Can You Reuse K Cups – Top 10 Reuse K Cups Hacks

Last updated on October 24th, 2023 at 15:03

A few regular readers have buzzed us and asked us the questions “can you reuse K cups?” and “can you reuse K Cups twice?”

While coffee lovers are absolutely correct in the context that you can only make one coffee, and they can not be used to brew additional cups of coffee. If you did, you will, I mean absolutely will, end up with a very weak coffee that is very watery and lacking taste.

But

you can reuse the capsule, and this, my top 10 hacks for reusing K cups you will find below. Seriously, if you use and upcycle your K-cups in ways other than using ground coffee, do write in and tell us, and we will add it to this article and help to save the environment.

Can You Reuse K Cups Twice?

In case you missed the answer above, no, you can’t reuse K cups twice. Disposible K-cup pods are designed for single use, and you cannot use them for brewing a second cup of coffee. Only one cup of tasty, delicious coffee can be made with them.

You can reuse your used coffee grounds as compost and add them to your compost pile or upcycle your old coffee grounds to re-invigorate the soil of your houseplants.

The disposable K cups themselves, well they too can be upcycled and reused.

Read: How do K-Cups work?

What Can I Use Empty K Cups For?

While K Cups and coffee capsules in general are very convenient and quick way of enjoying a good cup of coffee that is on par with any of your local gourmet coffee shops they are not at all convenient for the environment.

Reusing your empty K cups is more environmentally friendly than sending them for recycling to the company themselves – you know! The material used to send them the carbon emissions from the truck etc, etc.

Here are my top 10 ways of reusing your K Cups.

Read: How long do K cups last?

#1. Refill Used K-Cups With Fresh Coffee Grounds

Yes,

you can reuse the K-cups by filling them with fresh coffee grounds, saving you some pennies in not having to buy the proper reusable K-cup capsules. You may need to buy the stick on foil lids, or you can make your own by crimping them around the edge.

Note: Reusable pods will not keep your coffee as fresh as the original due to the lack of nitrogen used. They will stay good overnight or for a few days.

#2. Use Your Old K-Cups As A Mold For Bath Bombs

Some female coffee aficionados will be delighted to find that you can make a perfectly good bath bomb by reusing empty Keurig pods.

Be careful and remove the paper filter. You can use any recipe for the bath bomb that you so wish. Aromatherapy, essential oils or whatever you may need. Add the ingredients to your empty K cup and let them set overnight.

Use a knife to remove the K-Cup from the soap mix at bath time. Don’t forget to remove the filter from the bottom before you make the bath bomb.

#3. Fill Your Old K-Cup With Paint

Definitely one for the artist in you, – switch out your paint pallet for coffee pods!

The small plastic containers are the perfect size for holding paint for an art project. Also, the small size is perfect for reducing the mess made by your little ones.

You will need to use gum, tape or glue to seal the hole at the bottom of your pod before you make them.

#4. Use Your K-Cups As Seed Starters

This I love, I have a little thing for growing sunflowers, roses and tomato plants!

This is far better than just throwing your pods in the landfill or burning them. Use them for your seedlings with the coffee ground fertilizer, as used coffee grounds are full of nutrients to grow plants and flowers.

Simply place your seeds in the used pod with potting soil and used coffee grounds mix and let them grow. When they are too big, move them to a bigger pot.

Reuse the soil and coffee grounds and add them to your compost mix.

#5. Make A Perfect Circle Stamp

Another little art project.

You can make a perfectly circular stamp and is so easy. All you need to do is dip the rim of the K Cup in paint, and you can make a circular stamp on paper, canvas and even a T-shirt. Any material can be used.

You can also trace around the K-Cup.

#6. Store Small Portions Of leftovers

Waste not want not is what I say. Why throw out old food items that are worth saving? There is no reason. Peas, beans, gravy, chopped herbs can be saved by putting them into your pods.

If you don’t have reusable K-cup lids, cover your food items in your pods with foil and store them in the fridge.

#7. Organize And Store Small Items

Small items like buttons, pins, small batteries can be stored in K Cups. Instead of losing them, you can now keep them and know where they are and thus making them easy to find.

#8. Hang Your Pods On Your Wall

A little more arty, you can use these and hang them on your wall, making for very artistic decorations. You can alter their color by painting them. You can even use a string light and use your K Cup pods and the housing, covers for the individual lights.

#9. Store Your Coins

Loose change can be stored in your old K cups. You can go as far as using many, one per coin value and making them easier to organize when you are looking for coins.

It can make for a great way of saving money, a alternative to a piggy bank but in a more organized way.

#10. Freeze Stuff, Make Popsicles

You can freeze a number of things in your K Cup and make frozen items like a K-cup popsicles, ice cubes, and small portions of your own butter or Ghee.

Frequently Asked Questions About Can You Reuse K-Cups

Can You Use The Same K-Cup Twice?

 No, you cannot reuse a Keurig K-Cup twice to get a second cup out of it. If you could, it would suggest that there is something wrong with your machine that is not extracting the maximum flavor from your coffee grounds the first time. A second brew should be weak and watery and sour tasting with a lack of caffeine content.

How Many Times Can You Reuse K-Cup?

A Keurig K-Cup is designed for single use and thus only one use is all you can get out of the K-Cups. 

What Happens If You Use A Kcup Twice?

 If you try to use a Keurig K-cup twice, you will end up with a sour tasting weaker coffee that is not at all tasty. You will only be able to get a strong coffee the first time round.

Can You Reuse A Reusable K-Cup?

Yes, you can reuse a reusable K-cup many times. There are some reusable Keurig’s K-cups that will outlast you! These are the ones that are made of metal with literally no limit to the number of times that you can refill them with coffee grounds.

They, the aluminum ones, are more expensive but long term you get more bang for your buck out of them.

Can I Use My Coffee Pod Twice?

No, you should get all the flavor into your first round of brewing. If you try and find there is still a good degree of flavor in your coffee grounds, then there is something wrong with your machine that is not getting all the flavor into your brew the first time round.

Should Coffee Pods Be Empty After Use?

No, after you have used your coffee pods, there should still be coffee grounds in the bottom of them. It is not necessary that you remove the coffee grounds when you put them into the recycling bag.

You can make use of that tiny amount of coffee as you can use them to revitalize your soil, to make a face scrub or a face mask with honey.

Are You Supposed To Peel K-Cups?

Yes, peel the K-cup lid and discard it. Recycle the empty cup.

How Many Times Do You Need To Use A Reusable Cup?

The number of times that a reusable cup can be used depends on the type of material used. Food grade silicone can be used 20 to 100 times while aluminum ones have an unlimited number of times.

Frappé-Ing It All Up – Can You Reuse K-Cups

Reusing your K Cups to squeeze an extra cup of coffee out of them is not a possibility, absolutely not. The amount of coffee in the K Cups is only enough for a small 6 ounce cup of coffee at most and certainly cannot make two cups or even a decent man-sized cup of coffee.

You can however reuse the K-Cup pod and upcycle them in a number of ways as I have indicated in this article.

The answer to that question can you reuse K-cups is yes, just not to get that extra cup of coffee.

Join our cool coffee community and share with us all your own great ways of reusing your K-cups and help us all save the environment. Find us on Facebook/Meta.