The 4 best cold-brew coffee makers of 2024, tested and reviewed

Pros: Makes large batches, two styles of filtration, easy to clean, the concentrate is full-flavored and delicious

Cons: Silicone lid doesn't seal perfectly, small parts that can be easily lost, paper filters

Of all the brewers I tested, the Toddy Cold Brew System was the best cold-brew coffee maker because of its intuitive design. The first concentrate I brewed turned out perfect without any learning curve or trial and error. 

There are two main components to the Toddy Cold Brew System: The brewer itself consists of a plastic brewing container, a gray silicone lid, and a rubber stopper that fits into the bottom. It also comes with a glass carafe and a plastic lid that seals the carafe tightly. It's the perfect size for storing a full batch of concentrate and fits easily in the fridge. Everything felt sturdy and well designed

The Toddy requires 12 ounces of coffee for brewing a full batch, which is a lot (at maximum, it handles seven cups of concentrate). I ground the coffee coarsely, covered it with seven cups of water, left it at room temperature for 24 hours, and came back to a perfectly brewed concentrate that tasted rich and full.

Felt filters and paper filters are included. When using the paper filter, the coffee grounds are placed in the paper before adding the water; with the felt filter, you put the grounds directly in the tank. I tried both and didn't notice much difference between the drinks, but someone might.

Set the Toddy somewhere it won't easily be knocked over. The silicone lid doesn't seal well, and the unit tips easily. 

The KitchenAid Cold Brew Maker is easy and convenient to use. It fits perfectly in my fridge and makes full-sized batches of cold brew. The only downside is the metal filter makes brewing a bit inconsistent. I found the Toddy to produce a more even, cleaner cup of coffee. 

Pros: Affordable, available in 1-quart and 2-quart sizes, easy to use and clean, did not leak

Cons: Clear plastic can become stained after extended use, too tall to fit upright in most refrigerators, grounds can get caught in the lid and make a mess during cleaning

The Takeya is similar to the Coffee Gator brewer but more affordable, and uses a plastic pitcher instead of glass. Plastic and glass don't make a difference in coffee flavor, but glass holds up better over time whereas plastic can become permanently stained after multiple uses. 

The filter basket and cap on the Takeya screw together and then onto the pitcher — it's a secure fit. However, one drawback to this design is that it's hard to make sure all of the grounds are properly steeped if the brewer isn't placed sideways (the 2-quart size I tested was too tall for my refrigerator) or shaken throughout the brewing time. There is about an inch of space between the filter and the lid where grounds may become stuck and not exposed to the water for brewing. The Takeya didn't leak at all, but the grounds settled in the top of the lid and fell out when I tried to clean the brewer, which made a bit of a mess.

The Takeya comes as a 1- or 2-quart pitcher; I tested the larger of the two sizes. After 12 hours of brewing in my refrigerator, I got a tea-like drink. I brewed it for 24 hours and the results were much stronger, but not quite the same level as the concentrate from the Toddy. Overall, the finished cold brew was very well-rounded and balanced, earning it a spot as one of the best cold-brew coffee makers. The Takeya could easily be used to make a stronger concentrate if left to brew at room temperature as well.

For another option, the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Maker works similarly to the Takeya, makes similar-tasting cold brew, and is a few dollars cheaper. However, the Hario is tall and didn't fit easily into my refrigerator. The lid doesn't make a perfect seal, so I couldn't store it on its side. 

Read our full review of the Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker.

Pros: Very easy to use, easy to clean up, fits easily in the fridge, drinks can be customized to your preference depending on brew time

Cons: Makes less cold brew than other brewers, the metal filter allows more sediment than paper or felt filters

The Coffee Gator has a pretty standard design as far as immersion brewers go, and makes a ready-to-drink cold brew instead of a concentrate for convenience. The design is a glass pitcher with a detachable and reusable filter basket that doubles as a brewer and serving vessel. I was impressed by how sturdy and well-made this brewer is, and how tightly-fitted all the pieces were, which helped prevent any leaks. 

It's a bit smaller than comparable products and fits perfectly in the fridge. It disassembles easily and the bottom of the filter basket screws off for easy rinsing, though you want to be a little careful with the thin filter. There was no discoloration after testing the brewer three times.

It's also easy to use. Ground coffee goes into the filter basket, then water is poured over the top of the coffee through the hole in the lid. The instructions call for about 2.5 oz (75g) of coffee to 1.1 liters of water, which almost completely fills the brewer. 

The instructions call for a minimum brew time of eight hours, but that wasn't nearly enough time for a strong brew. I sampled a bit of the coffee after the recommended eight hours and found it to be weak and similar to tea. After 12 hours, I was more pleased with the stronger coffee it produced. It was better developed and some more of the fruity flavor notes came through. For my second round of tests, I let the coffee brew for a full 24 hours in the fridge, and it was much stronger but still smooth. The strongest batch was brewed for 12 hours at room temperature. This yielded a well-rounded, sweet and chocolatey cup of cold brew, almost as strong as a concentrate.

