Keurig coffee machines are incredibly convenient machines that help everybody get their caffeine fix! They're so convenient that you may be wondering if you use anything else in them to brew besides water? What would happen if you wanted to brew your coffee, or something else, with milk instead of water? We have taken the time to learn all about Keurig appliances so you can know exactly what is safe to put inside of yours!
While nothing is stopping you from putting any liquid you want in the Keurig's reservoir, it is not a good idea to use anything other than water. You should not put milk in it. Standard Keurigs are built only to handle water running through the machine. Milk will have a very undesirable effect running through the Keurig.Â
For a machine that is so multifunctional, you might think it would make sense to allow other liquids to work in it. After all, you can brew all sorts of things other than coffee in a Keurig. So why not be able to run all kinds of liquids through it as well? While you should not put milk in your Keurig, you may have some other questions surrounding that information. Make sure to keep reading below to learn about why this isn't good for your Keurig in detail!
Why You Shouldn't Put Milk In A Keurig
The use of Keurigs and other machines like it has grown exponentially over the last decade. In the age of convenience, it makes sense. Why would you still wait around for coffee to brew or make sure there are coffee grounds in the machine when you don't have to?
Keurigs are a little more complex than a simple coffee pot or other coffee preparing tools. This complexity is why you can't simply put whatever you want in the machine.
What Happens If You Put Milk In A Keurig?
To know how the Kuerig is affected by milk, it's first important to think about how the machine works. You fill up a reservoir with water, and then you put in your desired K-cup and press the brew button. After you press the button, water from the reservoir is sent through tubing inside of the Keurig. While this is happening, it is also being heated up to brew the coffee as it passes through the K-cup.
This process doesn't go smoothly with milk because of what happens to milk when it's superheated. It doesn't just boil or steam like water; it also burns very easily. So the milk burns inside of the internal heating reservoir and the tubing inside the Keurig.
This can cause burnt milk to be stuck inside of all of the parts of the Keurig. It can also spoil the milk, which is also not the desired outcome.
Can You Use Anything Other Than Water?
Regular Keurig machines are made only to have water run through them. Since you can make things like tea, hot chocolate, lemonade, and even soup, you might be tempted to try a different liquid other than water or milk. Anything other than water will potentially damage your Keurig. Even liquids that are closer to water than milk, like fruit juice.
How Can You Clean Your Keurig?
There are a few things you can try to clean out your Keurig. You can try these steps if you accidentally run some milk through it, or you want to clean it every once in a while to keep the appliance running smoothly.
The easiest thing to do is fill the Keurig's reservoir with water and run the machine without any K-cups in it. If you're trying to clean out the milk, you may want to try this several times.
There are also additives that you can purchase specifically for helping clean Keurigs. To use the descaling solution, follow the directions on the bottle. The cleaning results depend on how bad the damage is.
You can continue to use the descaler solution several times to increase the chances of success. Another additive you can try is a milk frother cleaner designed to clean out burnt milk.
Click here to shop for Keurig descaler on Amazon!
Shop for milk frother cleaner on Amazon!
More Keurig Questions
If you are new to the Keurig world, you may not be aware of everything they are capable of. Aside from worrying about putting the wrong liquid in your Keurig, it is a very versatile machine. If it has another limitation that you don't like, you can even look into a different Keurig product! Here are some more things you may not know about your Keurig.
Do They Make Hot Chocolate For Keurig?
There is a wide variety of hot chocolates available for your Keurig in K-cups. Keurigs a great for hot chocolate along with your favorite coffee! If you are using a standard Keurig, remember that your hot chocolate will need to be made with water. However, nothing is stopping you from adding some milk to the cup it's poured into to add some creaminess!
Check out hot chocolate K-cups on Amazon!
Can You Make A Latte With A Keurig Machine?
While there are roundabout ways to make a latte with a standard Keurig, the simplest way would be to purchase one of their machines meant to make lattes. These appliances, like the K-cafe or K-latte, are different because they come with a milk frother. This is a separate device on the Keurig that allows for safely steaming milk and milk alternatives. The reservoir on these machines should still only be filled with water.
Click here to shop for K-cafe machines on Amazon!
Is There A Keurig That Steams Milk?
Keurig offers a few different options if you want to have steamed milk for your coffee or make a latte. You can purchase one of the types of Keurigs mentioned above, which come with a milk frother. However, what if you already have a standard Keurig and don't want to buy an entirely new machine?
To fix this problem, Keurig makes a stand-alone milk frother. You plug the frother in, and you can add delicious steamed milk to anything!
Look for Keurig milk frothers on Amazon!
Do You Froth Milk Hot Or Cold?
To achieve the best froth, you will want the milk to be cold. While it might make sense to use already warmed milk inside a frother, that hinders the process. Using cold milk when the frothing process starts makes sure that the maximum amount of air bubbles are added to the milk as it's heated. This will give you the best chance at a super creamy froth to add to your drinks!
How Do You Clean The Inside Of A Keurig Machine?
While there are additives you can buy to clean the inside of your Keurig, there are also some at-home methods! These methods may be preferable to you because of convenience or hesitance to use chemicals of any kind. One of the best at-home methods is to remove all of the external Keurig parts and wash them by hand or in the dishwasher.
You can also use an old toothbrush and a damp rag to clean out and wipe off the machine's exterior. The most important part is running vinegar and then purified water through the machine to clean out the inside!
Finishing Brewing
You should not add milk into the reservoir of your Keurig. However, it is not the end of the world if this happens. Several methods and tools help you clean out your Keurig to get it working its best again. To add delicious steamed and frothed milk to your morning beverage routine, you can get a type of Keurig that comes with a milk frother.
You can also buy one externally, so you don't have to get a whole new machine. With this new knowledge, all that's left to do is pick out which amazing drink you want in the morning!
Click on the links below to learn how to clean other tricky things in your kitchen!
How To Clean A Toaster [6 Steps]
How to Clean Oven Door Glass [5 EASY ways]
