Best Ninja Coffee Maker in 2023: Reviews and Recommendations

Updated on: August 13, 2023
Author: Nick
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Ninja Coffee Maker

Do you want a Ninja? 

We’re not talking about someone all dressed in black, creeping around trying to assassinate people you don’t like on your behalf. 

We’re talking about the brand Ninja...

They specialize in multi-functional household appliances like food processors, cookers, and, what we’re going to talk about, coffee makers.

Once only heard of in North America, it is now a global brand and part of the world’s 3rd largest small household appliances company.

The whole idea behind Ninja is to make items as convenient and automatic as possible, which is why their coffee makers are able to make all the different types of coffee drinks.

There are many ninja coffee makers to choose from; from the Ninja DualBrew series to their Specialty Coffee Maker or their Hot and Cold Brewed models which can even prepare cold brew or iced coffee and tea.

So many different options might be overwhelming. But don’t fret, we are here to help you choose the best ninja coffee maker for you. 

We’ll start by listing our top picks for different categories, and then follow up with a guide on the multiple functions for each item, which will save you money and hassle.

What is the Best Ninja Coffee Maker?

Each one of the Ninja coffee makers has its own advantages depending on what you’re looking for.

All of them offer multiple functions in one item, saving you money and hassle.

If you are considering purchasing a Ninja coffee maker (and why wouldn’t you with such a cool name), please read our reviews of 6 of their best coffee makers for different categories. We will discuss the advantages and possible drawbacks for each of these Ninja coffee makers.

no. 1

Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker

Best Overall

Read More ⇒

  • Cool futurist design
  • 6 brew sizes from single cup to carafe
  • 4 brew styles
  • Fold-away milk frother
  • Excellent value: high features-to-cost ratio.

no. 2

Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee System

Most Advanced

Read More ⇒

  • Multi-position water tank
  • Compatible with ground coffee and K-Cup coffee
  • 13 brew sizes: 9 for ground coffee and 4 for K-Cups
  • 4 brew styles
  • Fold-away milk frother
  • Dedicated hot water dispenser

no. 3

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System

Most Versatile

Read More ⇒

  • Two baskets for coffee and tea
  • 6 brew sizes and 5 brew styles for both coffee and tea
  • This model customizes the brew temperatures and steeps for different tea
  • 10-minute cold brews
  • Fold-way milk frother

no. 4

Ninja Programmable XL 14-Cup Coffee Maker Pro

Best Budget

Read More ⇒

  • Easy to use and clean
  • 24-hour programmability
  • 2 brew types
  • Can make 1 to 14 cups.
  • Reasonable price

no. 5

Ninja Espresso & Coffee Barista System

Best for Espresso Dinks

Read More ⇒

  • Compatible with OriginalLine Nespresso capsules or coffee grounds
  • 9 brew sizes for coffee grounds and 3 brew sizes for Nespresso drinks
  • 3 brew styles
  • Fold-away milk frother
  • Programmable

no. 6

Ninja DualBrew Specialty Coffee System

Honorable Mention

Read More ⇒

  • Compatible with ground coffee and K-Cups
  • 13 brew sizes (9 for ground coffee and 4 for K-Cups)
  • 3 brew styles: Classic, Rich, and Over Ice
  • Easy to clean
  • Slightly cheaper than the DualBrew Pro but omits important features.

1. Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker (CM401)

Best Overall

This is a great all-around coffee machine capable of making specialty coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, single-cup to full carafes of drip coffee, and iced coffees - all at a reasonable cost. Plus, it is extremely easy to use and clean, something which has become expected from Ninja appliances.

Features

This coffee maker features a rather unique design, with a large hole in the middle. This hole is where your coffee mug or carafe goes. It's as if this machine wants to feature its coffees for everyone to see.

At 12 x 8.8 x 15 inches (30.48 x 22.35 x 38.1 cm) in length, width and height, this futuristic Ninja (is that an oxymoron?) is a bit bulky but should fit on most kitchen counters.

The removable water tank is on the small side at 40 ounces (1.18L) of capacity. It should be sufficient for most purposes, but if you live with many coffee drinkers you may find yourself re-filling it more often than not.

