Become the best home barista and take your coffee to the next level with one of these popular coffees.
Megan Soll is the associate editorial director of Food & Wine Business magazine. She joined Dotdash Meredith in 2015 and has over 11 years of experience writing and editing food, entertainment and lifestyle content.
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With so many coffee makers and accessories to choose from, it can be difficult to determine what you really need to make a great cup of coffee. But whether you’re a pour-over or drip coffee drinker, one tool we recommend is a milk frother. This inexpensive device can transform boring coffee into specialty drinks like cappuccino, latte, and macchiato. In addition, the milk frother can be used to enhance the quality of non-coffee drinks such as hot chocolate and matcha, as well as to perfectly blend powdered supplements.
We’ve tested over 20 highly rated milk frothers to find which ones work best, assessing key factors such as ease of use, design and the quality of the foam they produce. Read on to find out which models made our list.
This double whisk milk frother is easy to clean, easy to use, affordable, and creates beautiful froth from a variety of liquids.
Due to its lightweight design, the stir stick can easily come off, which means you need to be careful.
This milk frother is a winner in our books for a number of reasons. First, you’ll notice that compared to other hand-held frothers, this model has not one, but two whisks on the end. One of our testers said the “dual action of the whisk makes a difference,” creating a beautiful, shiny foam with whole milk and a silky, textured foam with oat milk. In addition, this frother is suitable for more than just coffee drinks. We also found that the double whisk did a great job of mixing the hot chocolate, seeing it form a 1.5-inch foam.
The foamer received top marks in the design category, with one tester praising it for being “very light and easy to use.” But be careful: due to the strong lighting, the stirrer may pop out if it is not secured correctly. Once you’re done mixing, cleanup is a piece of cake: all you have to do is wring it out in soapy water, rinse, and wring it out again to dry. It even comes with a stand so you can place it next to the coffee maker when not in use.
An electric milk frother that does all the work for you comes at an attractive price. You have four programs to choose from: cold foam, light warm foam, thick warm foam and warm without foam. This foaming agent performed well in all of our tests. When using whole milk, the resulting foam lasts over time and maintains its integrity on top of the coffee, whereas when using oat milk, the foam does not deflate after the first pour. Our cold foam test results were “very consistent” and “smooth as silk.” What about hot chocolate? Our tester noted that the frother “creates a drink with thick foam that’s as creamy as a milkshake.”
You can count on “quiet operation” even when the milk frother is working hard. The only minor drawback we found is that since the internal beater is oval-shaped, it may take a little more effort to get it into place, but you’ll get used to it over time. Want something unusual? The narrow bubbler nozzle is convenient for making latte art.
You can turn your coffee into a work of art with this convenient, dishwasher-safe frother that produces rich, high-quality foam.
Want to spend some money? There is nothing better than this milk frother. This gadget creates a dense foam, making its structure ideal for latte art, and the convenient handle makes it easy to pour the garnish into the cup. The milk frother can successfully heat liquids; in our tests, we measured the hot chocolate at 137°F. However, be careful as reaching the second heat level may cause the drink to burn.
Although this model requires more counter space than others, overall it is not a big intrusion since it is very quiet. Best of all, cleanup is easy, as the attachment is dishwasher safe, and the attachment design makes it even easier: One tester said, “The whisk attachment is magnetized, so it pretty much snaps into place.”
This high-performance and attractive milk frother delivers consistent results at the touch of a button.
This compact electric milk frother has a futuristic design and takes up very little counter space. What’s more, our testers noted that “the machine performed well in all tests,” producing dense, stable foam that held up well after pouring. In our cold foam test, it produced a silky, dense, pourable cold foam and, when combined with hot chocolate, created a milkshake-like drink. So no matter what you use this foaming agent for, you can expect great results.
It is convenient to use and easy to clean. You simply open the top, place it in the dishwasher, and wipe down the nonstick interior (the whisk is easy to remove, too). The downside to this milk frother is that it is a little louder than other options, but a few seconds of noise is a small price to pay for the high-quality foam you get every time.