Pros: Compact, fits in small fridges, can make concentrate or ready-to-drink cold brew, very easy cleanup

Cons: Requires single-use paper filters, thin glass, easily tipped over, silicone lid doesn't form a perfect seal  

The Toddy Artisan is just as easy to use as the full-sized Toddy, the best cold-brew coffee maker overall. Like its larger counterpart, it made great coffee right away with very little need for any adjustment. The brewer is essentially a glass jar with a silicone lid and it comes with 12 paper filter bags, a metal filter basket, and tongs. The brewer itself doubles as a small carafe for easy storage after brewing; it's the smallest brewer I reviewed, slighter than a standard Mason jar. 

The Toddy Artisan isn't the sturdiest product. The glass is a little thin and the silicone lid doesn't form a perfect seal, so be careful not to knock it over while it's brewing. 

This brewer makes concentrate and ready-to-drink cold brew. The instructions were easy to follow and the brewing process was intuitive — I was able to achieve great results on my first test. I brewed my first batch of concentrate according to the instructions for 24 hours at room temperature. It was balanced and slightly chocolatey with low acidity. I also brewed it for eight hours to try the ready-to-drink version, and it also tasted great, just a bit lighter than the concentrate. 

Cleanup couldn't be easier since the grounds are neatly contained in the paper filter bag. Once the coffee is allowed to drip from the bag, you just dump out the filter bag with the grounds, rinse off the metal basket, and serve or store the coffee in the glass brewer itself.

The Toddy Artisan won out on flavor, but the OXO Cold Brew Maker Compact is an affordable alternative that makes a well-developed concentrate that tasted a bit brighter and had slightly more grit. It also has a built-in reusable metal filter.

Taste: First and foremost, you want the best cold-brew coffee maker to brew coffee with a strong and smooth flavor. We only recommend cold brew makers that produced delicious coffee under a variety of brewing conditions. We found that the two automatic brewers we tested had less flavorful results, and we tasted slightly more grit in makers with metal filters.

Capacity: Cold brew makers range from making ready-to-drink single servings to batch producing concentrate. If you have the fridge space and regularly drink cold brew, go for the larger brewing capacity. For the occasional cup, compact options take up less room and you won't make too much coffee that ends up going to waste.

Brewing method: Immersion brewing is the standard style for some of the best cold-brew coffee makers. Coffee grounds are submerged in room-temperature water for an extended period of time. Drip cold brew makers use the Kyoto Method and are more complex machines; water is slowly dripped over a bed of coffee over 12 or more hours. The quickest method, and often the least flavorful, is the automatic cold-brew maker: a motor spins a filter basket around a water tank, agitating the grounds and creating a batch of cold brew in 25 to 45 minutes.

I worked in specialty coffee for almost a decade and handled countless tasks behind the scenes and behind the bar. I also helped develop the menu for a local coffee shop in my town of Warsaw, Indiana, and I also consulted Eileen Rinaldi, founder and CEO of Ritual Coffee, and Ben Helfen, Education Support Specialist from Counter Culture Coffee.

I carefully weighed all the coffee and water using a digital kitchen scale according to the manufacturer's instructions and ground beans with my Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder. To ensure I was using the right amount of beans, I weighed the coffee before grinding based on the amount recommended by each manufacturer. I used coarsely ground coffee for each test unless instructed otherwise by the manufacturer, and tap water filtered with a generic Brita pitcher.

I tested each coffee maker with Ritual Coffee's Featherweight Blend, a bright, juicy blend with a well-developed, roasted sweetness that's suited for cold brew. I used each brewer three times and noted the following:

Ease of use: For the first round of tests, I followed the directions from each brewer and noted the results. I looked at how easy each brewer was to set up, how easy the instructions were to follow, and how intuitive each product was to use. After the initial test, I tried minor differences in brewing to see if I could achieve better results — longer brewing time, brewing temperature (refrigerator or room temp), and coarser grinds. Part of what makes brewing coffee at home so rewarding is that you can make it exactly how you want, so I wanted to see how each coffee maker handled customization. 

Quality: While testing, I made sure to note how well-made each brewer was or wasn't. I noted the materials, whether the brewers felt durable enough to withstand extended use, and I paid attention to the filtration method in each brewer, taking into account if they were reusable and easy to clean. For the brewers that screwed shut, I checked for leaks. I paid close attention to nuances in the design that would lead to any inconsistencies in brewing or possible spills or accidents. I also noted how easy each brewer was to clean after use and whether there was any discoloration in the filters, pitchers, or carafes.

