Keurig K50 Vs K55 ¦ Comparison & Detailed Review For 2021.

We're An Affiliate

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Thank you if you use our links, we really appreciate it!

According to recent research, over 60% of Americans love to start their day with a cup of coffee. Are you the one? If yes, you probably own a coffee maker. However, if you don’t have one, you might be looking for a coffee maker. In this process, you would obviously get confused with so many coffee-making brands in the market.

Well, Keurig is one of the best brands of coffee makers in the market. Either you’re looking for the best single-serve coffee maker with no pods or the one with extra features like frothing, no one can replace Keurig. However, it can be challenging for you to select the best from more than 50 models of Keurig’s coffee machines where Keurig K50 and K55 are very famous models. Well, that’s where this guide could help you. 

keurig k50vsk55

In this article, we’ve chosen two best products of the Keurig, Keurig K50 and the Keurig K55. These machines look virtually identical, but the fact is both are separate. So, we’ll also discuss the difference between k50 and k55 Keurig to simplify decision-making for you. We’re sure you would have no problem choosing the one in the end. Let’s start with why Keurig is the best brand of coffee makers.

Why Is Keurig Best?

Keurig is a famous name in the world of coffee. The company made its first coffee makers in the 1990s for office use. Thus, it makes your dream of having an instant cup of coffee come true. The amazing thing is that you will not have to sacrifice the taste of the coffee. 

While considering Keurig vs Regular Coffee Maker, some features that make the Keurig best are:

coffee machine illustration
  • Easy to clean: Keurig coffee makers are easy-to-use and easy to clean. Some of them also have descaling indicators.
  • Speed: You can get a hot cup of coffee in less than one minute with Keurig coffee-making machines.
  • Removable trays: All their machines have removable trays. So, these are easy to clean and give extra space for a larger coffee mug. 
  • Removable reservoir: Keurig machines come with a removable water reservoir. This feature makes cleaning and refilling easy for you.
  • Auto-off option: They have a heating element that serves as the sensor and eats power. As a result, your machine will turn off automatically if turned on for a long time. This feature exists in all Keurig machines. However, the time after which the machine would turn off varies with models. 
  • Brew strength: Keurig also has the feature to select the brew strength. You can choose brew strength from 6oz-12 oz in the keurig.
  • Water filters: Water filters are also present in the Keurig machines to give you a better and smoother taste in coffee. 
PROs Of Keurig
  • Instant coffee
  • Tremendous flavour choice
  • Best for making cold tea, hot tea, lemonade, lattes, cappuccinos, and many more.
  • Diverse brew size
  • No programming, simple buttons to get your coffee ready.
  • Heat and strength selection settings
  • Excellent coffee taste
  • Inbuilt filters in some models
  • Compatible with diverse K-cups, including local K-cups.
CONs Of Keurig
  • Good only for single serve
  • Old models don’t have some must to have features like the brew strength
  • The latte and cappuccino don’t taste like an espresso machine

Keurig K50 Vs K55: A QUICK OVERVIEW 

Keurig K50 and K55 are one of the best single-serve machines of Keurig. Before knowing the difference between them, let’s have a quick overview of the Keurig K50 and K55. 

POWER ON-OFF

Keurig K50 Description

Keurig K50, also known as the “all-purpose coffee maker,” uses individual coffee pods to produce a single cup of coffee. Not only this, you can prepare some other drinks such as tea by using the right pod.

The amazing thing is that you can use three different brew sizes; 6, 8, and 10 ounces. These different brew sizes are sufficient to fill most of the travel mugs available. Further, with K50, you can enjoy the coffee in just 60 sec. Besides, it’s always ready to go after the initial start. So, you can easily serve your entire family with a hot drink, although it’s a single-serve machine.

It’s user-friendly and quiet in its operation, which is totally opposite to other coffee-making machines of Keurig. So, you will never get disturbed because of its noise. 

Best of all, it has a 48oz water reservoir. This reservoir size makes it a perfect machine to serve a small team in your office. Moreover, you can easily enjoy a cup of coffee a day throughout the week without refilling the reservoir.

Main Features

  • The removable 48oz water tank allows you simple cleaning and refilling.
  • With three different brew sizes, it’s easy for you to enjoy the coffee of desired strength.
  • Its auto-off option saves energy for you.
  • Smart indicator lights will allow you to know what’s happening in the machine.
  • K50 is highly efficient, providing you with a cup of coffee in just 60 sec. 
  • Strong brewing feature allows you to have a cup of coffee high in caffeine.
Pros
  • Fast brewing
  • 3 brew sizes
  • Button control system
  • Auto-off features
  • Large water reservoir
Cons
  • Little Bit Noisy
  • Only One Water Filter
  • Limited Colour Choice

Keurig K55 Description

Keurig K55 is famous as “K classic” and is an upgraded version of Keurig K50. It offers you the option to choose from three different drink sizes, such as 6, 8, and 10 oz. If you want to have the strongest brew, choose the 6oz brew size. 

