Best Coffee Maker Under $50 – Top Picks and Buying Guide

It’s much better to spend your hard-earned money on the coffee than on the machine. You don’t need a huge gaudy machine with all the bells and whistles to enjoy delicious hot coffee. In fact, you only need $50, so you can pick up one of these. 

The Hamilton Beach Scoop Single Serve Coffee Maker is the best coffee maker under $50. Its quality is remarkable at this price point, but it only makes one cup at a time. If you’re looking for higher volume, you can still quench your thirst with the Mr. Coffee Coffee maker in the same price bracket. 

Choose your coffee wisely because, despite their prices, these machines brew hot, fresh, and fast.  

Our Top Picks

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1. Hamilton Beach Scoop Single Serve Coffee Maker — Best Overall

At this price, it’s hard to find a coffee maker with all the functional features you would find on an expensive coffee maker, but this one gives you some control. It has an option for bold, which is great for those sluggish mornings or anyone who likes to add cream and sugar. 

This uses its own mesh filter, so you can add any kind of coffee grounds you like. It’s not compatible with coffee pods, so you can reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding all that single-use plastic. The mesh filter can also be used as a scoop, so you know exactly how much coffee you’re using. 

The minimum brew size is 8 ounces, but it can be adjusted to brew a travel mug up to 14 ounces. This reliable single-serve coffee maker is fast as well, making one cup in under 90 seconds. 

The reliability is the highlight here as it will last you a long time. But another significant aspect is the look; this doesn’t look like a cheap coffee maker with its stainless steel outer shell. It will class up any kitchen counter without breaking the bank.

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2. Mr. Coffee Coffee Maker — Best Carafe

If it’s volume you’re after, then Mr. Coffee will be your new best friend. This brews a whole 12-cup carafe in about 10 mins. This reliable workhorse will be right there with you every morning to ensure you’re awake and ready to face the day. 

For when you’re in a rush, this has a nice feature that lets you pause your brewing so you can pour yourself a cup while you wait for the rest of the pot to finish—a little reward for being the person who makes the coffee for everyone.

The programmable LED has a digital timer so it can get a head start on brewing before you even get up. Even if you sleep in, the warming plate will keep your coffee hot for up to 2 hours and then will automatically shut off for safety. 

Despite its plastic construction, it holds up very well over time. The simplistic design doesn’t try to be anything special and will pump out the coffee of your choice time and time again. 

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3. Chulux One Cup Coffee Maker — Most Compact

Pods are a huge thing now, and they aren’t going away any time soon. They offer convenience and the option of trying new coffee without purchasing a kilo at a time. These types of accessible pod coffee makers can sometimes be expensive, but I found one that isn’t. 

For under $50, you can join the pod revolution and start enjoying all the coffee that comes in those cute little cups. This brewer is compatible with all coffee pods and even comes with reusable filters in case you do want to shop for and grind your own beans. 

This makes cups of coffee between 5 and 12 ounces and all in under 3 minutes. It’s perfect for professionals on the go because it requires very little prep, it brews very fast, and its compact design takes up very little space on your kitchen counter. 

It even has an auto shut-off, so as soon as your coffee is made, you don’t have to worry about the machine anymore. These machines are perfect for jazzing up your mornings because of all the available colors. If you’re tired of dull mornings, get the lime green version to start your day on a bright note. 

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4. Shardor Coffee Maker — Most Programmable Features

Add a touch of class to your morning routine with this advanced-looking coffee machine. It has an LCD touchscreen with programmable features, including a digital timer and different brewing options. Not to mention it looks incredible with its stainless steel accents. 

Being able to brew whole carafes are a necessity in some households. With so much going on in life, you want your compact coffee maker to pump out enough liquid gold to get everyone through the day. This 10-cup plexiglass carafe is made just for that. The handle is also notable because it’s comfortable and keeps your hand away from the heat. 

Use any ground coffee you like here, as the filter basket is ready for anything. No K-cups for this one; you get to pick any decent coffee you want. 

The programmable features let you set a time to start the brewing process so you can wake up to that fantastic aroma every day.    

The key features also allow you to customize your coffee with settings ranging from mild to bold. 

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5. Cuisinart 4 Cup w/Stainless-Steel Carafe Coffeemaker — Most Options For Cup Size

Here is an excellent in-between compact coffee maker that fills the gap between a single-serve maker and a full carafe. 

