Coffee Drinkers Should Consider Investing in a Milk Frother
If you love making coffee at home, consider investing in one of the best milk frothers.
Making coffee at home has gone from drinking flavorless, watery coffee to creating the perfect creamy latte in your kitchen. It’s easy to find espresso machines, coffee grinders, and even milk frothers to help you create your ideal cup of joe.
Are you a cappuccino lover or a latte aficionado? If so, a milk frother is one of the tools you need for your kitchen.
Here are the top 5 best milk frothers to make your homemade coffee dreams come true.
Editor’s Choice: Breville BMF600XL Milk Cafe Milk Frother
The Breville Milke Cafe is the milk frother for the self-proclaimed baristas and coffee lovers. You know exactly how you want your coffee, and you are willing to pay big bucks for it.
If you’re looking for a premium, top-quality automatic milk frother, the Breville won’t disappoint.
The Breville milk cafe is a stainless steel designed automatic milk frother that gives you the most customizable options in a milk frother. If you know the temperature, the amount of foam, and the type of foam you want, this design is perfect for you.
The best part about this device is that it’s easy to use and easy to clean design. Pop the container in a dishwasher when you’re ready to clean it.
Breville Milk Cafe Pros
- Automatic heating: Unlike other milk frothers, the Breville heats milk automatically using induction heating.
- Dishwasher safe: Get a thorough cleaning with the detachable and dishwasher-safe canister.
- Large capacity: This milk frother can make up to three cups of frothed milk. It’s perfect for those who love a lot of milk or a big family.
Breville Milk Cafe Cons
- 1 cup minimum: The minimum amount of milk required for the machine to function is one cup. If you don’t drink a lot of milk, that requirement may be inconvenient for you.
- Expensive model: It’s a premium model, so the cost is over $100. That’s a lot more than some of our other top picks.
- Large size: This machine is as large as a blender. If you’re not working with a lot of counter space, it may be too much.
Best Value: Bodum Latteo Manual Milk Frother
If you’re going to get a milk frother, why not choose one from a trusted brand?
The makers of the Bodum are well-known for their premium french press coffee makers and high-end coffee makers.
The milk frother is stylish, functional, and froths milk perfectly for an affordable price. You’re getting the best bang for your buck with the Bodum Latteo.
The Bodum doesn’t automatically heat the milk, but the glass design allows you to pop it in the microwave. Pour the coffee in, froth it manually for about two minutes, and let it sit for a minute. Then, if you prefer, heat it in the microwave. Enjoy creamy, frothy milk for your cappuccino or latte.
It’s quick, easy to clean, and easy to use.
Bodum Latteo Pros
- Affordable price: This milk frother comes at the best value with an excellent price.
- Microwavable dish: Pop the glass container in a microwave after frothing the milk. The milk starts to get creamier as it heats.
- Manual design: Because it has a manual design, you don’t have to worry about a motor or batteries. This design also tends to last longer.
Bodum Latteo Cons
- Fragile materials: The glass makes this milk frother easy on the eyes and microwavable, but you’ll have to be more careful with it.
Best for Latte: Nespresso Aeroccino 4 Milk Frother
For those of you who prefer a creamy latte over a cappuccino, there is the perfect milk frother out there for you.
You need a milk frother that will make a creamy and subtle consistency to pour into your coffee. The Nespresso Aeroccino is your best bet.
While this Aeroccino 4 does have multiple settings for frothing milk, we think its better for lattes. Nespresso is well-known for its creamy lattes.
Just like the Breville, the Aeroccino uses heat induction and frothing discs to create your milk foam automatically. If you prefer it cold, you can select the cold setting as well.
Overall, this stylish milk frother will be a helpful addition to your kitchen.
Nespresso Aeroccino Pros
- Many options: You can choose between more or less foam and between hot and cold milk
- Stainless steel: The stainless steel design is easy on the eyes and extremely sturdy.
Nespresso Aeroccino Cons
- Harder to clean: This frother is much harder to clean than the Breville piece. Scrub the milk residue after every use.
Best for Cappuccino: Epica Automatic Electric Milk Frother
There are coffee people, and then there are cappuccino people. If you favor foamy espresso drinks, you need a specific kind of milk frother.
The Epica Automatic is perfect for those who prefer a delicious cappuccino drink in the mornings.
The best part about the Epica milk frother? You can get a self-heating, milk frother for a lot less than you would pay for an Aeroccino or a Breville.
The Epica uses its discs to froth the milk and heat induction. The reviews tell us that this device makes the best foamy milk on the market.
Epica Automatic Pros
- Affordable price: For an automatic electric heated milk frother, the price is extremely affordable.
- Self-heating frother: This milk frother uses induction heating to automatically heat up so that you don’t have an extra step.
Epica Automatic Cons
- Cooler milk: While it does have automatic heating, it only goes up to 140 degrees. This may not be hot enough for some users.
