7 Best Dual Coffee Makers in 2021: Reviews & Buyers Guide

Would it be more convenient if your coffee maker brewed a full pot and a single-serve coffee?

If you’re the type of person who enjoys the convenience of a single serve coffee pod based system, but needs a larger pot brewing option on special occasions, you might be interested in a dual brew coffee maker.

You’re not alone in your versatile coffee brewing desires. Many people enjoy the convenience of a two way coffee maker, and now you can too!

Dual brew coffee maker products are all the rage right now, as they give you two coffee drinking options for both the price and size of one. You don’t need to keep a Keurig machine and a Ninja coffee maker out on your counter at the same time!

I’ve compiled a list of some of the best dual coffee maker options on the market today. Now you can enjoy your easy to use Keurig copycat as well as a full coffee carafe for when guests are over.

Let’s take a look at some of the best options now!

Looking for a more traditional drip machine, without the option of a pod based coffee? Check out our list of the best drip machines available in 2021.

At a glance, here are the 7 best dual coffee makers included on this list:

• Cuisinart SS-15P1 Coffee Center
• Cuisinart CHW-14 Coffee Plus
• Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Coffee Maker
• Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker
• Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker
• Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System
• Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker

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7 Best Dual Coffee Makers

Cuisinart SS-15P1 Coffee Center

The Cuisinart SS-15P1 Coffee Center is a dual coffee maker that brings you a ton of conveniences. Let’s start with the coffee pot side.

It comes with a large capacity fixed water tank and a charcoal water filter for the freshest cup. It’s large enough to serve the whole family or a bunch of coffee lover friends.

You have full control over the brewing process, as it is equipped with programmable features. You can set it in advance to start brewing coffee at any time of the day, which is excellent when you want freshly brewed coffee as soon as you get up in the morning.

You can also set it to shut off between 0 to 4 hours automatically. It’s a great energy-saving feature and keeps your coffee warm until you know you won’t be drinking it anymore.

The single-serve side also has a large capacity water tank. It is removable for an easy water refill.

It serves 6, 8, and 10 FL oz of coffee with just the touch of a button. And the removable tray allows you to use taller travel mugs as well!

Enjoy a variety of K-cup pod flavors or use your ground coffee in this dual brew system with the Cuisinart’s Home Barista reusable coffee filter cup.

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Hey, It’s not the only Coffee Center from Cuisinart! If you like this one, check out our Cuisinart Coffee Center Review.

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Cuisinart CHW-14 Coffee Plus

The Cuisinart CHW-14 Coffee Plus is a 2 way coffee maker, but instead of dispensing coffee on the single-serve side, it discharges hot water. It may not serve you delicious coffee from K-cup pods, but you can easily make tea, hot chocolate, and instant soups.

The 10-cup carafe has an ergonomic handle design for safe and easy pouring for any coffee drinker. It’s also insulated for keeping your coffee warm for hours.

The coffee pot side has a 24-hour programmable feature, so you can set it in advance to brew coffee as scheduled. It has small-batch settings so that you can brew as few as 1 to 4 cups. All you need to provide is the coffee bean!

The hot water system operates independently. It has its own on/off button, but it can work simultaneously with the coffee pot side.

The hot water dispenser lever has a locking mechanism to prevent accidental spilling of hot water for safety. The drip tray is removable so you can fit a travel mug under your coffee brewer.

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Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Coffee Maker

The Hamilton Beach FlexBrew dual coffee maker is affordable but packed with features. It has dual reservoirs, both for the coffee maker and single-serve side.

The water level windows allow you to see how much water is in the tanks. This feature prevents overfilling, as well as easy access when it comes time to refill.

The 12 cup carafe side can be programmed to brew at a scheduled time. It’s an excellent feature when you want your coffee ready as soon as you wake up.

Can’t wait to finish brewing the whole pot? No problem, as the pause and serve feature lets you sneak a cup while your coffee maker is in the brew cycle.

The warmer plate keeps your coffee hot and automatically shuts off after 2 hours. It’s another great feature of saving energy and safety.

If you don’t need a whole pot of coffee, you can always use the single-serve side. It can brew a wide variety of flavored K-cup pods, or feel free to use your own coffee grounds.

The removable drip tray allows you to use a travel mug. And it doubles as storage for the single-serve brew basket or pack holder!

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Want more from Hamilton Beach? Take a look at our post featuring the very Best Hamilton Beach Coffee Maker.

