10 Best Instant Coffees in Canada: 2024 Reviews & Top Picks

Instant coffee has come a long way in the past 100 years! Two different methods are used to make instant coffee: freeze-drying and spray drying. Freeze drying is typically the preferred process for higher-quality instant coffees.

We know that there are many choices out there, so we created reviews of 10 of the best instant coffees available to Canadians. Hopefully, we’ll help you find your next favourite cup of joe!

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Tim Hortons Instant Coffee	Made with 100% Arabica beans Should last at least a month Well-balanced with a smooth finish	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Maxwell House Original Roast	Company has been making coffee since 1892 Widely available Dependable	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		Starbucks Via Instant True North Blend	Wide selection Blonde roast is mellow 100% Arabica beans	CHECK PRICE
		Nescafé Gold Espresso Instant Coffee	Made with 100% Arabica beans Produces a layer of crema Make espresso or americano	CHECK PRICE
		Nescafé Rich Instant Coffee	Well-priced Supports sustainable farming Rich medium-roast coffee	CHECK PRICE

The 10 Best Instant Coffees in Canada

1. Tim Hortons Instant Coffee — Best Overall

The best overall instant coffee in Canada is Tim Hortons Instant Coffee. This is a medium roast made with 100% Arabica beans and offers a well-balanced coffee with a smooth finish. It is quite reasonably priced and should last you at least a month, depending on how strong you like your coffee. It comes in a convenient jar, and being Tim Hortons, it’s widely and readily available to Canadians. The cons are that some people might find it a little acidic or bitter.

2. Maxwell House Original Roast — Best Value

The best instant coffee in Canada for the money is Maxwell House Original Roast. This means it’s incredibly affordable, and Maxwell House has been in the coffee game since at least 1892. It gives you hot coffee when you need it, and just about anyone can find it, as it’s widely available. But while many consumers love drinking Maxwell House, some feel that it isn’t strong enough or doesn’t have enough flavour.

3. Starbucks Via Instant True North Blend — Premium Choice

Our pick for premium choice instant coffee is Starbucks Via Instant True North Blend. This is the blonde roast, but it’s also available in medium, French, and Italian roast. It’s a mellow blend of 100% Arabica coffee beans, and it comes in convenient sachets, which means they’re easy to take with you. Just pour it into your mug, pour in boiling water, and stir! Many consumers find this coffee to be one of the best instant coffees. The biggest issue is the price. It’s expensive when you take into account how many servings it offers.

4. Nescafé Gold Espresso Instant Coffee

Nescafé Gold Espresso Instant Coffee is one of a multitude of coffees offered by Nescafé. This espresso is affordable, is made with 100% Arabica beans, and provides a layer of crema. You also have the option of creating an espresso or a taller americano. This instant espresso has even won the approval of a few coffee snobs out there! The only issue is that this still won’t quite be enough for some people, particularly espresso drinkers.

5. Nescafé Rich Instant Coffee

With Nescafé Rich Instant Coffee, you will get three jars of 170 grams each (510 grams altogether) of rich medium-roast coffee. Nescafé supports sustainable farming with its coffees, and this one is smooth, particularly for an instant coffee. However, there seems to be an issue with quality control, as sometimes, the jars arrive not quite full.

6. Starbucks Medium Roast Premium Instant Coffee

Starbucks Medium Roast Premium Instant Coffee is packed in an airtight can, which is hermetically sealed to keep it fresh longer. It’s described as rich and smooth, with notes of nuts and milk chocolate. It combines instant and microground coffee and is made with 100% Arabica beans. Microground coffee is essentially regular ground coffee but much finer, so you get a mix of instant with ground. It is expensive, though. Also, depending on how strong you like your coffee, you’ll only get about 15 cups out of the can.

7. VitaCup Perfect Low Acid Instant Coffee Packets

VitaCup Perfect Low Acid Instant Coffee Packets give you coffee on the go with 24 servings in a tube so you can grab it and drink it while out. VitaCup is organic and is low in acid, so if you normally can’t drink coffee without experiencing heartburn, this one might work for you. It also contains antioxidants in the form of chlorogenic acid, which helps overall cell health. While it has a smooth chocolatey taste, it might be too mild for some, and it’s quite expensive.

8. Mount Hagen Freeze Dried Coffee

Mount Hagen Freeze Dried Coffee is organic and kosher certified. It’s made with highland Arabica beans, and they are fairtrade certified. Mount Hagen uses the freeze-dried method, so you’ll end up with a superior cup of coffee. However, this also means it’s quite expensive. Unfortunately, it’s advertised that you get 6 jars of coffee, but you actually only get 1.

9. Nescafé Rich Decaf Instant Coffee

Nescafé Rich Decaf Instant Coffee is the only decaf on this list, but there are plenty to choose from. It gives you all the flavour that you’d expect from Nescafé coffee, just without the caffeine. It is considered one of the best instant decaffeinated coffees on the market. But there are those who don’t like the taste, and some believe that it has an almost chemical flavour. Also, always double-check the actual size of a product, as this jar is smaller than it looks.

10. Folgers Instant Coffee

Folgers has been making coffee for over 165 years, and it shows with Folgers Instant Coffee — a classic medium roast. This is a brand that knows what it’s doing with its coffee, and many consumers will swear that Folgers makes the best instant coffee. However, it is American, which sometimes means it’s more expensive for Canadians, and this is the case with Folgers. Additionally, for those who do like this coffee, there are others who don’t. It’s been described to be weak in flavour at times.

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

Here are a few points that can help you learn more about what you should be looking for in an instant coffee. These tips might help you decide what instant coffee will be your next favourite.

Uses for Instant Coffee

Instant coffee has many uses beyond being a convenient cup of joe on the go:

Jars

Unfortunately, one of the problems with ordering online is the risk of your order arriving in pieces. Most of the instant coffees on this list come in glass jars, and there does seem to be a problem with the jars arriving broken.

Otherwise, you can opt for cans or single-serve packets. The single-serve packets are convenient because you can just throw a couple in your bag, but they tend to be more expensive. Also, keep in mind that even though the single-serve packets are measured out for one serving, if you like your coffee strong, you won’t have the opportunity to add an extra half teaspoon (or so).

Roast

The stronger the roast, the bolder the flavour is. If you’re new to the coffee world, you might want to start with a light roast and build from there. But if you’re interested in trying out instant espressos, you’ll typically need to aim for dark roasts.

What Is It For?

The instant coffee that you choose ultimately comes down to what you want it for. If you’re aiming to use it for baking or specialty drinks, you don’t usually need to worry too much about how it tastes and can aim for the cheaper kinds.

But if you want to use it when you’re camping or for travel, you’ll want to go with higher-quality instant coffees. The ones that have added antioxidants are great options to help boost your immune system while you’re being active.

Conclusion

Our favourite instant coffee comes from Tim Hortons. This one is a medium roast with a smooth finish and is quite reasonably priced. Maxwell House’s Original Roast has been a classic since at least 1892. It’s a great smooth coffee that can be found practically everywhere and is quite affordable. Finally, Starbucks Via Instant True North Blend is our premium choice pick for its mellow coffee blend that comes in convenient sachets, which means they’re easy to take on the road with you. It’s definitely one of the best instant coffees!

We hope that these reviews of 10 instant coffees have helped you out. We all know how important that first cup of coffee is in the morning!

See Also: 9 Best Decaf Coffees in Canada: Reviews & Top Picks

Featured Image Credit: Karyna Panchenko, Unsplash