10 Best Instant Coffees in the UK: 2024 Reviews & Top Picks

Instant coffee is quick and easy to prepare, and it provides a uniform tasting drink every time. That is why 80% of the UK households buy at least some instant coffee for consumption at home. In recent years, as well as seeing an expansion in the range of standard instant coffees that are available, we have also seen a number of instants that try to replicate the taste of specialty coffees, like Americanos, Lattes, and Cappuccinos, but without the need for a coffee machine or the time it takes to prepare one.

Although the instant coffee market is dominated by Nescafe and their various brands, there are other companies that make popular and great-tasting instant coffee. Below, you can find reviews of 10 of the best instant coffees in the UK, including decaf and specialty coffees, as well as a guide to help you choose the best instant for your caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption habits.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favourites in 2024

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Nescafe Gold Blend Origins Alta Rica	Not a bad price for a premium instant coffee Flavours of chocolate, nut, and caramel Made from 10% Arabica beans for its smoother flavour	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Refill	Cheap Refill bags mean 97% less packaging material Mild flavours of fruit	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		Clipper Organic Latin American Instant Coffee	Organic coffee granules Made from 100% Arabica beans Fairtrade certified coffee	CHECK PRICE
		Douwe Egberts Pure Gold Instant Coffee Refill	97% less packaging with refill packs Medium-roast offers a well-rounded flavour that isn’t too bitter Good price for decent coffee	CHECK PRICE
		Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee	Replicates a barista-style Americano drink Fine powder more easily dissolves than granules Gives an authentic creamy crema on top of the drink	CHECK PRICE

The 10 Best Instant Coffees in the UK

1. Nescafe Gold Blend Origins Alta Rica – Best Overall

It is almost impossible to overlook Nescafe when talking about instant coffees. As well as their standard lines, they also have a range of more premium instants, including Nescafe Gold Blend Origins Alta Rica, which uses 100% Arabica beans, grown at high altitudes, and dark roasted, to give it an intense and deep flavour that is reminiscent of a “proper” coffee taste. As well as the intense coffee flavour, Alta Rica has flavours of cacao, or chocolate, as well as some caramel and nut aftertaste.

Gold Blend Alta Rica is more expensive than the original Gold Blend brand but is still reasonably priced for a premium instant coffee. Some drinkers have complained that its flavour changed after being rebranded, although Nestle insists that the recipe is still the same. Alta Rica is the best available instant coffee in the UK for those that like a dark and intense instant, and especially those that like a chocolaty flavour and deep aroma.

2. Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Refill – Best Value

While Nescafe might be the biggest name in instant coffee in the UK, Kenco has a legion of followers, with their Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee being one of their most popular blends. The company claims that it is a medium roast, but it tastes more like a medium/dark roast.

Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Refill bags come in a packet, rather than the glass jar, which Kenco says reduces packaging by 97%. This does mean that you will need to have an existing jar that you keep cleaning and reusing, or some other container, but it helps reduce total glass and plastic waste.

The relatively low cost of Kenco Smooth Instant Coffee Refill, combined with its smooth and enjoyable flavour, makes it the best instant coffee in the UK for the money, but Kenco’s medium roast beans might prove a little too bitter for some tastes and is more akin to a medium or dark roast.

3. Clipper Organic Latin American Instant Coffee – Premium Choice

Clipper is well-known for its teas and infusions, but the beverage company has also branched out into making coffees and instants. The Clipper Organic Latin American Instant Coffee is certified organic and follows the company’s Fairtrade ethos, which means that its farmers are paid a fair wage and work in decent conditions. It is an expensive coffee, but it is a premium product, being both organic and Fairtrade.

The coffee is made from 100% Arabica beans from Latin America. It is medium roast to give a smooth but full flavour, although this is a mild tasting and smelling coffee, so it likely won’t appeal to those looking for a brewed coffee substitute or those that want a real kick to wake them up in the morning.

4. Douwe Egberts Pure Gold Instant Coffee Refill

Douwe Egberts Pure Gold Instant Coffee Refill is a refill pack for Douwe Egberts long-running Pure Gold instant coffee. Instant coffee granules are made by first brewing the coffee and then freeze drying the brewed drink, so that all you need to do is add water before milking and sweetening according to your taste.

Douwe Egberts Pure Gold is on the affordable end of the premium instant coffee spectrum, is a medium roast blend that offers a well-rounded flavour, and it smells appealing as soon as you open the pack.

These are refills, which save on packaging and waste, but they may necessitate having to decant the granules into another container. The coffee granules are also a little gritty, which makes them difficult to dissolve and you may face a coffee slurry at the bottom of the coffee without vigilant stirring.

5. Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee

Another from the premium range of Nescafe coffees, Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee is a powdered instant that is designed to replicate the flavour and aroma of an Americano, which is an Espresso with additional hot water. Its fine powder is described as a micro-ground coffee and while it can create coffee clouds, it dissolves more easily than granules so that you won’t be left with sludge at the bottom of the cup.