With its 48oz water reservoir, you can easily enjoy more than 6 cups of coffee before refilling. Thus, it’s best to use it if you want to save your morning time. Another feature that makes it unique is its removable reservoir. So it provides you with the option for effortless refilling whenever you want. 

It’s easy to clean with a simple descaling process. You just have to run the descaling process to get rid of all the calcium deposits. Besides, when it comes to cleaning the exterior surface, just use a damp cloth to make your coffee machine shine. 

The feature that makes it the industry’s first runner is its energy-saving mode. Whenever your K55 machine stays idle for two hours, it’ll turn off automatically. Further, you’ll see a simple button control on the machine, making it easy to use. 

Apart from the most expensive coffee makers, you can get Keurig K55 at an affordable price. So, if you’re looking for the cheapest way to make coffee, consider K55.

Main Featuers

  • 480 oz water reservoir allows you to enjoy 6 cups of coffee in a day.
  • With fast brewing speed, you can have a cup of coffee in less than a minute.
  • Quiet brewing technology allows the machine to operate with no noise.
  • With Activated charcoal filters, you can have a cup of coffee full of taste.
  • The descaling reminder helps you to maintain the K55 coffee maker.
Pros
  • Descaling indicator
  • Two water filters
  • Creamy taste
  • <1 min of brewing time
  • Variety of colours
  • More reliable
Cons
  • Larger size
  • Occupy more space
  • Little bit heavy

Keurig K50 Vs K55: COMPARISON TABLE

Main FeaturesKeurig K50Keurig K55
Weight7.6 Pounds10.53 pounds
Brew Size6,8, and 10 oz6,8, and 10 oz
Dimension9.8 x 13 x 13.3 inches9.8 x 13.3 x 13 inches
Water Reservoir48oz48oz
DisplayButton controlButton control
Drip TrayRemovableRemovable
Brew Time>1 min<1 min
Water Filter1
ColourBlackWhite, Black, Red
Auto-Offyesyes
Quiet Brew TechnologyNoyes
Strong Brew ButtonyesNo

Difference Between KEURIG K50 And K55

A quick overview of K50 and K55 indicates that both are very similar to each other. But, the question, what’s the difference between Keurig k50 and k55, may make the buying decision hard for you Knowing all the differences will help you find the best machine to have a hot sip of coffee in the morning. Let’s see the difference between Keurig k50 and k55.

  • Speed

Just imagine you wake up in the morning and need a cup of coffee to start your day. But, what you’ve to suffer is your coffee machine brewing the coffee very slowly. It’s where the performance and speed of the coffee maker matter a lot. 

You might be wondering how to know the speed of a coffee machine. Well, you have to note the time from the point when you turn on the machine to the moment when you have a hot coffee mug in your hand. The time your coffee machine takes in the process decides its speed. Less the time a coffee maker takes, the more speed it has. 

When it comes to K50 and K55, both are designed to be fast, effective, and simple. There is no much difference between Keurig k50 and k55 regarding speed. With K55, you can get the coffee mug in less than 1 minute. On the other hand, K50 can brew the coffee for you in 1-1.5 minutes. 

So, if you’re considering performance as a key point, K55 is the winner of the game. It’s faster than K50. 

coffee life
  • Custom Brewing Features

Both K50 and K55 use the same brewing technology. You will find three different brew sizes of 6, 8, and 10 oz in both models. And the amazing thing is that all the brew sizes are compatible with diverse numbers of K-cups. Either it’s a Keurig-licensed beverage producer or any third-party pod; you can use it with both of them.

Both of them have a K-cup holder to hold the K-cup. While brewing, hot water is passed through the punctured pod. Additionally, both these coffee makers brew at 192.2F to provide you with a tasty cup of coffee. This temperature is perfect as it’s found that coffee makers that brew at 200 degrees brew a strong cup of coffee.  

The only difference between both of them is the strong brew feature in K50. By pressing this button, you can get a stronger and bolder cup of coffee. So, if you often crave extra caffeine, consider the K50. 

However, if you’re interested in having lattes or cappuccinos, consider all in one brewing system. It’s because both K50 and K55 don’t allow you to make these coffee styles. Moreover, look for the best espresso machine to have creamy espresso coffee. 

