Can You Put A Yeti In The Microwave?
Yeti cups are popular for a reason. They are long-lasting, durable, and keep your drinks either warm or cool for an extended period of time.
With all their uses, you might be tempted to warm up your beverages in a Yeti cup in the microwave — however, even as durable as these cups are, this might not be that safe!
Can you put a Yeti in the microwave? You should not place a Yeti in the microwave. As they are made from stainless steel, they do not react well in the microwave — you could cause damage to both the cup and the microwave, so it is really not worth it.
Not being able to use a Yeti in the microwave might limit you somewhat, but it is important to understand why you shouldn’t warm a Yeti in the microwave, plus how you can get around this to enjoy warm beverages!
Why You Shouldn’t Put A Yeti In The Microwave
Yeti cups are so good at insulating heat because they are made from stainless steel, but being made from stainless steel is one of the main reasons why you should not put a Yeti in the microwave.
Stainless steel conducts electricity, and as microwaves work using electrical energy, the stainless steel will not allow electricity to pass through it to heat up the contents inside.
Instead, the metal absorbs the energy, and the excess energy can then transform into heat or sparks.
Obviously, you do not want there to be any sparks to form in your microwave — this could lead to small fires and even injury. The stainless steel cup will also warm up, and be hot to the touch, which could cause burns.
However, take note that this isn’t only the case with Yeti cups; it is the same for any other stainless steel products you place in the microwave.
What Are The Risks Of Placing A Yeti In The Microwave?
There are risks involved with placing a Yeti into a microwave — understanding these different risks illustrates why you should avoid doing so!
Sparks And Flames
As stainless steel does not do well in a microwave charged with electricity, there is a good chance that the Yeti will cause sparks, and even flames, inside your microwave.
This is not only bad for the Yeti cup and your microwave but there is a small chance that this could lead to a flame inside your microwave as well.
There might not always be sparks created when placing a Yeti cup in the microwave, but there is still a chance it might happen — it really isn’t worth the risk at all.
Hot To The Touch
The stainless steel cup of the Yeti will absorb the heat and energy from the microwave — this could cause the outside of the cup to heat up.
When you open the microwave and grab the Yeti, it could be really hot to the touch and cause burns to your hands.
Stainless steel can hold on to heat for quite some time, so the chance of it burning your hands is quite high.
Lukewarm Liquid
As the stainless steel Yeti will prevent any energy and heat from passing through, instead absorbing it itself, the liquid inside of the Yeti cup will not actually heat up.
At best, you will have lukewarm, mild liquid inside the Yeti, while the outside of the Yeti cup will be hot to the touch.
There is no point in risking sparks and burns just to have lukewarm liquid at the end of it all!
How To Safely Warm Up Liquid In A Yeti
So, as mentioned above, you should not place your Yeti in the microwave to warm up the beverage inside.
However, whether you have left the beverage to sit for too long and it has cooled, or if you are wanting to warm the beverage up, you would need a safe way to do so.
There are a few options to choose from with how you can warm up the beverage without having to put the Yeti in the microwave.
Transfer The Liquid
The best way to warm up a beverage that has cooled in a Yeti is to transfer the beverage to a microwave-safe cup and warm it up in the microwave using this.
This way, the beverage will warm up properly and there is no risk to your microwave.
Once the beverage has warmed up, you can transfer it to the Yeti cup, put the lid on, and it will stay hot for hours.
Make The Beverage In The Yeti
One way to have a hot beverage ready to enjoy in the Yeti is to make the beverage directly in the Yeti to start.
Whether tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, you can make the beverage directly in the Yeti cup and then seal it while it is still hot — this will keep it warm for hours.
If it cools down before you get around to drinking it, then transfer the beverage to a microwave-safe cup and warm it up in the microwave.
Can You Put A Yeti In The Oven?
Now that you are aware that you should not heat a Yeti in the microwave, you might consider warming up cold beverages by placing the Yeti in the oven.
This, like the microwave, is really not a good idea. An oven does work differently from a microwave, so the chances of sparks and flames are reduced — however, the problem is that Yeti cups are only heat resistant up to 185°F.
Exposing the Yeti cup to heat above 185°F, which is really easy in the oven, could damage the cup permanently, and it will not be usable after this.
The heat could melt some components and warp the metal, and it will not be safe to use after this has happened.
It would also take a really long time to warm up any beverage, as the double-wall vacuum cup will protect the liquid and protect it from heating up too quickly.
So other than running the risk of ruining the Yeti cup, it is just not worth the wait. It would be much quicker to just place the beverage into a microwave-safe mug and warm it up in the microwave this way.
Can You Put A Yeti In The Dishwasher?
While Yeti cups might not be safe to put into the microwave or oven, they are safe to be put into the dishwasher — this saves you from having to wash up yourself!
Yeti cups and tumblers are very durable, and they hold up to dishwashing really well. However, it is advised that you remove the rubber lid gasket before placing the Yeti into the dishwasher, and handwash this component yourself.
Can You Put A Yeti In The Freezer?
Yeti cups can keep warm beverages warm, and cold beverages cool. So if you are looking for the Yeti cup to keep a drink ice cold, you might be tempted to place it in the freezer to get it extra cold.
This might make sense to get your drink to be ice-cold before heading out of the house, but it is not advised to place a Yeti in the freezer.
Liquids expand when frozen, and if you place a Yeti in the freezer with liquid inside, the liquid could expand and damage the inside stainless steel walls of the cup.
This could ruin the double-wall vacuum and cause the cup to be less efficient when insulating heat or cold.
The expansion of the liquid can also cause deformities with the vacuum seal, which once again can prevent the cup from performing how it should.
Instead, add some ice cubes to the cold drink when pouring it into the Yeti, or place the drink in a freezer-safe mug and into the freezer for a bit before pouring it into the Yeti once the beverage is cold enough.
Final Thoughts
It is not advised to put a Yeti in the microwave, and you can do some real damage by attempting to do so.
The stainless steel walls of the Yeti will react with the energy and electricity of the microwave — this could cause sparks and even flames.
The stainless steel walls of the Yeti will also warm up and be hot to the touch, potentially causing burns, while the beverage inside will still be lukewarm.
Instead of placing a Yeti into the microwave, pour the beverage into a microwave-safe mug to heat it in the microwave, then pour the hot beverage into the Yeti to keep warm for hours.
Related Questions
Now that we’ve learned about Yeti thermoses and how to safely use them, here are some additional questions that we thought you might have.
What should you not put into the microwave?
While a microwave is great to heat up food in a hurry, there are some restrictions as to what you can place in a microwave. Some of the items to avoid include aluminum foil, stainless steel, takeout containers, and single-use plastic.
Can you put hot coffee into a Yeti?
It is completely safe to put hot coffee into a Yeti — this is exactly what Yeti cups were made for: to keep hot beverages hot, and cool beverages cold.
