Can You Put Milk in a Keurig? Read This Before You Add Milk Into Your Keurig

With kitchen appliances being so versatile these days, you’ll be forgiven if you’ve wondered can you put milk in a Keurig machine. Will it really matter?

Let’s be clear that putting milk into your Keurig coffee maker is something you should never do. No matter how much you love creamy hot chocolate and you’re looking for a fast way to make one, don’t try it. You’ll put your machine at risk and at the very least you’ll create a lot of effort for yourself.

Some may attempt this alternative way of using a Keurig for other reasons. You may wonder can you put almond milk in a Keurig for an alternative to regular coffee drinks. Never try this, no matter your motivation.

Although making a cup of coffee with a Keurig is a quick process when using the K-Cups, don’t underestimate your Keurig machine. It requires advanced technology and intricate processes to give you a quality brew within minutes or even seconds. You shouldn’t mess with such a complicated process and adding the wrong ingredients is a definite way of ruining it.

In short, when wondering can you brew milk in a Keurig, know that your Keurig coffee maker is simply not designed to have milk inside it. It’s best to use your machine according to its purpose.

So, Dare You Put Milk in a Keurig?

Even though Keurig is a market leader when it comes to coffee machines, you can’t expect your machine to cope with just anything. Adding milk to the areas where you usually add water—such as the water reservoir—will backfire, so don’t even try to make it work.

As a Keurig owner, you may consider adding milk to the water jug since you simply want the liquid heated up for a milky drink such as hot chocolate, right? But the process isn’t as simple as that.

A Keurig machine’s components are designed to specifically allow water to travel from the reservoir, through the coffee pod and into the cup. There are many reasons why the same isn’t possible with milk.

What Happens if You Add Milk in a Keurig Instead of Water?

Firstly, your Keurig can safely keep water for a couple of days, without any negative impact on the brew. In general, anything from two to four days will be safe, after which you’ll need to replace the water and even run water through the machine.

In this scenario, it doesn’t matter if water or droplets are trapped somewhere in the machine, because it won’t go bad. Now imagine the same situation with milk.

You can’t leave milk in your Keurig overnight or even for a few hours. Any of the liquid in the machine has the possibility of spoiling and it will happen even faster at room temperature and if the machine is hot. Also, there’s no guarantee that all the milk is out of the machine, simply because you emptied the reservoir.

Another possibility when you add milk to a Keurig reservoir is that the milk would burn, not simply heat up. This happens because a Keurig is designed to quickly increase water’s temperature and when you do the same to milk, it burns. This will affect the taste of your drink and you can see you won’t achieve the result you’re hoping for.

Lastly, you run the risk of damaging the machine itself. This can happen if the burnt milk attaches to the machine’s interior components like the element. It can damage the metal parts and also prevent certain components from working efficiently and it’s difficult to clean all of them properly.

All these reasons show it’s not worth taking the risk of pouring milk into your Keurig.

Problem Solving: How to Fix It if You Already Put Milk in Your Keurig

If you’re reading this because you’ve already poured milk in your Keurig, don’t worry. All is not lost, but to fix the problem will take some work.

In most cases after pouring milk in a Keurig, the worst consequence is that spoiled milk is trapped inside the machine. Proper cleaning can remedy this and here’s how you do it.

How to Clean a Keurig Machine

Your Keurig machine is simple to operate but it will need some cleaning every now and then.

These are the basic steps to clean a Keurig

What you’ll need:

• Screwdrivers
• Hot water
• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Scrubbing sponge
• Toothbrush
• Cue-tip
• Paperclip
• Straw

Cleaning process:

• Have your manual on hand, because you’ll need to see which components you can remove with the help of a screwdriver.
• Switch off the Keurig machine.
• Following the manual’s directions, remove all possible components. For example, some machines have a draining hose that you can take apart to clean thoroughly.
• Use a mixture of hot water, vinegar, and baking soda to soak parts, and also fill the water reservoir.
• Use your sponge to dislodge residue that doesn’t automatically dissolve in the water.
• After removing all milk particles you can see, assemble the machine again.
• Run the water mixture through the machine several times.
• Follow up with multiple cycles of water only, to remove vinegar and baking soda from the system.
• If milk traveled through the system it could be stuck anywhere, so use the following to clean parts properly:
  • A cue tip or a toothbrush for the K-cup holder
  • Gently wiggle a paperclip inside the K-Cup piercing holes
  • The water line can be cleaned by blowing air through a straw into the line

At all times, don’t scrub components too harshly. Work gently so you don’t damage any parts. This cleaning process may work with most K-Cups compatible coffee machines, but you better check the Instruction Manual before.

Troubleshooting After Cleaning Your Keurig

Getting every droplet of spoiled or curdled milk out of your Keurig may be tricky. Don’t be surprised if you smell burnt milk the first time you switch on your machine after cleaning it. If you’ve properly cleaned it, it may simply take another rinse cycle or two to wash out the last milk.

How to Brew Milk Based Drinks in a Keurig the Right Way

It’s clear that adding milk to a Keurig’s reservoir isn’t the solution to making hot chocolate or lattes, so how do you do it?

How to Use Keurig to Make Your Hot Chocolate

When using your machine the right way you must know how to make Keurig hot chocolate with milk. There are a few options.

Keurig makes it very easy to get a quality hot chocolate. All you need is a hot chocolate pod which you’ll place in the K-Cup holder. Now let the machine do the rest of the work. You can also add milk to your taste. Once you realize how to make hot chocolate in a Keurig, you probably won’t try any other way.

Remember to also select the appropriate drink type, in this case, ‘Hot Cocoa’. This will signal to the machine which brewing process to follow so your hot chocolate comes out perfect.

Another helpful option is that you can purchase milk pods for Keurig and place them where you would usually put your K-Cup. Inside the pod, there is a high-quality milk powder. The Keurig machine will follow the brewing process which will result in hot milk for your drink.

More Options to Make Milk Based Hot Drinks With or Without a Coffee Maker

There are many other options to get your desired milky drink, without pouring milk into your Keurig machine:

• Some coffee machines have milk tanks. These spaces are designed to heat up milk for lattes and other drinks. These tanks can easily be cleaned so there’s no chance of the milk curdling and since the milk doesn’t run through the entire machine, it won’t spoil inside it.
• You can use a Keurig milk frother or a separate frother device to effectively heat up the milk. Pour it into the cup with your other hot chocolate or latte ingredients and have a thick, frothy drink.
• If your machine doesn’t have a milk tank or a frother, heat up milk on the stove and then add some real chocolate pieces. Your drink will have a delicious, authentic taste. You can also use this milk for lattes and the milky drinks you love.

You’re spoiled for choice these days when it comes to milky drinks, from lattes to hot chocolate. Whether you go to a restaurant or use pods at home, you can get delectable results. But some of us always want something more or want to try something new. Below you can catch some tips on making your next cup of hot chocolate.

Put Milk in your Keurig? Final Thoughts

Your Keurig machine is capable of giving you the exceptional drinks you get in a restaurant but only if you use it correctly. Despite the temptation of seeing how it performs when you try something unusual, don’t be tempted to add milk to your Keurig.

With milk inside a Keurig water reservoir, you create the possibility of many different problems. Rather use water only, so there’s no need for excessive cleaning, or even replacing your much-loved appliance.