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Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker

The Keurig K-Duo is a dual coffee maker that will make your morning a pleasant one. It has a 24-hour programmable timer, which you can set to wake you up with the aroma of freshly brewed and piping hot coffee.

It is a feature perfect for those stressed with the daily morning rush. While it’s no espresso machine, this coffee comes out delicious and rich. The K-Duo comes with a sizeable 12-cup glass carafe, which is kept hot by a heating plate.

The carafe coffee brewer brews multiple cup sizes for 6, 8, 10, and 12 FL oz of coffee. It has a Pause and Pour function that allows you to pause the brew cycle and sneak a cup.

The brew strength option allows you to enjoy a richer and bolder taste for your morning coffee. The carafe side uses paper filters, but a goldtone permanent filter can be bought separately.

On the single-serve side, you may brew coffee using K-cup pods. Select hundreds of K-cup pods from different brands.

You can also brew multiple sizes of 6, 8, 10, and 12 FL oz on the single-serve brewer, making both sides equally versatile.

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If there is one Keurig, then there is another. While a dual brewer is great, you may want something simpler. See all of the top Keurigs on the market today in our list of the Best Keurig Coffee Makers.

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Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker

The Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker allows you to brew in a carafe or single cups. It doesn’t use coffee pods, but it will enable you to brew coffeehouse-style drinks, a perk for many households.

The removable tank makes water refilling more convenient. It holds a large volume of water, so it minimizes frequent refills. The large carafe brewer is amazing for big groups of drip coffee lovers.

This Ninja coffee maker is programmable, so you can set it to brew whenever you need it brewed. It’s an excellent feature when you want your coffee ready as soon as you get out of bed during the morning rush.

Unlike other dual coffee makers, the Ninja Specialty coffee machine allows you to enjoy not only regular and bold coffee but also different brew styles. This can be wonderful for those of you looking for iced coffee or coffeeshop specialty drink options.

Want to brew single-serve coffee? Use a single cup, XL cup, or a travel mug.

Need a large coffee serving? The Ninja Specialty allows you to brew an XL mug, half carafe, or a full carafe.

And if you’re craving your favorite coffeehouse-style espresso drink, the fold-away milk frother will allow you to whip up your favorite coffeeshop drink, whether it be a cappuccino, latte, iced coffee, or other specialty blends.

Buying a dual brewer with the option for espresso style drinks means that you may need a more specialty burr grinder so that your coffee grounds come out perfect every single time. Check out some of our top burr grinder options here!

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Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System

The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System is a highly versatile dual coffee maker. Brew a whole pot or differently sized cups, and the functionality doesn’t stop there. Are you a household with a lot of picky coffee drinker folks around? This could be the brewer for you!

Let’s start with the thermal carafe. It has a capacity of 50 FL oz or 1.5 L of brewed coffee, enough for the whole family. It’s insulated, so it keeps your coffee warm for any late risers in the house.

It’s programmable, so you can set it in advance when you want it to brew for later. It’s a great feature during the morning rush, as you’ll wake up with a freshly brewed coffee ready for serving.

The Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System coffee maker is designed to brew coffee and tea. It has separate baskets for each brew, and the Smart Basket Recognition automatically detects whether you plan on brewing coffee or tea. I mentioned those picky household members looking for their own specific drink, didn’t I? This machine applies to tea drinkers too!

The separate baskets for tea and coffee is an excellent feature as you don’t want your coffee to taste like tea or vice versa. You can brew without pods, which means you can customize your coffee with an unlimited brew variety.

Select from different preset brew styles, such as classic, rich, iced, cold brew, or specialty coffee. Experiment on different cafe-style blends with the built-in fold-away frother. You can make almost any specialty drink with this machine.

Brew only the exact amount of coffee you need with its presets of six brew sizes. Enjoy a single cup, XL cup, regular travel mug, XL travel mug, half pot, or a full pot of great-tasting coffee.

This machine gets yet another honorable mention, since it is also featured as one of the best drip coffee makers of 2021.

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Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker

The Keurig K-Duo Plus coffee maker is an innovative upgrade of the K-Duo. The K-Duo Plus is more significant in volume size than its predecessor, but it has a slimmer build.

It also has a multi-position water reservoir, so it adjusts to your countertop space setup. Set it up on the right, left, or back-side. It goes wherever you deem it fit to your kitchen setup!

It is programmable so you can set it to brew 24 hours in advance. It’s a great feature to get up in the morning with a ready to serve, piping hot pot of coffee.

