Coffee machines are super appliances to have in your kitchen but sometimes they can get a little bit unwieldy and difficult to store, especially if you are tight on counter space.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best under cabinet coffee makers that fit really snugly inside or below your kitchen cabinets, saving you space and still allowing you to make good coffee.
The alternative is to get a smaller coffee making device like a small French press or an Aeropress, but with those, you’ll still need a separate hot water kettle(you could just heat water up on the stove, but it will take a lot longer).
Aside from homes, offices and commercial spaces can also be cramped so an under cabinet coffee maker is useful to have in those cases, too.
Just because you may be tight on space does not mean you can’t have a good coffee maker. However, you will need to sacrifice some things like capacity and brew options, as you can’t always have something that fits a specific location but still has all the features of a bigger coffee maker.
With that said, there’s two dedicated under cabinet coffee makers that we’ll talk about, and a few other models that are pretty tiny that you can use as an under cabinet coffee maker with some clever placement.
8 Best Under Cabinet Coffee Makers
1. Black & Decker SpaceMaker SCM2000BD Under Cabinet Coffee Maker
Capacity: 8 cups
Programmable: Yes
Carafe: Stainless steel thermal carafe
Black & Decker actually makes a few different variations of this very coffee maker, the SCM1000BD and the SCM850BD. There are not really any major differences between the models aside from the size and the kind of carafe used.
The Black & Decker SCM2000BD we’re looking at here uses a thermal carafe. The machine itself is pretty aesthetically pleasing, with aluminum accents and a sleek design.
It has a spill-free pour button, and it is fully programmable with the digital buttons. The filter basket is reusable, which is a nice touch – you don’t have to keep buying new paper filters.
As we said above, the stainless steel thermal carafe is a good addition as it helps maintain the temperature of the coffee for a very long time. It’s got a decent capacity, being able to hold 8 cups of coffee.
The carafe is designed in a way that coffee will not spill easily. There is a little “serve” button that you use to open the spout and pour out a cup of coffee.
Like most coffee makers, the SCM2000BD has a built in water reservoir and auto shut off.
However, it’s not all roses when it comes to this under cabinet coffee maker.
Even though it looks great and saves on sometimes tight space, there have been reports of carafes being defective, leaking, or not really keeping coffee hot for long enough.
Positives are of course the space saving feature, and it generally brews a decent cup of coffee, provided you’re using good coffee grounds at the correct consistency!
Installation is where it gets a little dicey, unfortunately. You may find that installation is not as straightforward as you expected, and you’ll have to do some modifications to your cabinet bottom to get the machine to fit and mount properly.
There have also been some complaints of leaky carafes, but interestingly enough, that’s actually due to a bit of a design blunder by Black & Decker.
The carafe has a maximum capacity of 8 cups, and if you overfill, you’ll naturally be susceptible to leaks. However, the 8 cup mark is about halfway in the carafe – not further up as you would expect! That’s why it’s easy to overfill the carafe if you’re not careful.
If you’re tight on space or you want a decent coffee maker for your RV that still leaves you with valuable counter space, then the SCM2000BD is a definite option to consider.
The fact that the carafe clips into the coffee maker will also make it safe from any jerks and bumps during a rough patch of road if you mount it in your RV.
Remember, get this machine if your priority is saving space!
Overall, this is a pretty costly machine and you’ll have to make a decision if the hefty price tag is worth the gained counter space or not.
2. BrewMatic Built In Coffee Maker
Capacity: Single serve
Programmable: No
Carafe: None
Although the BrewMatic has not been available for a while, I still decided to include it in this post as it’s a really cool design and perhaps it will become available again soon!
The BrewMatic is a sleeker, more compact under cabinet coffee maker than even the Black & Decker SCM2000BD. Instead of having a carafe that clips onto the coffee maker, this coffee maker brews directly into a travel mug (or jug).
There’s no water reservoir either, as the coffee maker is directly plumbed. You’ll have to make note of this when you choose a place to install it, as it will need to be close to a water line so you can plumb it.
The compactness of this model just can’t be beaten, I think. Aside from that, it’s pretty standard. Buttons let you control the time and amount of coffee, and hot water will percolate down through the filter into whatever you’re using to catch the coffee.
You don’t have to use a travel mug or jug: if you’re brewing a single cup, you can just place a cup or mug under the machine and that will work just as well. Just make sure you align it correctly, otherwise you’ll have coffee all over your counter!
Note: The two models above are the only two comparatively reliable models that we were able to find that are actually under cabinet coffee makers.
