15 Keurig K-Cup Pods For Iced Coffee, Ranked

I've been a diehard Keurig fan ever since I started drinking coffee. It's fueled everything from my late-night study sessions in college to my early mornings working. But, as an iced coffee lover, it can sometimes be hard to work out how to get a cold cup of coffee with the Keurig machine. Yes, some machines have the "ice" button, and there's now even a specific Keurig K-Iced Coffee Maker, but not all of us feel the need to go out and buy a new machine just for iced coffee. You can always brew your cup the night before and put it in the fridge overnight so it doesn't get watered down, but that can be difficult to remember.

Luckily, there's now an even more practical and convenient solution: Keurig K-cup pods made specifically for iced coffee. I was overjoyed when I found out these existed, and I knew I was the right person to test a bunch of them out and rank them from worst to best to see which one came out as the winner. Not all of these K-cups are specifically the "iced" ones, but they are ones that folks online talked about being good for iced coffee, and ones that seemed like they would dilute well when brewed over ice.

Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer/distributor/etc.

Coming in last place was one I really had high hopes for despite it not being a "cold" or "iced" K-cup variety: the Café Bustelo Sweet & Creamy Café Con Leche K-cups. The reason my hopes were high is that I've enjoyed the Café Bustelo espresso K-cups in the past, and I know the brand has a good reputation for making quality cups of coffee. When I brewed this cup, I first tried it out hot before pouring it over ice to see if there was any taste difference between hot and cold.

The hot latte was creamy, sweet, and delicious, and I could see myself having it on a chilly autumn day with a dash of cinnamon on top. When I poured it over ice, though, it was truly tragic. All of that sweetness got watered down, and the drink totally transformed into an unexpected failure, just tasting like a cold cup of water someone poured a little creamer into. It wasn't tasty, so because it wasn't good in the iced version, it had to come last (though the hot cup was amazing).

In second to last place is another one I had my hopes up about. I was anticipating the classic Dunkin' Cold K-cups to, before creamer, taste like a cold brew from Dunkin'. Yes, they are inherently strong (don't drink one before bed), but with cream and sugar, they don't taste offensive at all. This was sadly not the case with the Dunkin' Cold K-cups.

I followed the instructions on the box and brewed it right over a cup of ice (not in a glass, please note, otherwise the glass would shatter from the combination of extreme heat and extreme cold). When I stirred it around and tried a sip, it was the strongest cold brew I've ever tried in my entire life. It tasted more like cold brew concentrate. Not even the creamer I added in helped. I would recommend brewing this coffee over way more ice than the box instructions recommend in order to dilute it more. And if it's still too strong, I would split the cup in half, add in some water, and save the rest for another day. Because it required a lot of modifications to the original instructions and wasn't pleasurable to drink, it ranked low on this list.

With this next K-cup variety, I was quite excited to try both an iced K-cup from this brand and also this flavor in particular. I've found a lot of success with The Original Donut Shop Coffee K-cups, and I quite enjoy both mocha and almond-flavored coffees. However, I found not only this specific flavor, but every iced K-cup flavor from this brand, to be wildly disappointing. I think the brand needs to perfect the recipe a bit more for brewing over ice because I know it creates really tasty cups of hot coffee.

But this cup was just so diluted that it barely tasted like coffee anymore after I followed the instructions and brewed it over ice. I couldn't taste the almond at all, and the mocha flavor was just a whisper. I think if the brand made this brew stronger in anticipation of it being diluted over ice, the end result would be a lot better. But until then, it ranked pretty low.

Surprised? Probably not. Next in this ranking is another Original Donut Shop Coffee K-cup flavor: Iced Duos Cookies & Caramel. Almost the same tragedies happened to this brew as the last one, and it really was a shame. First, one of the duo flavors extremely overpowered the other (in this case, the caramel took center stage and shoved cookies into the wings). Next, the drink tasted watery and diluted, like it wasn't prepared to be brewed over ice.

Also, despite being truly watery, the drink was somehow unbelievably bitter and hard to choke down, even when a generous amount of creamer was added. The only reason this one didn't rank in last place was that, if you enjoy caramel (at least it had some flavor going for it) and really weak coffees, you'll probably enjoy this just the way it is.

Another brand that offers K-cups specifically in the iced variety is Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. And this brand's iced K-cups overall ranked way better than The Original Donut Shop Coffee's, so that's a start. I did not enjoy this glass of iced coffee by any means, but it did have a few things going for it.

