How To Make Keurig Hot Chocolate Taste Better

Justin Micheal

Food Writer & Editor in Chief For KitchenSanity

Justin Micheal is KitchenSanity's founder, food writer and editor in chief. As an expert home cook with over 30 years of daily cooking experience and food handler certifications, he's a pro at experimenting with recipes and a stickler for food safety. He writes informative and detailed guides about cooking basics such as proper food storage, cutting and cooking methods, and choosing the right products to make cooking easier.

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If you’re tired of coffee or need a sweeter brew to get you going, why not make some hot chocolate in your Keurig?

Yes, it is possible, but if you’re not careful, you can do damage to your machine or yourself.

So, I’ll show you how to make hot chocolate in your Keurig coffee maker in easy-to-follow steps, along with some tips to make it taste better and avoid potential problems.

How To Make Hot Chocolate In A Keurig

The steps for making hot chocolate pods are no different than brewing regular coffee pods, other than a little extra care for cleanup.

Time To Complete: 10 minutes

make hot chocolate Keurig mugs

What You Need

If you plan to use a refillable K-cup, you will need to add your favorite hot chocolate powder to it and brew the same as the premade K-cup pods.

Instructions

  1. Place a new K-Cup Pod, or refillable K-Cup that has been filled with hot chocolate, in your Keurigs pod holder.
  2. Close and secure the lid, making sure that the pod has been punctured.
  3. If your Keurig has a hot chocolate setting, we recommend using it. If your model doesn’t have that option and want a deeper tasting hot cocoa, try using the strong button or setting.
  4. Brew as you would a normal pod of coffee by pressing the brew or k-shot button. Keep in mind that most hot chocolate pods are not designed to brew large or travel mug sizes. If you try, the chocolate flavor will be very weak.
  5. Once brewing has finished and dripping has stopped, remove your mug.
  6. Add milk, Cream, or flavorings as desired and enjoy.

Note: Only add water into your Keurigs water reservoir. Never add milk, flavorings, other liquids, or powders.

Related | Can You Use Milk In A Keurig?

What Does The Keurig Hot Chocolate Setting Do?

The hot chocolate setting changes the speed at which water is pumped into the K-Cup pod, similar to the strong setting, to better absorb and mix the powder before dripping into your cup.

How To Make Your Own Hot Chocolate K-Cup

The easiest way to use your own hot chocolate mix is to pour the powder in your mug and then brew hot water into your mug using your Keurig.

However, you might also consider using a refillable K-cup filter. Use a cleaned reusable filter pod, fill with your favorite hot chocolate, and brew with our instructions above.

Take extra care to clean it well after using it to prevent stickiness and sugar buildup, which may cause clogs, attract pests, or be a haven for unwanted bacteria.

How To Make Keurig Hot Chocolate Taste Better

Make Keurig hot chocolate taste better

There are plenty of Keurig hot chocolate options for a wide variety of tastes. If you prefer to stick with your favorite mix and add a little something extra, we have you covered!

Related | Best Hot Chocolate For Keurig

There are two ways that you can make your hot chocolate taste better:

Flavorings To Mix In

  • Spices – A dash of cinnamon or nutmeg
  • Nut butter – Peanut butter, almond butter, Nutella
  • Extra hot chocolate powder – Add a little extra in your mug for a deeper taste
  • Candy – Caramels or candy canes for peppermint flavor
  • Alcohol – Rum, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua

Toppings

  • Whipped Cream – Use as a base for the rest of the toppings.
  • Chocolate – White, dark, milk chocolate chips, or shaved
  • Coconut – Try toasted coconut flakes with mini marshmallows
  • Marshmallows – A classic additional that can enhance the creaminess
  • Nuts – Your favorite freshly ground nuts such as peanuts or pistachios
  • Sprinkles – If you’re feeling

Those are just a few examples of tasty additions that you can add to your Keurig hot chocolate.

Will Hot Chocolate Clog My Keurig?

Hot chocolate may clog your machine if powder escapes from the pod or if you do not clean the pod and needle area well after brewing hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate powder or other liquids should never enter the water reservoir, which would most certainly cause a clog and damage your Keurig.

Of course, the best Keurig hot chocolate is the one that suits your taste, that dissolves fully, and that is easy to clean up.

Hot chocolate K-cups are generally loaded with sugar and may result in a sticky residue on the puncturing mechanism.

If you notice your puncture needle getting clogged when making sugary beverages in your Keurig, try carefully pushing the cup onto the lower needle before closing the lid.​

Your Keurig has two needles. There’s the one that breaks through the foil and the one that breaches the seal and digs down into the beverage powder.

If you can pre-puncture with the first needle, you’ll get less powder wafting up and clogging the second needle.​

Only Water Goes In The Reservoir

It’s critically important to never add any liquid other than water to your Keurig reservoir. Keurig machines reserve a cup of water in an inner reservoir, which is how they can heat and dispense hot beverages so quickly.

Related | How Long Can You Leave Water In A Keurig?

However, if you try to make milk-based hot cocoa by putting milk in the reservoir, you will eventually wind up with:

  • Burned milk on the heating element of your Keurig
  • A combination of spoiled milk and water in the internal reservoir

You may add water to dilute this trapped milk, but you probably won’t be able to get it all out and need to follow more detailed instructions on how to drain a Keurig.

Milk is fragile and can’t stay fresh at room temperature, so you’ll wind up with spoiled milk hanging around in the bottom of the pot.

In Summary

It doesn’t have to be the holiday season for you to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate (hot cocoa). A cold morning or to warm up in the evening is the perfect excuse to give yourself that much-needed treat.

Written By Justin Micheal

Justin Micheal is KitchenSanity's founder, food writer and editor in chief. As an expert home cook with over 30 years of daily cooking experience and food handler certifications, he's a pro at experimenting with recipes and a stickler for food safety. He writes informative and detailed guides about cooking basics such as proper food storage, cutting and cooking methods, and choosing the right products to make cooking easier.

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