The 13 Best Instant Coffees of 2023

Best Overall

Mount Hagen Instant Coffee

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Organic, Fair Trade Certified, and deliciously smooth, Mount Hagen could top a myriad of coffee categories, which is exactly why we chose it as our best overall brew. (Spoiler: It also appears later on the list.)

Mount Hagen has been sourcing its coffee beans in the lush mountains of Papua New Guinea since 1986, and over the past three decades, the company has specialized in the instant blend. The reviews for Mount Hagen’s Organic Freeze-Dried Instant Coffee are overwhelmingly positive, with the majority of customers giving it five stars. Praise ranges from the product’s reasonable price to its travel convenience to its full-bodied taste.

"I first tried Mount Hagen while traveling and was so impressed with it I started keeping a jar in my cupboard at home (especially for when I'm too lazy to brew a full pot of coffee)," says Derek Rose, Coffee & Tea Expert for The Spruce Eats. "Instead of boiling hot water, I usually mix it with cold water and add ice cubes for quick and easy iced coffee."

One 3.53-ounce jar yields approximately 60 cups. Simply stir a teaspoon of coffee grounds with a cup of boiling water, and you’ll have ready-to-go joe that many say is even better than the real thing.

Price at time of publish: $12

Roast: Medium | Size: 3.53 ounces | Packaging Options: Glass jar, single-serve sticks, and doypack bag | Available In: Instant and ground

Best Organic

Four Sigmatic Instant Mushroom Coffee With Lion's Mane

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Four Sigmatic coffee is not only certified organic, but it is also good for you. This Finnish-origin company chose this name because, as they explain, Four Sigmatic foods are the most nutrient-dense on the planet. Included in these 100 foods are mushrooms, called Chaga, which this patented mushroom coffee is made from. The company sources its mushrooms from all over the world with an emphasis on quality. Then, it employs third-party tests to ensure purity levels and the absence of pesticides and mycotoxins. Luckily, the mushroom taste is almost entirely masked by the familiar and balanced notes of medium roast coffee. Some customers mention that the coffee has a less pleasant smell than typical coffee, though.

Four Sigmatic makes four varieties of instant coffee, each with its own aims: Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps, Adaptogen, and Mushroom Mocha. Four Sigmatic is pricy for instant coffee, but its beloved taste might make up for the extra bucks.

Price at time of publish: $14 for 10-count box

Roast: Medium | Size: 10-count box or 2.56-ounce jar | Packaging Options: Single-serve packets | Available In: Instant, ground, and pods

Best Single-Serve

Joe Coffee The Daily Specialty Instant Coffee

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Joe Coffee has been a New York favorite since 2003. Customers have gone nuts for these beans, and for good reason. All of Joe’s coffee goes through a rigorous selection process to ensure the highest quality—and its instant coffee is no different. These grounds balance the brightness of a medium roast with the sweetness of milk chocolate and caramel. It’s barista-worthy coffee that you can take anywhere (just grab your travel mug and hit the road) and make any time.

Great taste and convenience come at a cost, though, as Joe Coffee makes one of the priciest instant blends on the market, but it's one many customers will find worth it for such a delicious jolt of coffee.

Price at time of publish: $20

Roast: Medium | Size: 6-count box | Packaging Options: Single-serve packets | Available In: Instant, whole bean, and ground

Best Budget

Maxwell House Original Roast Instant Coffee

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Established in 1892, Maxwell House is one of the oldest and most trusted U.S. coffee brands for a reason: It gets the job done. Hot, dependable coffee when you need it.

Like its regular coffee, Maxwell House’s instant coffee is one of the most affordable on the market, comparable to large brands like Folgers and Chock Full o’ Nuts. Reviews on taste do vary: Some customers swear by Maxwell House’s instant coffee, calling it undervalued and just as good as more expensive blends, while others say that the taste leaves something to be desired. What every coffee drinker can agree on, however, is its affordability.

Maxwell House is also easy to find in-store and online, and if its classic medium roast doesn’t excite you, the company also offers a variety of instant coffee flavors, like French Vanilla, Toasted Hazelnut, Pumpkin Spice Latte, and more.

Price at time of publish: $5

Roast: Medium | Size: 8 ounces | Packaging Options: Jar | Available In: Instant, ground, K-Cup, and single-serve filter bags

Best Cold Brew

Cusa Tea & Coffee Cold Brew

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Standard cold brew needs 12 to 24 hours in the fridge before it's ready to drink, the longest brewing time of any coffee-making method. But these instant cold brew packets from Cusa Tea & Coffee shorten the process to seconds.