This Ninja model has 6 brew sizes, making it extremely convenient for most people. You can prepare single cup, XL single cup, travel mug, XL travel mug, half a carafe and full carafe.

There are also 4 brew types to choose from, including the Classic, Rich, Over Ice and 4-oz Specialty Concentrated coffees. This brewer is SCA certified and Ninja's Thermal Flavor Extraction technology, which blooms the coffee, and ensures even grounds saturation and brewing temperatures. This makes for a great cup of coffee.

The fold-away frother is located on the right-side of the machine, and can be used for hot or cold milks. In combination with the Specialty Concentrated brew type, you can make awesome third-wave specialty coffees. However, it does not heat up your milk. We recommend our milk microwaving guide if you plan to froth warm milk.

It won’t take you long to start making coffee, even if you ignore the instruction booklet, quick start guide, and recipe inspiration guide. That's because the User Interface is extremely intuitive.

This coffee maker comes with a gold-tone permanent filter. This will eliminate the need to buy disposable filters, saving you money, the environment, and the inconvenience of having to remember to get them. However, it is still compatible with paper filters.

It’s easy to clean with removable parts including the top tray that is easily removed. Click here for a detailed step-by-step on how to clean a Ninja coffee maker.

This machine is not compatible with pods, which is good because it keeps the price low (one less system to design and incorporate). However, for those looking for pod convenience, check the Ninja DualBrew Pro or Espresso & Coffee Barista models (which are more expensive).

Although this Ninja is not the most advanced one, it still provides robust set of features for a low cost. At around $165, this coffee maker has a very high features-to-cost ratio. This is why it is best overall pick.

Unfortunately, this machine comes with a glass carafe, which is fragile and not great at keeping your coffee warm.

There is an identical model with a thermal steel carafe (CM407). Unfortunately, it is only available on Amazon for a whopping $439.39. So we do not recommend it at the moment.

Our Verdict

Pros

  • Unique futuristic design
  • SCA certified
  • 6 brew sizes from single-cup to full carafes.
  • 4 brew styles: Classic, Rich, Over Ice and Specialty Concentrated
  • Fold-away frother
  • Easy to clean
  • Excellent value

Cons

  • The milk frother does not warm the milk
  • Fragile glass carafe

2. Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee System (CFP301 & CFP307)

Most Advanced

The Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee System is the most advanced coffee maker from Ninja. It can brew 9 ground coffee sizes and 4 K-Cup coffee sizes. It uses Ninja's Thermal Flavor Extraction DUO to deliver 4 types of delicious brews. It also comes with a handy fold-away milk frother and a dedicated hot water dispenser. Don't worry, despite so many features the cost is still reasonable!

Features

The Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee System is arguably the most advanced coffee maker sold by Ninja. One of its highlights is its ability to use coffee grounds and K-Cups.

It can prepare 9 coffee sizes using ground coffee. These include the Small Cup, Cup, XL Cup, Travel Mug, XL Travel Mug, ¼ Carafe, ½ Carafe, ¾ Carafe, and Full carafe sizes. When using K-cups, the DualBrew Pro can deliver 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz K-Cup coffee sizes.

This adds up to a grand total of 13 coffee sizes!

The Ninja DualBrew Pro is SCA certified and features Ninja's Thermal Flavor Extraction DUO with TriNeedles. This ensures even saturation and precise temperature control for a delicious cup of coffee.

Using this technology, this machine can prepare 4 types of brew, including the Classic, Rich, Over Ice and Specialty Brew. The latter is a super concentrated coffee that is similar to espresso (but not quite espresso).

It should be used in conjunction with the fold-away milk frother to prepare delicious lattes or flat whites. However, note that the milk frother does not heat up your milk.

Another great feature is the dedicated hot water dispenser that is separate from the coffee dispenser. This is great for tea fans or if you need hot water in a pinch. You can even choose from 2 hot water temperatures: boiling or hot.

Other features worth mentioning include its multi-position 60-oz (1.77 L) water reservoir. It can be placed either on the sides or behind the coffee maker. This is great if you're tight on space.