  • Water Filter

Water filters are something that’s the answer for what is the difference between Keurig k50 and k55. The K50 comes with simple mesh filters, which are reusable. These filters are not of good quality, and you may have to replace them soon. On the contrary, the K55 carries activated charcoal filters, which are much better than mesh filters. 

coffee-cup

You may not find this feature essential. But what can be more important other than when you’re mixing only water coffee. Further, the K55 filters are supreme and help you to achieve a smoother cup of coffee. 

So, again Keurig K55 is the winner with a better filter. 

  • Taste

The taste is essential to distinguish one coffee maker from the other. While discussing the difference between k50 and k55 Keurig regarding taste, K55 was found to be the best.

The coffee produced by the K55 is tastier, smoother, and stronger. The reason is its charcoal-based filters. These filters remove any impurities in the water. As a result, you will get coffee with the purest water.

On the other hand, most users have complained about the plastic taste in the coffee brew by K50. So, the taste of coffee from K55 makes this coffee maker shine. 

  • Maintenance

Cleaning both K50 and K55 is very easy. You can easily detach the drip tray, K-cup holder, and water reservoir for cleaning. The amazing fact is that you will get detailed step-by-step instructions in the Keurig K series user’s guide. Moreover, this guide will also help you to attach all the parts again after cleaning. 

cleaning coffee maker

The difference between Keurig k50 and k55 concerning cleaning is a descaling option. But before discussing that, you must know what the descaling is. Well, it’s a process to clean the internal parts of the coffee makers from calcium deposits. It can decrease machine efficiency.

Keurig recommends descaling the coffee machines every 3-6 months. So, the Keurig K50 and K55 also need to descale after 3-6 months. However, this time to descaling also depends on the water you’re using. For instance, if you’re using hard water, it means scaling is rapid. And you need to descale the coffee machine frequently. 

The difference between k50 and k55 Keurig is that the K55 comes with auto descaling detection. So, it will let you know when you need to run the Keurig’s descaling option or vinegar through the machine. However, it’s not essential to clean the machine with vinegar. You can also clean your coffee machine without vinegar.

For K50, you can do descaling using the same methods. But, you’ve to figure out when your k50 needs descaling. 

coffee cup
  • Aesthetics and build 

Aesthetic is not the primary concern for many people. On the other hand, some are conscious of having coffee machines complementing their kitchen décor.

Both K50 and K55 are aesthetically classy. They can enhance the fancy look of your kitchen. You would not notice much difference at first glance in them. However, the difference exists. 

The first difference between them is colour choice. You have limited colour choice for k50 as it’s available only in black colour. On the contrary, you can have K55 in white, black and red colour. Besides colour choice, the compact design of K55 with smoother edges gives it a modern classic look.

A slight difference in weight and size also exists between them. The K55 is larger as compared to K50. Moreover, the K55 is 12lb compared to the 7.6lb of the K50. According to Keurig, the advanced features of K55 are the reasons behind its larger size and more weight. 

blue coffee cup
  • Durability and Reliability 

There is no difference between K50 and K55 regarding durability. Both are made up of reinforced plastic, enhancing shelf life. However, if you have not maintained your machine, it would have less life. And it’s not the fault of the coffee machine; it’s yours.

However, reliability is where K55 wins the game. Several k50 users have complained that their K55 has stopped working. Just imagine, you’re ready for the office, and your coffee machine ditched you. We know how frustrating it is. So, it’s better to go for K55. 

  • Usability

Have you ever messed up your coffee cup by pressing the wrong buttons? Well, it happens mostly with a machine having a complex control system. And we know how annoying it is. That’s why we’ve chosen the K50 and K55 because of their ease of use.

Both K50 and K55 are quick and simple to use. There is no complex control system like pressure control, temperature control, an LED screen. You can easily control both machines with just buttons.

Cleaning

When it comes to how to use the Keurig machine, it’s not a hard task. If you just have got the new machine, you have to perform a one-time setup before brewing your first mug of coffee. Follow these steps to learn how to use the Keurig for the first time. 

  • First of all, connect the machine to a grounded outlet
  • Place a 10 oz mug on the drip tray
  • Fill the water reservoir to its capacity
  • Power the machine on from the button
  • Allow the coffee maker to heat until the red LED light turns off
  • With an empty coffee pod holster, press the button for the smallest brew size
  • Dispose of the liquid into the sink. 
  • Repeat the same process as above to brew a cup of coffee. However, don’t forget to place your favourite coffee pod inside the holster. 
  • Press the holder and get ready to have a hot mug of coffee.

