Best Cold Brew Coffee Maker (7 Picks for Concentrate, Glass and Speed)

Cold brew is coffee and cold water left alone for half a day. The hard part is not the brewing. It’s getting the wet grounds out cleanly.

That is really what a cold brew maker does. It holds the grounds, then strains them out without a sieve, a towel and a sticky counter. The right one depends on how much you drink and how much fridge space you can give up.

The short version: For most homes, get the OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker. It makes about a week of concentrate, drains with a switch, and the carafe goes straight in the fridge. Whatever you buy, use a coarse grind and steep 12 to 24 hours.

Our Picks at a Glance

• Best overall: OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker, 32 OunceJump to review ↓
• Best for big batches: Toddy Cold Brew SystemJump to review ↓
• Best budget pitcher: Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker, 2 QuartJump to review ↓
• Best for small kitchens: OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee MakerJump to review ↓
• Best all-glass, ready to drink: Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot, 1 LiterJump to review ↓
• Best for pouring from the fridge: KitchenAid 38-Ounce Cold Brew Coffee MakerJump to review ↓
• Best fast machine: Breville Luxe Brewer ThermalJump to review ↓

Cold Brew Coffee Makers Compared

Maker	Type	Makes	Filter	Brew time	Best for
OXO Good Grips (32 oz)	Immersion tower	About 32 oz concentrate	Stainless mesh	12 to 24 hours	Most households
Toddy Cold Brew System	Immersion bucket	Up to about 48 oz concentrate	Felt pad plus paper bag	12 to 24 hours	Heavy drinkers, cleanest cup
Takeya Deluxe 2 Qt	Immersion pitcher	2-quart pitcher	Mesh insert	12 to 24 hours	Tight budgets
OXO Brew Compact	Immersion tower	About 16 oz concentrate	Stainless mesh	12 to 24 hours	One person, small kitchens
Hario Mizudashi 1000 ml	Immersion pot	About 1 liter ready to drink	Fine mesh basket	About 8 hours in the fridge	Glass lovers, no dilution
KitchenAid 38 oz	Immersion carafe with tap	Up to 28 oz concentrate	Stainless steeper	12 hours or more	Pouring a glass from the fridge
Breville Luxe Brewer	Electric drip machine	Up to 600 ml concentrate	Brew basket	From about 30 minutes	Speed, plus hot coffee

1. OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker, 32 Ounce: Best Overall

The OXO fixes the two messy steps of cold brew. Water goes onto the grounds through a perforated “Rainmaker” lid that spreads it like a shower head, so no dry pockets form. Then draining is a switch. Flip it and the concentrate runs through the mesh into the glass carafe.

Unlike the Toddy below, you finish with a glass carafe and stopper that go straight into the fridge. One batch makes about a week of iced coffee for one or two people.

Who should buy it: Anyone who drinks iced coffee most days and wants a tidy weekly routine. If you also brew hot coffee, it sits happily next to a drip machine like the ones in our coffee maker with a grinder guide.

2. Toddy Cold Brew System: Best for Big Batches

The Toddy design has barely changed in decades. A felt filter sits in the bottom of a plastic brewing container, with a rubber stopper in the drain hole. After the steep, you set the container on the glass decanter and pull the stopper.

The felt filter is the reason people stay loyal to it. Felt is much finer than metal mesh, so it catches the tiny coffee particles that make cold brew taste muddy. Add one of Toddy’s paper filter bags on top and the result is very clean, smooth concentrate.

The trade-off is a little more care. The felt pad should be rinsed with plain water, never soap, and kept damp in a sealed bag in the fridge between uses. Toddy suggests replacing it after a few months of regular use.

Who should buy it: Households with two or more cold brew drinkers, or anyone who wants one brew day a week and the smoothest result. Check Price on Amazon

3. Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker, 2 Quart: Best Budget Pitcher

The Takeya is the simplest step up from a jar. You fill the mesh insert with coarse coffee, screw it into the lid, add cold water and put the pitcher in the fridge. When it’s ready, pull the insert out and the sealed pitcher becomes your storage jug.

Unlike the OXO, the grounds steep inside the same pitcher you pour from. There is no second container and no drain step, which makes it the cheapest and least fussy pick here. Takeya also sells a borosilicate glass version if you’d rather skip plastic.

