Nothing helps to lift my spirits than a good cup of Keurig hot chocolate with milk at the end of a strenuous day. And to make it faster than the traditional recipe, I brew a hot chocolate K-pod and tweak it as per my mood at the time. But we all know that the regular hot chocolate k-cups do not leave a lot to be desired.
To make K-cup hot cocoa better, you need to employ some tips and tricks to bring it to the level of the traditional thick and decadent hot chocolate. Keep reading to learn how to transform you Keurig brewed hot chocolate into a heavenly cup of hot chocolate.
How to Make Hot Chocolate With a Keurig
- Insert the hot chocolate pod into the Keurig and lower the bail
- Then press the “Hot Cocoa/other” button on the screen
- Press the brew button and wait for your hot chocolate to brew
How to Make Hot Chocolate from a Keurig Sweeter
The first thing you can do to improve the quality of hot chocolate brewed is to brew like a pro. Start by shaking the pod to mix the ingredients for a perfect brew. Then use a lower water setting to allow the ingredients in the pod to be utilized to the maximum.
You can even brew the pod twice to extract maximum flavor from it. Make sure you run it at a lower water setting like the 4 ounce setting for the best results.
Now that you have brewed your hot chocolate, the next step requires sprucing the hot chocolate in your cup. Here are the top four tips for umping your Keurig brewed hot chocolate.
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Milk
Add warm milk into your cup so that your hot chocolate can have a thicker and creamier taste. Use the milk of your choice. The quantity used is up to you. Make sure you leave enough space for the brewed hot chocolate to fit in your cup.
Alternatively, you can add the milk into the cup after you have brewed the hot chocolate to avoid spillover.
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Froth It
For that creamy texture that makes your hot chocolate decadent. You can froth the hot chocolate or the milk and add it to the brewed hot chocolate. Unfortunately, frothing is only possible with dairy milk or thicker consistency non-dairy milk options.
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Flavors
If you are a fan of flavor-infused hot chocolate, you can add flavors of your choice into your cup to add flavor to your hot chocolate.
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Specialty Pods
Use specialty flowered cups of hot chocolate for a different flavor of hot chocolate. There are several good brands you can use to make flavored hot chocolate.
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Get Crafty
Floating marshmallows in a cup of hot chocolate are as traditional as it gets, and you can use them to spruce your cup of hot chocolate.
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Thicken It
You can also use a slurry solution to thicken your hot chocolate if you are a fan of this type of hot chocolate. This may require additional heating for the cornstarch solution to cook and thicken. You can also use whipped heavy cream for a thicker texture.
Can You Put Milk in a Keurig for Hot Chocolate
No. The Keurig was not designed to be used with milk. This will leave a lingering taste and affect the taste of your coffee henceforth. It is best to add milk to your cup and brew the hot directly right into the warm milk using the Keurig hot chocolate setting.
What is the Best Hot Chocolate for Keurig
The Keurig manufacturer has K-pods for brewing hot chocolate with the K-café. However, these are not the only types of pods you can use in your Keurig to make a cup of hot chocolate. You can also buy other brands of hot chocolate to use with your Keurig.
These include;
- Starbucks Classic Hot Cocoa K-Cup
- Two Rivers Hot Chocolate K-Cup Sampler Pack
- Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa / Hot Chocolate K Cups
- Grove Square Hot Cocoa/Milk Chocolate K Cups
- Mountain High All Natural Hot-Chocolate K Cups (Milk Chocolate)
Does Hot Chocolate Clog Keurig?
No. most hot chocolate K-cups or pods use fine cocoa powder and other ingredients. Unless you use a generic brand hot chocolate pod, you will be just fine brewing hot chocolate with your Keurig.
Can You Use Hot Cocoa Powder in a Keurig?
The method won’t work. The mix from the hot chocolate is thicker than the coffee grounds. With the thicker mixture, it will clog your filter and clog your brewer needles quicker. I recommend using the hot chocolate pods and then running a few hot water brews after using them. To help reduce the needle clogging.
What Does ‘Strong’ and ‘Hot Cocoa or Other’ Modes Do on a Keurig?
The strong mode allows you to increase the strength and bold taste of your coffee. Press this button at the start of your brew to enjoy a fuller, bolder cup. The mode makes coffee bold by increasing the time it takes to brew the coffee, thus deeper extraction of the pods; it steeps longer in water, getting richer, satisfying cup. The machine achieves this by releasing water in intervals instead of a stream and allowing it to be steep.
Hot Cocoa mode, on the other hand, operates the water stream at a higher pressure to ensure that it washes as much of the cocoa powder from the pod or container as possible. This is crucial since cocoa, unlike coffee, need the fine cocoa powder in the drink for its bold taste. The more powder the Keurig can push down the better.
Can You Use a Hot Cocoa Keurig Cup Twice?
It’s not wise to use the k-cup twice; they are designed for one use only. You should use the k-cup once and throw it away. If you need to use it more than once, consider buying a k-cup with a reusable coffee filter. You use this reusable filter to add loose ground coffee each time, after cleaning it out and using it next time.
Check this too: 4 Ways to Unclog a Keurig
How to Clean a Keurig After Making Hot Chocolate
You must clean your Keurig machine once you are done brewing your hot chocolate; failure to do so may lead to clogging of your coffee maker and or alter the taste of your coffee.
Run a cycle of hot water as soon as you finish brewing to remove the cocoa flavor from the machine. You can also use a mixture of water and vinegar if you want to eliminate all traces of chocolate flavor from the machine.