One of our reviewers received a free sample of Cusa's Coffee Variety Pack to test and enjoyed its blend of convenience and quality taste. He found the flavor smoother and less bitter than that of other instant coffees. This is largely due to the brand's signature Cold Brew Process, which uses room-temperature water instead of harsh hot water. One downside, however, is that the individual sticks make it difficult to brew extra-bold coffee, as they are designed for a specific portion size. Ways to strengthen the coffee include using less water or opening another packet when brewing. That said, the individual sticks make a terrific companion when hiking or traveling.

Cusa sets itself apart from other brands by offering a variety of flavors. There are traditional light, medium, and dark roasts (already a wider range than many instant coffees), as well as Mocha, Dirty Chai, and Lemon Dark Roast. Our product tester found that the sweetness of Vanilla Dark Roast paired especially well with soy milk. Cusa also offers instant tea sticks made via the same cold-brewing process.

Price at time of publish: $40 for 30-count bag

Roast: Sold in light, medium, and dark roasts | Size: 7, 10, 30, and 100 sticks | Packaging Options: Single-serve sticks | Available In: Instant only

Best Frozen

Cometeer Medium/Dark Box

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Even though Cometeer's coffee takes just seconds to prepare, it isn't technically "instant coffee." Standard instant coffee, those jars and sticks filled with powder or little crystals, is made by brewing coffee like normal then dehydrating it. With Cometeer (pronounced "comma-teer"), the coffee is brewed 10 times stronger than normal and immediately flash frozen for maximum flavor. Cometeer also works with a number of well-known roasters like Birch, Counter Culture, and Red Bay to provide an array of flavors and ensure the highest quality.

Cometeer sent us samples to test, and we were extremely impressed by the taste, ease of use, and recyclable capsules. To make hot coffee, simply rinse a capsule under warm water for a few seconds, empty the frozen coffee puck into your mug, and pour in 8 ounces of hot water. Making iced coffee may require a little foresight, as it’s recommended to let the capsules thaw for a couple days beforehand; however, our tester was able to melt the pucks under warm water and stir them with ice water until completely dissolved.

Boxes typically contain four types of coffee with eight capsules each, making for a count of 32 total. Options range from light, medium, and dark roasts to decaf and single origin. While the price shouldn't be compared to that of other instant coffees on this list, as Cometeer is a much different product, the boxes can be a little pricey. That said, it's worth the price for coffee that's just as fast as instant but tastes even better.

Price at time of publish: $89

Roasts: Available in light, medium, and dark | Size: 32-count box | Packaging Options: Recyclable coffee capsules | Available In: Frozen only

Best Decaf

Mount Hagen Organic Freeze Dried Instant Decaf Coffee

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Many have faced the conundrum of wanting afternoon or late-night coffee but also wanting, at some point, to sleep. The answer is decaf. That’s where Mount Hagen comes in with its freeze-dried instant decaf coffee.

If you’ve ever sipped a cup of decaf and found the taste to be weak and watery, you’re not crazy. The decaffeination process can drain coffee beans of certain chemicals that provide the rich flavors and aromas you love. As a result, decaf coffee, like instant, is often maligned. But this product shows that together, both decaf and instant coffee can be strong and tasty. It is made without chemicals, resulting in a pure and flavorful coffee. Like Mount Hagen’s other products, this coffee is organic, Fair Trade Certified, and reasonably priced.

Price at time of publish: $15

Roast: Medium | Size: 3.53 ounces | Packaging Options: Glass jar, single-serve sticks, and Doypack bag | Available In: Instant only

Best Splurge

Canyon Coffee Instant Coffee

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It sounds like an oxymoron: luxury instant coffee. But Canyon Coffee is precisely that. The company packages one cup’s worth of top-quality grounds into individual packets, ensuring the freshest tasting cup and making for a great travel companion. 

The beans are hand-picked and freshly brewed in the Yirgacheffe region of southern Ethiopia—an area that grows some of the most delicious and distinct coffee in the world. Every sip will burst with sweet notes of honey, jasmine, and peach. 

Canyon even teamed up with Swift Cup Coffee, a company that specializes in instant coffee, to produce one of the best ready-to-go cups you can buy.

