9 Keurig K-Cup Coffee Pods, Ranked Worst To Best

Keurig coffee makers are perfect for making a quick cup of coffee, without having to do much at all. Just pop one of those little K-cups in, and, bam, you've got your morning coffee in mere seconds. And while some believe the single-serve coffee appliance to be overrated, lots of people swear by it, as it delivers cheap coffee that tastes good (as long as you remember to always recycle your K-cups properly, of course).

There are a seemingly endless amount of K-cup options on grocery store shelves, however — and not all of them are worth your time, money, or taste buds. I set off on a mission to rank nine brands of K-cups from a variety of brands and find out how they stacked up against each other. I judged based on flavor, strength, and overall experience, adding the same amount of milk and creamer to each, but taking a sip of it black, as well. Here are nine Keurig K-cup coffee pods ranked worst to best.

Ah, Folgers — the classic brand from all of those old commercials. It has been said, historically, that the best part about waking up is Folgers in my cup, and you know what? In the year 2025, that is simply a lie, I'm sorry to report. This coffee is gross almost immediately. Dare to drink it black, and it tastes like pure mud, which is just upsetting. Unfortunately, adding milk does little — it certainly doesn't improve the flavor. Yes, it's strong, but that doesn't matter when the flavor is best described as dirt-like.

Honestly, and I'm not trying to bully this brand of coffee, but nothing about it is redeeming, no matter how hard I try to make it work. Adding sweetened creamer doesn't help. In fact, the coffee seems to reject the cream — just sort of sinks into the coffee like quicksand and disappears entirely. Apparently flavor is not allowed in a Folgers K-cup coffee. The only situation I would ever drink this in is if the rest of the coffee on earth suddenly vanished. This coffee is honestly annoying. I feel like it stole my creamer from me as I kept trying to make it drinkable. This is not the best part about waking up, and I want to go back to bed.

Philz Coffee is now in the K-Cup game, and since the brand is known for its fancy and flavorful coffee options, I opted to try Philz Philtered Soul Hazelnut Blend. And let me tell you what, right when this coffee starts to brew, you can smell it from a mile away. Now, typically, I love a hazelnut-flavored coffee, but this one just completely biffs it. Wow, what is this? It's honestly so unpleasant in every state: black, with milk, and even with extra added creamer. 

The hazelnut flavor tastes too fake, and that's coming from someone who loves artificial sweeteners. It's reminiscent of a flavored coffee you would get at some state fair. Seriously, this is like something you'd be upset to receive at a theme park coffee shop after forking over $9. Maybe it's because I expected more from Philz Coffee — its drinks are so tasty and flavorful when you buy them in-store. Perhaps they have yet to figure out how to replicate that in boxed K-Cups. In a coffee emergency, I'd drink this coffee again, but more likely it will sit in my cupboard for years and become best friends with the box of Folger's K-Cups. Philz Philtered Soul Hazelnut Blend tastes like a hazelnut-scented candle from Bath & Body Works on top of a beam of wood (but hey, it's still better than Folger's).

Dunkin' coffee can be polarizing: Some love it, some hate it. Personally, I've always been on the fence — it's okay, but not something I would seek out regularly. Unfortunately, its Original Blend Coffee was also named one of our drinks to avoid ordering at Dunkin', but that doesn't necessarily mean that the K-cup version is bad ... right?

Well, after trying it, I can safely say it tastes exactly like a regular old cup of coffee from Dunkin'. There aren't any notes of anything, and drinking it black is out of the question. It's got that classic Dunkin' light body and brightness (almost sour, even), and isn't very flavorful, unless you count the singular flavor of "a coffee from Dunkin'." It certainly tastes authentic. I'd probably buy another box, but only if it was on sale. If you're a fan of Dunkin' coffee, you'll be a fan of this. It's taking the number seven spot because it's drinkable and fine, unlike the previous two brands.

Great Value's Donut Shop Medium Roast is about as generic as you get when it comes to a box of K-Cups. Honestly, I was not expecting much from it as so many brands have a "donut shop" blend and, a lot of the time, they're just sort of "meh." I tasted it black, and it felt like I was drinking nothing — not a good sign. Then, I added some milk, and it stayed oddly dark and didn't taste much better. This wasn't looking good, but also, hey, at least it wasn't watery. However, upon adding a little creamer to it, everything changed. It was ... fine!

I was completely caught off guard. This coffee was honestly fine, which was so exciting. Sure, it needs a lot of cream to get this way, but, hey, for a cheap coffee from Walmart, I'd call that a win. For this, Great Value Donut Shop Medium Roast gets a crown on its head from me. I would honestly buy it again, especially for the value. On the box, it boasts to be "bright and balanced," and, friends, that it is — no lies told. There is simply nothing wrong with this coffee: It has no frills and it's fine. I'm impressed, but not impressed enough to place it higher than number six. It's better than Dunkin' and the other two (who shall no longer be named and are dead to me).

Café Bustelo claims to offer a bold, dark-roast flavor that stands out — and they're not lying. The Café Bustelo Espresso Style Dark Roast K-Cups are a solid option for switching up your morning roast. Right off the bat, it's super robust without anything added  — but, then again, it is an espresso roast, so that's expected. Upon adding milk and creamer, Café Bustelo becomes a smooth, almost sweet treat.

