Ninja DualBrew Pro Review: A Versatile and Stylish Coffee Maker

It’s been a while since I’ve written about Ninja coffee makers, so I decided it was high time to step back into the world of this modern manufacturer. Hence, this Ninja DualBrew Pro review.

On the surface, the DualBrew Pro seems like a versatile brewer that could appeal to a wide market. But is it worth the cash? Let’s find out!

Overview: Ninja DualBrew Pro Review

The Ninja DualBrew Pro is a sleek and compact coffee maker from home appliance giant Ninja. While Ninja is perhaps most famous for its blenders and food processors, in recent years the manufacturer has also dipped a toe into the world of coffee gadgets.

As it happens, I’ve already got a couple reviews on the best Ninja coffee makers. But what about the DualBrewPro?

In many ways, the Ninja DualBrew Pro is similar to the Ninja CM401 Specialty Coffee Maker. They both offer four brew styles, several cup and carafe sizes, fold-away milk frothers and intuitive user interfaces. Really the only big difference between the two is that the DualBrew Pro is coffee pod compatible. Plus, with a $429.00 price tag it costs significantly more.

So, if single-use coffee pods aren’t your thing anyway, you might as well buy the more affordable CM401 model instead. If you’d like an even cheaper and more slimmed-down Ninja coffee maker, the Ninja CE251 is a solid budget option.

Now that I’ve given you a couple alternatives to consider, let’s get back to this Ninja DualBrew Pro review.

The DualBrew Pro is a pretty versatile coffee maker, given its ability to brew K cups, single-serve cups of coffee, iced coffee, concentrated espresso-esque beverages and regular carafes.

Plus, an independent hot water dispenser allows you to brew tea, hot cocoa and even ramen with clean, coffee-free water. Even better, this Ninja coffee maker has a fold-away milk frother so you can make the coffee and milk drinks of your dreams.

Given this versatility, I’d reckon that the Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee Maker has more than two brewing options – it’s got several.

Ninja DualBrew Pro Features

Now that I’ve given you the bird’s-eye view of this Ninja DualBrew Pro review, let’s look a little closer.

Size and Design

The Ninja DualBrew Pro is a stylish coffee maker with an attractive and modern design. While I could lament the prevalence of plastic in the design, especially considering the cost of the machine, I’ll let it slide for now. After all, plastic is pretty common in drip coffee makers, so I’m not surprised to see it in the DualBrew Pro.

Anyway, the DualBrew Pro is a pretty sleek machine, with a matte black body, shiny silver accents and a large sensor key display. What’s more, it’s quite compact and lightweight, weighing only 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms).

Even better, the movable water reservoir makes it easy to find an ideal counter spot for this coffee machine. I’ll talk more about this feature later on in this Ninja DualBrew Pro review. 

Interestingly enough, this Ninja coffee maker is equipped with a removable K cup adaptor, so you can brew either with pods or ground coffee. I suppose if you’re not using the adaptor you’ll have to store it elsewhere in your kitchen, which is a little inconvenient.

Another nice feature is the hot plate, which defaults to different warming times depending on the amount of coffee in the carafe. At a maximum, the hot plate can keep your coffee hot for up to four hours.

Admittedly, I don’t find the warming plate or K cup adaptor to be that useful. That said, I understand the appeal of these convenient features. Still, you’re definitely paying more for the K cup option, so it’s worthwhile to consider whether you actually need a coffee maker with such versatility.

User Interface

The DualBrew Pro has a seamless user interface composed of a digital display, sensor keys and a dial for navigating the settings.

Incidentally, the sensor keys enable you to choose your brew style and water temperature, while turning the dial lets you choose different cup or carafe sizes. What’s more, you can choose to delay the brew start time, set the Keep Warm function and even activate cleaning mode.

Oh, and to brew coffee you simply press the center of the dial.

Brew Styles

True to its name, this Ninja coffee machine has two primary brewing styles: K cup adaptability and brews using regular coffee grounds. Beyond these two categories, however, the DualBrew offers four more brew styles: Classic, Rich, Over Ice or Specialty brew.

I’ll be honest, it’s not clear how different the Classic and Rich settings are. It’s possible that they’re referring to different coffee-to-water ratios, or perhaps different brewing temperatures. Either way, the Rich setting tends to produce more full-bodied cups.

On the other hand, the Over Ice setting is pretty neat. This brew style produces flash-chilled iced coffee by brewing a concentrated cup, which is then diluted to the right coffee-to-water ratio once it melts the ice. Obviously, in order to make this iced coffee you’ll have to supply the ice yourself.

Finally, there’s the Specialty brew setting. This option produces a very concentrated coffee beverage, around 4 ounces (120 milliliters). As it happens, the Specialty brew is intended to make an espresso-esque beverage which you can then mix with your frothed milk, courtesy of the included milk frother. More on that later in this Ninja DualBrew Pro review.

I’ll admit that this Ninja machine can’t make true espresso with crema, which you can only get from a home espresso machine. Rather, this concentrated concoction is more similar to what you’d get from an AeroPress or Moka pot.

Brew Sizes

This is where the Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee maker gets a little confusing, only because there are so many options! Plus, the options are different for K cup brewing and regular brews.

As far as the K cup options, that’s pretty straightforward: 6, 8, 10 or 12 ounce (177, 236, 295, or 355 milliliters) brews.

But when it comes to brew sizes for ground coffee, you’ve got nine options:

Intelligent Brewing Technology

The DualBrew Pro isn’t necessarily a smart coffee maker, but it’s still plenty clever! In fact, it’s got an intelligent brewing system that regulates different brew settings based on your chosen brew style and size.

For example, it changes the brew temperature according to the brew style. Plus, the intelligent brewing technology manipulates the brew cycles with pulses to ensure adequate extraction.