Don’t want a whole pot? The carafe side can brew in multiple cup sizes like 6, 8, 10, and 12 FL oz of coffee.

The same feature goes with the single-serve side brewer. You can select anywhere from 6, 8, 10, or 12 FL oz of coffee, and you can prefill a K-cup with your own choice of ground coffee beans.

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Cons:

Easiest to Use: Cuisinart SS-15P1 Coffee Center

• Reusable gold tone filter
• Dual water reservoirs
• Check it out here

Best for Hot Water: Cuisinart CHW-14 Coffee Plus

• Instant hot water side
• Easy to operate
• Check it out here

Best on a Budget: Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Coffee Maker

• Programmable
• Water window viewer
• Check it out here

Best Beginner Dual Brewer: Keurig K-Duo Coffee Maker

• Small footprint
• Easy to operate
• Check it out here

Best Specialty Brewer: Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker

• Makes many drinks
• Milk frother included
• Check it out here

Editor’s Pick: Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System

• Unlimited cafe style drinks
• Easy to use
• Check it out here

Most Compact: Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker

• Easy to use
• Smallest footprint on this list
• Check it out here

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Buyers Guide For Dual Coffee Makers

Water Reservoir Capacity

How much coffee do you drink in a day? Or how many coffee drinkers are with you at home or the office?

If you have many coffee drinkers with you, you might consider something with a large capacity water reservoir. This feature minimizes the frequency of refills.

You should also consider if this dual brewer has one shared reservoir or two separate ones. The last thing you want is to run out of water for your 12 cup brewer because everyone else in the house has been using water for the single serve side!

If you have a lot of coffee drinkers in the house, choosing a large reservoir may suit you best. However, a small tank still works; you’ll just have to keep an eye on it and plan to refill it often.

Footprint

Dual coffee makers are designed to brew single-serve cups and a whole pot of coffee. Therefore, they tend to eat up a bit more space than ordinary coffee makers.

If you’ve got more space available on your countertop, this may not be an essential consideration. However, if you have limited space in your kitchen, consider a small footprint dual coffee maker.

No matter what, you will be saving space through the purchase of a dual brew machine. It means that you don’t have a drip coffee maker and a K-cup coffee maker on the same counter, as two separate machines! Combining these two fantastic coffee brewing options will no doubt save you some space.

Programmability

Programmability is a feature most people look for in any coffee maker. It’s a convenient feature where you can set the brewing time in advance to have coffee ready at the time you set.

This feature is advantageous, especially during the morning rush. I always program my drip coffee machine to brew at 7am, so that way it is ready and waiting for me when I wake up!

If you are able to take it easy in the morning, you may not need a programmable option. However, these features are often standard on most machines, so hopefully you’ll view it as a perk.

Brew Styles

Brew style features may not be present in every dual coffee machine. But you might want to consider a machine with this feature, especially if you’re fond of coffeehouse blends.

Brew styles vary from machine to machine, and they can adjust both the strength and style of the brew. For example, some machines are simple and will only allow for a normal to bold brew setting. Others have brew styles based on specific drinks.

Typically, machines with milk frothers allow multiple brew styles. These brew styles are often more involved, such as cappuccino or latte options. You may not need any of these, and it may mean that you save a bit of money should you not want any of these features.

Price

An average dual coffee maker may cost around $100, more or less. A machine loaded with special features may cost even more, depending on what you are looking for.

Your budget is important to stick to, and most dual brew machines are priced fairly. When you consider the cost of a decent drip machine and the average Keurig price when the two machines are purchased separately, you may be surprised at the money you’ll be saving through purchasing a dual brew machine!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best dual coffee maker?

This is always a tricky question to answer, as everyone has their own needs and wants out of a morning cup. So I’ll go ahead with my own personal opinion on what works best for me, at a price I can afford!

I was quite pleased with both Ninja Coffee Systems, the Ninja Speciality Coffee Maker and Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System, and also the well priced Cuisinart Coffee Center SS-15P1. 

I feel as though all of the options on this list will suit the majority of dual coffee system shoppers! That’s why this is the best dual coffee maker list, after all.

How do I clean my dual coffee maker?

Every machine is different! I always recommend keeping the manual from your dual coffee maker and referring to it when it comes time to clean it.

Regular cleaning and maintenance of your brewer will only keep the coffee fresh and delicious, day after day. This is especially important if you belong to a large household of coffee lovers!

Happy Brewing!