The coffee is made from a mix of Arabica and Robusta beans. Although Robusta beans are less expensive than Arabica, they also have a higher caffeine content and can help to give a more authentic barista flavour in drinks like this. The inclusion of finely ground coffee beans, as well as ground granules, means that a cup of Azera does a reasonable job of recreating the crema on the top of an espresso, too.

Azera is an expensive instant coffee, but it does not contain any additives, or any ingredients other than micro-ground coffee beans. It comes in a tin, rather than a jar.

6. L’Or Decaf Instant Coffee

L’Or Decaf Instant Coffee is made by the same company as Douwe Egberts, but has undergone a decaffeination process to remove most, although not all, of the caffeine. Although this process can reduce the strength and aroma of the coffee in question, L’Or has done a good job of keeping their decaf blend close to the original coffee flavour.

Because of the way coffee is decaffeinated, L’Or Decaf Instant Coffee doesn’t replicate strong Espresso and those that enjoy bitter tasting coffee may find it a little listless. However, it is said to have fruit flavours and a well-balanced taste and because it is caffeine free, it is suitable for those with caffeine sensitivities or that want a warm drink at night, without the sleepless hours that can follow.

7. Nescafe Gold Blend Instant Coffee Refill

The Nescafe Gold Blend Instant Coffee Refill is actually six refill packs, meaning a total of 1.65 kilograms of instant coffee. If you only drink a cup or two a day, this amount of coffee will last around 18 months, so be sure you have room in the cupboard before buying. Nescafe Gold Blend contains a combination of Arabica and Robusta beans which have, according to Nescafe, been ground ten times finer, which means that they will dissolve more easily and more quickly.

Gold Blend is a cheap instant coffee when bought in bulk, although it was considered Nescafe’s premium line before the likes of Azera and Alta Rica coffees were launched. It is a smooth-tasting drink that satisfies most coffee drinkers, but it is a medium blend so is mild compared to some of the stronger coffees out there.

8. Cafedirect Fairtrade Machu Picchu Instant Coffee

Cafedirect Fairtrade Machu Picchu Instant Coffee is an expensive coffee, but it is a good tasting coffee, is more open about the beans it uses than most instant coffee manufacturers, and they reinvest back into the farming communities that help make their coffee.

This instant coffee uses 100% Arabica beans, which means they haven’t cut corners by adding Robusta to the mix. It is also a single-origin coffee, with all the beans coming from Peru. This means that you get a uniform cup of coffee because the beans are typically very similar to one another. And, while it is Arabica and medium roast, it has a strong flavour. Finally, Cafedirect says that they have given over £30 million back to their farmers over a 30-year period.

Cafedirect Fairtrade Machu Picchu Instant Coffee is a good coffee. However, it is expensive, costing double the price of some of the other coffees on this list.

9. Illy Classico Instant Coffee

Illy Classico Instant Coffee offers, at least according to Illy, the same flavour as the company’s ground coffee and coffee beans but with the convenience of an instant coffee. It is made from 100% Arabica beans and has flavours of caramel, orange blossom, and jasmine.

It is a mild tasting coffee, which does mean that you can taste the underlying flavours, but it won’t sate the appetite of strong coffee lovers. As well as being expensive, Illy suggests using 2 heaping teaspoons per cup, which means that it doesn’t take long to get through the tins, making it even more expensive.

10. Little’s French Vanilla Decaf Instant Coffee

Little’s French Vanilla Decaf Instant Coffee is decaffeinated, and it has also been infused with French vanilla flavouring. The coffee itself is made from 100% Arabica which means that it has a smooth flavour and finish. Despite being flavour infused, the coffee only contains 4 calories per cup and does not contain nuts or any other allergens.

It is best savoured as a treat, however, as it is very expensive. Although it is vanilla infused, the infusion is mild and the vanilla taste difficult to detect.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Instant Coffee in the UK

Although ground coffee and coffee beans have become increasingly popular, instant coffee is still the preferred way to drink this caffeinated beverage at home. It’s quick, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. But even instant coffee drinkers look for more from their brew.

Thankfully, there is an increasingly broadening range of instant coffees to choose from and, as well as deciding between caffeinated and decaffeinated, you can also find instants that claim to replicate the taste of Espresso, Americano, and other specialty coffee drinks. Although instant will never be able to replicate a well-made espresso-based drink, there are some great tasting and convenient options out there.

So, what should you be looking for, and is it worth bothering in the first place?

Benefits Of Instant Coffee

Debate will always wage regarding whether instant or ground coffee is better. While ground coffee tends to offer you more control when buying, other factors like bean origin and the exact type of bean used are benefits to instant coffee.

How Is Instant Coffee Made?

Instant coffee and ground coffee are made from the same coffee bean. However, while you brew ground coffee yourself at home, this process is done for you with instant coffee. The coffee company will roast the coffee beans and grind them before brewing large containers of coffee at a time. Once brewed, the water is removed through evaporation. The remaining coffee solid is usually freeze-dried, as a granule or powder, before being packaged and shipped.

