The Best Cold Brew Coffee Makers for 2026: KitchenAid, OXO, Hario and More
By Claire Whitmore. Last updated October 2026.
Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links, including Amazon links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Details are in our affiliate disclosure.
Cold brew is the easiest way to have smooth, low-bitterness coffee waiting in your fridge every morning. You steep grounds in cool water for many hours, filter, and keep a concentrate ready to pour over ice or dilute with milk. A good cold brew maker makes the filtering, storing and pouring painless.
We based this guide on two independent tests. Serious Eats brewed a standardized concentrate in each maker (one ounce of coffee per 5.3 ounces of water, steeped 16 hours), followed each manufacturer’s method, tasted the coffee again after a week in the fridge and checked cleanup. Good Housekeeping’s Kitchen & Cooking Lab tested 13 popular models with blind taste tests, temperature and yield measurements, and usability scoring. We haven’t tested these brewers ourselves.
Quick answer: Serious Eats’ best is the KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker, a glass and stainless carafe with a spigot. Good Housekeeping’s best overall is the OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker. Both outlets like the tiny OXO Compact, and the Hario Mizudashi is Serious Eats’ budget pick.
Our picks at a glance
| Brewer | Capacity | Source | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker | 38 oz (Serious Eats) / 28 oz (Good Housekeeping) | Serious Eats: best; Good Housekeeping: easy pouring | A fridge carafe with spigot |
| OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker | 32 oz | Good Housekeeping: best overall | Big, smooth batches |
| OXO Compact Cold Brew | 24 oz | Both: compact pick | Small households |
| Takeya Deluxe | 1 or 2 qt | Good Housekeeping: best value | Pitcher simplicity |
| Hario Mizudashi | 20.3 oz | Serious Eats: best budget | Small fridges |
| Ovalware Airtight Pitcher | 33.8 oz | Serious Eats: best pitcher combo | Elegant storage |
| Toddy Cold Brew System | Makes about 8 servings | Good Housekeeping: sediment-free | Concentrate lovers |
| Cumulus | 80 oz water tank | Serious Eats: best nitro | Coffee-shop nitro at home |
Capacities as reported by our sources; the two outlets list different KitchenAid capacities, likely reflecting different model versions.
What we learned from the testing
Simpler is better. Serious Eats found pared-down brewers easier to use than elaborate devices with stands, beakers and multiple lids.
The filter makes or breaks cold brew. Its favorite filters were reusable and fast-draining; one slow mesh filter forced the tester to stop and start pouring more than 10 times. Good Housekeeping deducted points for sediment, weak flavor or harshness in blind tastings.
Handles matter. Full cold brew makers weighed 1.5 to 8 pounds in Serious Eats’ test; a sturdy handle makes a heavy carafe of concentrate much safer to carry.
Storage: Serious Eats says cold brew keeps up to two weeks in the fridge, and an airtight lid helps it hold flavor.
The best cold brew coffee makers
1. KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker: best overall
Best for: daily cold brew drinkers who want a beautiful fridge carafe.
Serious Eats’ favorite feature is the spigot: you can pour a glass at a time without taking the brewer out of the fridge, and the solid stainless steel handle makes carrying it secure. It weighed 6.57 pounds empty, the heaviest tested, and at over $150 it was the most expensive manual brewer; removing the extra-large filter without dripping takes care.
Good Housekeeping picked KitchenAid’s brewer for easy pouring: the user guide includes recipes, the reservoir has a coffee fill line, and after 12 hours its concentrate was smooth and flavorful. It’s not dishwasher-safe and has crevices that make cleaning tricky.
Pros
- Spigot pours in the fridge
- Glass and stainless build
- Smooth coffee
Cons
- Heavy
- Pricey
- Fiddly cleanup
2. OXO Cold Brew Coffee Maker: best for big batches
Best for: households that drink cold brew daily.
Good Housekeeping’s best overall made some of the smoothest, most balanced coffee in its tests, with rich chocolatey notes. A Rainmaker lid distributes water evenly over the grounds, an auto-stop prevents drips when you remove the carafe, and the 32-ounce glass carafe holds concentrate for about 14 cups and keeps it fresh for up to two weeks. The brewing reservoir has no lid. Serious Eats found the full-size OXO had the most parts of any brewer it tested.
