Brew size: 6 - 12 ounces
Reservoir capacity: Single cup
Settings: Regular or strong brew
Dimensions: 12.1 x 4.5 x 11.3in (h x w x d)
Weight: 4.6 pounds
Includes: Pod storage container
One of the downsides of drip coffee makers is that they often can’t make just one cup of coffee - you generally have to brew a minimum of four cups, which can be frustrating if you live by yourself. This common issue is one of the reasons single-serve coffee makers are so popular, and for those who live in small homes, the Keurig K-Mini Plus is the most compact coffee maker available from the popular brand.
The K-Mini Plus is just 4.5 inches wide, making it easy to tuck into a nook in your kitchen - or even a dorm room - and it includes a pod storage container that holds up to nine K-cups and fits neatly under the unit’s spout. This compact single-serve coffee maker also comes in a rainbow of bright colors, allowing you to show some personality in your home.
While it’s definitely an appealing option if you’re short on space, the Keurig K-Mini is also quite basic, and I wanted to see if it actually made a good cup of coffee. I used the appliance as the main coffee maker in my kitchen for several weeks, making at least two drinks per day with it, and I tested it with several different types of K-cups.
Here’s how it stacks up against the best coffee makers I’ve tested, as well as the quirks I think you should know about before you buy. Then, take a look at our comparison of Keurig vs Nespresso to see how these two competing brands stack up.
Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product tester, and she’s tested hundreds of small kitchen appliances over the course of her career, including close to a dozen coffee makers. She does all her testing from her homestead in Rhode Island, where she lives with her partner and their many animals.
Camryn starts every day with a cup of coffee, which she makes using her Wolf Gourmet drip coffee maker. In the afternoon, she generally reaches for a hot drink to go with her 3 p.m. snack—her favorite options include chai lattes, green tea, and hot chocolate.
Keurig K-Mini Plus: First impressions
Right away, I loved the bright, colorful design of the K-Mini Plus. I received the coffee maker in the color “Cool Aqua,” which is a neon blue, but it also comes in a variety of other vibrant shades, including red, minty green, teal, and more. It definitely adds a pop of brightness to my kitchen, but I will say that virtually all of its components are made from plastic.
The unit is lightweight and easy to move around, and it even has a storage compartment in the back where you can put the power cord when the appliance isn’t in use. It also comes with a matching K-cup storage container that holds up to nine pods. The container fits perfectly underneath the unit’s water spout, so you can keep coffee pods close by without taking up any extra space.
This coffee maker truly couldn’t be easier to set up. All I had to do was take off the tape that was holding the components together, rinse out the small water reservoir, and it was ready to use. It doesn’t have a water filter—not ideal if you have hard water in your home—or any other features that might require prep before you jump in and start making coffee.
Keurig K-Mini Plus: Price & Availability
The Keurig K-Mini Plus is priced at $109.99 in the US and is available directly from the brand or through major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. You can often find it on sale, as well, if you want to save a few bucks.
Score: 4/5
Keurig K-Mini Plus: Design
The Keurig K-Mini Plus is the narrowest brewer available from the brand—it’s just 4.5 inches wide. The unit is just over 11 inches deep and 12 inches tall, so it fits easily on most counters or, in my case, a sidebar in the kitchen.
This single-serve coffee maker definitely isn’t the most high-end in its design. The brightly colored exterior and all the major components are made from plastic, and even the “metal” accents are just made from silver plastic, not true stainless steel. It would fit in well if you have a youthful and/or colorful design style, but it’s not necessarily an elegant appliance.
Still, despite being mostly plastic, the Keurig feels sturdy and well-made. The only component that I wasn’t entirely sold on was the K-cup storage container. It feels somewhat flimsy, and there’s just one tiny bump that holds it in place under the spout. It’s very easy to accidentally knock it out of place, and overall, it feels like the design of it was a bit of an afterthought.