The resulting dimensions (L x W x H) are 7.08 x 14.26 x 15.5 inches (17.98 x 36.22 x 39.37 cm) if the water tank on the side of the machine, or 11.18 x 9.08 x 15.5 inches (28.40 x 23.06 x 39.37 cm) if the water tank is behind the machine.

Other features include the keep warm and delay brew functions; however, these are features to be expected at this price range.

Finally, the DualBrew is easy to operate and to clean. It comes with a clean function and it features dishwasher safe components.

We should note that this coffee maker comes in two versions, the CFP301 and the CFP307. The only difference is that the CFP307 comes with a permanent coffee filter whereas the former uses paper filters. Besides this, both machines are identical.

Our Verdict

Pros

  • Compatible with ground coffee and K-Cups
  • SCA certified
  • The multi-position water tank is great for tight spaces
  • 13 brew sizes (9 for ground coffee and 4 for K-Cups)
  • 4 brew styles: Classic, Rich, Over Ice and Specialty Concentrated
  • Fold-away frother
  • Easy to clean
  • Dedicated hot water dispenser with 2 temperatures

Cons

  • The milk frother does not warm the milk
  • Fragile glass carafe

3. Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System (CP301 and CP307)

Most Versatile

This sleek-looking coffee maker can brew both hot and iced coffees and teas of 6 sizes. It also brews 5 types of coffee and tea brews, plus it's easy to use and maintain. In fact, this Ninja does everything apart from cleaning your house for you and assassinating people.

Features

At 11.8L x 10W x 15H inches (29.97L x 25.4W x 38.1H cm), this model is not overly large for such a multi-functional machine. Yes, it's not as compact as other machines, but you basically have a coffee maker and tea maker in one single appliance. So there is the potential to save some space.

The highlight of this Ninja coffee is its ability to make different types of coffee and tea drinks, effortlessly. This Ninja model can brew 6 sizes of both caffeinated brews, including the single cup, XL single cup, travel mug, XL travel mug, half a carafe and full carafe sizes.

The SCA certified coffee maker knows whether you want tea or coffee with its smart basket recognition. There are 2 baskets, one for tea and one for coffee, to avoid flavor contamination. After all, who wants their green tea to taste like coffee?

For both coffee and tea, there are 5 brew options, including the Classic, Rich, Over Ice, Cold Brew and Specialty Brew types. Depending on which brew option you selected, the machine will dispense slightly different volumes for the same size. For example, a single cup of a Classic brew will be 9.5 oz whereas a single cup of Rich brew will be 8.7 oz.

This might be confusing since you need to keep track of both coffee and tea. Thankfully, Ninja has a very handy table in their instructions manual to avoid confusion.

Out the above brew options, the Cold Brew function deserves a bit of special attention. It can prepare cold brews in 10 to 15 minutes. This implies hot water, albeit at a lower temperature, is used for the cold brews. For reference, a cold brew takes about 18 hours to make in the fridge.

When the tea mode is selected, you can select your tea type. You can select herbal, black, oolong, white and green tea. The brewing temperature and the number of steeps will be adjusted based on the type of tea you selected.

With the fold-away milk frother, you can make milky coffees like lattes and cappuccinos. However, like all Ninja models, the frother simply froths the milk and does not warm it up.

At the time of writing, there are two versions of the Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System. The CP301 comes with a glass carafe whereas the CP307 comes with a thermal steel carafe.

The latter is our preference because it is less fragile and keeps you coffee longer, without the need of a warming plate which can "cook" your coffee and make it bitter.

Ninja is currently selling both models both on Amazon at the same price, so we recommend you get the CP307 with the thermal steel carafe. The CP301 is sometimes discounted, but even if that is the case it's worth getting that steel carafe.

I would break the glass carafe in no time given my clumsy hands.

Finally, this Ninja coffee maker is easy to use, clean and maintain.

Fun Fact: this machine also made our list for The Best Dual Coffee Maker!

