Thinking of getting a Keurig coffee maker? They're great, but every model has slightly different options, so it's hard to tell how many ounces of coffee the machine will actually make.
The size of the drink can impact the coffee strength, the flavor, and your overall enjoyment of it.
In this guide, we'll introduce the Keurig cup sizes available and give you a Keurig cup size chart so you can see how they compare.
The Different Keurig Cup Sizes (Those Cup Buttons Explained!)
Range Of Cup Sizes Available
K cups are designed to make one cup of coffee at a time using Keurig cup pods. In addition, you can select different cup sizes from your Keurig machine, which allows you to enjoy a larger or smaller coffee.
This is something most other coffee machines don't offer.
Keurig models initially only had two Keurig cup size options available. These days some Keurigs offer up to 5 different sizes:
Most Keurig machines have the 8oz and 10oz options, but not all Keurig machines have 4oz, 6oz, or 12oz options.
Your Keurig coffee maker has Keurig cup size buttons on the top or front of the machine so you can select the various cup sizes for your drink.
They’re normally presented as icons, with different illustrations to show you the small, medium, or large options.
Some Keurig machines, like the K-Supreme Plus, just have numbered buttons on top showing the size in ounces, so it’s easy to choose the right one.
Some compact Keurigs don't have any buttons to select the size of your drink.
For example, the Keurig K-mini and K-mini plus don't have any options at all; they simply make coffee with whatever water is available in the water reservoir.
This gives you a bit more control over the cup sizes but makes it a bit more of a manual process.
3-Option Keurig Brewers
A 3 option Keurig machine has three different Keurig cup sizes for you to choose from. They either offer 6oz, 8oz, and 10oz, or 8oz, 10oz and 12oz cup sizes.
The Keurig K-Express Essentials and the Keurig K-Classic both offer 6, 8, or 10oz drinks, whereas the Keurig K-slim and Keurig K-Express offer 8, 10, or 12oz cup sizes.
The controls for a 3-option Keurig brewer are usually on the front of the machine, and you can select the icon for the drink.
They don't have as many cup size options as some premium Keurig brewer models, but they still offer more choice than most single-serve coffee makers.
3-option Keurig machines tend to be more compact than 5-option brewers, and they’re popular for those with limited kitchen space.
5-Option Keurig Brewers
The 5-option Keurig coffee makers have 5 different Keurig cup sizes:
5 option Keurig brewers are the premium Keurig models, which are larger and have extra features. They tend to have much larger water reservoirs, so you can make multiple large coffees without having to top it up.
These machines generally have buttons or touch screen options on the front to select your drink. Most 5-option models don't use coffee icons and, instead, let you see the options in ounces.
This is useful for coffee lovers because you can select the option that will give you the best-tasting drink.
5 option Keurigs include the Keurig K-Elite, the Keurig K Supreme, and the Keurig K Supreme Plus Smart.
The Elite model even has a dedicated iced coffee option that brews a smaller, stronger cup of hot coffee so that the flavor doesn't get diluted when you make it an iced beverage.
These coffee makers give you full control over your drink and let you enjoy the widest range of cup sizes.
Keurig K-Duo
The K-Duo and K-duo plus are dual, which means they offer coffee from K cup pods, but also drip coffee.
They offer 4 different Keurig cup sizes to choose from:
The Keurig K-Duo has two separate water reservoirs, one for drip coffee.
This is perfect for families with different coffee drinkers because you can choose between specialty coffees and regular drip coffee, which is much cheaper.
It also removes the need for separate devices in your kitchen.
The drip coffee side comes with brew pots, but you'll need to include your own ground coffee and top up the water to the right line.
You can then select one of the 4 different Keurig cup sizes to start the brewing process.
The Keurig K Duo is perfect for anyone who wants K cups and regular drip coffee - and with 4 sizes, you have a lot of variety.
K-Café Variations
The Keurig K Cafe is designed to help you make high-quality coffee drinks you might buy in a cafe. It includes a milk frother for lattes and a metal removable drip tray.
It also has an option to make a stronger, espresso-style shot of coffee with a 'Shot' button.
This produces a 2oz of more concentrated coffee which can be used as the base for lattes or cappuccinos.
The full list of K Cafe options is:
The K Cafe gives you another cup size to choose from, but it’s worth noting that these 2oz coffee shots aren’t actually espresso - they’re the same as other brewed coffee from a Keurig cup pod.