The only downside is that Canyon can roast a hole in your wallet. Each box contains six packets and costs roughly $3 per cup, which is basically the going rate in an actual coffee shop. But customers return to this boutique roaster because of its coffee’s unbeatable taste.

Price at time of publish: $20

Roast: Medium | Size: 6-count box | Packaging Options: Single-serve packets | Available In: Instant only

Best Latte

Laird Superfood Mocha Instant Latte with Adaptogens

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This latte mix from Laird Superfood is a great option for those who want all the convenience of instant coffee with more body and sweetness in their cup. The brand offers multiple varieties of these mixes, including a matcha latte option and one with reduced sugar. Each mix is dairy free and made with a blend of adaptogens and coconut milk powder. We recommend starting with the Mocha Instant Latte variety, which we tried firsthand, because the chocolaty flavor takes precedence over the mushroom and coconut. Mushroom coffee is only growing in popularity, especially in the instant coffee field, but some people might prefer wading into the taste rather than diving in.

We were also impressed by how well the powder blends, even when we used a spoon instead of a handheld frother. No sludge in the last sip was a pleasant way to finish each cup and left us wanting more. The Mocha Instant Latte is sold in two sizes: 8 or 16 ounces, which respectively yield around 8 and 16 servings. It's pricier than standard grocery-store instant coffee, but if you're willing to spend a little more the flavor is worth it.

Price at time of publish: $16 for 8 ounces

Roast: Medium | Size: 8 or 16 ounces | Packaging Options: Pouch | Available In: Instant only

Best Medium Roast

Waka Coffee Quality Instant Coffee

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Medium roast is often overlooked, thought of as simply dependable but nothing special. But Waka Coffee, made of 100 percent Arabica beans, is a smooth and balanced Colombian roast, buzzing with citrus flavors. The beans are also freeze-dried, ensuring a fresh cup every morning, afternoon, and night.

Waka Coffee is available in a variety of size options, and its price is on par with competitors. You can start with an 8-pack box or go big with a 24-pack. Both options provide individual servings of coffee, making it easy to measure and easy to travel with. You can also choose between Waka’s 3.5-ounce bag and 8-ounce bag if you'd like to be able to adjust the strength of your cup of joe.

Price at time of publish: $12 for 8-count box

Roast: Medium | Size: 8-count box; 3.5 or 8-ounce bag Packaging Options: Single-serve packets or resealable bag | Available In: Instant only

Best Dark Roast

Starbucks VIA Instant French Roast Dark Roast Coffee

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Depending on your taste buds, Starbucks is either famous or infamous for its strong, distinct coffee. But the signature robustness is exactly what makes Starbucks VIA Instant French Roast so popular. Bold and smoky, this is one of the most reviewed and most purchased instant coffees on the market.

Even though Starbucks’ in-store prices are on the higher end, its instant coffee is surprisingly affordable, and you can order it in a variety of sizes, from an 8-pack box to a 50-pack.

And if you’re a dark coffee lover but prefer a sweeter undertone to the smokiness of French roast, Starbucks makes an instant Italian roast, rich with notes of sugar and caramel.

Price at time of publish: $49 for 50-count box

Roast: Dark | Size: 8 or 50-count box | Packaging Options: Single-serve sticks | Available In: Instant, whole bean, ground, K-Cup

Best Dirty Chai

Alpine Start Dirty Chai Latte

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A dirty chai latte comes from steeping masala chai tea in milk and adding a shot of espresso. Alpine Start put its own spin on the rich and fragrant drink with these instant single-serve sticks. The ingredients include black tea and chai spices to replicate masala chai, soy milk to make it dairy free, and instant coffee instead of espresso.

We received a sample of Alpine Start's Dirty Chai Latte and were impressed with the results. The powder blends into hot water well with just a spoon; some sediment may end up lining your mug, but it doesn't affect the taste or texture of the drink. As for the flavor, we found that the different elements stand out but don't overpower one another, leading to a tasty cup. There are roasted notes from the Arabica instant coffee, a gentle fragrance from the chai mix, and sweetness in every sip. The soy milk powder gives it a creamy, latte-like body as well. Keep in mind that each packet contains 10 grams of added sugar.

Boxes contain five sticks each. The product is expectedly more expensive per serving than normal instant coffee but won't break the bank.

Price at time of publish: $9

Roast: Medium | Size: 5-count box | Packaging Options: Single-serve sticks | Available In: Instant only