When it comes to making a good cup of coffee, even a budget coffee maker can get the job done. We’ve tested 18 promising budget coffee makers since 2016, and we think the Ninja CE251 is the best choice. In addition to making tastier, hotter coffee than the other models we tested, it’s basic to program and apply, and it looks great on your countertop.
Our choice
This easy-to-use coffee machine reliably brews scorching coffee at the right strength.
The Ninja CE251 consistently made the best-tasting coffee of any coffee maker we tested, whether we used ground beans or freshly ground. It was the only model we tested that reliably brewed coffee at a high enough temperature to extract the good flavor from the beans and make a pleasantly scorching cup of coffee. It was also one of the easiest to apply and program, and one of the most customizable—the options for a richer or thinner batch allowed us to adjust our results without compromising quality. We also liked the thoughtful design: it comes with a spoon that fits neatly into the body of the coffee maker, and the removable water tank allows you to fill the machine directly from the sink.
Runner-up
This Cuisinart made pretty good coffee and had some nice extra features like adjustable hotplate temperature and a self-cleaning function. But the water reservoir was frustratingly tough to fill.
The Cuisinart DCC-1200 reliably makes decent coffee, but the end product isn’t as good as the Ninja. It has some of the most useful customizable features of the budget coffee makers we’ve tested, including user control over the warm-plate’s keep-warm temperature. The small-batch option is basic to apply, but its programming on this machine isn’t as intuitive as the Ninja’s. Of the models we tested, the DCC-1200 had one of the longest warranties (three years) but has the most difficult-to-fill water reservoir, whose gauges are nearly impossible to read.
Also great
A miniature, basic coffee maker that allows you to prepare delicious scorching coffee, and also has easy-to-use instructions and quantities for brewing iced coffee.
The Zojirushi Zutto EC-DAC50 coffee maker, the smallest model we tested, brews consistently scorching coffee that was the second most flavorful after the Ninja. With a maximum capacity of just under 23 ounces, the Zutto is more suited to a household of one or two coffee drinkers. It’s a no-frills machine, with just a single on/off button, that’s as basic to apply as it gets. (That also means the machine doesn’t have an automatic shut-off, so you’ll have to turn it off manually to avoid burning your coffee.) While it lacks extra features, the Zutto reaches some of the highest brewing temperatures we’ve tested. It also provides easy-to-follow instructions (and corresponding measurements on the water reservoir) for brewing iced coffee, a unique feature among the coffee makers in this guide. While most automatic drip coffee makers hide the filter in the body of the machine, the Zutto’s filter sits inside the jug, replicating the drip brewing experience for a different kind of coffee experience. This makes the device smaller and can be easily stowed away.
