If you like your coffee drinks with frothed milk, you may be surprised by the variety of options available for bringing out your inner barista. You don’t need to own an espresso machine with a steam wand to enjoy airy microfoam at home, so go ahead and use whatever brewing method you like, from Nespresso machine to an AeroPress or manual espresso machine.
From rugged countertop machines to simple handheld wands and even manual frothers, you can easily find a device that suits your needs and budget. We evaluated a range of offerings to determine the very best milk frothers for your cappuccinos, lattes and other milky specialties.
With a great design, solid and attractive build and easy-to-use controls, the Aeroccino 4 was the best-performing milk frother we tested. It lets you effortlessly produce airy, robustly textured microfoam to the temperature and consistency you desire.
The Instant Pot Milk Frother gives you most of the functionality of more-expensive models, making great foam with a just few concessions to its budget design (it's a little messy to use and doesn't feel premium).
With a powerful motor, the compact Superwhisk makes airy microfoam and costs less than its competition. If you need a tiny, rechargeable wand-style foamer you can take anywhere, this if for you.
The best milk frother overall: Nespresso Aeroccino 4
$120 at Sur la Table
Though it’s among the more expensive milk frothers we tested, the Nespresso Aeroccino 4 is also the best-performing and easiest to use of the bunch. With almost no effort, and with whatever milk we tried, the Aeroccino produces luscious microfoam, airy and full of the miniature bubbles baristas prize.?Plus its small form and attractive finish make it a good choice for almost any kitchen countertop.
Setup was painless, as the device was ready to go almost right out of the box; just affix the whisking coil to the bottom of the carafe and you are ready to froth. Max and minimum levels are clearly marked inside so you know exactly how much milk to add.
The Aeroccino has four settings: heat only, cold foam, light foam and heavy foam. It can froth 4 ounces of milk, enough for two cappuccinos. Four illustrated buttons at the bottom of the carafe show the settings. There is no separate on/off button; you just pick the setting you want and the Aeroccino 4 gets right to work.
The machine is extremely quiet and efficient. Producing a thick foam takes about 2-3 minutes; you can have a lighter foam finished in about a minute and a half. While the light setting gives you airy foam with lots of microbubbles, the thick setting gives you stiff, structured foam that holds its shape — it’s versatile enough to produce whatever you need for your drink. The heat-only setting is useful when you only want to warm your milk (or any other beverage — you can even use it to heat up coffee).
Cleanup is easy with the Aeroccino 4. The jug is dishwasher-safe, according to Nespresso, though it is easy — and probably safer, given the electrical contacts — to just clean it by hand. If you decide to put it in the dishwasher, the company says it can handle temperatures up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s lower than the maximum temperature that most home dishwashers can hit, so you should avoid using high-heat settings.
The only real drawback of the Aeroccino 4 is its price. It is definitely a high-end item, though it’s not the most expensive frother we tested. If you are willing to invest, this is a durable and refined product that should last a long time, even with daily use. If you are a coffee connoisseur — or aspire to be — this machine will serve you well.
The best milk frother on a budget: Instant Pot Milk Frother
$35 at Amazon
From the company behind the Instant Pot, the Instant Pot Milk Frother has a lot going for it. For a nice price, this device offers many of the features and much of the flexibility?of more premium models. Like the Nespresso Aeroccino 4, the Instant Pot Milk Frother gives you four program modes to choose from: cold foam, warm foam, thick foam and warming only (no foaming).
Despite its rather ordinary looks and these slight inconveniences, the Instant performs well and is versatile enough to produce robust foam for almost any drink. The results were impressive too, if not quite on par with the Aeroccino 4 (the Instant made froth that overall was stiffer, and less like the microfoam you’d get from a skilled barista with an espresso machine steam wand), making it a great choice if you’re on a tighter budget. It’s got a bigger capacity than the Aeroccino as well, foaming up to 10 ounces of milk.
At a fraction of the cost of the Nespresso, some concessions must be made. The finish, unlike the sleek metal of the Aeroccino 4, is matte black plastic. The two-button interface is functional but less elegant than the four-setting selector on the Aeroccino 4
The Instant Milk frother is a bit messier to operate than the Aeroccino — we found it more likely to overflow while foaming, and didn’t pour as well. We also found it a little harder to clean than the Nespresso model; only the lid and whisk are dishwasher-safe, though the nonstick interior is easy enough to clean by hand with a sponge.
The best wand-style milk frother: Golde Superwhisk
$25 at Golde
A wand-style milk foamer is not as powerful as a countertop electric model, but it gives you a lot of control and can easily be stored in a drawer or taken along with you.
The Golde Superwhisk is similar to the popular Subminimal NanoFoamer V2, though it’s only available in a USB-rechargeable model. That said, it costs less than either version of the NanoFoamer V2. It boasts a robust design and has a plastic carrying case, making it easy to take on the road or toss in a drawer. The Superwhisk also has two power settings, both powerful.
Both the Golde and Subminimal frothers make excellent foam, though it takes a little practice. While the bigger machines tend to produce tufts of stiff foam, the wands produces finer results, more along the lines of steam-wand microfoam. Whether that’s the airy, subtle foam worthy of latte art depends on your ability and willingness to practice and experiment with your technique, but with some effort you should be able to get the desired consistency. Without a heating element, you will also need to preheat your milk if you want warm foam, which is why we don’t think these devices are for everybody.
If you want a powerful wand, both devices will suit, and the Superwhisk is a bit cheaper — we think you should just get whichever one is available with the charging method that suits you best.
