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Best Iced Coffee Maker: Machines Built for Brewing Over Ice
Three brew-over-ice machines compared by iced method, capacity and price tier, from a carafe model to a slim pod brewer.
The best iced coffee maker has a real iced setting, clear instructions and enough capacity for how you drink coffee. These three machines are for US readers who want iced coffee most days and would rather not brew hot coffee and wait for it to cool. We chose them from manufacturer pages and owner’s manuals, without testing them ourselves.
Top Picks at a Glance
Best overall
Ninja Hot & Iced XL Coffee Maker (CM371)
for grounds, single-serve sizes and a full Over Ice carafe.
Best hot/iced combo
Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Single-Serve Iced & Hot Coffee Maker (49921)
for pods or grounds with an iced button.
Best compact and best budget
Keurig K-Iced Plus
the narrowest machine here and the lowest price without a coffee commitment.
Price tiers use each maker’s US price without a coffee commitment, checked 3 November 2026: one $ sign means under 100 US dollars, and two mean 100 to 200. Sale prices change often, so check before you buy.
| Model | Type | Iced method | Capacity | Price tier | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja Hot & Iced XL (CM371) | Drip with carafe and single-serve sizes; grounds | Over Ice brew style into a vessel filled with ice | Over Ice brews 3.5 to 22.4 oz by size, not counting ice. Hot goes up to 54.4 oz | $$ | Ninja |
| Hamilton Beach FlexBrew (49921) | Single-serve; pods or grounds | Iced button, brewing into a tumbler of ice | 16 oz heatproof tumbler with ice. Iced brew volume not stated. Hot goes up to 14 oz | $ | Hamilton Beach |
| Keurig K-Iced Plus | Single-serve; K-Cup pods, or grounds with a My K-Cup filter sold separately | Brew Over Ice button, brewing into a tumbler of ice | 8, 10 or 12 oz, a final volume that includes ice melt, per Keurig | $ | Keurig |
Iced Coffee Maker vs Cold Brew Maker
An iced coffee maker brews hot coffee straight onto ice, so you can have a cold drink in minutes, and some of the ice melts along the way. A cold brew maker steeps coffee in cold water for hours, usually overnight, with no hot brewing step.
Pick an iced coffee maker if you decide on the day and want one glass now. Pick a steeper if you plan ahead and want a batch in the fridge, in which case our guide to the best cold brew coffee maker is the right page.
The two can overlap on one machine, because the Ninja below also has a Cold Brew style. Ninja says that style takes 10 to 20 minutes, so treat it as its own setting rather than a replacement for an overnight steep.
Best Iced Coffee Maker Overall: Ninja Hot & Iced XL (CM371)
If you use ground coffee and want anything from one iced coffee to a full carafe, start here.
Its owner’s guide lists an Over Ice volume for every size, so you can see how much coffee each button brews before you buy. Its 22.4 oz full carafe setting is the only option here for more than one drink at a time.
- Input: ground coffee in a permanent filter, with no pods needed.
- Over Ice volumes: 3.5 oz small cup, 3.9 oz cup, 4.9 oz XL cup, 5.9 oz travel, 7.6 oz XL travel, 11.6 oz quarter carafe, 14.7 oz half carafe and 22.4 oz full carafe.
- Ice: fill the cup, mug or carafe to the top first, so a full carafe takes a lot of ice.
- Vessels: at least 12 oz for Cup, 14 oz for XL Cup, 16 oz for Travel Mug and 20 oz for XL Travel Mug, so check your usual tumbler against the size you want.
- Hot coffee: Classic and Rich styles up to 54.4 oz, from a 60 oz reservoir into the 12-cup glass carafe.
Placement is the first thing to check. The guide says not to store or use the machine under a wall cabinet, so it needs open counter, and it stands 17.4 in tall and weighs 11.24 lb. Over Ice volumes are also far smaller than hot ones, because ice fills most of the vessel.
Ninja says the glass carafe and brew-through lid are dishwasher safe, and it recommends regular descaling. For single servings, use a heatproof tumbler, because the guide’s glassware warning makes an exception only for the Ninja carafe.
It suits households that use ground coffee and drink both hot and iced. Skip it if your only counter space is under wall cabinets, or if you prefer pods.
View the Ninja Hot & Iced XL at Ninja
Best Hot/Iced Combo: Hamilton Beach FlexBrew (49921)
Choose this one if your household goes back and forth between pods and ground coffee, or between hot mugs and iced tumblers.
The FlexBrew manual covers iced brewing with either one: add ice to a heatproof tumbler, load a pod or grounds, and press the iced button. The basket for grounds comes in the box, which is the main reason to buy it over the Keurig.
- Input: pods with the included holder, or up to 3 tablespoons (15 g) of grounds in the removable basket.
- Iced vessel: a 16 oz heatproof tumbler or travel mug, with the storage container removed.