Keurig Cup Size Quick Guide - Find Your Model
Keurig Model | Number Of Cup Size Buttons | Cup Sizes Available | Total Reservoir Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
Keurig K-Classic | 3 | 6oz, 8oz, 10oz | 48oz |
Keurig K-Select | 4 | 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, 12oz | 52oz |
Keurig K-Elite | 5 | 4oz, 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, 12oz | 75oz |
Keurig K-Duo | 4 | 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, 12oz | 60oz |
Keurig K-Duo Plus | 4 (but with option for brewed coffee) | 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, 12oz | 60oz |
Keurig K-Cafe | 4 | 2oz, 6oz, 10oz, 12oz | 60oz |
Keurig K-Café Special Edition | 4 | 2oz, 6oz, 10oz, 12oz | 60oz |
Keurig K-Express | 3 | 8oz, 10oz, 12oz | 42oz |
Keurig K-Slim | 3 | 8oz, 10oz, 12oz | 46oz |
Keurig K-Mini Plus | 0 | 6oz-12oz, but uses all water in the reservoir | 12oz |
Keurig K-Supreme | 5 | 4oz, 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, 12oz | 78oz |
Keurig K-Supreme Plus Smart | 5 | 4oz, 6oz, 8oz, 10oz, 12oz | 78oz |
How Do The Different Cup Sizes Affect Coffee Strength?
K cup pods come in a variety of flavors, but they are all the same size. Each K cup pod has about 2 tablespoons of ground coffee- which makes 10-13oz.
K cups are designed so that every fresh coffee has the same strength regardless of cup size - but this isn't always the case.
A K cup pod contains finely ground coffee beans. These coffee grounds allow water to pass through them quickly and absorb the flavor almost instantly.
If you choose a smaller drink, then there is naturally a shorter extraction time to pick up the flavor, but the fine grinds help to give you a delicious coffee regardless.
It's recommended that roughly 1 tablespoon of grounds is used for every 6 ounces of water to give you the perfect cup of coffee.
This means you should mostly be using six ounces or eight ounces Keurig cup sizes.[1]
When you use the larger 12oz brew size, you are effectively asking your Keurig machine to make you two 6oz drinks, so the second cup may have less flavor.
If you love a strong coffee, then the best way to get the desired amount of coffee flavor is to use two separate K-cup coffee pods. This will give you 12oz of rich flavor without it being watery.
Of course, this isn't an issue for hot cocoa or tea, and you can make them at any size without changing their strength.
Each cup should contain 75-150mg of caffeine (though there are some decaffeinated K cup pods).
Larger drinks may taste weaker but will actually contain stronger coffee because there's more opportunity for the water to extract the caffeine, so even if the drink tastes more watery, it will be a stronger brew.
K-Cup Pods: Are They Universal Between Models?
Keurig calls their coffee pods K cups, so don't be confused by the lingo. These are the single-serve pods used to create each cup of coffee.
There is a wide range of Keurig cups to choose from, in all different colors and different flavors.
You can get Carafe pods, Dunkin Donuts, Green Mountain, or even Starbucks K cup pods which can be used at home.
K cup pods are specifically designed to be universal, so they will work in every Keurig coffee machine.
They are always identically sized at 1.5 inches tall with a diameter of 2 inches.
They're usually made from recyclable plastic, and they're essentially canned coffee that can be used to make great drinks at home.
Keurig Cup Size Questions
Are Keurig Machines worth it?
This generally depends on how much coffee you drink. If you're a regular coffee drinker, then a K-cup machine is definitely worth it because they genuinely make great coffee.
The initial cost can be offputting, but when you consider a single cup of coffee is $5 in some coffee shops, it's easy to see how you'll save money in the long run.
Which Keurig® has the most cup sizes?
The Keurig Elite and Keurig Supreme both offer the most K cup size options. You can make coffee from 4oz-12oz, making them the best option for those who enjoy a large cup of coffee.
What is the smallest Keurig coffee maker?
The Keurig Mini is the smallest model, but the cup sizes for Keurig coffee will depend on how much water you pour into the reservoir.
How often do I need to clean my Keurig coffee maker?
Most popular Keurig machines have a drip tray and other features to keep the coffee maker clean while you use it, but you still need to do a deep clean every 3-6 months to stop calcium or scale building up in the device.
Conclusion
Keurig coffee machines offer a lot of choices when it comes to brew sizes. The Keurig largest cup size is 12oz (perfect for a large mug), and their smallest is 4oz.
They even have a few models that produced a concentrated 2oz shot, perfect for a very small cup of coffee.
Hopefully, this guide has helped explain the differences between Keurig models and has shown you what options are available on your device.
References:
1. https://www.ncausa.org/About-Coffee/How-to-Brew-Coffee
