Stopping at the campus café or the nearby coffee shop before class can quickly become expensive.
If there’s a line at the counter, it can even make you late to class.
How do you get the coffee you need to wake up without going to a coffee shop, though?
The answer is simple: add a coffee maker to your dorm. Keurig is an excellent coffee maker manufacturer known for designing machines that are inexpensive, user-friendly and fast.
We’ve written this guide to help you find the best Keurig coffee makers for college students.
This is what you’ll learn about:
- Basic Keurig information
- How to pick the best Keurig for your dorm
- Our choices for the best Keurig coffee makers for college
Quick Summary
Don't have time to read the whole list? That's okay - here's a quick chart of all the Keurigs on this list and our grades for them.
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Best Keurig Coffee Makers For College
Do you have almost no space in your dorm? Then the Keurig K Mini is the answer to your coffee-making needs.
This is the smallest Keurig yet, capable of fitting pretty much anywhere, even on small nightstands or desks. In fact, this coffee maker is so incredibly tiny, you could even take it with you to brew yourself a cup from anywhere.
- K Cups: Yes
- Ground Coffee: Yes (with use of My K Cup Universal Reusable Coffee Filter)
- Water Tank Capacity: One-cup (refill every time)
- Drink Sizes: 6-12 ounces
- Dimensions: 12.1 inches tall, 4.5 inches wide, 11.3 inches deep
- Auto-Off: Even if you’re in a rush in the morning, you can’t forget to leave the K Mini on, as it will turn itself off after 90 seconds of inactivity.
- Cord Storage: When you have to pack up the K Mini to make more space or take it with you, you can just wrap the cord up into the slot on the back of the coffee maker.
- Single Button Operation: Complete beginners will have no problems figuring out how to use this Keurig, which has only one button to start brewing. No confusing options or settings here.
- Travel Mug Friendly: Slip out the drip tray to fit a travel mug up to 7 inches tall onto the K Mini. That way, you can take your favorite drinks with you wherever you go.
Sharing with friends (or even just making a lot for yourself) is easy on the Keurig K Classic.
It has a large 48-ounce tank that makes it possible to make at least 6 drinks before you need to pour more water in. That’s plenty to get you through an extended cram session, or a particularly tiring morning.
It’s also extremely fast. When you’re in a hurry, you’ll appreciate the K Classic’s ability to whip a drink together for you in less than a minute.
- K Cups: Yes
- Ground Coffee: Yes (with purchase of M K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter)
- Water Tank: 48 ounces
- Drink Sizes: 6, 8, and 10 ounces
- Dimensions: 13 inches tall, 9.8 inches wide, and 13.3 inches deep
- Light-Up Indicators: Like other machines, coffee makers need a little maintenance every once in awhile. The K Classic will let you know when that’s necessary, with lights that come on when it needs water or descaling.
- Fast Brew Time: Get each drink you want ASAP with the K Classic’s brew time of 60 seconds or less.
- Easy Button Controls: With only a few different buttons on top of the K Classic, you’ll be using it like a pro in no time. Just turn it on, put the K-cup in, choose your drink size, and you’re good to go.
The Keurig K Café is perfect for dedicated coffee shop fans.
On the right side of the machine, you’ll find a milk frother that will generate silky milk foam for you at the touch of a button. You can even make cold milk foam to top off a refreshing iced cappuccino or latte with.
This makes the barista experience accessible from pretty much anywhere.
- K Cups: Yes
- Ground Coffee: Yes (with purchase of My K-Cup Universal Reusable Coffee Filter)
- Water Tank: 60 ounces
- Drink Sizes: 6, 8, 10, and 12 ounces
- Dimensions: 12.5 inches tall, 15.3 inches wide, and 11.7 inches deep
- Milk Frother: Make drinks like a barista from your own room with the milk frother built into the side of the K Café. No experience needed – just pour in your milk and push a button.
- Cold Milk Foam: Craving an iced drink? Use the cold button on the milk frother, and the K Café will leave your milk cold while it makes you the smooth foam necessary for a cappuccino or latte.
- Smart Start: Start the K Café, heat it up, and brew all in a single step, saving you time.
- Removable Water Tank: Refilling the water tank is a piece of cake, since you can just pop it out and move it to wherever you need for a refill.
If you're the type of person who's always into the latest and greatest, then you've probably heard about the Keurig K-Supreme. This coffee maker brings something new and even more convenient to the already convenient world of Keurigs: an adjustable water tank.
You read that right. The water tank on the K-Supreme can be moved into two different positions located on the side or directly behind the machine.
We all know college dorms are tiny. A flexible coffee maker like the K-Supreme will be much easier to fit into whatever space you have.
- K-Cups: Yes
- Ground Coffee: Yes
- Water Tank: 66oz
- Drink Sizes: 6, 8, 10, & 12 oz
- Dimensions: 12.2 inches tall, 7.9 inches wide, 12 inches deep (variable based on where the water tank is positioned)
- Adjustable Water Tank: You can slide the water tank to the side of or behind the machine to fit into a wider range of spaces.
- Multiple Color Options: Because it's available in a few different colors, you can easily find a version that's the best visual fit for your dorm.
- Multistream Technology: By using multiple streams of water during brewing, the machine ensures that each coffee is even more flavorful.
For many students, decorating their college dorm is their first shot at decorating a living space all their own. The Keurig K15 is perfect for students with a unique decorating scheme.