Who should buy it: First-time cold brew makers who want to try it cheaply. It is also a good second pitcher if you already use one of Takeya’s iced tea makers, since the shape and lids feel the same.

4. OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker: Best for Small Kitchens

This is the big OXO shrunk down for one person. It keeps the Rainmaker lid and stainless mesh filter, but the brewer sits right on top of a small glass carafe instead of a tall stand.

That changes how it lives in a small kitchen. Assembled, it steeps on a fridge shelf. Afterward, the pieces nest together, which matters if your cabinets are full, as our guide to storing small appliances explains. A batch makes about five to seven diluted drinks, which suits one person’s week.

Who should buy it: Solo coffee drinkers, studio and dorm kitchens, and anyone who wants cold brew without giving up a shelf. It pairs well with our list of small kitchen gadgets worth buying when you cook for one.

5. Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot, 1 Liter: Best All-Glass, Ready to Drink

“Mizudashi” is Japanese for cold water brewing. Hario’s pot works differently from every other maker on this list. It is built to make cold brew you drink as it is, not a concentrate you mix.

You put coarse coffee in the long mesh basket, fill the pot with cold water, and leave it in the fridge for around eight hours. Then you lift the basket out and pour. There is no diluting and no second jug.

The shape is the other advantage. The pot is narrow and tall, so it slides into a fridge door. If you want a glass cold brew maker, this is the closest pick. Only the lid and basket frame are plastic.

Who should buy it: People who drink cold brew black, straight over ice, and want the least effort each time. Check Price on Amazon

6. KitchenAid 38-Ounce Cold Brew Coffee Maker: Best for Pouring From the Fridge

The KitchenAid looks like a small drinks dispenser, and that’s the point. A reusable stainless steel steeper sits inside a glass carafe with a tap at the bottom.

You fill the steeper and carafe, then leave it in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Lift out the steeper and the concentrate stays put. From then on, you pour a shot through the tap into your glass, and nobody pulls a heavy jug off a shelf. This is the larger, current version of KitchenAid’s original 28 oz brewer.

Who should buy it: Households where several people pour their own iced coffee through the day. It also suits a small office or a shared kitchen fridge.

7. Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal: Best Fast Machine

Most cold brew makers ask you to plan a day ahead. The Breville Luxe Brewer is for people who never do. It is a full drip coffee maker with a Cold Brew mode.

In that mode, it soaks the grounds in room-temperature water for the time you set, then releases the brew into the carafe. A short cycle takes about 30 minutes, and a longer one gives a fuller taste.

That differs from an iced coffee setting, which brews hot coffee strong and pours it over ice. Because this Breville steeps with unheated water, the result is closer to real cold brew, though lighter than a 16-hour batch.

Who should buy it: Anyone replacing a drip machine who also wants cold brew on short notice. If you’d rather have espresso and a cold brew button, the Ninja Luxe Café in our espresso machine guide covers that combination.

Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee: Which Article Do You Need?

Cold brew never touches hot water. Iced coffee is usually brewed hot and then chilled or poured over ice. The two taste different. Cold brew is softer and less sharp, while iced coffee keeps more of the bright, fruity notes.

If you want iced coffee from pods, that is a different job. Our Keurig coffee maker comparison covers the models with an iced setting, and how to use a Keurig explains the over-ice method. For cold-steeped tea rather than coffee, see the best iced tea makers.

How Cold Brew Makers Work: Immersion, Slow Drip and Fast Machines

There are three ways to make cold brew at home. Six of the seven picks above use the first one.

Immersion

Immersion means the grounds sit in water for the whole steep. Then a filter separates them. The OXO, Toddy, Takeya, Hario and KitchenAid all work this way. It is simple, forgiving and cheap, and it makes the classic smooth, heavy-bodied cold brew most people expect.

Slow Drip (Japanese-Style Towers)

Slow drip towers look like lab glassware. Ice water sits in a top chamber and falls onto the coffee one drop at a time. It passes through the grounds and collects below over three to four hours or more.

The result is lighter and clearer than immersion cold brew. But the towers are tall, fragile and cost several hundred dollars, and the drip rate needs watching. That’s why none made this list. They suit coffee hobbyists more than busy kitchens.

Fast Machines

Fast machines shorten the wait. The Breville uses a timed cold steep with unheated water. Others use pumps or a vacuum to push water through the coffee faster.