Score: 3/5
Keuig K-Mini Plus: Performance
I’ve used Keurigs before, so I had an idea of what to expect from the K-Mini Plus. However, there were a few things that made this model different from larger single-serve coffee makers.
One of the biggest things I noticed is that the reservoir only holds enough water for one cup of coffee, and it uses all the water when brewing. So if you want a 10-ounce drink, you need to fill the reservoir to the 10-ounce line. Personally, I found it slightly annoying that I had to refill the water tank every time I made a drink - I much prefer Keurigs with large water tanks that allow you to select a beverage size via the control panel.
When making a drink with this machine, all you have to do is insert a K-cup, then press the large circular silver button on top of the unit to start brewing. If you want a stronger brew, be sure to press the “Strong” button, too, which will light up to let you know it’s selected. This unit takes quite a while to make a drink—generally upward of two minutes while it heats up the water. On more than one occasion, I came back to check if I actually pressed the start button because it was taking so long.
After it heats up the water, the machine will dispense the drink directly into your cup. I quickly found that it’s best to use taller mugs with this coffee maker—with short cups, it splatters water all over the counter around it. It’s possible to brew into a travel mug, as well, if you pull out the removable drip tray.
Overall, this single-serve coffee maker isn’t the most convenient to use. Its design has several quirks that I had to work around while using it, but at the end of the day, it did get the job done.
Score: 3/5
Keuig K-Mini Plus: Taste test
There’s no shortage of K-cup flavors available today, and I tried out several different options while testing the K-Mini Plus. For my morning coffee, I usually opt for Green Mountain Breakfast Blend, which is a light roast brew. I made it using the machine’s regular setting, and the resulting drink was actually quite good. It wasn’t quite as flavorful as coffee made from my drip machine, but it still tasted good and wasn’t bitter or acidic.
I also tried out the Green Mountain Dark Magic, which is a dark roast. I wanted to see if the machine’s “Strong” setting actually made a difference, so I brewed two cups of this coffee—one on the regular setting and one on strong. I could definitely tell the difference between them, and the strong option was noticeably bolder in flavor. This isn’t a coffee that I would make regularly, as it’s too strong for my tastes, but it might be a good choice for those who like dark roast brews.
Finally, I tested the Cafe Escapes Chai Latte and Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa K-cups. They were both delicious, but I did find that they get watered down if you put too much water in the reservoir. Instead, I like to use just 8 ounces of water to brew the drink, then stir in a little bit of milk to give it a rich, creamy flavor. So good!
Should you buy the Keurig K-Mini Plus?
| Attribute | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price & availability | Slightly overpriced for its quality/performance | 4/5 |
| Design | Compact and colorful, but made predominantly from plastic | 3/5 |
| Performance | Some quirks, such as slow brewing and splattering, but makes a decent cup of coffee | 3/5 |
Buy it if...
Don't buy it if...
How does the Keurig K-Mini Plus compare?
If you like the compact design of the K-Mini Plus but want a bigger water reservoir, the Keurig K-Slim has a very similar design. It’s roughly the same size and price as the K-Mini Plus, but the K-Slim can hold up to 46 ounces of water, which is enough to brew around four cups. It offers three brew sizes, and it also has an indicator light that lets you know when it needs to be descaled.
For a more high-tech Keurig model, I’ve also tried out the K-Supreme Plus SMART. This model is slightly more expensive, but it gives you much more granular control over your brew, offering five strength settings, six temperature options, five drink sizes, and a brew-over-ice option.
Testing process
- Made at least two hot drinks per day with the coffee machine
- Tested a variety of K-cups, including coffee and other specialty drinks
I tested the Keurig K-Mini Plus over the course of two weeks, using it as the primary coffee maker in my kitchen. I made at least two drinks per day with the appliance, typically a coffee in the morning and a specialty drink like hot chocolate or chai latte in the afternoon. I also did a taste test between the regular and strong brew settings to see if there was a discernible difference.
Read more about how we test