Firstly, there was an identifiable hazelnut flavor in here that wasn't so weak you could barely catch it. This was also quite a dark roast, but I was appreciative that it wasn't nearly as bitter as a lot of the other flavors, so it had a more widespread appeal. If you want a slightly less strong coffee, try brewing it over extra ice, or add a splash of water in there. I couldn't taste the cream flavor or sweetness, but I wasn't mad about it. This flavor did what it needed to do, but I wouldn't re-purchase it.

In its intended form, I adore this K-cup variety from The Original Donut Shop Coffee. The Cookie Dough So Delicious flavor is sweet without being cloying, not too weak or strong, not bitter, and enjoyable even without creamer in it. It's the ideal K-cup. I was stoked to try it in an iced coffee version because of this.

However, it was not the move. The ice diluted it a lot to the point of it being unrecognizable from the hot coffee version. Despite this, there is a reason this flavor didn't rank last. If you brew this flavor, put it in the fridge overnight to cool down, and then pour it over ice in the morning, you have a truly tasty cup of iced coffee that's not diluted. With some of the other low-ranking flavors, doing that would not make the cup of iced coffee better, as there's no salvaging some of those. But for this one, there is a way to make it a great iced coffee, but it's just not as convenient as the ones that ranked higher.

Dark roast fans, this is the K-cup for you. The Kauai Coffee Nā Pali Coast Dark Roast K-cup pods were more unique than all of the other ones, featuring more environmentally friendly packaging with less plastic, and really beautiful designs on the box. This wasn't an iced or cold K-cup variety, but this still ended up being a great flavor, landing itself within the top 10.

Because this is such a dark, bitter roast, diluting it over ice didn't impact the flavor much at all. If anything, it made it more appealing to more people. For a less intense flavor, just brew it over more ice if you can. In a glass with some creamer, this ended up tasting like a cold brew you would get at a coffee shop, which is totally a win in my book (and don't forget, there is a Keurig trick to get even more flavor out of your K-cups).

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has made its way into the top 10, and it did it with quite a few flavors. The first of those is the iced vanilla caramel. Now, let me preface this by saying that the only people who would like this K-cup flavor are those who live and breathe caramel. Like, the people who order a caramel-flavored coffee every time they go to a coffee shop. If you're that type of person, you will be really into these K-cups.

The caramel flavor was rich and oaky, and there was a hint of vanilla in there (and I always add extra points for it tasting like what the packaging tells you it's going to). It was a bitter coffee, so there's no shame in adding some cream or sugar to it. Overall, it wasn't a horrible cup, but it wasn't a mind-blowing cup either. It was solid and will be loved by caramel iced coffee people.

Here's a brand that's yet to make an appearance on this list thus far: McCafé (which also ranked high in our regular K-cup ranking). The reason you haven't seen this brand's iced K-cup pods until now is that they all landed in the top part of the ranking. They were all that good. If the takeaway you're looking for from this article is what brand of iced K-cups to get rather than a specific flavor, McCafé is the easy winner. Every flavor I tried — hazelnut latte, mocha frappé, and French vanilla — was flavorful, not watered down, and crafted to perfection.

With this flavor called Iced One-Step Hazelnut Latte, it truly delivered what it said it would; a creamy, full hazelnut latte that, if I closed my eyes, I could believe came right from a coffee shop (or McDonald's McCafé, you know). I was shocked at the quality of this cup, and the only reason it didn't rank higher was that I just loved the rest of the flavors on this list so much.

Not quite cracking the top five is Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' flavor of Iced Cold Brew Original Black. Just from the name alone, you'll certainly be able to sus out the vibe of this iced coffee. It's cold brew, for sure, and it's a bitter coffee, for sure. But this is what, in my opinion, an iced cold brew K-cup is supposed to taste like (Dunkin' Cold, take notes).

This K-cup pod captured the cold brew experience without being aggressive on the tastebuds, bitter on the mouth, or not diluted enough. The amount of ice recommended on the box to brew it over was the perfect amount needed, and the result was truly a normal cold brew coffee that was tasty. Adding some creamer made it a great cold brew I will be returning to in the future, so if you want a plain iced K-cup with no extra flavors in it to start, this is the one for you.

Take this as proof that the Dunkin' Cold K-cups do have potential. The caramel flavor K-cup pod was completely on the other side of the spectrum compared to the regular cold flavor and for a reason. The caramel flavor in it was able to balance out that harsh, bitter cold brew flavor really, really well. Enough so, in fact, to get it within the top five spots of this ranking.

