A coffee maker with a built-in grinder solves two things at once: you get freshly ground beans for every brew without the extra counter space, extra cost, or extra step of a separate grinder. The downside is that the grinders in these machines are almost always a compromise — they’re not as adjustable or as precise as a standalone burr grinder. Whether that trade-off works for you depends on how much you care about dialing in your grind.
Below are our picks for the best drip coffee makers with built-in grinders — from a premium option with real adjustability to a budget machine that gets the job done with zero fuss.
The 3 Best Coffee Makers with Grinder at a Glance
- Best premium: Breville Grind Control
- Best burr grinder with thermal carafe: Cuisinart Burr Grind & Brew Thermal
- Best budget: Cuisinart Grind & Brew
Below, we cover who each machine is for, what it does well, and where it falls short. We’ve also included a buying guide and comparison table to help you pick the right one.
The Breville Grind Control (BDC650BSS) is the most capable drip coffee maker with a built-in grinder on the market. It’s one of the few machines in this category with a true conical burr grinder (most competitors use blade grinders or simpler flat burr designs) and eight grind-size settings that actually make a noticeable difference to the cup. You can also grind directly into a paper filter if you prefer pre-ground coffee — the grind-off option lets you use either.
The brew side matches the grinder’s quality: the Grind Control uses a showerhead water distribution system (similar to how specialty drip machines operate) and lets you adjust brew strength and temperature. The thermal carafe holds heat well for 1–2 hours without a hot plate that burns the coffee. Capacity is 60 oz (about 8 standard mugs) rather than a true 12 cups, which is still plenty for most households.
The trade-off is price and complexity. It’s significantly more expensive than the Cuisinart options below, and the grind adjustment is done via a dial on the hopper — it’s not as precise or as fast to adjust as a dedicated standalone grinder. But as an all-in-one machine for someone who wants consistently good coffee without managing two separate devices, it’s the best option in this category.
Best burr grinder with thermal carafe: Cuisinart Burr Grind & Brew Thermal
The Cuisinart DGB-900BC hits a strong mid-range sweet spot: it has a burr grinder (not a blade), a double-walled thermal carafe, and a 24-hour programmable timer — so you can set it the night before and wake up to freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee. The burr grinder has five grind settings, which is fewer than the Breville but still enough to make a real difference versus a fixed blade grinder.
The DGB-900BC brews up to 12 cups (10 standard mugs) and the thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for 2–3 hours without a warming plate. Like most grind-and-brew machines, you can bypass the grinder and use pre-ground coffee if you have a flavoured or specialty grind you want to use instead.
One thing to note: the grinder hopper holds about 0.5 lb of beans, which is on the smaller side. If you go through a lot of coffee, you’ll be refilling it every few days. The machine is also louder than the Breville during grinding — audible across a kitchen at 6am.
Best budget: Cuisinart Grind & Brew
The Cuisinart DGB-550BK is the most affordable way to get fresh-ground beans with your drip coffee. It’s straightforward: a blade grinder integrated with a 12-cup drip machine, glass carafe, and basic programmability. You won’t get the grind precision of a burr grinder, and the glass carafe means the coffee cools faster than in a thermal model, but for the price it’s a solid option.
The main limitation is the blade grinder itself: blade grinders produce an inconsistent grind (a mix of fine powder and coarse chunks) compared to burr grinders, which affects brew consistency. For daily morning coffee where you’re not trying to optimize every variable, this usually doesn’t matter much. For anyone who cares about extraction quality, step up to the DGB-900BC or the Breville.
The grind-off feature lets you use pre-ground coffee, and there’s a single grind-strength selector (regular or bold). Simple, reliable, and priced at roughly half the cost of the DGB-900BC.
What to Look for in a Coffee Maker with Grinder
Burr grinder vs blade grinder
Burr grinders crush beans between two abrasive surfaces for a consistent particle size. Blade grinders chop with a spinning blade, producing a mix of fine and coarse pieces. Consistent grind size = more even extraction = better coffee. For a grind-and-brew machine, a burr grinder is meaningfully better — the DGB-900BC and Breville Grind Control both have burr grinders; the DGB-550BK has a blade.
Thermal carafe vs glass carafe with hot plate
A hot plate keeps the coffee warm but slowly burns it — coffee left on a hot plate for 20+ minutes develops a bitter, flat taste. A thermal carafe holds heat through insulation without a heat source, preserving flavor for 1–2 hours. If you brew a full pot and drink it over an hour, the thermal is worth it.
Hopper size
Most integrated grinders have small hoppers (0.25–0.5 lb). If you buy whole beans by the pound and brew daily, you’ll refill the hopper every 2–4 days. Some people prefer this — fresh beans degas and the hopper empties often enough that you’re always brewing from recent stock. For less frequent use, a larger hopper is more convenient.
Programmability
All three machines here allow delayed start (set it the night before, wake up to brewed coffee). This is one of the most useful features on any drip machine — especially for grind-and-brew, where the grinding noise can be moved from your morning routine to whenever you program it to start.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Model | Grinder type | Carafe | Grind settings | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breville Grind Control | Conical burr | Thermal | 8 | 60 oz / ~8 mugs |
| Cuisinart Burr Grind & Brew Thermal | Burr | Thermal | 5 | 12 cups |
| Cuisinart Grind & Brew | Blade | Glass | 2 (Regular/Bold) | 12 cups |
Want a separate grinder for more precision? See our full breakdown of the best coffee grinders — from budget burr grinders to hand grinders — for anyone who wants to separate the two steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if counter space or simplicity is a priority. A grind-and-brew machine saves counter space versus a separate grinder + brewer and reduces the steps in your morning routine. The trade-off is that built-in grinders are less precise and adjustable than dedicated standalone grinders at the same price point.
A burr grinder crushes beans between two abrasive surfaces for a consistent particle size, which produces more even extraction and better coffee. A blade grinder spins and chops, producing a mix of fine powder and coarse chunks. This inconsistency leads to over- and under-extracted grounds in the same brew. The Breville Grind Control and Cuisinart DGB-900BC have burr grinders; the DGB-550BK has a blade grinder.
Yes — all three machines recommended here have a “Grind Off” or bypass option that lets you add pre-ground coffee directly to the filter basket. This is useful for flavoured coffees, specialty grounds you don’t want in the hopper, or when the grinder needs cleaning.
Grind the hopper down to empty once a week to prevent stale grounds from building up. Clean the hopper (the bean chamber) with a dry cloth every 2–4 weeks — coffee oils accumulate and go rancid. The grind channel and burrs need a proper clean every 1–3 months depending on use; a rice grain trick (running a small amount of uncooked rice through the grinder) helps dislodge buildup without disassembly.
It’s better for freshness — grinding just before brewing means the coffee hasn’t been degassing and oxidising in a bag since it was ground. Whether the fresher grind is noticeable depends on how old your pre-ground coffee is. If you buy whole beans and grind them fresh anyway (with a standalone grinder), a grind-and-brew doesn’t improve your coffee. If you buy pre-ground, switching to a grind-and-brew is a meaningful upgrade.
Any whole-bean coffee works. Medium roasts grind most consistently through burr grinders. Very dark oily roasts (French Roast, Italian Roast) can clog the burrs with coffee oils over time and need more frequent cleaning. Light roasts grind cleanly but require a finer grind setting — check your machine’s grind dial for the appropriate setting.
Hey there! I’m Austin and I love coffee. In fact, I drink about 5 americanos a day. I started BrewingCoffees because I wanted to share my love of coffee with the world. Before starting BrewingCoffees, I worked as a Barista for 7 years.
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