Pros
- Smooth, balanced coffee
- Measurement markings
- Dishwasher-safe carafe
Cons
- Many parts
- No reservoir lid
3. OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker: best compact
Best for: one or two coffee drinkers.
Serious Eats calls it downright adorable, with marked guidelines for grounds and water; one batch makes enough concentrate for seven cups, and an editor has used hers for years. Good Housekeeping found it just as effective as the big OXO, with rich brew, no sediment and nesting parts for storage.
Pros
- Small footprint
- Nesting parts
- No sediment
Cons
- Small batches
4. Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker: best value
Best for: pitcher-style simplicity.
Good Housekeeping says it received near-perfect Lab scores. A fine-mesh filter keeps grit out without paper filters, it’s dishwasher-safe, and it comes in 1- and 2-quart sizes that fit in the fridge like a standard pitcher. There are no measurement markings.
Pros
- Affordable
- Dishwasher-safe
- Fits fridge doors
Cons
- No markings
5. Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot: best budget
Best for: small fridges and milder coffee.
Serious Eats loved its simplicity: minimal parts snap together and apart for easy cleaning, and it’s narrow enough for a fridge shelf. Its coffee was smooth and milder than others. The filter is too small for strong concentrate and the lid doesn’t seal tightly.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easy to clean
- Slim
Cons
- Can’t make strong concentrate
- Loose lid
6. Ovalware Airtight Cold Brew Pitcher: best-looking pitcher
Best for: stylish kitchens and longer storage.
Borosilicate glass, a stainless filter and steel lid give it sleek, elegant lines, according to Serious Eats. The gasketed lid sealed tightly, and cold brew kept its smooth flavor after a week. Its fast-draining filter separated grounds well. The tapered shape needs a bottle brush to hand wash.
Pros
- Airtight lid
- Elegant glass design
- Fast filter
Cons
- Hard to hand wash
7. Toddy Cold Brew System: best for rich concentrate
Best for: concentrate purists.
Good Housekeeping says its instructions earned a perfect score and its ratio yields deep, rich, silky concentrate. A reusable felt filter plus paper filter prevents sediment; paper filters cost around $1 each. One batch makes enough for about eight servings. It isn’t pretty.
Pros
- Sediment-free
- Rich concentrate
Cons
- Bulky
- Ongoing filter cost
8. Cumulus Cold Brew Coffee Machine: best luxury nitro machine
Best for: habitual coffee-shop cold brew buyers.
Serious Eats’ nitro pick uses proprietary pods to make and chill 10 ounces of cold brew in a little over a minute once its water is cooled, and its nitro was consistent and velvety with a thick, foamy head. It also makes a lovely cold espresso-style drink. It’s expensive, pods add ongoing cost, it stands 20 inches tall when open and needs 10 to 15 minutes to chill a refilled tank.
Pros
- Nitro cold brew at home
- Fast once chilled
Cons
- Expensive machine and pods
- Tall
Want cold brew in minutes?
Serious Eats’ fast pick is the OXO Rapid Brewer, an AeroPress-like device that makes up to five ounces of concentrate in two to five minutes. Good Housekeeping liked the electric Dash Rapid Cold Brew Maker, which made rich, low-sediment cold brew in under 10 minutes.
Tips for better cold brew
- Use a coarse grind; see our best coffee grinders.
- Start around Serious Eats’ ratio of 1 ounce of coffee to 5.3 ounces of water and adjust to taste.
- Steep 8 to 24 hours; Serious Eats used 16 hours at room temperature.
- Dilute concentrate with water or milk; it’s strong.
- Store sealed in the fridge for up to two weeks.
FAQ
Does cold brew have more caffeine?
Serious Eats says that with the same coffee and amount of grounds, cold brew ends up with more caffeine because of the long extraction.
How long does cold brew last?
Up to two weeks refrigerated, though flavor may fade.
Is cold brew less acidic?
It’s smoother and less astringent than hot coffee, according to Serious Eats.
Can I make cold brew in a French press?
Yes; see our best French presses, though dedicated makers filter and store more conveniently.
The bottom line
Choose the KitchenAid for a handsome fridge carafe with a spigot, or the OXO for big, smooth batches. Small households should get the OXO Compact, and budget buyers the Hario Mizudashi or Takeya.
