor. Our guide and reviews above should help you find just that! Choose a roast profile that suits your taste, and make sure the coffee is bold and complex for the best cup.
Best K Cup Coffee FAQ
Still have questions? We’ve got answers!
Are K Cups Real Coffee?
Absolutely! You will find a small filter and real ground coffee inside each K cup. The coffee inside will be no different than the pre-ground coffee you purchase by the pound.
How Much Coffee Is in a K Cup?
K cups are optimized for a single serve coffee. Each cup contains about 2 tablespoons of ground coffee, which is the amount you’d typically put in a standard drip coffee maker to make 8 ounces of coffee.
Can I Make K Cup Coffee Without a Keurig Machine?
The short answer is, yes, you can make K cup coffee without a Keurig machine. K cups can be opened by removing the foil seal on the top. Once the pod is opened, you could dump the grounds inside into a drip coffee filter or other brewing apparatus for brewing.
We don’t recommend doing this because you’ll be paying significantly more for your coffee and will be wasting plastic and foil unnecessarily.
Do K Cups Expire?
Yes, they do. All coffee comes with an expiration date that is usually about a year or so after it’s roasted. Coffee beans begin to lose flavor and boldness once they are roasted, so roasters place an expiration date on all coffee – including K cups – to guarantee freshness.
Can You Use K Cups Twice?
You could use a K cup more than once, but you’ll quickly find that you won’t want to! The coffee grounds in a K cup are measured and optimized for a single serving. The large majority of flavor and caffeine will be extracted from your coffee during the first pass. A second use will deliver coffee-colored water with very minimal coffee taste, abundant bitterness, and off-flavors.
Can K Cups Be Recycled?
Some K cups can be recycled, but not all of them. Recyclable K cups will have the recyclable symbol on them, and most will be labeled as such on their box. To recycle K cups, you need to remove the foil seal, clean out the coffee grounds, and throw away the filter. The emptied and cleaned plastic cup can be recycled if you’re using recyclable K cups.
What Are the Best K Cups?
As you can probably tell by now, choosing the best K cups isn’t as easy as picking the cheapest ones or those that sound the most appealing. There are many factors that should go into your K cup selection process to ensure you choose the K cup coffee that is best suited for your taste.
Our all-around favorite for its bold flavor and beautifully balanced complexity is the Breakfast Blend from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. We find ourselves looking forward to having a cup starting the night before and reminds us of the best coffee shop coffee! Our second pick for the robust flavor profile and delectable flavors is the Blonde Roast from Starbucks. Both are sure to start your mornings off on a high note!