Our Verdict

Pros

  • Effortlessly brew different types of coffee and tea.
  • SCA certified
  • 6 brew sizes for coffee and tea
  • 5 brew styles for coffee and tea
  • This model customizes the brew temperatures and steeps for different teas
  • Two baskets for coffee and tea to avoid cross-contamination
  • 10-minute cold brews

Cons

  • Many useless features if you do not drink tea.
  • Reports of carafe leaks
  • The milk frother does not warm the milk up.

4. Ninja Programmable XL 14-Cup Coffee Maker Pro (DCM201)

Best Budget

This budget model may not offer all the bells and whistles, but it comes with the necessary features to intuitively make a great cup of coffee while keeping the price low. Plus, we love how this design looks in copper color.

Features

Want to wake up to the smell of coffee? Or have your coffee waiting for you? Despite its budget price, this Ninja coffee maker features a 24-hour programmable delay, so you can have the machine act like your personal butler.

And if you hit that snooze button, you won't have to worry about finding tepid coffee. Despite coming with a glass carafe (stainless steel thermal carafes will always be better), this Ninja model comes with a 3-temperature warming plate that can keep your coffee warm for up to 4 hours. Plus, there is a freshness timer to remind you how much time has elapsed since the coffee was prepared (or snoozed).

This coffee maker will also auto-shutoff after 15 minutes. This is a great safety feature for those who tend to be in a hurry in the morning and tend to forget things.

Despite being the smallest Ninja coffee maker, at 10L x 7.87W x 14.35H inches (25.4L x 22.6W x 36.5H cm), it comes with a gigantic 70-oz (2.07 L) removable water tank. Such a large water tank makes sense given "14-cup" appears in the name of this Ninja. Note, however, than you will get 14 5-oz cups, which are smaller than the 8-oz mugs we are accustomed to in North America.

Another neat feature is the Mid-Brew pause, which is perfect if you cannot wait for your coffee (which is understandable). To activate it, simply remove the carafe during brewing and serve yourself some much needed hot coffee.

This model only has 2 brew settings, classic or rich. But with its shower head design, it distributes the hot water evenly over your coffee for full flavored cup of joe.

There is even a clean function and the washable parts are dishwasher-safe.

In terms of looks, this design is not as futuristic or "out there" as other Ninja coffee makers. However, the conventional design is elegant and looks great in copper!

Our Verdict

Pros

  • Easy to use and clean
  • 24-hour programmability
  • 2 brew types
  • Can make 1 to 14 cups.
  • Reasonable price

Cons

  • Glass carafe

5. Ninja Espresso & Coffee Barista System (CFN601)

Best for Espresso Drinks

Do you like espresso drinks and regular coffee? Then you will definitely like the Ninja Espresso & Coffee Barista System. It can make delicious specialty coffee drinks using Nespresso OriginalLine capsules and its fold-away milk frother. Or, it can prepare a full coffee carafe using regular coffee grounds.

Features

The highlight of the CFN601 model coffee maker is its ability to make large quantities of regular coffee or specialty single-serve drinks using its 19-bar pressure system that is compatible with Nespresso OriginalLine capsules.

Related read: Find out that the differences between the Nespresso OriginalLine vs VertuoLine.

In essence, it's like having a Nespresso machine that can also brew regular coffee. Neat!

The design is quite large at 12.21L x 9.84W x 14.96H inches (31.0L x 25.0W x 38.0H cm), plus you need to account for additional space on the left side to operate the frother. However, it is cleverly designed with the left side dedicated to ground coffee and the right side dedicated to Nespresso capsules.

This Ninja model can dispense 3 sizes of single-serve espresso: espresso (1.35 oz or 40 mL), lungo (3.75 oz or 110 mL), or over ice (1-oz or 30 mL). To do so, simply insert a Nespresso pod under the level, hit the capsule button and then select one of the three above brew sizes. And don't forget to set the adjustable cup tray height to minimize any cooling!

If you crave a cappuccino in the morning, then this machine's got your back. Simply microwave some milk and use the integrated frother to make some foam! Yes, as we have implied the frother does not heat milk.