That said, the countertop models are just a lot easier to use and more versatile than the wands, and what we would recommend for the vast majority of home coffee enthusiasts (even the Bodum Lateo might make more sense in a kitchen since you can heat milk in it). But if you need something very small (maybe you take a manual espresso machine camping or you have a tiny kitchen) you should be satisfied with a wand-style frother.
How we tested
Because we were testing such a wide variety of products, with different characteristics, techniques and features, it was sometimes challenging to make head-to-head comparisons. After all, the user who prefers a large countertop machine like the Breville will be looking for something very different than the user looking for a rechargeable whisk that fits in a carry-on.
We focused on some basics to ensure that each device did its job well. For each unit, we considered:
? Quality of foam. This is the most important category, as it relates to each devices’ core function. Based on our research, we determined that the ability to produce microfoam or microbubbles was the best indicator of foam quality — you want a light, airy foam that isn’t too stiff to work with. We also looked at the machine’s versatility in achieving different consistencies, from very fine to thick.
? Sturdy construction. Especially with more expensive devices, it is important that these machines are robust enough to stand the test of time. We looked at their construction, detachable parts and materials.
? Ease of use and cleaning. Whether they were automated or manual, we looked for devices that were easy to operate and easy to clean. Some of these machines are dishwasher-safe, or have dishwasher-safe parts. Since we don’t recommend putting electrical components in the dishwasher, we hand-cleaned every item.
We used whole milk and oat milk from Trader Joe’s for our tests, as these are preferred by most baristas. Reduced fat milk works, too, but it does not froth as effectively.
Other milk frothers we tested
Breville Milk Cafe
$160 at Sur la Table
The Breville Milk Cafe is built like a tank, with a price tag to match. Though it is undoubtedly sturdy, this model also takes up a lot of precious counter space. With a 25-ounce capacity, the Breville can froth two cups of milk, the biggest capacity of any frother we tested — it’s a good choice for tall lattes, or hot chocolate. The Breville also lets you?precisely control temperature between 120-160 degrees F. This may not be necessary for most users — and we didn’t find having that level of fine-grained control made a big difference in results — but it gives you more control if you want it. The foam is excellent, with the kind of tiny microbubbles that baristas prize. If temperature control is important to you, or if?you have a big kitchen, then the Breville certainly produces great results, but for most, the Aeroccino 4 will do the job for a bit less money.
Capresso Froth Control
$59 at Amazon
The Capresso will froth up to 10 ounces of milk at once, or heat up to 14 ounces. A BPA-free and dishwasher-safe plastic carafe sits atop an electric base, allowing you to heat up to 12 ounces of liquid (without frothing). The device offers three foam settings: cold, warm and hot. It has two disc attachments, one optimized for heating and the other for frothing (it’s got longer tines, which get more air into your milk); the one you aren’t using stores magnetically under the machine. The Capresso produces excellent foam, though it is slower than other models. It also has a specialized hot chocolate setting, which lets you add chocolate chips or chunks after the initial heading process to produce a glass of cocoa. If you are looking for a high-capacity machine at a reasonable price (or you’re really into hot chocolate), the Capresso could be for you.
Bodum Bistro Electric Milk Frother
$26 at Amazon
The Bodum brand is synonymous with simple, thoughtful design, and their electric milk frother is no different. Still, there are a few compromises. With a simple one-button design, the Bistro does not have the range of foam density settings that pricier frothers like the Aeroccino 4 offer — there’s just a single setting. The device only makes warm foam, heating milk to 158 degrees F. This is hotter than most experts recommend (desired temperatures are usually between 120–150 degrees F). This lack of versatility is understandable at this price point, but we think it’s worth spending a little extra on a more full-featured model.
Bodum Latteo Milk Frother
$16 at Amazon
A manual frother is easy to use, requires no electricity and produces foam in just 30 seconds. The Bodum Latteo looks just like a French press, with a plunger and a glass carafe. You simply push the plunger up and down gently to activate the whisk. Because there is no heating element, the machine produces only cold foam, though you can heat milk in the microwave in the Latteo carafe itself (the glass is heat-resistant), which makes it easier to use than a wand frother, which requires a separate vessel. If you don’t mind a little extra work, this device produces excellent foam with no fuss for a bargain price — it just isn’t as convenient as the electric models and takes up just as much space.
Subminimal NanoFoamer V2
$39 (battery-powered) at Subminimal and Amazon or $57 (rechargeable) at Subminimal and Amazon
The Subminimal NanoFoamer V2, the latest model of the Kickstarter-initiated device that popularized this style of foamer, is very similar in concept and design to the Golde Superwhisk, though you can order it in either rechargeable or AA-battery powered versions, so you can pick what suits you best. (For instance, if you think you’re going to be using it off grid, you can get the AA version and bring extra batteries.) We tested the battery-operated version.
The NanoFoamer’s wand is made from rugged plastic, and the device includes a case that’s perfect for traveling, if you want to take your coffee show on the road. It’s an effective, powerful device and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it if you can’t get your hands on the less-expensive Golde or if you want a battery-powered option for maximum portability
Aerolatte Deluxe Edition Frother
$30 at Amazon
The Aerolatte is a simple wand that comes with a countertop stand. It is not as powerful as the Golde or Subminimal, however, and it felt a lot more fragile in use. Plus, while the stand has a small footprint, it still takes up counter space, and if you have that, we think you’ll be better served by a carafe model. If you are thinking of purchasing a wand, we think either the Subminimal NanoFoamer V2 or the Golde Superwhisk will do a better job.