- Hot sizes: 8, 10, 12 or 14 oz with grounds, or 8 or 10 oz with a pod.
- Reservoir: 50 oz, removable, with a minimum fill of 16 oz.
- Size: 13.7 in tall, 6.6 in wide and 11.8 in deep. The cup rest removes for a 7.5 in tall tumbler.
Iced brewing is less precise here. The manual names one 16 oz tumbler but gives no iced brew volume or ice amount, and its fix for a weak drink is to use fewer cubes, so expect some trial and error.
Plan on rinsing the basket after every use and washing removable parts by hand, plus a monthly clean, or weekly with hard water. The manual also says not to use a glass, so you need a heatproof tumbler or travel mug.
It makes one drink at a time, so it is not the pick for a household that wants a batch. If you want a choice of iced sizes, the Keurig is the better fit.
If pods are your main format, our K-Cup coffee maker guide also compares hot-coffee controls and machines that pair pods with a ground-coffee carafe.
View the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew at Hamilton Beach
Best Compact Iced Coffee Maker: Keurig K-Iced Plus
This is the machine to look at when counter width is the limit.
At 4.8 in wide, this is the slimmest machine here, though its 15.2 in depth still needs checking against your counter. Keurig’s guide describes a Brew Over Ice button that starts hotter and then cools to reduce melting. Keurig also says the volume dispensed accounts for ice melt, so the final drink matches the size you select.
- Input: K-Cup pods, or ground coffee with Keurig’s My K-Cup reusable filter (Universal with MultiStream Technology), sold separately. To fit it, take out the original pod holder and remove the adapter from the bottom of the filter.
- Iced sizes: 8, 10 or 12 oz, per the product page.
- Vessel: a tumbler with ice on the drip tray, or travel mugs up to 7 in tall with the tray removed.
- Reservoir: 46 oz, with at least 6 oz needed to brew.
- Size: 12.1 in tall, 4.8 in wide and 15.2 in deep.
The guide gives no ice amount, so the size of your tumbler matters. Ground coffee also needs the extra filter, which adds a step and a separate purchase.
Cleaning is by hand, since Keurig says the parts are not dishwasher safe. Brew into a tumbler rather than glass, and descale every 3 months or when the notification comes on.
It makes one drink at a time, so buy it for a narrow counter and a simple routine, not for a household batch.
View the Keurig K-Iced Plus at Keurig
Best Budget Iced Coffee Maker: Keurig K-Iced Plus
The K-Iced Plus takes this slot too.
Without a coffee commitment, it has the lowest price of our three picks. Keurig advertises a much lower Starter Kit price, but that offer comes with a coffee purchase commitment, so we have not used it here.
Running costs depend on what you brew. Pods are the simplest route on the Keurig, and ground coffee works once you add the separate My K-Cup filter, while the Hamilton Beach FlexBrew includes a grounds basket in the same price tier.
No New Machine?
You may not need one. If you already own a Keurig, our guide to iced coffee on a Keurig covers the steps without buying anything.
A regular drip coffee maker can also work, as long as you adjust how you brew. A dedicated machine makes most sense if you drink iced coffee most days and want a set routine.
How We Chose
Every pick needed a documented iced setting or dedicated iced brewing method from its maker. Passive cold brew steepers and machines that simply let you pour coffee over ice were out, along with discontinued models and machines whose iced instructions we could not find.
From there, we compared current US listings and manuals on these points, weighing them for each use rather than adding up a score:
- Iced method and how clearly the maker documents it
- Capacity against footprint
- Ease of use and cleaning
- Clarity on vessel, ice and volume
- Durability and support
- Value
Manufacturer sources cannot show how these machines hold up over time, so durability remains an open question for all three. Phrases about drinks not being watered down are the makers’ claims.
FAQ
Which coffee machines make iced coffee?
Look for a machine with a named iced setting in its manual, such as Over Ice or Brew Over Ice. A regular coffee maker can make iced coffee too, but it has no setting that changes how it brews for ice.
Does brewing over ice water down the coffee?
Some ice melts, and Ninja describes that as normal and part of the final strength. Keurig says its brewer accounts for melt, and Hamilton Beach suggests using fewer cubes if the drink tastes weak.
Can I brew over ice into a glass?
Check your manual first. Keurig says not to brew into glass, Hamilton Beach says not to use a glass, and Ninja allows only its own glass carafe, so a heatproof tumbler is the safer default.
How much ice should I use?
Ninja says to fill the vessel to the top with ice. Hamilton Beach and Keurig do not give an amount, so follow their steps and adjust from there.
Start with the Ninja if you use grounds, want batches and have open counter, the Hamilton Beach if you want pods and grounds covered out of the box, or the Keurig if width and budget come first. For more ways to make coffee at home, see our home brewing guide.
