Coffee makers do a wonderful job of making coffee, no surprise. But sometimes, they also do a good job of making hot chocolate. With the Keurig coffee machines, this is the case but sometimes you want to improve the end result a bit. So let’s look at how to make Keurig hot chocolate taste better!
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How To Make Hot Chocolate With A Keurig
The process of making the best hot chocolate for a Keurig machine depends a little on the model. Some Keurig machines have the option to select ‘Hot Cocoa’ to tell the machine you are making something different. Then you add the pod as normal and select the brew button to get the machine into action.
The end result isn’t a bad hot chocolate but sometimes there’s the urge to make it a little better. And we have suggestions on how to do that!
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Before we dive into how to make the drink better, it is worth mentioning that there are speciality pods that include flavoured hot chocolate and different styles of hot chocolate K-cups. If you are finding that even after using these tips, the hot chocolate from your Keurig just isn’t getting you excited, then hunting down these speciality pods could be the solution.
How to make Keurig hot chocolate taste better?
Now let’s dive into some ideas about how to make that drink taste like the thick and decadent hot drink we all love.
Thicken It
The first thing you should try is to thicken it. You don’t want to go too far and end with something that looks like melted milk chocolate ice cream. A slurry solution can be one way to get a thicker drink. My favourite is to use whipped cream. You can add it to the top then stir it in as you drink, and it will thicken the drink nicely.
You can even get fancy and make something like Chantilly Cream with some powdered (icing) sugar and vanilla essence mixed with the cream while whipping.
Froth
If you have a milk frother, then this is a great way to get the best hot chocolate. Make some frothed milk and add this to the finished drink to make a thicker and creamier drink. You can even experiment with different types of milk, including non-dairy, to see what you enjoy.
Milk
Perhaps the simplest way to deal with underwhelming hot chocolate is to add some milk. Again you can use dairy or a favourite non-dairy milk and even warm it up first. My hubby always pops milk in the microwave for a short blast before adding the warm milk to hot chocolate so it doesn’t cool the drink when it touches the liquid. Go for milk chocolate hot cocoa for this style, or even try a dark chocolate version.
Spice It Up
You don’t actually need spices here, what we mean is to make the drink more interesting and therefore improve the flavour. We’ve mentioned those speciality pods, which are a good option. Sometimes as simple as adding some mini marshmallows can do a good job too. A little sprinkle of grated chocolate on the top and there’s suddenly so much more to the drink.
Flavors
The final way to make hot chocolate taste better is to add more flavours to it. There are tons of ideas, from adding some espresso powder to make a mocha-style drink to something like cinnamon or another favourite spice. You could even make a grown-up hot chocolate with something like Bailey’s Irish Cream or a mint liqueur such as creme de menthe.
Will Hot Chocolate Clog A Keurig?
One of the reasons people don’t use the Keurig machines to make hot chocolate is that they worry it will clog it. But don’t worry, this isn’t a problem unless you use a kind of hot chocolate that isn’t designed for coffee machines. So if you stick to a pod of some kind as the basis and add to the drink to make it taste better, you’ll have no problems.
How do you clean a Keurig after hot chocolate?
While the proper hot chocolate pods won’t clog a Keurig, it is worth cleaning your machine after each use, as a build-up of chocolate residue can cause problems. Run a hot water cycle through the machine once finished, and this will clean it.
If things look a little dire, either use a proper cleaning product or add a little vinegar to the water. Just run the cleaning cycle a couple of times afterward, as vinegar-flavoured coffee is NOT a thing!
Improving your Keurig hot chocolate
The default Keurig hot chocolate is a good drink but there are a few easy ways to make it taste better. Experiment a bit and you’ll find the perfect way to enhance the drink and make it just what you need when you crave a hot chocolate.
You might also like 23 Speciality Coffee Recipes You Need to Sample by The Coffee Chef