When it comes to brewing with ground coffee, the CFN601 offers a 9 brew sizes, including the Small Cup, Cup, XL Cup, Travel Mug, XL Travel Mug, ¼ Carafe, ½ Carafe, ¾ Carafe, or Full carafe sizes. This Ninja also comes with 3 brew styles, which include the Classic, Rich and Over Ice brews.

This Ninja model is programmable to ensure you don't go any unnecessary time without coffee upon waking up. There is also a 3-temperature intelligent warming plate which is activated when any carafe size is selected. It stays on by default for 2 hours but can be adjusted to up to 4 hours.

This brings us to the coffee carafe. At the time of writing (March 2023), this coffee machine only comes with a glass carafe. We hope Ninja brings the same model with a thermal carafe. Despite the warming plate, a double-wall stainless steel carafe keeps your coffee fresh without the need of "cooking it" for hours.

The cleaning is relatively simple, but it can be more time consuming than other models because there are two independent brewers for the coffee grounds and the Nespresso capsules. In other words, if your household uses both systems, you will need to run an independent descaling cycle for the coffee grounds components and for the Nespresso pods brewer.

Finally, the price is a bit steep, especially if you are going to regularly use Nespresso pods which cost around $0.80 per pod. Alternatively, you could use re-usable Nespresso pods.

Our Verdict

Pros

  • Can make brew full carafes or single-serve specialty coffee drinks
  • Compatible with OriginalLine Nespresso capsules
  • 9 brew sizes for coffee grounds and 3 brew sizes for Nespresso drinks
  • 3 brew styles
  • Programmable

Cons

  • The milk frother does not heat the milk
  • Bulky
  • Pricey

6. Ninja DualBrew Specialty Coffee System (CFP201)

Honorable Mention

This is the little brother of the Ninja DualBrew Pro. As expected, the CFP201 comes with less features (and without "Pro" being attached to its name), but still delivers the same great coffee using a no-fuss intuitive interface. But the price drop is not that significant compared to the Pro version; in most cases, you should get the Pro version but we thought we'd give you our thoughts on why.

Features

I imagine the DualBrew was intended to be a more budget-friendly option than the DualBrew Pro. However, there are many features that have been removed to slash the cost. At the time of writing (March 2023), the DualBrew costs $40 less than the Pro version. To save you $40, Ninja omitted the following features:

  • The milk frother
  • The Specialty Brew style
  • The stand-alone hot water dispenser
  • The multi-position water tank - it is removable but always goes on the right side

That is a lot of important features to forego for just $40! What's worse, the DualBrew Pro oftentimes is discounted and virtually costs the same as the DualBrew.

The Ninja DualBrew also goes on discount from time to time, and that would be the only time we could justify recommending this machine.

And it's not because it's a bad product. The DualBrew is great but for $40 (or potentially the same price) you could get a much better brewer!

Our Verdict

Pros

  • Compatible with ground coffee and K-Cups
  • 13 brew sizes (9 for ground coffee and 4 for K-Cups)
  • 3 brew styles: Classic, Rich, and Over Ice
  • Easy to clean

Cons

  • Fragile glass carafe
  • Compared to the Pro, the price difference is not that significant, yet many important features are missing.
  • No milk frother

Why Choose a Ninja Coffee Maker?

Just like their other appliances, the Ninja coffee makers do many things in one. They are usually a relatively inexpensive all-in-one coffee maker, giving you value for money.

For most models, you don’t need a separate frother or any other item. It’s all in one machine, bringing the experience of a coffee shop to your home, apart from actually having to make it yourself. If you can get your other half to make it, that’s even better!

Important Considerations when Choosing Ninja Coffee Makers

To purchase the best ninja coffee maker that meets your needs you should consider the following:

Physical Size

If you absolutely hate anything sitting out on your worktop or if you live in a small apartment, then one of the most important considerations for you is, will it fit?

Check the dimensions of the Ninja coffee brewer you are interested in to make sure it’s small enough to sit on your counter.

You don’t want to have to keep moving it out of the way or into a cupboard (if it even fits in a cupboard).

The smallest on our list is the Ninja Programmable XL 14-Cup Coffee Maker Pro (DCM201). A larger machine, with countertop saving feature, its multi-position water tank, is the DualBrew Pro.