You can make foam like a barista with this stylish and affordable foamer that requires manual operation but doesn’t require much effort.
If you prefer a manual model, this shiny stainless steel aerator works by pumping a built-in double-mesh aerator and only takes about a minute. When used with regular milk, the foam is very stable, the bubble structure is very dense and has a glossy shine. Overall, our tester said the device was “great for cold brewing and frothing, with barista-ready capabilities.”
While it’s great for coffee drinks, it’s not great for hot chocolate because you can’t see anything once everything is thoroughly mixed and the aerator doesn’t scrape the bottom enough to absorb the cocoa mixture. Since it contains no electronics or batteries, it is dishwasher safe (just place on the top rack). Otherwise, rinse and air dry until you need another drink.
Consider purchasing this milk frothing kit for under $30. In addition to a portable sparkler stick with a soft handle, the kit includes a 12-ounce metal jar for mixing and pouring, and stencils with three different decorative stencils. If a layer of delicious foam isn’t enough to flavor your coffee, sprinkle some cocoa hearts or cinnamon snowflakes on top.
In terms of performance, this frother produces a fluffier foam with whole milk and a denser foam with oat milk. Cleaning takes just a few seconds: simply swirl the milk frother in soapy water, rinse and swirl again to dry.
We’ve chosen the Elita Dual Mixer Portable Milk Frother as our favorite due to its excellent value for money, ease of use and ease of cleaning. For electric options, we like the Bodum Bistro Electric Milk Frother because it always delivers the best results with almost zero effort.
In our test kitchen, we tested 22 high-quality milk frothers simultaneously. We first used each milk frother to froth whole milk and oat milk lattes, assessing the quality of the resulting foam. We then further tested the foam quality of the product by preparing cold foam from skim milk. In other tests, we examined each milk frother’s versatility for use with hot chocolate and overall ease of cleaning. Overall, testers rated the milk frother on a scale of 1 to 5 based on ease of use, design, and performance, with 5 being the highest rating.
There are three main types of milk frothers: manual, handheld/attachment, and electric/countertop. A manual milk frother does not have any electrical or battery components and is similar in appearance to a French press. In this type of milk frother, you push the device’s perforated piston up and down to introduce air into the milk. A manual or attachment milk frother is powered by a battery or charger and looks like a small stick with a mini whisk on the end that spins quickly when you turn on the device. An electric milk frother is a larger, battery-powered device that sits on your countertop. Thanks to this, you can add milk to it and start stirring and frothing at the touch of a button.
If you don’t have an espresso machine with a steam attachment, you can often use a milk frother to make barista-style cappuccinos, flat whites and lattes at home. They can also help make a special hot chocolate or frothy chocolate milk, and create a luscious foam that makes a fun garnish for desserts.
Generally speaking, you should follow the instructions that came with your device. Many foaming agents have dishwasher-safe parts, but you can always extend their life by hand washing if they have a non-stick coating.
“The milk frother does it,” says Anthony Contrino, an Emmy-winning culinary producer and host of “Sassy” on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform. “It froths milk by whisking or stirring the liquid, creating small air bubbles.” These tiny bubbles create a thick foam that rises to the top of hot or cold milk drinks.
“It depends on the actual type and brand; some will, some won’t. The manual units will only churn the milk, while the larger electric units will heat and froth,” Conterino said.
“Most plant-based milks foam well, especially those high in protein and fat. The more fat, the richer the foam,” says Conterino. You can control the viscosity and fat content by using the nut milk maker to create a custom blend. You’ll get minimal foam if you choose low-fat or low-fat versions of plant milks, but there are also plant milks designed specifically for foaming. Look for products labeled “Extra Rich” or “Barista Style.”
Cindy Brzostowski is a freelance writer and avid home cook with experience publishing cookbooks. Her work has been published in publications such as Allrecipes, Blue Apron, The Kitchn, and EatingWell. To determine the best milk frother, she used data and insights from Food & Wine editors, who tested 22 of the most popular models on the market.
Post time: Nov-04-2023