Best for Bulletproof Coffee: Aerolatte To-Go
There are milk frothers out there for people who drink alternative types of coffee, whether its coffee with nondairy milk or bulletproof coffee.
Bulletproof coffee is a type of coffee popular among those who do intermittent fasting or other types of diets. It consists of coffee blended with ghee and MCT oil. The result is a frothy, creamy drink that sharpens your mind and keeps you full for the morning.
Many Bulletproof Bloggers claim the consistency is better when you use a handheld milk frother instead of a blender. The Aerolatte To-Go is perfect because you can blend the ingredients directly in a cup. If you tend to use nondairy styles of milk, the Aerolatte is equally as good.
Aerolatte To Go Pros
- Alternate coffee options: This handheld frother is bulletproof approved. It’s also perfect for coconut milk, almond milk, and other nondairy alternatives.
- Portable frother: The portable design can go with you anywhere. Put in two AA batteries, and you’ll get frothy milk on the go.
Aerolatte To Go Cons
- Battery power: This milk frother relies on batteries. You’ll go through batteries quickly if you use the frother daily.
Milk Frother Buyer’s Guide
Before you become your own barista, get to know the different types of milk frothers out there.
The ideal milk frother for you depends on your level of expertise, the price point, and how much milk you want to make at once.
Here are other things to consider while you shop.
Milk Types
Here’s the truth about most milk frothers: most milk frothers are created to froth and steam cow’s milk.
The fat in cow’s milk is what creates the creamy, silky-smooth froth that we love in our lattes. Unfortunately, many of the milk frothers on the market are not vegan or nondairy milk-friendly.
Before you buy a fancy milk frother, make sure you see how it fairs with dairy alternatives like soy, almond, or coconut milk.
Some milk frothers steam and froth the milk alternatives, but it’s tedious. It either won’t produce froth at all or will create bubbles. That’s because many plant-based milk products have a high amount of water. Water doesn’t break down the same way cow’s milk does.
If you like different options, check the reviews of various types of milk frothers to see how it works with dairy alternatives.
The best type of nondairy milk to steam for coffee is oat milk. Oat milk will get you the creamy, frothy consistency without the dairy fat.
Temperature Settings
“Steamed milk, please!”
If that’s you, you may be interested in a milk frother that heats and steams at the same time.
In this case, your best bet is choosing an electric milk frother because of the various temperature settings.
Milk frothers like the Breville and Aeroccino 4 have a few different temperature settings. This feature comes in handy for coffee gurus who may know the exact temperature they want their milk to be.
Note: Not all electric milk frothers come with temperature settings. Some heat the milk to one temperature, so check before you buy.
Type of Milk Frother
Milk frothers come in a few varieties. Get to know the options to determine which you’d prefer.
Handheld Wand
A handheld wand milk frother makes frothing milk convenient and straightforward. It’s a wand with a whisk on the end that is used to froth milk.
Instead of steaming large amounts of milk at once, you can froth as much as you want to use.
Most people who use handheld wands prefer to froth their milk directly in the glass that they are going to use.
Most of the time, these are battery-powered, which also means they are an excellent option for on-the-go or travel.
Hand Pump
Also known as a manual milk frother, these milk frothers are a canister, a top with a film, and a metal disc attached to a handle. They look similar to a french press.
The film is there to stop the milk from spilling while you pump it, which creates the milk foam. You have to manually pump the wand to create the desired level of foam or frothed milk.
The downside to using the manual frothers is that the milk has to be cold when you froth it. If you get one that is a microwavable material, you can warm it in the microwave. Otherwise, you’re stuck with an extra, tedious step.
Steam Frother
Steam frothers are the ones that you find on espresso machines.
The steam wand is usually on the side of the espresso machine, and it steams and froths the milk simultaneously.
The biggest obstacle to steam frothers is that they only come on fancy, usually expensive espresso machines.
They also require technique, so beginner milk frothers may find it hard to get the steam timing right.
Electric Frother
Most of the milk frothers on our list are electric frothers, the innovative and fast milk frothers that do all of the work for you.
Usually, an electric frother consists of a canister and a whisking disc at the bottom. They are easy to use and offer several customizable options for temperature and steam.
The electric frothers are convenient because they heat the milk for you, eliminating an extra step from your process.
Many of them also can steam and froth large quantities of milk at the same time. Need to heat milk for tea and a latte? With electric frothers, you can do it all at once.
Warranty
Like all household and kitchen appliances, the warranty offered by a manufacturer can be a deal-breaker.
A company that offers little or no warranty may not be reputable. On the other hand, a company that provides more coverage on several parts will cooperate if anything goes wrong.
A good rule of thumb is to read user reviews and the product descriptions to know how much coverage you have on your electric milk frother.
Use our buying guide and our top picks to help you pick the best milk frother for you. Once you have made your purchase, you can enjoy delicious, foamy milk whenever you want.