Speed comes at a cost. Less time in the water means less body and a lighter taste. Fast cold brew is good coffee, but it is not quite the same as a long overnight steep.

What Grind Size Is Best for Cold Brew?

Use a coarse grind. It should look like coarse sea salt or dry breadcrumbs, not sand.

Coarse grounds release flavor slowly and evenly, and they are big enough for mesh and felt filters to catch. A fine grind over-extracts, tastes muddy and clogs the filter.

If you buy ground coffee, a bag marked for French press or cold brew is the right size. If you grind at home, use the coarsest setting on a burr grinder. A blade grinder makes a mix of dust and chunks, which leads to a muddy cup.

Cold Brew Ratio: Concentrate vs Ready to Drink

The ratio is coffee to water by weight. Weighing is more reliable than scoops, because coarse grounds take up a lot of space for their weight. A cheap kitchen scale settles it.

Style	Coffee to water	Example batch	How to serve
Strong concentrate	1:4	100 g coffee, 400 g water	Mix 1 part with 2 to 3 parts water or milk
Everyday concentrate	1:5 to 1:8	100 g coffee, 500 to 800 g water	Mix 1 part with 1 to 2 parts water or milk
Ready to drink	1:10 to 1:15	70 g coffee, 1,000 g water	Pour over ice as is

Both OXO models are set up for the strong end, about 1:4. The Toddy lands close to that too. The Hario is built for ready-to-drink brew. If a cup tastes too strong, add more water. If it tastes thin, use more coffee next time rather than steeping longer.

Concentrate also takes up less room in the fridge. A quart of concentrate can make two or three quarts of drinks. If you are unsure about measures, our guide to how many ounces are in a quart helps with scaling a batch.

How Long Should Cold Brew Steep?

Plan on 12 to 24 hours. Cold water extracts flavor much more slowly than hot water, so it needs time.

• In the fridge: 16 to 24 hours. Slower, and a little cleaner tasting.
• On the counter at room temperature: 12 to 18 hours. Faster, with a bit more body.
• Over 24 hours: Many batches start to taste flat, woody or bitter.

Start in the middle, around 16 hours, and adjust by taste. Steeping in the fridge is also the safer habit in a warm kitchen. Once you strain it, the brew goes straight back in the fridge.

How Long Does Cold Brew Last in the Fridge?

Strained concentrate keeps for up to about two weeks in a sealed container in the fridge. It tastes best in the first week, then slowly turns flat. Several makers, including OXO and KitchenAid, give that same two-week guide for their concentrate.

Diluted cold brew doesn’t last as long. Aim to drink it within a few days. Once you add milk or cream, treat it like milk and finish it the same day. Our guide to how long leftovers last uses the same “cold, covered, labeled” rules.

Two habits help. Always strain out the grounds before storing, since grounds keep extracting and turn the coffee bitter. And keep it in glass or a sealed pitcher, away from strong foods. A good set of airtight food storage containers works if your maker doesn’t come with a storage carafe.

If you won’t finish a batch, freeze some in an ice cube tray. Coffee cubes keep iced coffee from going weak as they melt. The same trick from our guide on freezing single portions applies here.

Filters and Cleanup: What to Expect

The filter decides how clean your cold brew tastes and how much work it is afterward.

Filter type	Found on	Taste	Cleanup
Stainless mesh	OXO models, KitchenAid	Fuller body, a little sediment	Rinse, top-rack dishwasher
Fine mesh basket	Takeya, Hario	Similar to stainless mesh	Tap out grounds, rinse
Felt pad	Toddy	Very clean and smooth	Rinse with water only, store damp and cold
Paper bag or filter	Toddy, add-on for others	Cleanest cup	Throw away with the grounds

Wet coffee grounds are heavy and clumpy, so the easiest way out is a firm tap into the trash or compost. Don’t wash grounds down the sink. They collect in the drain trap, a problem we cover in organizing under the kitchen sink.

Rinse mesh filters right after use, before coffee oils dry on them. Once a month, soak metal and glass parts in warm water with a little baking soda to lift the brown film. If you put parts in the dishwasher, keep them on the top rack, and run a clean dishwasher so old residue doesn’t redeposit.

Will a Cold Brew Maker Fit in Your Fridge?

