I tried Ninja's affordable drip coffee maker, and it's an essential for busy households on a budget

Weekday mornings are a struggle in my household. Not only do I have to get myself up and moving, but I have to gather enough energy to motivate my two kids out of bed to get ready for school. My morning routine is just about impossible without a nice, hot cup of coffee to energize me. But my previous coffee maker wasn’t programmable, so I had to stumble into the kitchen each morning and manually make a pot of coffee. Who has the time or energy for that at 6 a.m.?

Enter the Ninja Fresh Brew 14-cup programmable coffee maker. I was thrilled to get my hands on this machine, if only for the fact that I could set it up the night before so it would automatically begin brewing before my alarm went off. Plus, with a huge 70-ounce capacity, I could brew enough coffee for me and my husband to both have seconds.

I tested the Ninja Fresh Brew over two weeks and was pleasantly surprised by the rich flavor of the resulting coffee. I brewed full carafes, small batches, and everything in between to see how the Ninja measured up. By the end of my testing period, I honestly couldn’t imagine going back to a non-programmable machine. Read my Ninja Fresh Brew review to see why I’m a total Ninja convert and why I think it’s one of the best coffee makers for the price.

Ninja Fresh Brew Review: Price and Availability

The Ninja Fresh Brew 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker is available on Amazon in the U.S. for $119.99, and is not available in the U.K. at this time. You can also buy the coffee machine directly from Ninja’s website, as well as from big box stores like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target.

Ninja Fresh Brew Review: Design

The Ninja Fresh Brew is sleek and stylish, featuring a stainless steel finish, a glass carafe, and a removable water reservoir. It matched nicely with the other appliances in my kitchen, and its medium size was the perfect fit on my countertop.

The machine comes with a reusable filter, but you can also use disposable filters if you prefer. I stuck with the reusable one, mainly because the paper filters I had wouldn’t fit in the basket. If you prefer paper filters, you’ll need to buy #4 cone-shaped filters rather than the typical basket filters.

The removable water reservoir is huge — 70 ounces — so you can easily make enough coffee for a large family or for you and your guests. But the Fresh Brew also has a Small Batch setting that lets you brew up to 4 cups without compromising on taste. No matter how much you brew, the glass carafe pours smoothly with no drips, minimizing mess. And the warming plate is adjustable, so you can keep your coffee hot for up to four hours across three temperature settings.

Ninja Fresh Brew Review: Performance

The Ninja Fresh Brew is easy to use and comes with a well-written instruction booklet to help you brew your first carafe with ease. The machine has several settings to familiarize yourself with — Classic, Rich, and Small Batch — and I tested out each one to see how they measured up.

Classic and Rich settings

Brewing a Classic or Rich pot of coffee is quick and easy. Simply fill the reservoir to your desired level (up to 14 cups or 70 ounces), scoop ground coffee into the filter using the Ninja Smart Scoop (Ninja recommends one scoop per two cups), select Classic or Rich, and hit the Brew button.

The Classic setting brews coffee with a smooth, well-balanced flavor, while the Rich setting has a more intense flavor. I preferred the Classic setting — it brewed a richer coffee than I was used to, so I decreased the amount of coffee grounds accordingly.

I measured a maximum noise level of 65 decibels and an average of 47 dB. This is comparable to the hum of a refrigerator or the buzz of a quiet office.

The variable warming plate is programmed to keep a partial carafe of coffee warm for 2 hours, though you can still taste the difference when drinking a cup brewed several hours ago. A fresh cup was full-bodied and flavorful, while a two-hour-old cup tasted a bit stale. My previous coffee machine had a stainless steel thermal carafe, which helped the coffee retain its freshness for longer, and the difference in taste after switching to a glass carafe machine with a warming plate was definitely noticeable.

You can adjust the warming plate's timing to keep a carafe warm for up to four hours, though I wouldn’t recommend it unless you enjoy the taste of stewed coffee.

Small Batch setting

The Small Batch setting is intended for brewing one to four cups. I used it several times when I needed a quick coffee fix but didn’t want to brew an entire pot. The setting is optimized for the best flavor in smaller drinks, and I thought the taste was comparable to the Classic setting for a larger pot.

A four-cup carafe took just over five minutes to brew using the Small Batch setting, which seemed a bit long.

Delay Brew setting

I hate getting out of bed in the morning, but knowing there’s a freshly brewed pot of coffee waiting for me makes the process less painful. I used the delay setting every weekday, setting it to 6 a.m. and waking up to the glorious smell of brewing coffee.

Setting the time for your brew is simple. First, you’ll need to set the current time by pressing the hour and minute buttons beneath the time display. Then, press the Delay Brew button. The time display will flash, and you’ll set the time for your desired brew the same way you did to set the current time. Your coffee will begin brewing at the set time, simplifying your morning routine.

Coming from the OXO Brew 8-Cup Coffee Maker, which doesn’t have a delay brew setting, this was one of my favorite features of the Ninja Fresh Brew. I do love my OXO, but I’ve always wished I could set it to brew coffee automatically each morning. This setting was an absolute game-changer for my mornings.

Ninja Fresh Brew Review: Storage and Maintenance

The Ninja Fresh Brew is about the same size as any drip coffee maker and fits nicely on my counter without taking up too much real estate. After each use, I washed out the carafe and reusable filter with hot, soapy water. Both the carafe and filter are also dishwasher-safe. The carafe’s lid comes off completely, and it’s easy to rinse without leftover bubbles lingering inside.

The machine also has a cleaning function that Ninja recommends running if a full carafe classic brew cycle takes more than 25 minutes or a rich brew cycle takes more than 30 minutes. To clean, simply add a descaling solution or 16 ounces of white vinegar to the reservoir and fill with water. Then, press the “clean” button. The cycle takes about 75 minutes, so don’t run it if you need to brew coffee anytime soon. Once the cycle has finished, run a classic brew cycle with water only to flush out any remaining cleaning solution from the machine.

How Does the Ninja Fresh Brew 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker Compare?

The Ninja Fresh Brew has a much lower price than our top coffee maker, the Fellow Aiden, making it a better option if you’re on a budget. Although the Ninja’s glass carafe and warming plate don’t quite measure up to the Fellow Aiden’s double-walled thermal carafe, they do the job nicely. If you’re a coffee snob, you might prefer the flavor of the Aiden’s brew, but for the average coffee drinker (like me), the Ninja Fresh Brew is ideal.

Another top pick, the Breville Luxe Brewer, has a much sleeker design than the Ninja Fresh Brew, but that design comes with a hefty price tag. Both machines have removable water tanks for easy filling, though the Breville comes with a choice between a glass and metal carafe, while the Ninja only has a glass option. The Ninja also has a larger capacity than the Breville, so you can brew coffee for a larger group.

Should You Buy the Ninja Fresh Brew 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker?

At just shy of $120, the Ninja Fresh Brew is a solid option if you want a large coffee maker that can brew a decent cup of Joe. Its 14-cup capacity is ideal for large families, while the small batch option lets you make smaller amounts without sacrificing flavor. Although there are fancier machines out there that can brew barista-worthy coffee, you can’t beat the Ninja Fresh Brew at its price point. If you’re looking for a reliable machine that you can pre-program to brew a fresh carafe for you every morning, you can’t go wrong with the Ninja Fresh Brew.