How to Prepare Instant Coffee

Instant coffee is convenient and easy to make with the most difficult aspect being the preparation of the very hot, but not boiling, water. Follow these steps to make a cup of instant coffee:

1. Heat the Water

The water for instant coffee should be very hot but not boiling. If you can control the temperature your kettle heats up to, aim for between 80°C–85°C. Otherwise, boil the water and then let it sit for a minute before using it.

2. Add Coffee

While waiting for the water to heat up, add a teaspoon or two teaspoons to your mug, according to the instructions on the jar and your personal preference. Some people prefer to add the water first and then the coffee and you can choose whatever works best for you.

3. Add Water

Add the hot water to your mug of coffee granules and stir until all of the granules have dissolved. If you take your coffee black and sugar-free, your cup of coffee is ready.

4. Add Milk and Sugar

Once stirred, add milk and sugar, before stirring again. Stirring twice ensures that the coffee is fully dissolved before adding the cold milk, which can make it more difficult to fully dissolve the granules.

What to Look For

There are a lot of instant coffees on the market, with the likes of Nescafe, Kenco, and Douwe Egberts being some of the most popular. In recent years, there has been a large increase in premium and more specialty instant coffees for those that want the fuss-free benefits of instant but some of the flavour of ground and specialty coffees. Below are some of the key features and factors to look for, when shopping for instant coffee.

Caffeinated vs. Decaffeinated

Coffee beans are naturally caffeinated, and it is caffeine that gives us the coffee buzz. It is this that a lot of drinkers crave, but some people are sensitive to the stimulant’s effects, and it is generally recommended that you avoid caffeine within a few hours of trying to go to sleep. Decaffeinated coffee still contains small amounts of caffeine, but nowhere near the amount found in fully caffeinated variants.

Removing caffeine from the coffee requires soaking the beans before a solvent is used to extract the caffeine compound.

It is worth noting that the decaffeinating process does remove caffeine and it is caffeine that gives coffee some of its bitter flavour and the flavour strength. As such, a lot of decaffeinated coffee can taste mild and somewhat watery when compared to a fully caffeinated alternative.

Roast

The majority of instant coffees are medium roast. The coffee retains most of its flavour but isn’t too acidic, and this is preferred over mild-roast and dark-roast alternatives because it is something of a middle ground that will appeal to the largest number of people. Some instant coffees don’t list the level of roasting their beans have gone through. In this case, it is generally safe to assume that it is a medium roast.

Beans

If you’ve ever bought ground coffee or whole coffee beans, you may have been stumped by the varieties of beans and grounds on offer including Arabica and Robusta and including terms like “peaberry” beans. They typically also list the origin and sometimes even the specific farm where the beans came from. This is not typical with instant coffee.

Some, although surprisingly few, manufacturers will list the type of bean and even fewer list the bean’s country of origin. Traditionally, instant coffee is mass produced and uses a large variety of beans to meet the demand. It would also use Robusta, or be a blend of Arabica and Robusta, because while Arabica beans are considered smoother and better tasting, Robusta are cheaper.

Granules vs. Powder

Most instant coffee comes in the form of granules. The smaller the granule, the more easily and completely it dissolves in water. Granules require less grinding down during the coffee making process and this means less cost for the producer.

Fine powder is rare but is more likely to be seen in drinks that claim to replicate Espresso or Americanos. This is because the fine ground powder may contain some ground beans. This gives the crema or the bubbly foam that you see on a traditional Espresso, which can’t be produced with granules. Powder tends to be dissolved more easily and more completely than granules.

Flavour Infused

In the same way that you can enjoy a toffee-infused cinnamon latte at the coffee shop, it is possible to enjoy similarly flavoured instant coffees. The granules are infused with a particular flavour so that when you make your coffee, it takes on some of this flavour.

Volume

It is worth mentioning volume when looking at instant coffee because jar or pack size can vary from tiny 50-gram jars to multipacks that contain more than 1.5 kilograms of coffee. Buying in bulk typically means lower prices, but if you don’t drink a lot of coffee, you might find that the best before date lapses before you can finish it all. It also needs storing somewhere while not in use.

How Long Does Instant Coffee Last?

Before being opened, instant coffee can last anywhere from a few months to 1–2 years, depending on the manufacturer. Check the best before date for an exact period. Once opened, it can keep for up to 3 months, but if any moisture gets in the jar, you may find that it goes hard and is very difficult to scrape out. Keep open coffee in a cool, dark place, and do ensure that it doesn’t get wet.

Conclusion

Instant coffee remains the most popular way to consume coffee at home and more than three-quarters of people buy at least some instant granules or powder to keep at home. It’s quick to make, easy to prepare, and readily available. There’s also a wide choice of instant coffees to choose from. Above, we have included reviews of 10 of the best instant coffees in the UK, and a guide, to help you find the best for your tastes.

While writing the reviews, we found Nescafe Alta Rica to be the best overall. It has a stronger flavour than most, that gets reasonably close to the flavour of ground coffee and is reasonably priced. If you want an everyday coffee that costs even less, Kenco Smooth is an affordable choice, and when you feel like splurging, Clipper‘s organic instant coffee is flavourful and gourmet.