Do you love to make iced coffee? So do I. But with a brand-new Keurig machine, iced coffee at home may seem intimidating.
However, you can brew iced coffee with Keurig by following our guide.
From making your own cup, varying coffees with a unique recipe or two, and the benefits of drinking caffeine everyday, we have this guide on how to make iced coffee with Keurig!
What Is a Keurig?
If you’ve seen coffee pods, you have an idea of what a Keurig is. A Keurig is used to make various beverages — and make iced coffee.
While K-cups are Keurig’s most popular products, they also make teas, cocoas, and lemonades.
There are Keurig products that don’t just support K-Cups, but Nespresso pods for ice coffee as well.
A Short History of Keurig
Keurig started in the 1990s by former roommates Sylvan and Dragone. Founded in 1992, the Keurig brand aimed to solve a commonplace problem encountered by any coffee shop and coffee lover: a full pot of brewed coffee growing stale over time. A single-serving from a coffee pod is the perfect solution instead!
After their initial development, Keurig was approached by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters to become its subsidiary. After some time, Keurig became Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s main brand, before merging with Dr. Pepper Snapple Group in 2018.
Is Iced Coffee Just Cold Coffee?
No, it isn’t! Cold coffee can be left in a fridge to cool after being brewed hot. You can also use cold water to make it.
However, iced coffee involves coffee you pour over ice cubes. The existence of ice cubes is the key difference between iced and cold coffee, and the resulting taste and texture is also quite different.
While the Keurig 2.0 is a great choice for brewing both hot coffee and making iced drinks. However, there is something better than that. It is the best option for brewing all sorts of coffee, including how to make iced coffee fast.
The Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Brewer is also a solid ice coffee maker. You can brew regular hot coffee, with a strong option and 5 different sizes.
At the same time, it has an iced setting that lets you brew hot coffee over ice. As a result, your coffee for Keurig will be smooth tasting, and refreshing.
Steps to Making Delicious Iced Coffee with Keurig
It’s time to make coffee with a Keurig coffee machine! Follow the four steps below to achieve the perfect iced coffee at home:
#1 Prepare Your Ice
Coffee ice cubes are a must! If you don’t want your coffee to be watered down, you can make coffee cubes ahead of time in an ice tray. It takes some time, so you will have to wait if you want a stronger coffee.
Simply make a batch of your usual hot coffee. Wait for it to cool, and pour it into your favorite ice cube tray. Pop it into the freezer for a few hours and it’ll be ready to go!
You can prepare some ice in your cup before pouring the coffee in it, or set it aside for later use.
#2 Prepare Your Keurig Machine
We recommend the K-elite machine. The K-elite can give you everything you need in a single-serving.
Check your water reservoir. Fill it up with enough water and check the filter! Turn on the Keurig coffee maker and use K-cup or My K-cup.
Use an appropriate-sized glass cup for the brew you’re about to make. Set it in your machine.
#3 Brew Your Coffee
You can choose to brew directly onto the mug filled with ice. Choose the correct cup size and type of brew for the coffee you want to make!
#4 Add Finishing Touches
You can brew and have your coffee as is, or choose to add more finishing touches as you go. You can add sweetened condensed milk, almond milk, oat milk, or even chocolate syrup! Oat milk has been my personal favorite recently.
You can add milk and chocolate can make the perfect iced mocha coffee that’s great for a hot day.
All done! You can now enjoy your Keurig iced coffee — and even make some more.
How Does a Keurig Coffee Maker Work?
So, how exactly does this one-pod Keurig brewer work? Find out more about any Keurig model and Keurig machines below:
Introducing the K-Cup
The coffee pods we all know and love to brew are called K-Cups. Your favorite K-Cup houses coffee good for brewing a single drink. Inside the plastic capsule is a filter with an aluminum foil lid. When you brew it, it goes inside the Keurig machine, and it essentially acts as a portafilter.
While a Keurig pod may be new for some of us, it’s been around since the 1990s! It also ensures that the flavor is kept fresh by flushing it with nitrogen and keeping it tightly sealed. No light, moisture, or air can penetrate the K-Cups.
Aside from coffee, K-Cups have expanded to include tea, chocolate, fruit, dairy, and cider pods. You can even have a coffee with Keurig through a specific K-Cup made for it: the Brew Over Ice pods.
To cut down on your plastic use with the K-Cups, you can opt to buy Zero Waste boxes that contain 600 pods at once. There are also reusable K-Cups that you can use!
The Brewing System
The brewing process for coffee — from a hot coffee to an iced coffee at home — is quite straightforward. You start by picking one pod from your best K-cups, then placing it inside your Keurig. Once placed, the aluminum cover is pierced by a spray nozzle, while the bottom of the pod is pierced by a discharge nozzle.
Select your desired brew size — whether for your hot or iced coffee at home. Pressurized water comes from the water reservoir. Coffee brew will come from the external spout and pour into your selected glass or cup!
Cleaning Up
Had enough of ice and caffeine? It’s time to clean up.
If you typically have harder water in your area, it may be necessary to clean your machine frequently. To clean up easily, there’s an option to “Descale” your machine from any calcium build-up that can keep you from brewing the perfect cup. Any different Keurig model should have this option!
Cleaning can also be done with a diluted mix of vinegar and water, as well as Keurig-approved cleaners like Dezcal. Make sure to clean your Keurig machine often to have the best chilled beverages around town! A removable drip tray should also be there to make clean-up easier.
The needle (yes there is one) in your Keurig may also need cleaning up as coffee and oil residue can build up. Check out our guide on how to clean the Keurig needle.
Tips and Variations for Making Iced Coffee
#1 Make A Stronger Brew
You can do a couple of techniques if you want a stronger cup of coffee.