Serving Sizes

If you live alone and enjoy one cup of coffee in the morning then you don’t need a machine that’s going to fill a whole carafe when it’ll go to waste.

So if you fly solo, then choosing a single serve coffee maker is your best option. If you live with a family of coffee drinkers, then the Ninja coffee makers with a whole carafe would be ideal.

Convenience

Do you keep hitting the snooze button in the morning to get those extra five minutes of sleep? If you’re not a morning person and leave it until the last minute before getting up, then you might want a programmable machine that prepares you coffee hot, and leaves it sitting waiting for you.

Or maybe you just enjoy waking up to that rich and aromatic coffee smell.

Being able to set a timer so your coffee is made for you, won’t be on any of the budget options. How badly do you want to spare those few minutes making coffee in the morning?

Others models feature capsules such as K-Cups or Nespresso pods, which is also a convenient way to make coffee.

Brewing Options

When your coffee machine has numerous brewing options, it’s easier to customize your brew exactly how you like it. Some Ninja machines will offer 2, but the more expensive will offer up to 5. Others have multiple features to brew tea.

There is a tradeoff with cost though, so if you don’t need all the bells and whistles you will save some money by choosing a simpler coffee maker.

Specialty Coffee Maker - Hot and Cold

Frother

If you drink milky coffees like cappuccinos and lattes more than regular coffee and you always have cold milk in your fridge, then you might want to consider spending a bit extra for a frother.

A separate frother is pretty cheap, it’s just less convenient than it being included in your coffee machine.

Cost

Are you really going to use all those options on the most expensive coffee maker? If you just want a simple coffee quickly at home then a basic model will do you.

Current or Previous Version

Although some of the older Ninja coffee models might be cheaper, they may be harder to buy or replace if they break. This includes the discontinued models such as the Ninja Coffee Bar.

The last thing you want to do after spending a lot of money on a coffee maker is for it to break and be unable to fix it.

Related Read:

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of coffee do Ninja coffee makers use?

Depending on the model, and in addition to pre-ground coffee, Ninja coffee makers are compatible with K-Cups and Nespresso OriginalLine capsules. We do recommend using freshly ground coffee using high-quality coffee beans.

To do so, we recommend a quality burr grinder to get the most out of your ninja coffee makers! A good grinder with good quality fresh beans will noticeably increase your coffee quality.

Does Ninja make good coffee machines?

Ninja has a good reputation generally, including for their coffee makers. There are a lot of rave reviews and customers switching from other brands who wouldn’t switch back.

What is better: a glass or a thermal carafe?

A thermal carafe is better. A glass carafe won’t keep your coffee hot as well as a thermal carafe would. It can also be more fragile and crack after a while. If you’re a little accident-prone then you definitely don’t want to drop a glass carafe.

How do I turn off the clean button on my Ninja coffee maker?

This is one of the only complaints against the Ninja coffee makers. It can be troublesome to get the cleaning light to shut off. If you follow the instructions carefully you should be able to troubleshoot.

Can you use decaf in Ninja machines?

Yes, you should be able to use decaf in any of the models. Simply use decaffeinated coffee grounds (Ninja recommends a medium grind) instead of caffeinated coffee grounds.

Are all the Ninja models pod-free with a permanent filter?

No, some of the newer Ninja coffee machines are k-cup or Nespresso pod compatible. However, the ones that aren’t have a permanent filter, which helps the environment and saves on wasting money on disposable filters.

What is the warranty of Ninja coffee makers?

All Ninja coffee makers come with a 1-year warranty and a 60-day money back guarantee.

Hot and Cold Rich Brew

Bottom Line 

Ninja has great coffee makers, so it can be difficult to decide which one is best based on your personal needs and circumstances.

This guide was made for coffee lovers to easily find the right Ninja coffee machine that suits them.

Let us know in the comments which one you decided to buy!

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Nick loves coffee... Actually, he NEEDS coffee! So, he has dedicated his time to learning all he can about this magical bean. He can make a mean latte, is obsessed with flat whites, and is always up for a cup of java!
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