Guide · Dolce Gusto
The best Dolce Gusto pods: our picks for black coffee, milky drinks and decaf
Our pick of Nescafé Dolce Gusto pods by drink, with servings per pack and Morrisons prices checked 3 Oct 2026, plus Starbucks and Costa options and recycling.
The best Dolce Gusto pods for you depend on what you drink, and on one detail that’s easy to miss: some milky drinks use two pods per cup. Count servings, not pods, and the cheapest box isn’t always the cheapest drink. We haven’t tested this in person. Our picks below are based on the Nescafé Dolce Gusto range and Morrisons prices, checked 3 Oct 2026, with no tasting claims. Read how we compare.
Pods versus servings
Morrisons lists the servings for each box, and the difference is big:
- One pod per drink: Americano, Americano Intenso, Americano Decaffeinato, Flat White, Café au Lait. A box of 16 makes 16 drinks.
- Two pods per drink: Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Skinny Cappuccino and Chococino. A box of 16 makes 8 drinks, because one pod is milk and one is coffee or chocolate.
So a box of 16 Latte Macchiato pods makes half as many drinks as a box of 16 Flat White pods, even though both were £5.00 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026.
The best Dolce Gusto pods by drink
Best for black coffee on a budget: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Americano (30 pods)
£6.50 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, for 30 servings. That’s an online-exclusive larger box. The 16-pod Americano box was £5.00 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026. Americano Intenso is the stronger-labelled option at £5.00 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, for 16.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants espresso. Americano is a long black coffee.
Best for milky drinks on a budget: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Flat White (30 pods)
£6.50 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, for 30 servings, as Flat White is a one-pod drink. That makes it the cheapest milky drink per cup we found. Café au Lait is also one pod per drink, at £5.00 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, for 16.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who prefers frothed fresh milk. You could buy black coffee pods and use a separate frother.
Best for lattes: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Latte Macchiato (16 pods)
£5.00 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, for 8 servings. It’s a two-pod drink, so it costs more per cup than Flat White. Cappuccino is the same price for the same number of servings, and there’s a Skinny Cappuccino at £5.00 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Who it isn’t for: anyone counting the pennies. Per cup, two-pod drinks cost roughly twice as much.
Best for espresso: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Espresso Roma Cremoso (16 pods)
£5.10 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, for 16 pods. A short drink for anyone who likes espresso or wants a base for their own milk drinks.
Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a big mug from one pod.
Best for decaf: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Americano Decaffeinato (16 pods)
£5.00 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, for 16 servings. It was the only decaf Dolce Gusto box we found at Morrisons. Remember decaf isn’t caffeine-free. Our guide to the best decaf Dolce Gusto pods has more.
Who it isn’t for: anyone wanting a decaf latte. We didn’t find a decaf milky option at Morrisons.
Non-coffee pick: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Chococino (16 pods)
£5.10 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, for 8 servings. A two-pod hot chocolate that’s handy for children and guests.
Who it isn’t for: coffee-only households.
Starbucks and Costa options
Morrisons had Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto Caramel Macchiato (6 servings); check price at Morrisons. Vanilla Macchiato was £4.50 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026. Costa’s Dolce Gusto compatible “One Pod” Latte, Caramel Latte and Cappuccino were £4.50 each at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026. Costa pods are made to be compatible rather than by Nescafé, so check your machine’s manual. See our guide to Starbucks Dolce Gusto pods.
Who it isn’t for: anyone after the lowest price per cup. Branded boxes have fewer servings.
How to save money on Dolce Gusto pods
- Choose one-pod drinks. Flat White and Café au Lait cost less per cup than Latte Macchiato or Cappuccino.
- Buy the bigger boxes. The 30-pod boxes were £6.50 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026.
- Use multibuys. Supermarkets often run multibuys on 16-pod boxes, so check price at Morrisons.
Recycling Dolce Gusto pods
Dolce Gusto pods can be recycled through Podback, the UK’s free pod recycling service. You collect them in a Podback bag and return them by drop-off or collection, depending on your area. Our guide to whether coffee pods are recyclable in the UK explains how it works.
Where to go next
Choosing a machine? Read our Dolce Gusto Genio S Plus review or compare systems in Tassimo vs Dolce Gusto vs Nespresso. Browse pod machines and capsule coffee, and keep your machine working with our Dolce Gusto descaling guide.
Related guides: how to recycle Dolce Gusto pods.
FAQ
Why does my Dolce Gusto box make only 8 drinks? Two-pod drinks such as Latte Macchiato and Cappuccino use a milk pod and a coffee pod, so 16 pods make 8 servings.
What’s the cheapest Dolce Gusto pod per cup? Of those we checked, the 30-pod Americano and Flat White boxes, at £6.50 for 30 servings at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Are Costa pods compatible with Dolce Gusto? Costa sells “Nescafé Dolce Gusto compatible” pods. Check your machine’s manual before using third-party pods.
Can you recycle Dolce Gusto pods? Yes, through Podback’s free recycling service.