Most makers spend a day steeping, then the finished coffee sits in the fridge for another week. Plan the space.

• Tall and slim: The Hario fits most fridge doors. The OXO Compact fits on a standard shelf.
• Pitcher shape: The Takeya sits like a juice jug on a shelf or in the door.
• Wide or tall: The big OXO and the Toddy usually steep on the counter, then only the carafe goes in the fridge.
• Frame with a tap: The KitchenAid needs clear shelf space and a little room in front for the tap.

If your fridge is already packed, start with our small fridge organizing guide. For a second spot to keep drinks cold, a compact unit like those in our mini fridge roundup can take the overflow.

On the counter, a cold brew maker only needs space during the steep. If counters are tight, these ways to make more counter space help. Our countertop organization ideas also show how to set up a small coffee corner.

Picking Coffee Beans for Cold Brew

Cold brew mutes the bright, sour notes in coffee and brings out chocolate, nut and caramel flavors. That’s why medium and darker roasts are the usual choice. Light roasts can taste flat when cold brewed, though some people like their softer fruit notes.

Freshness still matters. Buy whole beans roasted within the last few weeks and grind them coarse right before you brew. If you want a roaster that ships fresh beans, Equator Coffees roasts a wide range, including blends that suit a long cold steep.

Concentrate is handy beyond iced coffee. Try it in a bulletproof coffee without a blender, or with a plant milk from our substitutes for whole milk. For a hot cup, top it up with water from an electric kettle. And since non-electric brewers use no power, they fit our eco-friendly alternatives to common kitchen appliances.

Which Cold Brew Coffee Maker Should You Buy?

• You drink cold brew most days and want the easiest routine: OXO Good Grips Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
• You want the smoothest concentrate in the biggest batch: Toddy Cold Brew System.
• You want to try cold brew for little money: Takeya Deluxe Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
• You live alone or your kitchen is tiny: OXO Brew Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
• You drink it black and want glass with no mixing: Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot.
• Several people pour their own glasses: KitchenAid 38-Ounce Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
• You never plan a day ahead: Breville Luxe Brewer Thermal.

One rule beats any gear choice. Weigh a coarse grind, steep about 16 hours, and strain before it goes in the fridge. Get those right and every maker on this list makes good cold brew. For more appliances that earn their space, see our small kitchen appliances for cooking for one.

Related Guides

• Best Coffee Maker With a Grinder
• Best Espresso Machines for Home
• Best Nespresso Pod Flavors
• Best Ice Maker for Home Use
• How to Use a Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker
• Store Small Appliances in a Small Kitchen
• Studio Apartment Kitchen Ideas

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best coffee to water ratio for cold brew?

For concentrate, use about 1 part coffee to 4 to 8 parts water by weight. Around 1:5 is an easy middle. You then mix it with water or milk, often 1 part concentrate to 1 to 3 parts liquid. For cold brew you drink straight from the jar, use much less coffee, roughly 1:10 to 1:15. Weigh the coffee if you can, since coarse grounds are hard to measure by the scoop.

How long should cold brew steep?

Most cold brew needs 12 to 24 hours. In the fridge, 16 to 24 hours works well because cold water pulls flavor out slowly. On the counter at room temperature, 12 to 18 hours is usually enough. Past 24 hours, many batches start to taste flat, woody or bitter. Strain it once it tastes right, then keep it in the fridge.

How long does cold brew last in the fridge?

Strained cold brew concentrate keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to about two weeks, and the flavor is best in the first week. Once you dilute it with water, aim to finish it within a few days. If you add milk, treat it like milk and drink it the same day. Always strain out the grounds before storing.

What grind size is best for cold brew?

Use a coarse grind, about like coarse sea salt or breadcrumbs. Coarse grounds steep evenly over many hours and are easy to filter. A fine grind over-extracts, tastes muddy and clogs mesh filters. If you buy pre-ground coffee, look for a bag labeled for French press or cold brew, or ask a roaster to grind it coarse.

Is a cold brew maker better than a mason jar?

A jar and a sieve make good cold brew. A cold brew maker mainly makes the straining part easier and less messy. Makers with a built-in filter let you lift out or drain the grounds in one step, and most also store the finished brew. If you make cold brew once a month, a jar is fine. If you make it every week, a maker saves time and mess.