One thing you can do is make a double brew in your coffee maker. Instead of the usual amount of coffee for a single serving, you double the amount. You can do this with a Keurig coffee maker by making two single-serving pods at a time, then pouring ice into the cup or glass.
#2 Make Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Who doesn’t love a new recipe? Vietnamese iced coffee with Keurig machines involve sweetened condensed milk and ice! Simply add up to tablespoons of condensed milk to a cup or glass of coffee before topping it off with ice, ice, and more ice.
The resulting flavor is refreshingly cool and sweet! You can also opt to add some cream to taste.
#3 Make Cold Brew
A cup of cold brew is the healthiest iced coffee you can make! Simply steep coarse grounds of coffee in a glass overnight before straining it. The result is a strong taste that you can pour ice in to make a cup of your favorite iced coffee.
#4 Make an Iced Mocha
Thinking of adding milk and that chocolate syrup lying around? Top off the mixture with coffee and ice and you’ve got yourself a cup of good mocha.
Try this mocha recipe at home and get your fill of sweetness! Add some whipped cream to get that coffee shop feel.
#5 Make Coffee Ice Cubes Ahead of Time
We’ve mentioned this above, but we feel like it’s worth repeating. Making coffee ice cubes to incorporate into your iced coffee recipes is a must-taste.
To make coffee ice cubes, all you have to do is pour some coffee into your ice tray and leave it to cool in the freezer. As a result, your iced coffee won’t taste diluted or bland! Instead, the coffee cubes leave behind the full flavor you want in any recipe.
Is Iced Coffee Good For You?
Iced coffee can be good for you! Apart from being a refreshing, nice drink you can have on hot days or in the summer, here are some benefits that iced coffee can offer:
#1 Improved Energy levels
Who doesn’t want to have higher energy levels? We all need it from time to time! Caffeine is notorious for being a stimulant, and your regular fill of Keurig iced coffee can work wonders for your energy.
Subjective levels of fatigue and time to exhaustion are lower, while subjective energy levels are much higher. Make iced coffee today and feel the effects! You can find a study on the improved energy levels here.
#2 You Have Lower Risk of Depression
Got the blues? Coffee with a Keurig machine can help. Make iced coffee, drink it, and feel the results of lowered depression risk. One cup of Keurig iced coffee per day can help, but if you’re really into your cold brew, you can make iced coffee up to four times a day.
#3 You Can Enhance Your Athletic Performance
Iced coffee does more than just give you a boost. Drinking your cup of brew before you exercise has been directly linked to improved endurance and perceived exertion, which improves power output in general.
#4 You Decrease Chances of Alzheimer’s or Dementia
Drinking two or three cups of coffee a day provides some protection against developing the dementia or Alzheimer’s! If you have the gene running in your family or you’re concerned about Alzheimer’s or dementia in general, it may be time to fire up your Keurig to make iced coffee.
#5 Your DNA Becomes Stronger
Dark-roasted coffee drinkers have been linked to a decrease in DNA strand breakage. So if you’ve ever wanted to try out dark-roasted coffee, it may be time to have it hot — or press the iced button to have the drink served chilled!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Okay to Drink Iced Coffee Everyday?
There’s little to no drawbacks in making iced coffee every day. However, you should be careful of what kind of iced coffee you’re consuming! If your Keurig iced coffee option comes with a lot of milk and sugar along with the ice, reconsider the frequency of you having your fill.
However, if not a lot of sugar, sweetened condensed milk, or cream is added to your Keurig iced coffee, then it’s fine to have one mug or two a day. Add as much ice as you like!
What is the Healthiest Iced Coffee?
The healthiest iced coffee you can have is a cold brew iced coffee. Cold-brewed coffee has less added sugar per glass, giving you more flavor and less health drawbacks.
To make your own healthy iced coffee, invest in organic coffee and go for sugar-free sweeteners. Nut or oat milk also expands the flavor — but it won’t cut back on quality.
How Do You Turn on the Keurig Coffee Maker?
The Power Button icon of the Keurig 2.0 is situated in the bottom right corner of the brewer screen. It will show up after the brewer has been plugged in.
How Do You Make Coffee in a Keurig Machine?
To make coffee in a Keurig, plug in the coffee maker and turn it on. Add water to the machine and place the K-pod in its slot. Choose the size and other settings and then select the brew function.
Can I Add Milk in a Keurig?
Putting milk in your Keurig or any other coffee maker will ruin the machine. Do not use anything in your Keurig besides water.
Is Keurig Coffee Good?
Keurig coffee is a good option if you want an affordable machine that makes coffee quickly. The brew is reasonably strong and the coffee maker lasts for a long time.
Can I Use K-Cups for Whipped Coffee?
Yes? You can make whipped coffee using K-cups. Wait until the brewed coffee has cooled down a little. Then, take some heavy whipping cream in a large bowl. With an electric mixer on high, whip the cream and then gradually add the cup of coffee. This will take a few minutes, but soon enough, the mixture will form soft peaks.
Can I Make Espresso with a Keurig?
No, because Keurigs are designed to brew drip coffee. While you can make a concentrated cup of coffee with a Keurig, it will not be the same as espresso.
Is It Possible to Use Opened K-Cups in a Regular Coffee Maker?
This can be possible if you are in a pinch. Simply remove the foil from the pod or cup, and pour the coffee grounds into the filter of your coffee maker. Use the coffee maker as you normally would and your coffee will taste just fine.
To Wrap Up
Finding out a Keurig that makes iced coffee is a serious game-changer. You can easily make yourself an iced drink whenever the mood strikes and do so at home without spending a lot of money.
Now that you know how to make iced coffee with Keurig, you can indulge in your caffeine addiction without emptying out your coffers. There are countless flavors to taste, so go ahead and start exploring!
Related Topic:
Pin Later