This brand would've been higher on the list, but there's a little extra math involved in preparing the perfect cup. If you add even a little too much milk or creamer, it's ruined and tastes like coffee-flavored milk rather than coffee with milk. It's a delicate balance, but it's gratifying when you get it right. Overall, this coffee has a very pleasant, almost fancy, taste, and sits firmly in the number five spot due to the fact that it's easy to ruin (which, personally, I know I would do a lot as my morning brain isn't equipped for too much measuring before, well, having a cup of coffee).

Krispy Kreme Donuts' coffee is basic in the best way when you get it from one of its stores, and, for that reason, I had high hopes for this one. And, as it turns out, Krispy Kreme Classic Medium Roast K-Cups delivered — it's a good, basic choice (and this is a good thing). Upon taking a sip, it has a thicker consistency than expected and seems to be gleefully singing, "Yeah, I'm dirt! I'm from the ground," at me as I drink it. This may sound negative, but, actually, it's the reason I knew it was going to be good with cream, as there was zero chance of it being watery.

I was correct: The moment I added milk and creamer, it became not only drinkable but comforting. It's exactly what I would want and expect from a donut chain's cup of coffee: no notes of anything, just a strong cup of plain coffee. It's still thick, but I appreciate that because the worst offense a cup of coffee could commit is being watery and weak. It's the aggressiveness of this simple coffee that makes it stand out. This is a perfectly pleasant cup of coffee that tastes like it's from an actual donut shop (because it is). Sure, the more I drink it, the more slightly bored I am, which is why it's not higher on the list. But the overall experience of this coffee makes it an easy number four.

Starbucks offers many K-Cup options, but I went with its signature blend, Pike Place. Like Dunkin', Starbucks' coffees are often polarizing, as many believe its roasts taste burnt and bitter. For me, those two adjectives aren't the worst offenders among coffee blends, though (for me, that would be watery and flavorless). Starbucks Pike Place K-Cups are certainly not watery or flavorless, even if that "flavor" can best be described as "strong coffee." Frankly, as a long-term drinker of Pike Place, I can honestly say that this K-Cup coffee doesn't taste exactly like a cup from Starbucks, but it's pretty close. 

Overall, Starbucks' most typical coffee roast is just reliable. Yes, the Pike Place K-Cup is a little burnt and bitter, just like its in-store version, but when creamer is added, it has a singular, comforting taste unlike any other coffee blend. It's almost made for Keurig, which isn't the fanciest way to make your coffee in the first place, but it gets the job done. I drink this and think, "This is a cup of coffee and I am pleased." Perhaps I suffer from a Stockholm syndrome type of relationship with Pike Place, as it's always been a favorite of mine for actual decades, but the robustness and flavorful notes of this Starbucks medium roast K-Cup win me over every time — burnt or not.

It's no secret that McDonald's coffee, like McDonald's Diet Coke, is special. It has a distinct taste, and I'm almost positive I could identify McDonald's hot coffee in a blind taste test. It's just better than it should be, generally, one of the reasons being that McDonald's uses quality coffee beans for its roasts. McDonald's offers multiple K-Cup options, like Colombian Dark Roast and Breakfast Blend Light Roast, but we're testing the original: McDonald's Classic Roast.

Like its in-store companion, this K-Cup is one of the best. It tastes incredibly similar to a hot cup of coffee at McDonald's, with that same bright flavor. Not only is it flavorful and strong, but it's usually priced way lower than many other K-Cup brands, which, to me, significantly ups its value. Sure, you could get a fancier brand of K-Cup, but you're getting just as good an experience with the McDonald's version. This is a tried-and-true coffee option that never gets old, is somehow not terrible when taken black, and is customizable with milk and creamers, as it doesn't get watery when you add them in. I came into this list believing nothing could dethrone it, and yet, here it is at number two.

Caribou's signature medium roast has been a longtime favorite of coffee lovers — in fact, we named Caribou Blend Medium Roast the best coffee beans for a percolator coffee pot. It's not so surprising, then, that the roast would also take the top spot when it comes to K-Cups.

For a medium roast, it's quite deep and rich. Personally, I usually cannot drink any coffee black, but this one came the closest to being drinkable to me. I only had to add a little milk, and it instantly transformed into something much smoother and pleasant. Upon adding a little extra creamer, it suddenly became the perfect cup of coffee. I had never encountered something this pleasant from my Keurig. It was a miracle.

It's not sweet at all, even with the addition of creamer and milk. It's robust without being overwhelming. Overall, it's just a really easy-to-drink medium roast coffee, exactly what I'd want first thing in the morning. I couldn't believe that my longtime favorite, McDonald's Classic Roast, had been dethroned, but its value couldn't compete with the overall taste and experience of Caribou's K-Cups, and it isn't that much more expensive, either. We have a new king of the K-Cups: Congratulations to Caribou. I'll be buying you constantly.

I am a K-Cup coffee expert, in my biased opinion, as I have been starting my day with a cup for many years. I was also a barista for the entirety of my twenties, so I know my way around a cup of coffee, pal. These coffees were ranked on overall flavor, strength, robustness, and value. I set the Keurig to 10 oz per cup, as this is my standard: right in the middle. I tasted each coffee black, then with a bit of milk, and then with a little creamer added to that, as this is how I take my coffee and how I could fairly judge each brand against the others. The same amount of milk and creamer was added to each cup (a splash of milk and two tablespoons of creamer).

Another factor these brands were ranked on was whether they were drinkable consistently, rather than as a one-off to change it up. This is because, when you're buying a box of K-Cups, you're sort of committing to one type of coffee for at least a week, depending on how many are in the box. You wouldn't want to choose an option that you get sick of quickly.