I tried Keurig's first dedicated iced coffee maker — here's my verdict on the K-Brew+Chill

The best Keurigs are some of the most convenient coffee makers you can buy, as they’re able to crank out a single cup of coffee in just a minute or two. However, to date, they haven’t been the best option for iced coffee drinkers, as their “brew over ice” setting often leads to a weak, watered-down drink. That’s all about to change with the brand’s newest model, though.

The Keurig K-Brew+Chill is the latest release from the popular brand, and it’s designed with iced coffee drinkers in mind. The brand claims that the new machine is able to make full-flavored, perfectly chilled iced beverages in three minutes or less thanks to its new “QuickChill technology.”

Naturally, we wanted to see if this new, innovative Keurig would live up to the hype, so we put it to the test, using it to make a variety of both hot and iced drinks over the course of two weeks. Here’s everything that iced coffee lovers should know before buying this machine.

Keurig K-Brew+Chill: Price and availability

One of the newest Keurigs in the brand’s lineup, the K-Brew+Chill has a fairly high MSRP of $199.99. However, you can already find it on sale for $169.99 from retailers like Amazon. It’s also available though popular stores like Best Buy and Walmart, as well as the Keurig website.

Keurig K-Brew+Chill: Features

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

The main selling point of the K-Brew+Chill is its ability to brew iced coffee and other iced drinks. Some previous Keurig models have “brew over ice” settings, but the liquid still comes out hot. Instead, the brewer just makes the drink stronger because it will end up diluted by your melting ice. The K-Brew+Chill is different—it has a new feature that the brand calls “QuickChill technology,” and the machine flash-chills hot coffee before dispensing it. This means your drink actually comes out of the machine cold and won’t melt the ice in your glass.

I was curious as to how, exactly, the machine cools drinks after brewing, but none of the product’s literature really explains how the QuickChill Technology works. My best guess is that water from the unit’s secondary reservoir (which is located on the back of the brewer) is kept ice cold and somehow circulated around the drink before it’s dispensed, but the brand seems to be keeping its cards close to its chest when it comes to the specifics.

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Beyond its QuickChill abilities, this Keurig is fairly standard in its design, and it brews hot drinks like normal. There are four drink sizes to choose from—6, 8, 10, and 12 ounces—as well as a “Strong” brew option. It has a 70-ounce water reservoir, and the brand notes that the machine uses “MultiStream Technology,” which saturates coffee grounds more evenly while brewing to extract better flavor.

This new Keurig works with all kinds of K-cups, including both hot and iced options. However, if you own a reusable K-cup, it’s worth noting that the My K-Cup Universal Reusable Filter doesn’t work in the K-Brew+Chill. There’s a footnote on the brand’s website that a compatible reusable K-cup will be released at the beginning of 2025.

Keurig K-Brew+Chill: Design

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

The K-Brew+Chill looks like your average Keurig at first glance, but there are a few design features that make it stand out from other models. Perhaps the biggest difference is the machine’s secondary water reservoir, called the Chill Tank, which is located on the back of the machine.

You have to fill the Chill Tank when you set up the machine, and it can’t be removed from the body of the brewer. I used the main reservoir as a pitcher to pour water into it, and the process was a bit tedious, as the opening is small and there’s no way to tell how full the tank is. The good news, however, is that this reservoir doesn’t need to be refilled—the machine just keeps recycling the water to chill down drinks.

The primary water reservoir is located on the front of the machine, and it has a round form that can hold up to 70 ounces. There’s a big handle that makes it easy to lift off and fill, and it’s easy to place it back onto the brewer, as well. The unit’s control panel has buttons for hot or iced drinks, as well as the different brew sizes. There’s also a small indicator light that lets you know when the QuickChill is ready to brew—if it’s not totally cooled down, your drink may come out a little warmer than expected.

Because of the Chill Tank, this machine is much bulkier than other Keurig models. It’s just under 10 inches wide and 15 inches deep, so it does take up more space on the counter than options like the K-Slim.

Keurig K-Brew+Chill: Performance

I tested the Keurig Brew+Chill for two weeks in my kitchen, using it to make both hot and iced drinks. One thing I noticed right away is that this Keurig has an inner fan that runs constantly to keep the Chill Tank cool. It’s not disruptive, but the noise is definitely audible from anywhere in the room, measuring in at around 42 decibels. The machine does have a “quiet” button that’s supposed to turn the fan down, and while the volume decreased a bit, I could still hear it running.

