Can You Put Milk In A Keurig? (Find Out Now!)

Emily Carr
by Emily Carr

Typically, Keurigs have a water tank that’s easy to refill every time you want to brew a k-cup pod. What if you replace the water with milk in a Keurig? Is this a good idea?

You can’t put milk in a Keurig because it will result in a buildup of milk residue in your machine. Instead, heat up your milk or dairy alternative on the stove, in the microwave, or with an independent frother. The Breville milk frother is a sturdy and versatile option that allows you to customize the temperature of your milk.

Follow along to learn if you can put milk in a Keurig. Additionally, we’ll talk about what happens when you add milk to the water reservoir, alternatives to doing so, and the best milk frothers for Keurig coffee!

Can You Put Milk in a Keurig?

This is a hot topic- putting milk in your Keurig and whether or not it’s possible.

It’s actually a horrible idea to put milk in a Keurig. The reason for this is that the water tubing system isn’t meant to handle such thick liquid. Over time, and even after one use, a residue can build up and ruin your machine.

Descaling a Keurig is meant to break down the water and coffee bean remnants but likely isn’t strong enough or able to clean dried milk. Not to mention, old milk starts to smell and must be refrigerated to last through its expiration date.

Imagine leaving it inside of your Keurig tank? That would not be a pleasant aroma to wake up to in the morning!

What If You Already Put Milk in Your Keurig?

If you’ve already attempted adding milk to your Keurig, and you’ve come to Google in search of the answer, “Now what?”, we have bad news for you.

Likely you won’t see (or smell) the effects for a couple of days or even weeks. Depending on how often you’ve replaced your water for milk, the buildup of residue may be minor or severe.

For more serious situations, the blockage may be so intense that your Keurig machine cannot pull water from the tank, and coffee won’t even brew.

The best thing you can do is wash your water reservoir out immediately and start a rinsing process. Using a descaling pod or solution, follow the steps to clean your machine according to the Keurig website.

We recommend running this cycle at least three times to guarantee that there’s no leftover dried milk in your system’s tubes.

Does Putting Milk in Your Keurig Void the Warranty?

If you aren’t able to clear the blockage on your own, it might be time for an entirely new Keurig machine.

Fortunately, the 1-year warranty should still stand even if you try this (although we still don’t recommend doing so). There’s nothing that explicitly details using milk in the water reservoir; however, we can’t say for certain if every retailer will accept your broken machine back.

For that reason, you should avoid using any type of milk in your Keurig at all costs.

What to Do Instead of Putting Milk in Your Keurig

If you like frothy warm milk in your coffee, there are so many other options to achieving that that don’t include adding milk to your Keurig.

Here are some alternatives:

  • Warming milk up in a pan on the stove
  • Microwaving milk in a microwave-safe container
  • Using a frothing cup
  • Using a frothing wand

There are so many different choices when it comes to heating up milk for your coffee! We’ll dive into the easiest and most popular (frothers) below.

The Best Milk Frothers to Pair with Keurig Coffee

With so many options for milk frothers, how do you choose?

It’s important to note that milk with a high-fat content will froth best, so think oat milk or cow’s milk. Almond and soy will work, but they just won’t produce as much foam.

Here are 3 of our favorite milk frothers:

The Aeroccino 3 Milk Frother by Nespresso

This cup frother is perfect for those who want an easy and quick way to whip up their milk. It’s equipped with a power station that heats your milk or dairy alternative in less than a minute.

Plus, it comes with a 2-year warranty!

Breville Milk Cafe Milk Frother

The Breville frother is a bit larger and more advanced.

You have the ability to set the exact temperature you want the milk to be (cold stir, warm, optimum temperature, or hot). Additionally, you’re able to also froth coffee or hot chocolate with the milk instead of pouring it into your cup after.

Overall, this device is the most durable and versatile option on our list.

Aphse Milk Foamer

This little battery-operated stick is light and available for 2-day delivery on Amazon.

The Aphse milk frother is a handheld foaming device that allows you to froth your milk before mixing it with coffee or warm the entire beverage.

It’s certainly the most affordable, at around $16, and boasts many positive customer reviews. You can even use this frother to whip eggs before cooking them!


Related Questions

Can you put milk in a Nespresso machine?

Similar to a Keurig, you should never put milk in the water tank of a Nespresso machine.Milk residue will build up in the machine and render it useless. Unlike Keurig, Nespresso will not hold up its end of the warranty if you misuse the water reservoir by putting milk inside.


Can a Keurig make just hot water?

Absolutely!To make just a cup of hot water, press the size cup you’re using and the “Brew button” without putting a coffee pod in. We recommend running a test cycle first (and dumping it) in order to get rid of leftover coffee in the system.Then your water is ready for a tea bag or whatever you want to use it for!


Are you able to use vinegar to descale a Keurig?

A vinegar solution is a great alternative to using the descaling pods provided by Keurig.White distilled vinegar works best. To do this, fill up the water reservoir with equal parts vinegar and equal parts clean water. Then, follow the instructions online to descale your specific model of Keurig!The only thing I will say is that because it isn’t the company-approved pod that Keurig makes, your machine may not recognize that it has been descaled. This could lead to it continuing to prompt you to run a rinse cycle unnecessarily.

Final Thoughts

It seems like such a simple question: Can you put milk in your Keurig? It’s made for coffee and all, so why not just pour it right into the tank?

Because you can’t- this could create a blockage in your machine’s tubes due to the fact that it is not equipped to process such a thick liquid.

To avoid milk residue buildup and ensure that your device is in good working order, heat up your choice of milk on the stovetop or microwave; alternatively, use an independent frother like the Breville or Nespresso brand milk frother.

The Breville milk machine allows for customizable temperature settings, so you’ll never have to drink cold coffee again!

Emily Carr
Emily Carr

Emily is a copywriter with over five years of experience in crafting content for the home renovation and remodeling industry. She loves house projects, whether it be painting a room or tweaking small design elements to transform a space. Her favorite aesthetic is french modern because of its clean lines and airy feeling! When not writing, Emily loves to travel and check out architectural details all over the world.

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