Best Nespresso Pods UK: Compatible Capsules Compared

Nespresso pods come in two separate systems, and that’s the first thing to get right: pods for Original machines won’t work in Vertuo machines, and the other way round. The good news for Original owners is that supermarkets sell plenty of compatible pods, often for much less than you might expect. We’ve compared compatible Nespresso pods from Sainsbury’s and Morrisons on price per pod, plus decaf options and how to recycle them. We haven’t tested this in person. Our picks are based on retailer listings and UK prices checked on 3 Oct 2026. Read how we compare.

The best Nespresso pods: the short answer

Buy L’OR Espresso 40-packs for the lowest price per pod we found. They’re £10.00 at Sainsbury’s and at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, which works out at 25p a pod.

Who it isn’t for: anyone with a Vertuo machine, or anyone who wants to try lots of blends without committing to 40 of one.

Get Starbucks by Nespresso 36-packs if you like Starbucks coffee. They’re £9.25 at Sainsbury’s and at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026, about 26p a pod.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who wants a decaf in bulk; the decaf we found came in 10-packs.

Choose Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference 30-packs if you shop at Sainsbury’s. They’re £8.50 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026.

Who it isn’t for: anyone who doesn’t shop at Sainsbury’s, as it’s own-label.

Skip 10-packs at full price if you drink a pod or two a day. On these prices, a 10-pack can cost up to 70% more per pod than a 40-pack.

Nespresso Original vs Vertuo pods

Original is the older system, with small capsules for espresso and lungo. It’s the one supermarkets make compatible pods for. Every compatible pod in this guide was sold for Original machines.
Vertuo machines read a code on each capsule and brew to match. Currys’ listing for the Vertuo Next, for example, mentions automatic capsule blend recognition and five cup sizes from 40ml to 414ml (Currys). We didn’t find any Vertuo pods at Sainsbury’s or Morrisons on 3 Oct 2026, so check Nespresso UK for Vertuo pods and prices.

Our guide to Nespresso Vertuo vs Original compares the two systems in more detail, including machine prices.

Who it isn’t for: if you haven’t bought a machine yet and want cheap supermarket pods, an Original machine like the one in our Nespresso CitiZ review opens up far more choice in the supermarkets we checked.

What official Nespresso pods cost

We attempted to check Nespresso’s own UK capsule prices on 3 Oct 2026, but its website blocked our check, so we haven’t quoted a number. Check current prices at Nespresso UK. If you own a Vertuo machine, such as the one in our Vertuo Next review, Nespresso is where you’ll find the full Vertuo range.

The best compatible pods for Nespresso Original machines

L’OR Espresso

L’OR’s Original-compatible capsules are aluminium, according to Sainsbury’s product names, and come in a range of intensities, from Lungo Profondo (intensity 8) to Ristretto (intensity 11) at Sainsbury’s and Onyx (intensity 12) at Morrisons.

40-packs: £10.00 at Sainsbury’s and at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026 (25p a pod). See L’OR Ristretto 40 at Sainsbury’s
10-packs: £4.25 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026; £4.25 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026. See L’OR Ristretto 10 at Morrisons

Who it isn’t for: anyone after a well-known café brand name.

Starbucks by Nespresso

These are made under the Nespresso name for Original machines. Sainsbury’s listings suggest ristretto (25ml) and espresso (40ml) cup sizes, and the range includes blonde, medium, dark and flavoured blends.

36-packs: £9.25 at Sainsbury’s and at Morrisons (House Blend), checked 3 Oct 2026 (about 26p a pod). Morrisons’ Blonde Espresso Roast 36-pack was £9.95, checked 3 Oct 2026. See House Blend 36 at Morrisons
10-packs: £3.00 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026; Check price at Morrisons. See Espresso Roast 10 at Sainsbury’s

Who it isn’t for: anyone wanting a lungo-size pod in bulk; check the pack for the cup size before you buy.

Supermarket own-label pods

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Espresso or Ristretto 30-packs: £8.50 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026. The listing says both the pod and carton can be recycled. See it at Sainsbury’s
Morrisons The Best Fairtrade pods (Espresso, Ristretto, Lungo, Colombian and more), 10-packs: £3.25 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026. See Espresso at Morrisons

Who it isn’t for: anyone who prefers to shop around, as each is sold only in its own supermarket.

Costa, Lavazza and others

Costa Coffee capsules, 10-packs: £3.50 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026 (35p a pod). See Medium Roast at Morrisons
Lavazza Espresso Maestro, 10-packs: £4.25 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026; Check price at Morrisons. Lavazza’s Qualità Oro and Qualità Rossa capsules were £4.25 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026. See Maestro Intenso at Morrisons

Who it isn’t for: budget buyers paying full price, since these 10-packs cost more per pod than the bulk packs above.

The best decaf Nespresso pods

All of these are sold for Original machines and were checked on 3 Oct 2026:

L’OR Ristretto Decaf 20-pack: £5.50 at Sainsbury’s and at Morrisons (27.5p a pod), checked 3 Oct 2026. See it at Morrisons
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Espresso Decaff 30-pack: £8.50 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026. See it at Sainsbury’s
Starbucks by Nespresso Decaf Espresso 10-pack: £3.00 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Costa Coffee Decaf 10-pack: £3.50 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Morrisons The Best Fair Trade Decaff 10-pack: £3.25 at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026.
Lavazza Decaf 10-pack: £4.25 at Sainsbury’s, checked 3 Oct 2026.

Who it isn’t for: Vertuo owners, who’ll need Nespresso’s own decaf Vertuo pods.

How to recycle Nespresso pods

Podback is a free UK coffee pod recycling service, set up by Nestlé and Jacobs Douwe Egberts in 2021, and Nespresso is one of the machine types its recycle checker covers (Podback). Podback says it has more than 1,500 drop-off points across the UK, including supermarkets and council recycling centres, and some councils collect pods from the kerbside. Supermarket drop-offs need a Podback bag, while council recycling centres don’t (Podback FAQs).

Podback says aluminium pods are shredded to remove the coffee, then melted down and reused in drinks cans and car parts, while the grounds go to anaerobic digestion.

Downsides and things to know

Compatibility isn’t guaranteed for every machine. Check that the pack says it fits your Nespresso Original model.
Prices change. Supermarket pod prices move often, so check on the day.
We couldn’t check Nespresso’s own prices. Its site blocked our check on 3 Oct 2026.
Two shops only. Prices are from Sainsbury’s and Morrisons; other supermarkets may differ.

If you’re still deciding on a machine, our pod machines guide compares the main systems, and our coffee pods guide covers Dolce Gusto and Tassimo pods too.

FAQ

Do supermarket pods work in Nespresso machines? Pods sold as Nespresso compatible are made for Original machines. They won’t fit Vertuo machines.

What are the cheapest Nespresso pods? Of the pods we checked on 3 Oct 2026, L’OR 40-packs were the cheapest per pod at full price: £10.00 at Sainsbury’s and at Morrisons, checked 3 Oct 2026 (25p a pod).

Can you buy Vertuo pods in supermarkets? We didn’t find any at Sainsbury’s or Morrisons on 3 Oct 2026. Check Nespresso UK for the Vertuo range.

Are Nespresso pods recyclable? Yes, through Podback, which is free to use in the UK and has drop-off points at supermarkets and council recycling centres.