Hot drinks

I used the K-Brew+Chill to make several different hot beverages, including my daily mid-afternoon cup of coffee and an occasional chai latte, and its performance was comparable to other Keurig models I’ve used in the past. From the time I pressed start, it took around 15 seconds for the machine to heat up and start brewing and a total of 80 seconds to fully dispense an 8-ounce beverage into my mug, which is a lot longer than our top pick, the Keurig K-Cafe, which took only 36 seconds.

I also measured the temperature of my drink right after brewing, and it logged in at around 160 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a bit lower than the recommended temperature for hot coffee—which ranges from 195 to 205 degrees—but many of the other Keurigs we’ve tested have also brewed at this lower temperature. The good news is that hot drinks are much less likely to burn your tongue, but you might not be satisfied if you like your coffee piping hot.

One thing that sets the K-Brew + Chill apart is its its MultiStream Technology which uses 5 needles instead of 1 to puncture your K-Cup. This takes its cues from the best espresso machines — you'll always get the best extraction if each and every ground of coffee is saturated, which is why many drip coffee makers use something akin to a shower head to distribute water evenly through your grounds.

Iced drinks

I also tried several iced drinks with the K-Brew+Chill, and I like that you can brew any K-cup iced—it doesn’t have to be a designated “iced” beverage. When you first set up the machine, it takes around six hours before it’s ready to brew a chilled drink. There are two blue indicator lights on the control panel that let you know if the QuickChill technology is ready, and ideally, they should both be solid blue (not blinking).

Over the course of testing, I made several different iced beverages with the Keurig, including iced coffee, iced frappes, and even a fruity refresher. I would often brew them directly over ice, and true to the brand’s claim, the drink came out cold enough that the ice barely melted. The results were consistently better than other Keurig models with “brew over ice” settings such as the Keurig K-Elite, so if you’re an iced coffee drinker, this model is definitely the way to go.

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

To test the effectiveness of the K-Brew+Chill for making multiple drinks, I used it to make two 8-ounce iced coffees in succession. For the first drink, it took around 45 seconds to begin brewing and a total of 105 seconds (a little less than two minutes) to fully dispense the drink. The drink came out of the machine at 54 degrees Fahrenheit (without any ice in the cup).

After each iced drink, the machine runs a rinse cycle, which takes around a minute, then it’s ready to use again. After making the first iced drink, one of the two indicator lights was blinking, meaning the Chill Tank isn’t fully cold but still usable. When I brewed a second drink, it took the same amount of time as the first beverage, but the temperature was 68.5 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s still much cooler than if you brewed a hot drink, but the machine’s cooling abilities do deplete after each brew. I found that the machine generally needs around 30 minutes before both indicator lights are solid again, indicating a full charge in the Chill Tank.

In terms of noise level, both the hot and iced brewing cycles measured between 50 and 55dB, and the loudest aspect is generally just the liquid splashing into the cup or the gurgling at the end of the cycle. However, the rinse cycle is a bit noisier, clocking in at around 60-65dB.

Keurig K-Brew+Chill: Ease of Use

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Despite having some new, advanced features, the K-Brew+Chill is just as easy to operate as other Keurigs. All you have to do is put a K-cup into the brewer, then select whether you want a hot or iced drink. You choose the beverage size, then press the large button in the center of the control panel to start brewing. It’s that easy—there are no complicated menus to navigate or extra settings to select—and the area under the spout is large enough for most mugs, travel cups, and even large glasses for iced beverages.

If you’re making iced drinks, you will need to regularly empty the drip tray, which quickly fills up with liquid from the machine’s rinse cycle. It has a red indicator that floats up when the tray becomes full, and you can simply pull the tray out and empty it in a sink. I found that it generally needs to be emptied after three beverages, but I got into the habit of emptying it after every drink, as I didn’t like seeing the mucky rinse water in the machine. This aspect does make the K-Brew+Chill a bit more high-maintenance than other models, which only catch drips and overflow in their trays.

Should you buy the Keurig K-Brew+Chill?

If you’re an avid iced coffee drinker, the Keurig K-Brew+Chill will likely be the perfect machine. Thanks to the new QuickChill technology, the coffee maker is able to brew rich, flavorful drinks that come out nice and cold—generally around 55 degrees Fahrenheit—so they won’t melt the ice. It’s a far superior method to the “Brew Over Ice” setting on past Keurig machines, which often leaves you with a weak, watered-down drink.

That said, if you mostly drink hot coffee, this Keurig may be more hassle than it’s worth. Unlike other models, it has a fan that runs constantly, which can be a bit annoying, and it’s much bulkier than other units. So for hot coffee drinkers, we’d recommend a more basic model like the Keurig K-Elite, which is also less expensive.