Moreover, both machines have auto-off functionality. This option allows the machines to shut off after 2 hours of last brewing. Thus, both these coffee machines will enable you to save energy as well as time. 

However, you have to use the coffee from them instantly after making it. It’s because these are not compatible with thermal Carafe. If you want to prepare the coffee for the entire day once, you can go for a coffee maker with a thermal Carafe

After similarities, it’s time to find the answer for what’s the difference between Keurig k50 and k55 regarding usability. Well, it’s a “Quiet-Brew tech” in K55. This technology aims at reducing the noise and bells produced by the machine. So, the Keurig K55 makes less noise than the K50. However, it’s a surprising fact that some people still find it noisy. 

  • Price

Your pocket always stays as a hurdle whenever you think of buying something advanced. Don’t worry; it would not be the case here. The K55 is a little bit more affordable than the K50. So, if you’re looking for the best coffee maker at a reasonable priceK55 is the right choice.

i love coffee

What To Consider While Buying Keurig?

While making a buying decision, you can’t go with anything. In the same way, you can’t buy any random coffee maker. Here’re some of the things that you need to consider while buying a Keurig coffee maker.

  • Speed:

The fast speed of Keurig’s coffee makers makes them win the race of best coffee maker. With a Keurig coffee brewer, you can get a cup of coffee within minutes. However, other traditional coffee makers take around ten minutes to brew coffee.

But, you should know that all Keurig’s coffee makers don’t take the same time. Always select a coffee brewer that requires less than 3 minutes to prepare a cup of coffee. 

  • Water reservoir size:

The size of the reservoir decides if the machine is easy to use. Try to find a coffee maker with larger size which can make 8-10 cup of coffee without refilling the reservoir. For instance, a water reservoir with 48 oz is best to make 6 cups of coffee a day.

  • Brew size:

Some machines come with diverse brew size options. These brew sizes decide the strength of your coffee. Always buy a coffee maker that comes with different brew size options so that you can customize your coffee according to your mood.  

Besides brew size, cup size also plays an essential role in deciding the amount of caffeine in your cup.

black coffee cup
  • Maintenance Reminder

With regular cleaning, you can make your coffee maker run for a long time. Just imagine you forgot to clean your brewer. In such a case, your coffee machine will start smelling. It’s essential to buy coffee machines that come with an in-built descaling reminder to avoid such situations.

  • Customizable Features

Several features can make a coffee maker stand out among its competitors. It’s advisable to buy a coffee machine with all the advanced features. These features may include:

  • Auto on/off option
  • Quiet brew technology
  • Strong brew option
  • Charcoal based filter

FAQs

Are K-cups bad for the environment?

K-cups are not recyclable and are really bad for the environment. These non-recyclable materials leave plastic wastes in the environment. So, it’s preferable to use the recyclable K-cup. They are not only the cleaner options but will also save your money. The reason is you can use it more than one time.

Does vinegar kill mold in Keurig?

Yes, vinegar is the best option for killing the mold. However, you need to clear a myth that molds are unique to Keurig. Coffee makers from any brand can develop the mold if not cleaned and maintained properly. However, if the mold grows, mix the vinegar with the water, fill in the reservoir and run through the Keurig machine. 

Can I use the same K-cup twice?

No, you can’t use the same K-cup more than once. After using the K-cup, you need to throw it away. However, some brands like Keurig offer my K-cup reusable filter. You can add the ground coffee to these cups whenever you’re craving the coffee. 

What happens if you don’t descale your Keurig?

If you’re not descaling the machine frequently, it can have some undesirable effects. For instance,

  • You’ll feel a bitter taste in the coffee.
  • Your machine will get clogged. In return, your coffee maker will become inefficient.
  • Your machine will start smelling bad. 

How to maintain the Keurig coffee makers?

To enhance the life of you Keurig coffee makers, keep in mind the following things:

  • Clean the machine frequently
  • Use any soft material for cleaning
  • Never put the coffee machine in the water while cleaning
  • You can use the dishwasher for all Keurig parts except the lid and reservoir.
  • Use the descaling option for K55. 

Final Verdict:

Is the difference between k50 and k55 Keurig is still not enough to make the decision easier for you? Let me make it easy for you; go for K55.

No doubt, K50 is a good coffee maker. It has an auto-off feature with a large reservoir size and removable tray. What’s unique in it, K55 also has all these features.

However, K55 is the great bang for your buck with some additional features. These features are an auto descaling option and an extra filter. Above all, it’s more reliable than the K50 and will never deceive you. Even it’s affordable than the K50. So, the K55 beats the K50 with all these features.

Leave a Reply