This coffee didn't have a diluted, watery taste, and the caramel was nice without being as intense as the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' caramel flavor. This is the K-cup for people who enjoy an iced caramel coffee, but don't need one every day to function. Overall, this was a perfectly acceptable iced coffee K-cup I would recommend for caramel enjoyers. And don't be afraid to add some sugar in there to slurp and crunch through your straw like you would at Dunkin'.

Turn on "Gilmore Girls," snuggle up in a cozy sweater, and light a scented candle, because this K-cup flavor immediately transported me to fall. The Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Iced Pumpkin Spice flavor (see, I told you Green Mountain Coffee Roasters had some top contenders in this ranking) was one of my favorites of the bunch. I will be keeping this box in my pantry until autumn hits, for when I can really appreciate and marinate in the pumpkin spice season (it's not basic, it's classic for a reason).

This iced K-cup did everything right. The coffee flavor wasn't watery when brewed over ice, the pumpkin spice flavor shone through without being too intense, and the end result tasted exactly like an iced pumpkin spice latte I would get at a coffee shop. If you're looking to make the perfect iced pumpkin coffee at home, you need to get these K-cups.

The fact that this K-cup didn't end up in first place is shocking to me, and I made this ranking. I truly loved this K-cup flavor so much, and I will absolutely be repurchasing it in the future. The McCafé Iced One-Step Mocha Frappé was out of this world unbelievable, and I hope you'll believe me when I say it tastes exactly like a mocha you would get at any coffee shop.

It was rich, creamy, sweet, chocolatey, and just wonderful iced. It even had me thinking about getting out my blender and blending up the iced drink to make it a Frappuccino-style drink (I think it would be refreshing and tasty). I was in shock about how amazing this K-cup pod was, and I couldn't believe that this amazing drink, which needed absolutely no alterations, came from just that tiny K-cup pod. It just didn't rank higher because it was more of a sweet treat with caffeine than it was an iced coffee — and this is an iced coffee ranking, after all.

Second place goes to yet another McCafé flavor: the Iced One-Step French Vanilla Latte. I was, yet again, blown away by the quality of this latte. I didn't need to make any modifications to this beverage, like adjusting the amount of ice I brewed it over, adding any creamer, or doing anything else to it, at all. It was perfect the way it came out.

If your go-to coffee shop order is an iced vanilla latte, you need to buy these K-cup pods. I think they're the perfect solution to keep in your cabinet for a rainy morning when you're out of creamer but still need your sweet coffee fix. I will also be repurchasing these K-cups, and if you're smart, you will, too. McCafé is just doing these iced K-cups right, and I hope it comes out with even more flavors soon.

I was floored when I realized that the top K-cup flavor in this iced coffee ranking wasn't one of the iced or cold K-cup varieties, but rather a humble Original Donut Shop Coffee K-cup. The Sundae Fundae latte flavor was immaculate. I first had a sip of this beverage while it was still hot to see what the original, intended flavor was, and it was wonderful. The hot drink was sweet and rich, but also more complex with multiple flavors at play.

When I poured it over ice and mixed it up enough until it was fully cold, the drink truly came alive. The hot version was good, but the cold version was even better. This was an expertly crafted latte at its finest, and it hit every single mark I was looking for. It was definitely a coffee (it did not give off a milkshake vibe), there was more than one flavor going on (and they melded together beautifully), it didn't need any modifications, and I found myself thinking about this flavor long after the taste-testing part of this ranking was over. See, The Original Donut Shop Coffee brand does know what it's doing with its hot flavors, and it just so happens that this one was the absolute best for iced coffee.

In order to fairly compare all of these very different K-cup flavors to each other (some not even being of the iced variety), I judged based on a few factors: Flavor, how well it diluted down with the ice, and how widely appealing the flavor could be. For instance, I'm sure there are some people out there who would love the extreme strength of the Dunkin' Cold K-cup and want their coffee to taste like cold brew concentrate. But for most coffee drinkers, that's not the goal.

I picked these K-cups based on what was available from Keurig in the iced and cold lines, and then did research to see what other non-iced K-cup varieties were out there that people enjoyed brewing over ice and drinking cold. With the coffees that needed creamer, I made sure to use the same one (Good & Gather Oat Milk Creamer Sweet & Creamy) to ensure consistency throughout.