If you’re looking for something that will save space, here are some of our favorite picks for space saving coffee makers. We’ve listed them here because the underlying need behind an under cabinet coffee maker is essentially space.
So if you don’t like the two options above, you can still get a small profile coffee maker that you can adjust easily even on a tight counter.
3. Brew Express BE-110 Wall Mountable Coffee Maker
Capacity: 10 cups
Programmable: Yes
Carafe: Stainless steel thermal carafe
If an under the counter coffee maker does not work for you, the next best thing to try is a recessed coffee maker. This kind of coffee maker will fit inside your kitchen wall, saving you quite a bit of countertop real estate in front of the machine that you can use.
A regular coffee machine may end up taking most of the counter space and not leaving much.
The Brew Express BE-110 leaves just around 4 inches of the machine exposed, with the rest inside your wall.
Of course, this means you’ll have to cut a hole in your kitchen wall and you’re pretty much making it permanent. That’s the trade-off for counter space, I guess.
Aside from that, the BE-110 shines as a coffee maker. It is directly plumbed so you don’t need to worry about filling the reservoir(or indeed emptying it). You can adjust the amount of coffee to brew, as well as program it on a timer so you can wake up to a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
The BE-110 is meant to be a kind of permanent addition into your home, so the higher price point is kind of justified, considering that you will expect it to last you for at least a few years.
The manufacturer has rated the machine for thousands of brew cycles so you should not have any issues in that department.
Finally, the main disadvantage of this machine is that it requires a fair bit of DIY just to install the machine. You’ll have to cut a hole in the wall, mount the machine properly, and of course plumb it to your water line.
A good time to pick up this coffee maker is when you’re buying a newly built home or planning to renovate your kitchen.
4. Nostalgia BSET300AQ Retro Series 3 in 1 Breakfast Station(best under counter coffee maker for rv)
Capacity: 4 cups
Programmable: No
Carafe: Glass carafe
As a space saver coffee maker, the Nostalgia BSET300AQ is just brilliant. It’s not purely a coffee maker per se, but it’s actually a full featured breakfast station that has a coffee maker, a toaster oven, and a griddle.
The coffee maker and toaster oven are used nearly every day for most breakfasts, and the griddle is a good addition for the weekend brunch(or if you’re into skirt steak for breakfast every day!)
This is a really nice space saving option since it combines 3 appliances into a single machine. It doesn’t have the smallest footprint in the world but when you consider the amount of space these three things would take up separately, you end up saving a lot of space.
The griddle is non stick, has a lid for easy cooking, and the griddle and toaster tray can be removed for cleaning.
Compared to some of the other machines that can brew 8 cups, this machine has a bit of a smaller capacity but that’s okay. As it is, most households will brew around 4 cups of coffee or less per morning. If you have guests or need more coffee, you’ll have to brew twice.
You can brew up to four cups at a time in the coffee maker, and it brews classic dripped coffee. Remember to use the right kind of beans and grind and you’ll make decent coffee every single time.
Finally, the last huge plus point here is the price. For what it costs, you’re effectively getting 3 different appliances!
5. Chulux Single Serve Coffee Maker
Capacity: Single serve
Programmable: No
Carafe: None
The Chulux Coffee Maker brews coffee really quickly and it’s compatible with Keurig K Cups.
It’s got a super small footprint which makes it ideal for tight spaces.
The only disadvantage is that the water tank is rather small at just 12 ounces, so you’ll have to refill after pretty much every single brew. That’s a small price to pay for the tiny size, though.
This compact coffee maker is perfect if you’re looking to save space and are a fan of single serve coffee makers.
Did we mention it’s super budget friendly, too?
6. Elite Cuisine ECT-819 Toaster and Coffee Maker
Capacity: Single serve
Programmable: No
Carafe: None
The Elite Cuisine ECT-819 is a toaster and coffee maker combo that is effectively a single serve coffee maker as it can only brew one cup of coffee at a time.
Overall it is a very basic machine and does two very simple things: makes toast and makes drip coffee.
You can adjust the doneness of the toast up to 7 shades of browning, but there is no scope for adjust any settings in the coffee side.
It’s pretty tiny so there is no carafe either, but it does come with a mug that you can brew directly into.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of multipurpose machines because they tend to not do either effectively – you sometimes just end up with a mediocre toaster and a mediocre coffee maker.
The only situation I’d recommend this machine in is if you need your toast and you need your coffee, but you’ve got enough space for just one machine, like if you were shopping for an RV kitchen.
