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Ninja Pods & Grounds Specialty Single-Serve Coffee Maker PB051 review

No. 8 of 10 in our single-serve coffee makers ranking · Updated · How we rank

Our verdict: The Ninja Pods & Grounds Specialty Single-Serve Coffee Maker PB051 ranks 8th of the 10 single-serve coffee makers we compare, with 7.9 out of 10.

Ninja Pods & Grounds Specialty Single-Serve Coffee Maker PB051

7.9/10

The Ninja PB051 brews K-Cup pods or your own grounds, from a 6 oz cup up to a travel mug, and has a built-in milk frother. It suits one or two coffee drinkers who want pods some days and grounds on others.

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Why it's here

  • Brews K-Cup pods in 6 to 12 oz or grounds in 6 to 24 oz
  • Classic, Rich, Over Ice and Specialty brew styles
  • Built-in fold-away frother for hot or cold milk
  • 56 oz removable reservoir

Keep in mind

  • Some owners find the coffee not hot enough
  • Pod adapter and reservoir parts are fiddly to clean
  • One-year warranty, and owners report slow support when a part fails

Why the Ninja PB051 scores 7.9

Each bar shows where it places among the 10 single-serve coffee makers in this guide, so a full bar is 1st of 10. How happy owners are counts for most of the score.

  • How happy owners are9th of 10
  • How many rated it10th of 10
  • How new it is4th of 10

Why it sits behind the Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso Machine

The Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso Machine (8.0) beats the Ninja Pods & Grounds Specialty Single-Serve Coffee Maker PB051 (7.9) because it leaves owners a little happier. The Ninja Pods & Grounds Specialty Single-Serve Coffee Maker PB051 is the newer design, but not by enough to close the gap.

About the Ninja PB051

The PB051 is a single-serve brewer with a 56 oz removable water reservoir. Pods brew at 6, 8, 10 or 12 oz. Grounds brew at 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 or 24 oz, so the larger sizes need your own coffee. The brew styles are Classic, Rich, Over Ice and Specialty. Target lists it as fitting a travel mug up to 8 inches tall.

Pods go in through a Ninja pod adapter. For grounds you use the included scoop and a removable brew basket with a permanent filter. A Best Buy owner answer says the unit also has a vinegar clean cycle, and that Over Ice brews come out hot but a little cooler than Classic so ice dilutes less.

The frother folds away into the body. A Best Buy owner answer says it froths milk but does not heat it. The machine draws 1500 watts on a US outlet and weighs 6.23 lb, at roughly 13.3 inches high, 5.5 wide and 13.1 deep.

What owners report about the Ninja PB051

Owners like how little counter it takes, and many find it easy to set up and use. The frother gets praise for working well and coming off for cleaning. Owners also use the iced and cold brew options and the choice between pods and grounds.

The complaints are more varied. Some owners say the coffee is not hot enough, or that the Rich setting does not pour the labeled amount. Others report false Add Water alerts with a full reservoir, error messages when brewing from the basket, and leaks or pods bursting. Reusable pod filters have clogged for some, and a few find the coffee weak or the instructions confusing.

Reliability reports are mixed. Some owners had units fail within days, and one reported a unit that stopped pulling water just after the first year. Owner answers on K-Cup compatibility conflict in places, though the machine takes only K-Cup format pods, not Nespresso capsules.

Who the Ninja PB051 suits

The PB051 fits a household that drinks pods on busy mornings and brews a bigger pot of grounds on weekends. The 24 oz grounds size and the Over Ice style cover travel mugs and iced coffee without a second machine. The frother adds a basic latte-style option.

Look elsewhere if you want guaranteed hot coffee or a machine you can count on for years: heat and early failures come up often enough to weigh. Keurig K-Classic is the plainer K-Cup choice. Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ suits espresso-style drinks from capsules. Hamilton Beach FlexBrew 49921 is another pods-or-grounds brewer.

Questions about the Ninja PB051

Does the Ninja PB051 take Nespresso pods?

No. An owner answer on Best Buy says it accepts only K-Cup format pods. It also brews your own ground coffee.

Does the Ninja PB051 frother heat milk?

No, according to an owner answer on Best Buy: it froths but does not heat. Target lists the frother as built in and fold-away.

How big is the Ninja PB051?

Target lists it at 13.3 inches high, 5.5 inches wide and 13.07 inches deep, and 6.23 lb. The reservoir holds 56 oz.

How do you clean the Ninja PB051?

Unplug it first and do not immerse the machine in water, per the manual. An owner answer on Best Buy says there is a vinegar clean cycle, followed by one or two pods to clear the taste.

What warranty does the Ninja PB051 have?

Target lists the Ninja PB051 with a 1-year limited warranty in its product listing.

Other single-serve coffee maker picks

The other badge winners in our single-serve coffee makers ranking.

All 10 single-serve coffee makers, compared

  1. 1 Keurig K-Classic Coffee MakerBest Choice 9.1 Check Price
  2. 2 Keurig K-Elite Single Serve Coffee Maker 9.1 Check Price
  3. 3 Nespresso Essenza MiniBest Premium 8.9 Check Price
  4. 4 Keurig K-Mini Single Serve Coffee MakerValue for Money 8.3 Check Price
  5. 5 Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ Coffee and Espresso Machine 8.3 Check Price
  6. 6 CHULUX Slim Single Serve Coffee Maker for K Cup 8.3 Check Price
  7. 7 Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso Machine 8.0 Check Price
  8. 8 Ninja Pods & Grounds Specialty Single-Serve Coffee Maker PB051This review 7.9 Check Price
  9. 9 Mixpresso Single Serve Coffee Maker for K Pods & GroundsBest Budget 7.9 Check Price
  10. 10 Hamilton Beach FlexBrew Single-Serve Iced & Hot Coffee Maker 49921 7.9 Check Price
See the full single-serve coffee makers ranking

The Ninja PB051 on Amazon

Ninja Pods & Grounds Specialty Single-Serve Coffee Maker PB051

The Ninja PB051 brews K-Cup pods or your own grounds, from a 6 oz cup up to a travel mug, and has a built-in milk frother. 7.9 out of 10.

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How we score it

Every score here comes from our ranking model; no editor sets the order. Too few review sites cover single-serve coffee makers for their verdicts to lead, so this ranking is led by owners. It ranks products by how happy owners are, holding back any product few owners have rated until more agree. How many rated it and how new it is only settle close calls, and value for money earns its own badge rather than a higher place. We compared 20 models for this guide before settling on these ten.

Brands can't pay to be included or to move up. We last checked these picks in October 2026.

How we rank, in full

Where these facts come from