Taste: Most important in my testing was the quality of the cold brew produced. Taste is subjective, of course, and the specific flavors in each batch depend on what kind of coffee you prefer to use. Because of that, I looked at how well-extracted or developed each batch turned out, meaning how deep, strong, and complex the flavor was. The Ritual beans I used responded well to a wide spectrum of tests that yielded coffee of different strengths. Both lighter batches of ready-to-drink cold brew, and darker, more robust concentrates had very similar flavor profiles, with slightly different notes highlighted in each batch. I also looked at whether any sediment was left behind in the carafes after each batch was done.

What is cold brew?

Cold brew is coffee brewed cold or at room temperature, instead of with hot water.

Rinaldi said making a batch of cold brew can take 12 to 24 hours, depending on your recipe. That is, of course, significantly slower than any hot water method. But in the absence of heat, it takes much longer for all of those delicious organic compounds and oils to become fully extracted from the ground coffee.

This process slightly changes the flavor too. Helfen said, "Oftentimes, the nuance of the coffee is lost in cold brew, but because the sugars in coffee take longer to extract, the extra brew time can increase sweetness." According to Rinaldi, some of the more volatile organic compounds aren't extracted as readily so cold brew can produce a really clean and less acidic flavor profile.

Why should I buy a cold brew maker?

You can make cold brew at home in any jar or jug, but having a specialized cold brew maker certainly makes the process easier. All of the brewers I tested are designed to make the brewing process cleaner and faster. Most importantly, they all provide a dedicated mode of filtration that is geared toward brewing a more clear and refreshing cup of coffee.

What's the difference between cold-brew concentrate and cold brew that's ready-to-drink?

Cold-brew makers can produce cold-brew concentrate or cold brew that is ready to drink. The concentrate is usually a much stronger extraction with higher caffeine content and must be diluted at a coffee to water ratio of 1:3 or 1:2.

Ready-to-drink cold brew doesn't require any dilution and can be consumed right away. It's usually lighter in color, and the strength and flavor are more reminiscent of tea. It's a more bright and refreshing drink, whereas concentrate offers a more full-flavored, dark, intense product. Most cold-brew devices are advertised as producing either concentrate or ready-to-drink, but some are flexible enough to do both. In those instances, you can increase the strength of the coffee and create a concentrate by using less water and steeping for longer.

What kind of coffee do you use in a cold brew maker?

There is no "correct" coffee when it comes to cold brew — feel free to use any coffee you like. I used blends for my tests, but single-origin roasts are also commonly used. Rinaldi said, "Darker roasted coffee is more extractable, so you see a lot of espresso roasts being prepared as a cold brew." I've also seen many cafes rotating single-origin blends to provide a variety and different choices to their customers.

What's the best grind coarseness for cold brew?

Coarse grind size — similar to what you'd use for a French press — is usually recommended for cold brew, and what I used in testing.  

The major factor to consider with the grind size is filtration. A finer grind can turn muddy over a long brew time, making it more difficult for the water to pass through the grounds during filtration. Helfen said, "Most folks grind coarser for cold brew because of the long brew time and because filtering the liquid out of the grounds doesn't take as long." 

Paper and felt filters tend to filter out more of the fine solids than metal or mesh filters, and a finer grind will pass through more than a coarse one. Too much sediment makes a silty, cloudy cup of coffee, which is not desirable with cold brew. Of course, there are exceptions. Some brewers I tested, like the Cuisinart Automatic, respond well to a finer grind because of the shorter extraction time needed.

What is the proper ratio of coffee to water for cold brew?

The ratio of coffee to water will vary slightly depending on whether you're brewing concentrate or ready-to-drink cold brew, and which coffee maker you use. The ratios we recommend are 1 part coffee to 5 parts water, or a 1:5 ratio, for concentrate and 1:7 for something that's ready to drink. I recommend following the instructions included in your brewer and adjusting the ratio to taste. The one thing that's consistent across all brewers is that cold brew uses way more ground coffee than traditional brewing, so be prepared with your beans. 

Should I steep my cold brew in the refrigerator or at room temperature?

From all of my testing, I found that letting the coffee steep at room temperature produces a much better flavor than leaving it in the fridge for an extended period of time. But Helfen does add one caveat. "I find brewing at room temp quite risky. Unless you're very meticulously sanitizing your brewing equipment, the bacterial growth of coffee brewing at room temp can get out of control pretty easy." If this is a concern, most cold brew devices are dishwasher safe or have removable components that can be cleaned in a dishwasher.

How long does cold brew stay fresh?

Unlike hot coffee, which maintains freshness for no longer than a few minutes, cold brew can maintain its flavor in the fridge for a while. If stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator, it should stay fresh for up to two weeks.