The large shower spray head helps with the brewing process as well, leading to an evenly saturated coffee bed.

Reusable Filter

The DualBrew Pro’s reusable coffee filter is a nice touch, giving you an eco-friendly replacement to disposable paper filters.

That said, I have to say that reusable filters aren’t great for coffee flavor. After all, coffee oils and residue build up in the fine mesh, and they’re pretty difficult to keep clean.

I much prefer the clean and crisp flavor of coffee brewed with a high quality paper filter. Plus, you can always buy compostable filters that you can discard along with your used coffee grounds.

Still, if you’re strictly against single-use products, I get it. In that case, you could also purchase a reusable K cup filter to replace the single-use K cups.

Before moving on with this Ninja DualBrew Pro review, I should mention that this coffee maker comes with a plastic coffee scoop with helpful dosing markers. Though personally, I always prefer dosing with a coffee scale.

Even better, the scoop attaches to the side of the machine when not in use, which is a pretty cool touch.

Glass Carafe

The glass carafe on this coffee maker is pretty nice. It has a generous 12-cup capacity – though what that actually means in terms of volume, the world will never know! I wish coffee machine manufacturers would do away with these vague measurements.

Anyway, the carafe has a classic diner vibe, which is always welcome in my book. That said, the coffee you’ll drink out of this thing will likely be much tastier than your average diner joe!

The carafe has a plastic handle and lid, which is to be expected but is still a bit disappointing. On the other hand, the lid mixes the coffee as it brews, so you’ll always have perfectly-extracted coffee from the first cup to the last.

If you don’t want to brew a whole pot (or even a half or quarter pot), you always have the option of brewing a single cup instead, either using K cups or coffee grounds. In that case, a little ledge folds down over the hot plate to lift your cup closer to the coffee spout. No coffee splatters here!

Independent Hot Water System

This may be one of my favorite features on the DualBrew Pro, only because you don’t expect to see an independent hot water system on a home coffee maker! On espresso machines, sure – those often have designated hot water dispensers. But it’s rare to find this feature on a home drip machine.

Let me explain why I think this feature is so great. As it happens, since it’s a separate system you can brew tea or even make oatmeal with clean, hot water that doesn’t have any coffee residue. Plus, there are two temperature settings – hot and boil – so you can brew according to your preferences.

Foldaway Frother

This feature caught me off guard when I first saw it. It looked like the Ninja DualBrew Pro had a little robot arm! But nope, just a foldaway milk frother.

Like most hand-held milk frothers, this one has a button on the top which you press to make the frother spin rapidly and aerate your milk. However, in this case the frother attaches to a little elbow on the machine, so you don’t need to hold the frother itself. Rather, you have to hold your mug or milk pitcher up to the frother.

For this reason, I don’t think this foldaway frother is the most functional. In my opinion, the fixed height is quite inconvenient and I’d much rather have a handheld frother or independent milk frothing machine.

Even worse, the frother doesn’t heat the milk – it only aerates it. So, if you want hot steamed milk, you’ll first have to heat the milk in a separate machine or on the stovetop, then froth it. On the plus side, this means you have the option to make the trendy cold foam with the included milk frother.

Multi-Position Water Reservoir

As I mentioned earlier in this Ninja DualBrew Pro review, this machine has a 60-ounce (1.8-liter) removable water reservoir with volume markings. Even better, you can position it on the back or side of the machine, according to your preferences and kitchen layout.

Incidentally, this feature isn’t unique to this machine; I’ve seen it on several other coffee makers. Still, it’s a nice touch and makes it simpler to find the ideal spot in your kitchen to brew coffee with ease.

How to Use the Ninja DualBrew Pro

Using the Ninja DualBrew almost couldn’t be easier. Your prep work consists of only a few steps: fill the water tank with filtered water, dose your coffee beans and grind them using a burr grinder then empty the coffee grounds into the filter.

At this point, choose your settings. Did you dose enough coffee grounds for a full pot or a smaller brew? Turn the dial to the appropriate brew size. Then, choose your brew style: Classic, Rich, Over Ice or Specialty Brew.

Again, you’ll have to prep a mason jar or large travel mug with ice cubes if you plan to make iced coffee.

Once you’ve chosen all your settings, press the center of the dial to start the brew cycle. Soon you’ll have delicious hot coffee pouring out of the coffee spout!

Ninja DualBrew Pro Cleaning

Cleaning and descaling coffee makers really couldn’t be easier. Once you get the right materials and make a habit of it, it’ll hardly feel like a chore.

Plus, Ninja is here to help out with the process. In fact, the DualBrew Pro has a cleaning setting, so you don’t have to do the whole process manually.

Beyond the formal cleaning process, there are a few other steps you can take to regularly maintain your new coffee machine.

First, it’s good practice to rinse the filter basket or K cup adaptor to clean out any coffee grounds after each brew. After all, you don’t want any old coffee residue seeping into your next brew.

As far as the milk frother goes, you should always twist off the frother after each use to rinse away any milk residue.

Finally, for deeper cleans you can soak your carafe with Cafiza or a similar product to clean away stubborn coffee oils.

Ninja DualBrew Pro Technical Specifications

Verdict: Ninja DualBrew Pro Review

There you have it, my Ninja DualBrew Pro review.

Ultimately, I have to say that this seems like a great coffee maker. Still, unless you plan to utilize all of its features – K cup compatibility, regular drip brews and the milk frother – I don’t think the DualBrew Pro is worth the cash. If you’re more likely to just use it to brew pots of coffee, you’re better off with a more affordable coffee machine, like the Ninja Pods and Grounds coffee maker.

That said, if the versatility of the DualBrew Pro is part of its appeal, this coffee maker will certainly serve you well.

Ninja DualBrew Pro Review FAQ