You love your Keurig coffeemaker, and you’ve had the thought to utilize it for more than brewing coffee (and tea). Since the fluid temperature in the machine must get very hot, couldn’t you use a Keurig to boil water? How hot does the water get when your Keurig is on?
The water in a Keurig coffeemaker reaches temperatures up to 192 degrees Fahrenheit, 89 degrees Celsius. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, so no, a Keurig cannot boil water.
In today’s article, we’ll discuss Keurig’s water temperature in more detail, including whether the water is hot enough to kill bacteria. You’re not going to want to miss it!
How Hot Does Keurig Water Get? Is It Hot Enough to Boil Water?
The Keurig is predominantly a coffee machine. Internally, as the coffee grounds and water meet, the Keurig will heat the water so it can begin brewing coffee as well as other beverages such as hot chocolate or tea.
Keurig's website states that the internal water temperature maxes at out 192 degrees Fahrenheit. Their site also notes that the water temperature can sometimes “vary” if you use different types of mugs or cups.
They mention that paper versus ceramic cups will cause temperature fluctuations, with the temperature likely to be lower in a ceramic mug versus a paper cup.
Let’s assume that the water temperature in your Keurig is 192 degrees, which is the standard. At that temperature, is the water hot enough to boil?
No. The boiling point of water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, Keurig’s water temperature is off by 20 degrees.
This is done intentionally. After all, to brew coffee, the water temperature must be hot, but not so hot that the water is boiling. According to La Colombe, using boiling water on coffee grounds extracts their flavor prematurely, which produces bitter-tasting coffee.
Can I Use My Keurig to Make Hot Water?
Okay, so you can’t boil water in a Keurig, but can you use the coffee machine for making hot water instead? Yes, you most certainly can!
Not only can a Keurig coffeemaker produce hot water up to 192 degrees, but it can dispense the water too. How you do this depends on which Keurig machine you own, so let’s discuss how to dispense hot water from a few different Keurig models.
Keurig K-Duo or K-Duo Plus
Take the handle of your coffeemaker and lift it. Then close it but don’t put a K-Cup into the machine. Power on the Keurig and run it. You’ll see the buttons for the carafe and pod light up and blink.
Choose Pod and then any brew size. When you start brewing, hot water will come out of the machine, not coffee.
Keurig 2.0 K500
Like you did with the K-Duo, make hot water in the Keurig 2.0 K500, lift its handle and then close. Press the brew button and hold it to get six ounces of water at a time.
Keurig K-Mini or K-Mini Plus
For the K-Mini, pour water into the machine, at least six ounces and up to 12 ounces. Lift the handle and close it without a K-Cup in the coffeemaker. Start brewing and wait for two minutes. Hot water will come out of the machine.
Keurig K-Café
When you lift the handle and then close it without a K-Cup in the K-Café, the latte and coffee buttons will light up and blink. Select the coffee option, then choose a cup size and start brewing.
Keurig K-Select or K-Classic
With the K-Classic, K-Compact, or K-Select, power on your Keurig, let it warm the water manually, and then raise the handle. Close it and choose your coffee settings.
Keurig K-Elite
The Keurig K-Elite cuts out all that effort and allows you to select hot water whenever you want it. All you have to do is push the Hot Water button, choose the cup size, and voila, hot water in an instant.
Does a Keurig Get Hot Enough to Kill Bacteria?
Coffeemakers can get dirty and gunked up, especially if you use yours every single day. Even outside of your Keurig, hot water is good to kill pathogens like protozoa, bacteria, and viruses on household surfaces of all sorts.
Hot water alone can’t kill all germs, but enough that your home will be cleaner and your family healthier.
Does your Keurig get hot enough that you can use the water dispensed from the coffee machine to clean your house?
Yes, it should. This Insider article from 2020 cites guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC that states that the recommended water temperature for killing germs is 140 degrees.
The hot water from a Keurig is up to 192 degrees, so it’s nearly 50 degrees warmer than what’s necessary.
How do you clean your home with hot water? Don’t pour the water directly on surfaces, as this can lead to splashing and burning. You also shouldn’t dip a sponge in a bucket of hot water, as this will burn your hands.
Instead, you’d soak household items in hot water to sterilize them. This isn’t applicable for all items, of course. For example, you cannot soak a Keurig since it’s electrical. You shouldn’t sterilize other electrical appliances like this either.
Which Keurig Has the Hottest Water?
Perhaps if you switch your current Keurig with another machine from the manufacturer, you can increase its water temperature. While this is a creative thought, it doesn’t appear that any Keurig model has the advantage over others in the temperature department.
Keurig themselves, on the page we linked to earlier, states the following: “The internal water temperature of your Keurig coffee machine is 89°C (192° F). Therefore, when you brew a coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, the temperature of the liquid is approximately 89° C (192° F)…This information applies to all of our coffee makers.”
Then they list the coffee machines that can produce water up to 192 degrees, which are:
- K-Slim
- K-Duo Plus
- K-Café
- K-Latte
- K-Café Special Edition
- K-Duo
- K-Select
- K-Compact
- K-Elite
- K-Mini
- K-Duo Essentials
- K-Mini Plus
How Do I Increase the Water Temperature of My Keurig?
Keurig presets its coffeemakers to 192 degrees, its highest allowable temperature for water as well as coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. While you can use the settings to bring the water temperature down, you cannot increase the temperature of the machine beyond 192 degrees.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get a hotter cup of coffee if that’s what you’re after. One thing you can try is turning off high altitude mode. This setting, when active, compensates for altitude changes. However, the feature also reduces your max water and coffee temperature, so turn it off.
You can also preheat the mug you’ll drink from by rinsing it in hot water before pouring your coffee. This doesn’t affect the Keurig’s brewing temperature, but it does make your coffee feel hotter.
As for whether pouring more hot water into the Keurig is a good idea, it isn’t. A Keurig cannot brew over 192 degrees. It doesn’t matter how much hot water you add; you cannot change that.
In Closing
Keurig coffeemakers produce hot water up to 192 degrees, which cannot boil water but can kill germs and bacteria. You can’t increase the temperature beyond that limit, but it’s more than hot enough to enjoy steaming coffee or to make oatmeal and more!
