The 5 Best Iced Coffee Makers for Hot-Brew and Cold-Brew Fans, Ranked & Reviewed

Our verdict: Four brew styles, rapid cold brew, eight brew sizes and thermal flavor extraction.

The Ninja CM371 offers 4 brew styles, rapid cold brew, 8 brew sizes and thermal flavor extraction. It sits in the $100 to $200 bracket.

It wins because it covers both drinks: hot-over-ice for a quick cup and rapid cold brew when you want the smooth style without a 12-hour wait. Eight sizes let you brew a single mug or a full carafe. Thermal flavor extraction is Ninja's term for controlling water temperature to pull flavour. The trade is size and price, since it is the largest and priciest here.

Buy it if you want one machine for every style. Skip it if you only drink one kind.

Brew styles

4

Cold brew

Rapid cold brew

Sizes

8 brew sizes

Bracket

$100 to $200

Our verdict: A 47oz glass carafe, active extraction, 10 to 25 minute settings and a self-cleaning cycle.

The VINCI Express makes cold brew in 10 to 25 minutes using an active extraction system, into a 47oz glass carafe, with a self-cleaning cycle. It sits in the $50 to $100 bracket.

Traditional cold brew takes 12 to 24 hours of steeping. Active extraction agitates the grounds to shorten that dramatically, which makes a daily cold-brew habit realistic. The self-cleaning cycle matters because oily grounds build up in the fine mesh. It ranks second because it brews cold only, while the Ninja also does hot.

Buy it if cold brew is what you drink. Skip it if you want hot coffee too.

Brew time

10 to 25 minutes

Capacity

47oz glass carafe

Method

Active extraction

Cleaning

Self-cleaning cycle

Our verdict: Auto temperature adjustment, three iced cup sizes and a fit for tumblers up to 7 inches.

The Keurig K-Iced brews K-Cup pods, adjusts temperature automatically for iced drinks, offers 3 iced cup sizes, fits tumblers up to 7 inches and works with My K-Cup. It sits in the $50 to $100 bracket.

Auto temperature means it brews stronger and hotter to compensate for ice, which is the step that keeps pod iced coffee from tasting watery. The 7 inch tumbler clearance covers most insulated cups. It ranks third because pods cost more per cup than ground coffee and make more waste.

Buy it if you want one iced cup in under a minute. Skip it if you brew for a crowd.

Type

Single-serve K-Cup

Iced sizes

3

Tumbler fit

Up to 7 in

Pods

K-Cup, My K-Cup compatible

Our verdict: A 12-cup programmable drip with bold and iced modes, auto pause and pour and a slim profile.

The Hamilton Beach is a 12-cup drip machine with bold and iced brew modes, 24-hour programming, auto pause and pour and a slim profile. It sits in the $25 to $50 bracket.

An iced mode brews a stronger, more concentrated pot so it holds up over ice. The 24-hour timer sets a fresh pot for the morning. It ranks fourth because drip iced coffee is the same hot coffee over ice, with no cold-brew smoothness, and a carafe of strong coffee needs cooling.

Buy it if you want a cheap, familiar drip machine with an iced setting. Skip it if you want cold brew.

Capacity

12 cups

Modes

Bold and iced

Programming

24 hours

Bracket

$25 to $50

Our verdict: A 2-quart Tritan pitcher with a fine-mesh filter, an airtight lid and dishwasher-safe parts.

The Takeya is a 2-quart Tritan pitcher with a fine-mesh filter, an airtight lid and dishwasher-safe parts. It sits in the $25 to $50 bracket.

It needs no power: you add coarse grounds and water, then steep in the fridge overnight. The airtight lid keeps coffee fresh and keeps fridge odours out, and Tritan is a shatter-resistant plastic. It ranks last because it is the slowest and asks the most effort from you.

Buy it if you want cold brew without a machine. Skip it if you want coffee in minutes.

Capacity

2 quarts

Material

Tritan pitcher

Filter

Fine mesh

Cleaning

Dishwasher safe