Powdered Milk for Coffee Machines – Your Options Explained

Coffee vending machines work hand in hand with powdered milk. It’s less expensive than fresh or long-life milk and yields much more per packet.

But, as with each type, there are advantages and disadvantages to each type of powdered milk option available for coffee vending machines.

Coffee Creamer in Coffee Machines

Coffee creamer has gained a lot of popularity and is readily available at any supermarket. The related popular brands are Cremora and Ellis Brown. But, did you know that coffee creamers of this kind are actually made only of corn syrup solids, hydrogenated vegetable oil and sodium caseinate – and contain no actual milk solids? (Beware the corn syrup factor if you’re monitoring your sugar intake).

This revelation is either great or gross for you. If you’re lactose intolerant, but still love your cappuccino’s and traditionally milk-based coffee drinks, you’re in luck!

Because there is literally 0% lactose in coffee creamers, you don’t have to worry about repercussions after each cup. The other great thing about coffee creamer is that it’s considerably less expensive than dehydrated milk powder. The not-so-great part? It’s far easier to clog coffee machine pipes when using a coffee creamer; your coffee quality taste is undoubtedly compromised and it can be a bit hard on the waistline.

Powdered Milk in Coffee Machines

The second main type of powder milk is actual dehydrated milk solids. This offers you a much more realistic and close-to-milk taste as you can get from a milk powder. These options can be combined with selected ingredients to ensure the milk does not clog inside your coffee vending machine.

Although this is purely dehydrated milk, often the sucrose component is “brought forward” during the dehydration process – leaving you with a substantially sweeter taste than you have come to expect from normal milk. The downfall? It’s quite a bit more expensive than your coffee creamer, mentioned above, but on the other hand, offers you a far superior tasting product than coffee creamer ever could.

Powdered Milk Mixed With Coffee Creamer

The hybrid of coffee creamer mixed with dehydrated milk is what most users will settle on. It’s great in that your cost of pure powdered milk is slashed, but inversely so, your taste quality will be compromised too.

Watch this short video review explaining the different types of powdered milk you could use in your coffee vending machine!

It’s really all about what you prefer.

We would love to hear how you have adapted your powdered milk solutions in coffee vending machines!