How to Make Your Own K-Cup Paper Filters (3 Ways)

If you brew with a reusable K-Cup pod, a paper filter inside it does two things: it keeps fine grounds out of your cup, and it turns cleanup into lifting the paper out and dropping it in the bin. No rinsing the mesh after every cup.

You have three ways to get those filters. Here they are, from cheapest and slowest to fastest.

First: do you even need a paper filter?

You don't have to use one. A mesh pod brews fine on its own. People add paper because:

• No sludge. Mesh lets the finest particles through. Paper catches them.
• Faster cleanup. Lift the paper out with the grounds inside. Brew again right away.
• Cleaner taste. Paper holds back some of the coffee oils, which gives a lighter, brighter cup. If you like a heavy, full-bodied cup, you may prefer no paper.

One small bonus: paper also traps cafestol, a compound in coffee oils that can raise cholesterol in people who drink a lot of unfiltered coffee. Not a reason on its own, but it's there.

Method 1: Cut your own from a basket filter

The cheapest option. A pack of regular 8–12 cup basket filters costs a few dollars, and each one becomes a K-Cup filter.

What you need: flat basket coffee filters, scissors, a pen, and a small bowl or a wide glass to trace around (about 4 to 4¾ inches across).

1. Stack 8–10 filters flat on the counter.
2. Put the bowl upside down on top and trace around it.
3. Cut through the whole stack along the line. You now have a stack of paper circles.
4. Center one circle over your open pod. Push the middle down with two fingers, then walk the edges down with your index fingers until the paper lines the basket.
5. Add coffee, close the pod and brew.

Keep the spare circles in a sandwich bag next to your brewer. Cutting a month's worth takes about ten minutes.

Getting the size right: too small and grounds slip past the edge; too big and the paper bunches so the lid won't close. Cut one, test it, then cut the rest to that size.

Method 2: Press flat preforms

A preform is a paper filter that hasn't been shaped yet. Ours is one piece: a big circle that becomes the filter, with a small circle attached that folds over as a lid. Shipping paper flat is cheap, which is why 1000 of them cost about as much as 400 ready-made filters.

1. Center a preform over your open pod, with the small lid circle hanging outside.
2. Press it down into the pod so it takes the pod's shape. Your fingers work fine; a small forming cup is faster and gives every filter the same shape.
3. Add coffee, fold the lid over the grounds, close and brew.

You can shape a batch in a couple of minutes and stack them for the week. A forming cup isn't included and isn't required, but it speeds things up if you make a lot at once.

See the 1000-count flat preforms

Method 3: Buy them ready-formed

No cutting, no pressing. The filter is already shaped like the basket, so you drop it in, tuck the top edge under the hinge and add coffee. A 300-count box lasts about five months at two cups a day; the 1000-count box lasts over a year.

See all canFly K-Cup paper filters

What each one costs per cup

Option	Cost per filter	Work involved
Cut your own	about 2–4¢	10 minutes a month
Flat preforms	about 2¢	A few seconds each
Ready-formed filters	about 4–5¢	None

All three are pennies. Pick based on how much fiddling you enjoy.

Things that don't work well

• Cupcake liners. The paper is stiff and often coated, so water runs around the edges instead of through the coffee.
• Paper towel. It tears when wet and can leave a papery taste.
• Espresso-fine grind. Paper already slows the water down. Fine grounds plus paper is the main cause of overflow. Use a medium grind, like drip coffee.

Three habits that make it work every time

1. Fill to the line, don't press down. Level grounds let water flow evenly.
2. Make sure the paper sits flat against the basket, with no gap at the rim.
3. Go one step coarser if water backs up in the pod.

Common questions

Will a paper filter slow down my brew?
A little, and that's the point. Slower water pulls more flavour from the grounds. If it slows to a trickle, your grind is too fine.

Can I reuse a paper filter?
No. The paper softens and the second cup tastes stale. They cost pennies, so use a fresh one.

Are they biodegradable?
Plain paper filters are. Grounds and filter can go out together.

Do they fit every reusable pod?
Standard single-cup pods, including EkoBrew, EZ-Cup, Solofill and Simple Cups. The Keurig My K-Cup Universal has a taller basket, so it takes our taller K-Carafe-size filters instead. See the fit guide.

Brewing a full carafe instead? K-Carafe paper filters are here.