Best Single Serve Coffee Makers with Grinder Built-In in 2025
Updated on Dec 27, 2025
A single-serve coffee maker with a built-in grinder is the easiest way to get “fresh-ground” flavor without committing to a full espresso setup, or a countertop full of gear. The best ones grind whole beans right before brewing, let you dial in strength and cup size, and keep cleanup reasonable (because nobody wants to deep-clean a grinder chute before work). Below are the top built-in-grinder options you can buy right now, ranked by overall performance, convenience, and daily usability.
Best Overall
1
9.5
ProductLust
Score
Score
Cuisinart Custom Grind & Brew Single-Cup
- Delivers consistently strong, balanced cups with dependable temperature and extraction.
- Strength + cup-size settings are genuinely useful for dialing in your daily drink.
- The conical burr grinder is a standout for this category, noticeably even results and reliable consistency.
Check Price
From Amazon
2
9.3
ProductLust
Score
Score
GE Profile Smart Grind & Brew Coffee Maker w/Podless Single Serve
- Most premium-feeling build here, with stable brewing that stays consistent day to day.
- Smart, practical features for scheduling and repeatable settings, not clutter.
- Strong setting adds depth without turning harsh, especially with medium and dark roasts.
Check Price
From Amazon
3
9.1
ProductLust
Score
Score
De'Longhi True Brew Drip Coffee Maker
- Fast, streamlined workflow with brew sizes that work from a small cup to a travel mug.
- Produces a smooth, less harsh cup when set up properly, especially for medium roasts.
- Very good at avoiding burnt or overly bitter notes when you choose the right strength.
Check Price
From Amazon
Most Popular
4
8.9
ProductLust
Score
Score
Cuisinart Coffee Center Grind & Brew Plus
- Handles single-serve and larger brews in one machine.
- Easy to operate for a household, settings are intuitive and not overly technical.
- Strong setting can lean bold and roasty, which many people prefer with milk or cream.
Check Price
From Amazon
5
8.6
ProductLust
Score
Score
Cuisinart Single-Serve Coffee Maker + Coffee Grinder
- One of the best “bridge machines” for people who want both whole-bean freshness and pod compatibility.
- Big removable reservoir + travel-mug friendliness makes it easy to live with daily.
- The best choice if your household can’t agree on beans vs K-Cups.
Check Price
From Amazon
6
8.4
ProductLust
Score
Score
Breville Grind Control
- Best choice for people who like to fine-tune with lots of adjustability and control.
- Strong results once dialed in, especially if you’re particular about strength and volume.
- Grinder quality is one of the highlights, but it comes with a larger footprint and more upkeep.
Check Price
From Amazon
Best Value
7
8.0
ProductLust
Score
Score
AIRMSEN Grind & Brew Single-Serve
- Solid performance for the price with the core features most people use daily.
- Compatible with K-Cups, ground, and whole beans.
- Grinder doesn’t lead the category, but it’s good enough for a satisfying daily cup at a lower cost.
Check Price
From Amazon
Explore other best lists
References
About this list
Last Updated
Dec 27, 2025
Number of items
7
How we came up with this list
ProductLust's reviewed multiple sources, including The Spruce Eats, BON Appétit and Reddit. These sources provide comprehensive reviews and ratings based on quality, speed and taste. We identified models like the Cuisinart Custom Grind & Brew Single-Cup, GE Profile Smart Grind & Brew Coffee Maker w/Podless Single Serve and De'Longhi True Brew Drip Coffee Maker as the best options in this price range.
Frequently asked questions
It’s a one-cup coffee machine that grinds coffee right before brewing and then makes a single mug (or travel mug) in one workflow. The goal is convenience without giving up taste.
Some are surprisingly good, but most built-in grinders are designed for consistency and convenience—not café-level precision. A separate burr grinder can still win on grind uniformity, noise, and long-term serviceability.
A burr grinder is better for taste because it produces a more even grind. More even grind usually means fewer sour “under-extracted” notes and fewer bitter “over-extracted” notes in the same cup.
Yes. Too fine can taste bitter or heavy. Too coarse can taste weak or sour. Even if you don’t change settings often, having a machine that holds a consistent grind setting helps your coffee taste the same every morning.
Common causes include brewing too hot, using a grind that’s too fine, using dark roasts at high strength, or not cleaning oils from the brew path. Bitterness is often a settings or maintenance issue, not “bad beans.”
Usually it’s a cup-size mismatch (too much water for the dose), a grind that’s too coarse, or a low-strength setting. Smaller cup sizes typically taste stronger and more balanced.
Most machines taste best at mid-size cups (often around 8–12 oz). Extra-large settings can be convenient, but they can dilute flavor unless the machine increases the coffee dose appropriately.
Strength typically adjusts the coffee-to-water ratio, the brew time, or both. A good strength control produces a stronger cup without making it taste burnt or overly bitter.
Many do, but not all have enough clearance. If you brew into a tall travel mug every day, look for “travel mug friendly” height and a removable drip tray.
Yes, grinding is the loudest step. Burr grinders tend to have a lower, steadier sound, while cheaper grinders can be higher-pitched. If noise is a concern, avoid running it in the same room as sleeping kids.
Light cleaning weekly is ideal (wipe, rinse removable parts, empty grounds area). Deeper cleaning monthly helps prevent stale flavors—especially in the grinder area and around the brew basket or brew nozzle.
Old oils and fine grounds build up inside the grinder chute and brew area. Even a good machine can start tasting dull if it isn’t brushed out and descaled regularly.
Yes. Mineral buildup affects temperature, flow rate, and taste. If you have hard water, descaling matters even more and usually needs to happen more often.
Filtered water is usually the easiest improvement. Extremely soft or distilled water can sometimes make coffee taste flat; moderately mineralized filtered water tends to brew better.
Medium roasts are the easiest to get right and tend to taste balanced. Dark roasts can taste great but are more likely to turn bitter on high-strength settings. Very oily beans can make cleaning harder over time.
Many models allow it, but it depends on the machine. If pre-ground is important, look for a “ground coffee” mode or a separate chute/basket designed for it.
It varies by machine and cup size, but a common target is roughly 1–2 tablespoons per 6 oz of water (or about 1 tablespoon per 4–5 oz). If a machine under-doses for large cups, the coffee will taste weak.
Consistent grinder performance, stable water temperature, good dosing for different cup sizes, and easy cleaning. If any of those are weak, taste usually suffers first.
Podless machines are built around brewing from grounds and typically focus on a simple grind-to-brew process. Pod-compatible machines add flexibility, but sometimes the brew head and settings are designed to work across different formats.
If you drink coffee daily and care about taste, they can be worth it because freshness and consistency are better when the process is integrated. The tradeoff is cost and more cleaning compared to simple pod-style machines.
Choose a machine with removable grinder parts or easy access to the chute, a removable water tank, and straightforward descaling. If cleaning looks annoying, it will be ignored—and taste will drop.
Prioritize consistent grind output, strong temperature stability, and a machine that produces a great 8–12 oz cup. Taste-focused buyers should also avoid oversize “max cup” settings as their default.
Use fresh beans, match cup size to strength, clean oils and fines regularly, and descale on schedule. Most “my machine got worse” complaints come down to buildup, not the brewer suddenly failing.