Keurig machines are incredibly convenient machine which is loved for their ability to brew a single perfect cup of coffee super quickly.
Adding milk to Keurig for hot chocolates or Lattes seems quite a good idea but can you put milk directly into the Keurig reservoir?
You should never try to put milk in a Keurig or any drip coffee machine as it damages your machine and is quite difficult to clean. If you want a milk-based coffee drink buy a separate milk frother or simply use flavored K-cups.
Adding milk to a reservoir will cause it to stick to the reservoir and spoil. However, you can add milk to your Keurig K-Café specifically designed to accommodate the milk and froth functions.
Read a detailed review of Keurig K cafe
Why you should never put milk in Keurig
Keurig machines, as described earlier, are the most conventional coffee machines to brew a single perfect cup of coffee.
But these machines are specifically designed to heat water and only Water. The internal mechanism of Keurig is specifically designed to route Water from the reservoir to the pod (Which is nearly impossible to clean if you add the milk).
Even after rinsing machines or running cleaning cycles, some drops of milk remain in the pipelines or dispensing needles. Once the line is clogged, you will leave behind with few options to unclog it, and most probably, your machine will get permanently damaged.
Therefore it is greatly advisable to never put liquids other than water in a Keurig.
You might not be able to claim the warranty if your machine is damaged by adding milk. According to Keurig company policy, a Warranty will not apply to this scenario.
Here’s what to do instead of adding milk to Keurig
You definitely can’t add milk to Keurig directly. Then what’s the best way to enjoy cappuccinos, lattes, and hot chocolate?
If you want to make Keurig coffee with milk; Here’s what you should do:
1) Buy Flavored K-cups
There is a variety of flavors available in K-cups. You can easily buy Latte, cappuccino, hot chocolate, and many other flavored K-cups to prepare your favorite drink.
Or you can also buy flavored milk pods. These pods have dry milk inside them and you can prepare pseudo-frothed milk using these pods.
Some companies also prepare two-step pods that have a milk pod and a coffee pod. So, they are plenty of options available to prepare milk-flavored drinks using Keurig.
Here are some of my favorite flavored K-cup pods.
2- Buy a milk frother
Well, you can use a variety of flavor K-cup pods but I guarantee their flavor will never match Latte prepared by using a milk frother.
This is because the creamy texture and mouthful feel in lattes and cappuccinos are because of frothed milk. You can’t just add hot milk to coffee to prepare Latte.
Keurig manufactures its own milk frothers that can be bought separately with the machine.
If you can’t buy a milk frother you can simply heat the milk on the stove to prepare a delicious drink known as Caffe Misto.
3) Buy Keurig K-cafe
If you want an all-in-one solution to prepare milk-based coffee drinks with ultimate convenience then there is no better option than buying a Keurig K cafe machine.
Keurig K-Cafe is a unique Keurig machine that is capable of frothing milk for lattes and cappuccinos and brewing coffee in just a few seconds.
Read a detailed guide on How to make Latte with Keurig
what happens if you put milk in a Keurig
If you put milk in a Keurig machine, you will encounter at least one of these three issues.
1) Burning of milk
The heating element in Keurig is specifically designed to bring water temperature to boiling point in less than a minute.
The heating element is certainly not suitable for heating milk as it will burn the milk and destroy the taste.
2) Damage to the machine
As we know milk is thicker than water and has a lot of fat content. This fat will get accumulated in the heating element and the internal piping of the machine.
Internal parts of Keurig have limited access for cleaning, and this buildup of hard milk crust is somehow very difficult to remove.
So in short, You will not only damage your Keurig if you add milk, but you will also get a tasteless milk-based coffee drink.
How to clean the Keurig machine after adding milk?
So far we have discussed how bad it is to use milk in Keurig. But what if you have already added the milk? and wondering how to clean the machine.
Well fortunately there are some ways to clean the Keurig machine that will help you to revive it after adding the milk.
Follow these steps to clean your Keurig machine!
The internal pipelines and other internal components, like filters and needles, can easily be clogged if you add milk to the machine.
- First, remember to turn off and unplug your Keurig machine because you don’t want any electrical shock while cleaning the machine.
- Clean the reservoir of your machine thoroughly with soap and a scorching pad so that no milk residue is left.
- Now using screwdrivers, disassemble your Keurig machine. Locate the piping of the machine and clean it manually with water.
- Reassemble the machine and run a cleaning cycle by adding vinegar and water to the tank.
- One cleaning cycle may not be enough to clean the sticky milk and sour smell from the internal system, so you may need to repeat this process several times until the water runs clear and the smell is completely dissipated.
- After the vinegar cleaning cycles, Rinse the machine with a water-only cleaning cycle to remove the vinegar.
I hope that your machine will get restored after applying this cleaning. If not, then it’s better to seek help from some professional or Keurig support.
Also Read: Keurig Slim vs Mini
Most Frequently Asked Questions
Is coffee better with water or milk?
Well! the answer is not that simple, it is completely subjective.
Some people like rich and creamy milk-based coffee drinks like cappuccino or latte. While other prefers strong and robust flavors of black coffee.
However, if you are on a diet then black coffee is a better option.
Can you use milk in a Keurig to make hot chocolate?
You can’t put milk directly into the Keurig machine to prepare hot chocolate.
However, you can use flavored K-Cups pods or you can use a separate mill frother to steam the milk.
Final thought
Keurig coffee machines are highly conventional machines to brew a single perfect great cup of personalized coffee, but adding milk is not a great idea.
If you want milk-based drinks using Keurig, consider investing in Keurig k café or use a separate milk frother.
This helps not only to prepare flavorful milky drinks, but your Keurig machine remains undamaged and will work effectively for you for a longer period of time.
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