How Much Coffee Does One Pod Make?

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In a 2023 survey published by Statista, over 30% of American coffee drinkers said their daily brew came from capsule coffee machines like Keurig and Nespresso. Odds are quite good that there's one in your home right now — and if you're a new owner, you're probably wondering how big of a cup you can get from a single pod.

To answer that question, we need to look at two things: the manufacturer of the machine and the pod you have. Let's say you have a basic Nespresso Essenza Mini, then it only offers two sizes: an Espresso (40 milliliters) or a Lungo (110 milliliters). You can tell which pod ought to be brewed for what size by looking at the capsule's weight. An Espresso-sized pod has five grams of coffee grounds, while a Lungo has seven grams.

If you get a Nespresso Vertuo, other than a prettier crema, you have more size options to pick from, too. There are seven in total: a Ristretto (25 milliliters), Espresso (40 milliliters), Double Espresso (80 milliliters), Gran Lungo (150 milliliters), Long coffee (230 milliliters), Alto (355 milliliters), and Carafe (535 milliliters). Depending on the model, you'll have buttons for a mix of these sizes, like in the case of the Nespresso Vertuo Plus Deluxe Coffee that has four sizes, and the Nespresso Vertuo Next that has six. If it sounds confusing, Nespresso Vertuo pods have printed-on barcodes that tell the machine exactly what size to brew. Just check the foil top of your pod to see what size coffee it'll make!

Keurig does things a little bit differently from Nespresso. Instead of making pods in many sizes, all of Keurig's K-Cup coffee pods all come with nine to 12 grams of ground coffee inside, meaning you can brew your coffee at any size your machine offers. Let's say you have a Keurig K-Classic, then you get three sizes: six, eight, or 10 ounces (no fancy Italian names for them, unfortunately). With the six-ounce option, you can get a concentrated shot of coffee if you like yours strong (this size is especially great for brewing espresso pods, like Starbucks' Espresso Roast K-Cups). Most people, though, should gravitate toward the eight-ounce option, which should offer the best of both worlds: a decent brewing volume to fill the cup and decent enough flavor without it turning watery. And lastly, if you have a larger mug or are using one of the Keurig dark roast K-Cup pods that needs watering down, there's always the 10-ounce option.

Some newer Keurig machines, such as the Keurig K-Select or the Keurig K-Elite, have an oversized 12-ounce setting, too. While you can certainly use it to make yourself one giant mug of coffee (it might taste a bit washed-out unless you're using darker roasts), a great use we've found for this setting is for brewing specialty pods. Dunkin' Donuts Hot Cocoa K-Cups turn out to work really well with the 12-ounce setting — the final drink is going to be full-flavored without tasting the least bit thin!