It comes in a broad spectrum of ten different exquisite colors. No matter what color palette you use, you’ll be able to find a K15 that fits right in.
With a one-cup water tank, you’ll only ever get the right size drink on the K15, too. Just add an amount of water for the size you’re craving, and that’s exactly what you’ll get.
- K Cups: Yes
- Ground Coffee: Yes (with purchase of My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter)
- Water Tank: One-cup
- Drink Sizes: 6-10 ounces
- Dimensions: 11.1 inches tall, 7.5 inches wide, 10.5 inches deep
- Single-Reservoir: You won’t need to dump out half-empty cups on the K15, with its one-cup water reservoir that only makes as much as the water you add each time.
- Auto-Off: An environmentally friendly feature that reduces your energy consumption by turning itself off after 90 seconds of being idle.
- Cord Storage: Makes it simple to move the K15 whenever you need to.
Keurig 101
As you do your research on Keurigs, you’ll see that most of them have a few things in common right away.
The three characteristics you’ll see the most are:
- Single-serve portions
- Manual refill water reservoirs
- K-cups and coffee ground compatibility
But what do those things mean?
We’ll explain.
Single-serve
The majority of Keurigs are single-serve coffee makers. That means they’re capable of brewing one cup at a time.
However, they can generally make each cup extremely fast. Many Keurigs can brew a drink in a minute or less, so you won’t need to worry about your coffee maker making you late on those early morning rushes.
Another great thing about single-serve coffee makers is that they reduce your waste. Instead of brewing a whole pot you might not go through, you get precisely the amount you want when you want it.
Read Also: Best Colombian Coffee K-Cups for Keurigs
Manual Refill Water Reservoirs
Water is absolutely crucial for making coffee.
In the majority of Keurigs, water is supplied to the machine through a water tank that has to be manually replenished. When the water levels get too low or run out, you need to pour water in yourself.
Initially, that may sound like it’s inconvenient, but it has its benefits.
For instance, it makes it possible for Keurigs to be extra-small so you can fit them anywhere – even in a tiny dorm room.
It also allows these coffee makers to function form any location, as long as you have an outlet and some water to pour in.
K-cups And Coffee Grounds
One other thing you’ll run into frequently with Keurigs is what they use to make your drink – aside from water, that is.
Keurigs are generally compatible with their own K-cup pods, which are little pods filled with pre-ground and portioned coffee, tea, or cocoa. These are fantastic for throwing together a quick cup, because you just need to pick your K-cup, put it in your Keurig, and let the coffee maker handle the rest.
Alternatively, if you have more time or want to use coffee blends not available as a pod, you can use your own coffee grounds with most Keurigs.
Learn More: Best Keurig Coffee Maker for Travel Mugs
Different Drink Options
In almost every coffee shop, you’ll usually find more on the menu than just coffee.
Many Keurigs are the same way, and aren’t limited to making coffee. The K-cups they use come in literally hundreds of flavors and types, which includes tea and hot chocolate in addition to coffee blends.
Bringing a Keurig into your dorm is a lot like adding a mini-coffee shop. You get hundreds of different drinks at your disposal with just a push of a button.
How to Pick the Best Keurig for your Dorm
Once you’ve learned a little more about what they have to offer, you need to think about what you actually need from your Keurig.
Whether you’re buying one for yourself, or you’re a parent searching for the best Keurig to get for their college-age child, it’s a good idea to decide what features are actually necessary for you.
To form a clear picture of which Keurig to pick, answer questions like these:
- How much space do you have?
- Do you have experience using coffee makers?
- How often are you going to use the Keurig?
How Much Space Do You Have?
While generally small, dorms still come in various sizes, or you might have more or less room in yours based on what else you have in it.
So consider where you might put a coffee maker in your dorm. Do you have much space for one, or very little room?
If you have a large table or desk to put it on, you may not need to worry about the size of your Keurig as much. But if your dorm is packed, you’ll probably want a coffee maker that’s particularly small.
Size is a factor that’s considered in a ton of Keurig designs. There are a few models that are purposefully built to be both affordable and small.
If size is an issue for you, make sure you look at the dimensions of each Keurig before you buy it.
Do You Have Experience Using Coffee Makers?
Do you have previous experience using a coffee maker, whether from home, work, or somewhere else?
Even if you have no experience, that’s not a problem. There are plenty of Keurigs to choose from that are user-friendly.
Keurigs in this category will, of course, be compatible with K-cups and will have easy-to-understand button controls. You might also want to look into those with fewer options if you’re a novice, as you may not get too much use out of advanced controls like temperature adjustability.
However, if the opposite is true for you and you do know your way around a coffee maker enough to understand how to make your favorite drinks comfortably, you can also look into Keurigs with extra features.
There are even Keurigs with milk frothers, so you can make cappuccinos or lattes from the comfort of your own room.
How Often Are You Going To Use The Keurig?
Perhaps the most important thing to consider is how often you’re going to use your Keurig.
Now is also a good time to think of whether or not you’ll be sharing your coffee maker, since that directly contributes to how much it will be used.
For frequent and heavy use, you’ll want a larger water tank. With a larger water tank, you won’t need to worry about having to stop for refills as much.
You may also want to determine the speed of the Keurig, in case you need it to be able to make back-to-back drinks as fast as possible for all nighters. There are numerous models that can brew you any size drink in 60 seconds or less.
On the other hand, if you’ll only use it make a mug here and there, you may not need a huge water reservoir or lightning-quick brew time.