This is great for a busy couple or someone who wants a couple of mugs before starting their day. It brews 20 ounces of coffee which are about two regular-sized mugs. So you can have two cups of coffee, one now and one later. 

The built-in warming plate will keep your coffee warm for at least 30 minutes. After that, it shuts off automatically for safety and to save energy. The thermal carafe keeps your coffee hot long after the 30 minutes, though, which is a great perk. 

The controls are easy to use since there are so few of them. However, one of its key features is the pause button that allows you to pour yourself a mug and then replace the carafe to continue brewing. 

The simple design means this will fit in with any kitchen or office. The plain black finish won’t catch any eyes, but it’s suitable to accompany any kitchen decor. 

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6. Single Serve Coffee Maker Coffee Brewer — Easiest To Operate

This traditional single-serve residential coffee maker is a simple brewer that makes one cup of coffee fast. To be this fast, it uses K-cups and is compatible with hundreds of different flavors. If you like experimenting, you’ll never get bored with this compact coffee maker. 

Along with the hundreds of K-cups to choose from, it also includes a removable filter you can fill with your own loose coffee grounds. It uses fast-brew technology to ensure you get your hot cup of fresh coffee fast. 

The size makes this great for any kitchen, including condos and apartments. Due to its compact design, it’s also great for traveling if you need great coffee on a camping trip or find yourself at an Airbnb with inadequate brewing options. 

Lastly, I must mention the look because even though it seems simple with its black design, the curves and edges have a futuristic feel. So even though you’re saving money, you don’t have to sacrifice a modern design. 

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Buyer’s Guide

Inexpensive coffee makers are plentiful in today’s world. But just like anything affordable, you want to ensure you’re not throwing your money away on something you’ll have to replace in a few months.   

Size/Capacity

First, let’s start with the size of your future brewing machine. How much coffee you want and how fast will be the two determining factors. Brewers that are under $50 tend to be relatively small, but you can still get a whole carafe with that budget. 

The brewing cycle to produce a voluminous 12-cup carafe will take a bit longer than one mug so take that into consideration. Choosing a reliable single-serve coffee maker will be faster if you only want one mug’s worth. For making more than one cup, you will not only have to refill your coffee grounds but also the water reservoir.  

Material

The material that your single-serve residential coffee maker is made of for a casual coffee drinker is not that important. If you plan to make pots and pots of coffee, then choose a model made with stainless steel. 

Having this extra layer of protection will allow you to enjoy hot coffee for years to come. Just because something costs less than $50 doesn’t mean it’s cheap. There are companies out there still willing to provide value to their customers; those are the companies I look for. 

Ease Of Use

All of these inexpensive coffee makers are easy to use; that’s what makes them inexpensive coffee makers. Adding functional features such as milk frothing will drive the price up steeply and also add to the complexity of preparing a cup of coffee. 

Most of these have one-touch brewing options, with the most elaborate controls only being for a strong brew option. The beauty of this is that you can prepare your coffee while doing other things. Start your coffee before taking a shower, and it will be ready to go before you even dry off. 

K-Cup Compatibility

Ever since the invention of the single-serve residential coffee maker by Keurig, coffee lovers have been going crazy. Until a few years ago, these were all very expensive coffee makers; now, you can get a compact coffee maker that uses coffee pods for under $50. 

My favorite way to enjoy these new affordable coffee makers is with the reusable mesh filter. It will save you money in the long run by allowing you to use freshly ground portions of coffee no matter where it came from. 

This is great if you travel because you can try different coffee quality from all over the world. This system also reduces the use of plastic being dumped in landfills.  

Carafe

Inexpensive coffee makers with a carafe usually are made from thin glass. I have searched for ones with a higher standard of quality to keep your coffee ready to drink at a hot temperature. 

The best you can get is stainless steel which the Cuisinart 4 Cup w/Stainless-Steel Carafe Coffeemaker has. Even though it’s a bit small, the quality and durability are a huge reason why this compact coffee maker made the list.  

To Sum Up

If your current brewing status doesn’t include one of these inexpensive coffee makers, you’re either rich or you bought a cheap coffee maker. Most of us start with one of these, but it’s always nice to have one on hand. 

The Hamilton Beach Scoop Single Serve Coffee Maker is the best of the bunch as long as you don’t need a carafe. For that, I recommend the Mr. Coffee Coffee Maker. It pumps out a lot of coffee fast, has a protective handle, and allows you to use any coffee you like.

Depending on how much space you have, It might be worth getting both since both prices are so fair.