Make Your Own Cold Brew With These Super Convenient Cold Brew Coffee Makers
If you love cold brew, the best cold brew coffee makers can make steeping and serving a cup a whole lot simpler. Cold brew makers commonly range from 16 ounces to 64 ounces in size, but it’s possible to find even larger 128-ounce models if you need extra caffeine or enough for a crowd, so select the size that works best for your needs. Cold brew makers come shaped like pitchers, mason jars, and jugs with taps to dispense your brew, and choosing the right shape really depends on how you'd prefer to store and pour your coffee. Most cold brew makers are simple steepers, but next-level coffee connoisseurs may enjoy a cold brew system with a separate water bowl and rainfall feature for even water distribution.
Unlike iced coffee makers, cold brew makers are intended to allow you to soak coffee grounds in cool water for at least 12 hours — and to filter out the grounds when the coffee is done steeping. Cold brew makers typically store the coffee in either glass or plastic containers — some people might prefer glass because it doesn’t absorb flavors over time, but some prefer plastic because it can feel less fragile.
If you enjoy the flavor of creamy, foamy nitro cold brew, you'll need more than just a coffee maker — you'll also need a nitro keg system to add gas to your brew.
From a durable plastic pitcher to a cold brew maker with a “rainmaker” system, here are the best cold brew coffee makers to help you get through your day.
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01A Fan-Favorite Cold Brew Pitcher
Capacity: 32 fluid ounces
The 1-quart Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker has garnered more than 8,000 ratings on Amazon thus far, thousands of which give it the full five stars. The body of this budget-friendly cold brew maker is made of durable, BPA-free Tritan plastic that resists odors and flavors — and, according to reviewers, this material is unlikely to shatter when dropped. The cold brew maker is also slim enough to fit in most refrigerator doors and safe to wash on the top rack of your dishwasher. The pitcher comes with a reusable mesh filter, but you can order one separately should you need to replace it at any point.
This cold brew maker is available in black, stone, or white, and you can grab it in a 64-ounce size if you'd prefer to make more coffee at a time.
Positive Amazon review: “It is perfect! Tastes just like the [cold brew] I buy for 5+ dollars elsewhere and I get the added benefit of full customization in terms of strength/how concentrated. The jug is easy to clean, easy to use, and shatter-proof. Would recommend :)”
02A Compact Cold Brew Maker In A Mason Jar
Capacity: 32 fluid ounces
The County Line Kitchen cold brew mason jar won't take up much space on your counter, yet it boasts a four-cup capacity. The dishwasher-safe jar is made without any plastic and instead features a glass body, super-fine stainless steel mesh filter, and a silicone ring to seal it tightly and keep your cold brew tasting fresh. You can snag the mason jar cold brew maker in a 64-ounce option, too, as well as a version with a handle and spout lid.
Positive Amazon review: “I've been using this for more than a year now and I LOVE it. So easy to make cold brew coffee. Just fill the middle with [coarsely] ground beans, fill it with water, throw it in the fridge...and boom...a day later you have coffee. The best part is what happens now. You just pull out the filter from the middle, wash off the jar lid, screw it back on and put it back in the fridge. [...] If anything happened to this jar I'd buy it again instantly - can't imagine anything simpler or better out there.”
03A Cold Brew Maker With A Convenient Tap
Capacity: 28 fluid ounces
This KitchenAid cold brew maker features a slick design with a reusable stainless steel filter that has fill lines to help you add just the right amount of coffee grounds. The easy-to-use tap makes it the perfect place to store your finished cold brew — you can stow it on a shelf in your fridge and easily dispense it from there. When you do need to move it, lift up the convenient handle to carry it securely.
While the walls of this KitchenAid cold brew maker are made of glass, the device also contains some plastic components, according to reviewers. It comes with a one-year warranty, and if you're looking for a larger capacity maker, you can opt for the XL model, which holds up to 38 ounces.
Positive Amazon review: “Gorgeous, elegant, and it makes the best cold brew I’ve ever had. Made of heavy-gauge stainless steel and glass as solid as a wedding-gift ice bucket, with a clever tap and steeping insert with incredibly fine mesh. Great design and great coffee. I almost hate to keep it in the fridge because it looks so great on my counter. I balked a little at the price but it’s absolutely worth it.”
04A Cold Brew System For Serious Coffee Enthusiasts
Capacity: 32 fluid ounces
If you're a cold brew aficionado, the OXO Good Grips cold brew coffee maker might offer results you'll really love. The process of making cold brew with this tool is a little more complicated than using a pitcher or jar, but it's beloved by critics for its ability to make delicious coffee.
Rather than steeping the coffee grounds in the carafe itself, it has a separate coffee bowl for steeping, which sits directly above a borosilicate glass carafe. The bowl contains a lid with a "rainmaker" design that evenly distributes water over the the coffee as you pour. A release switch filters out the grounds at the touch of a button, depositing it in the carafe below. And since the coffee is steeped separately from the carafe, you can easily have a batch steeping in the bowl while a carafe of cold brew chills in the fridge. (Just make sure to put a cup underneath the bowl to catch any stray drips!)
OXO includes an ultra-fine stainless steel mesh filter as well as 10 optional paper filters, which you can use to filter out even more sediment. The various components of this cold brew maker nest inside each other for compact storage. If you like OXO's products but think this maker might be too large for your kitchen, try this 16-ounce model.
Positive Amazon review: “Like all OXO products, it is impeccably designed. Everything is done for a reason. My favorite features are the waterfall top (for even water distribution) and the beaker top with the 2oz measure line so you know exactly how much concentrate to use. […] It also stacks very neatly into a nice nest for easy storage. Overall, this is the best $50 you can spend to make your own cold brew.”
05A High-Capacity Cold Brew Maker
Capacity: 128 fluid ounces
Cold brew can take a full day to steep, which means it can be challenging to prepare large quantities using small cold brew makers. That's where a high-capacity option like this Original Grind Coffee Co. cold brew maker comes in. The 1-gallon jug looks and functions a lot like the compact mason jar option above, using a stainless steel filter to keep grounds out of the borosilicate glass jar. A stainless steel tap makes it easy to dispense the coffee without hefting around the large container. Plus, both the jar and the filter are dishwasher safe.
Positive Amazon review: “This is great if you have a family of iced coffee drinkers. Fill it over night for perfect iced coffee in the morning. Easy to remove the filter to get the desired strength.”
06Also Nice: The Best Nitro System
Do you enjoy frothy, creamy nitro cold brew? It's actually possible to make it at home by using a keg system like this Royal Brew kit in conjunction with one of the cold brew makers listed above. It doesn’t steep the coffee grounds itself, but rather adds gas to pre-steeped cold brew in the same way a nitro tap produces a creamy draught beer. To use the small keg system, you have to purchase cartridges separately (either two nitrogen cartridges, or one nitrous oxide cartridge). Royal Brew specifically recommends Creamright's nitrous oxide 8-gram cartridges or Best Whip's N2 2-gram cartridges.
The keg kit comes with a carrying bag and cleaning tools. It's available in three models, including a 128-ounce version, and in matte black or stainless steel finishes. (For more options, check out this list of the best nitro cold brew coffee makers.)
Positive Amazon review: “This brings the awesomeness that is nitro coldbrew into your home. Put it together in like 15 min. Super easy, and I was drinking Perfect Nitro. Love the option for 2 8g nitrogen or the single NO canister. Makes for an even better drink. Fits nicely on my counter next to the rest of my coffee accoutrement. Love it.”