7. MaxiMatic 3-in-1 Coffee Brewer and Breakfast Station
The MaxiMatic is quite similar to the other breakfast station we mentioned above. Again, I’d like to stress that you should only get these kinds of machines if you’re absolutely tight on space. The toaster oven itself is also quite small, as is the griddle.
This model is great for an RV thanks to it’s compact design, and it’s also not that expensive. It’s also ideal for dorm rooms and small offices. You can pick up a croissant from the local bakery, heat it up, and enjoy it with a cup of coffee on your break.
However, if the griddle part or the coffee maker part or even the toaster oven part stops working, then you’ve lost counter space and you’re also out of an appliance. Overall, people seem to be happy with this machine so chances are low that it will stop working anytime soon.
8. Hamilton Beach 46205 Mini Coffee Maker
Capacity: 4 cups
Programmable: No
Carafe: Glass
This Hamilton Beach coffee maker brews up to 4 cups in a single go, and is quite compact at just 7 inches deep, 9 inches wide, and 14 inches tall. You can neatly tuck it away in a corner in your kitchen.
The cool thing about this machine is that the base is built on a swivel, which means you just spin the coffee maker around in place to access the water reservoir.
You have the option of 3 brew strengths, and you can also program it to brew at a specific time, so you can wake up to a fresh, hot pot of coffee.
There’s also a keep warm function but I’m not a big fan of that in general as heating the glass pot from below tends to overcook the coffee.
All in all, it’s one of the best compact coffee makers if you’re tight on space.
Best Under Cabinet Coffee Maker: Buying Guide
Size
The most important consideration with under cabinet coffee makers is size. How big or how small your coffee machine is will determine if you can fit it under a cabinet or under a counter.
Smaller machines will naturally have less brewing capacity, but chances are, if you’re living in a tiny home, you probably don’t have that many members in your household.
Fastening
The next thing to consider is how you’re actually going to wall mount your machine. You’ll need some hardware to pull this off, and unless you’re getting a dedicated wall-mounted machine, you’ll need to use some creativity to fit your coffee maker under the counter.
Brew options
Since you’re fitting a machine in a very tight space, you’ll need to make some sacrifices as far as brew options go.
Single serve is your best bet, since compact single serve machines like the Keurig K-Mini have a really tiny profile and can easily fit under a cabinet or counter.
Advantages of under-cabinet coffee makers
The main advantage of under cabinet coffee makers is the counter space that you save on.
Many homes just have small kitchens, and you don’t want a coffee maker that hogs up a ton of counter space.
Coffee makers designed for wall-mounting also save you the hassle of having to pull out your coffee machine, use it, and store it again every time you need some coffee.
Finally, if you are shopping for your RV or camper, under-cabinet coffee makers are the way to go.
Disadvantages of under-cabinet coffee makers
The biggest disadvantage of an under-cabinet coffee maker is that many options tend to compromise a little on brewing quality.
The manufacturers are trying to fit a lot into a tiny space, especially with the all-in-one machines, so it’s no surprise that they’ll brew coffee that may seem subpar compared to the coffee brewed from bigger machines.
You’ll also be a little limited on the number of cups of coffee you can brew.
How to store a coffee maker under a cabinet
In case you’re not a big fan of the choices above, there’s one other way that you can adapt any coffee maker to fit under a kitchen cabinet, and that’s by using a sliding tray like this one:
This tray is 12 inches long so you will still need to bear that in mind before getting a coffee maker to use with it. 12 inches is not that big when it comes to coffee makers, and you may find yourself relegated to using extremely compact machines even with this tray.
Frequently asked questions
Are there any 12 cup compact coffee makers?
12 cups is a lot of volume, so it’s kind of hard to find a 12 cup coffee maker that can fit in a tight spot. For starters, the water tank will be too big!
Do under-cabinet coffee makers only brew regular coffee?
I have not seen any under-cabinet designs that brew anything other than regular coffee. There are certainly highly compact espresso makers out there, but those require a separate hot water kettle.
Are compact coffee makers easy to clean?
If your coffee machine has a water line, you don’t need to worry too much about descaling. Also, single serve machines are good because there is no pot that you have to clean every time you decide to sneak a cup!
Conclusion
So there you have it. These under cabinet and mountable coffee maker picks are meant for tight spaces and are good choices only if you’re really prioritizing space over everything else.
If you decide to allot more counter space for your coffee brewing, I highly recommend you check out some of our suggestions on drip coffee makers and espresso machines.
Last update on 2024-07-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
