The 10 Best Milk Frothers For Your Home Café

Brewing black coffee might be cheaper and faster, but the delicious flavor of milk-based espresso drinks makes up for their longer preparation times and higher prices. Trade explains that milk — whether dairy or alternative — has a sweetness that tempers bitter flavors in coffee, and provides richness and a smooth mouthfeel to your morning cup. But making hot milk-based coffee drinks is not as simple as heating up milk and adding it to espresso. Milk needs to be heated and aerated in order to achieve the light, airy texture found in your latte or cappuccino. If your espresso machine doesn't come with a steam wand, or you are using a moka pot or an Aeropress to make espresso at home, you may want to purchase a milk frother to prepare milk-based drinks.

Milk frothers aerate your milk by agitating it through mechanical movement, which differs from the steam wands on espresso machines that inject hot steam into milk. According to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, frothing creates larger air bubbles and a more cloud-like foam, while steaming results in finer bubbles and a silkier texture — or microfoam. In other words, frothing produces the foam you might find atop your cappuccino, and steaming creates the velvety milk used to pour hearts and rosettas for lattes. While most milk frothers will not have you winning latte art competitions, they still help create delicious drinks. Here is a list of the 10 best milk frothers to turn your kitchen into a home café.

With a Kickstarter that was successfully funded the day it was launched, the Subminimal NanoFoamer was a milk frother highly anticipated by coffee lovers. After all, the brand promised to do what no other handheld frother could — create microfoam in 20 seconds without a steam wand. The NanoFoamer seems to have succeeded on that front. A review by GearHungry states that 15 to 20 seconds are all you need to produce some seriously silky-smooth foam.

This handheld milk foamer creates silky and smooth microfoam by spinning warm milk through a fine-mesh NanoScreen at 10,000 RPM. You can choose to attach either the fine or superfine NanoScreen to customize how dense you'd like your milk foam to be, or use the NanoFoamer without a screen to mix other drinks like matcha or hot cocoa. With every purchase of a NanoFoamer, access to a latte art MasterClass by Lance Hedrick (two time winner of the Coffee Fest Latte Art World Championship) is also provided.

Using the NanoFoamer does require some practice, with The Wall Street Journal stating that there is "more room for error" in comparison to using other frothers. However, the resulting microfoam for a perfect latte is more than worth the few sessions of trial and error needed to nail your foaming technique. The NanoFoamer comes in two versions, the V2 which uses AA batteries, and the rechargeable Lithium version.

If you are the type who only drinks hot milk beverages, you can skip the automatic frothers that come with cold foam options and higher price tags. The Bodum Bistro Electric Milk Frother is a simple and affordable machine that froths your milk for hot drinks with a push of a button. 2022 USA Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth declares the Bistro to be: "[A] really, really great option for a quick and efficient way to make warm foam that you can put in your drinks for a pretty decent price point."

Unlike handheld frothers, automatic frothers like the Bodum Bistro heat up the milk while frothing it, removing the extra step of having to microwave it or whip out a saucepan. The Bodum Bistro also has an automatic shut-off function that kicks in once the milk reaches 158 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring that your milk is never heated beyond this temperature. This allows you to start the frothing process and walk away — perhaps to brew your espresso or prepare other components of your beverage. If, for some reason, you are not able to assemble your drink immediately, the Bistro also automatically turns back on once the milk cools down to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The Bodum Bistro Electric Milk Frother may not have the bells and whistles that other automatic milk frothers have, but it is a reasonably priced and efficient machine for those who like their milk drinks hot and simple.

Like most Nespresso products, the Aeroccino4 combines both quality and convenience to provide users with a seamless experience. Similar to the Instant Milk Frother, it comes with four different settings: two types of warm foam, cold foam, and hot milk, and is activated by pressing on the icon depicting your drink type. A major plus point of the Aeroccino4 is that, aside from the power base, the entire appliance is dishwasher safe. This removes the hassle of having to clean the carafe by hand, especially if you use it everyday for your morning coffee.

Made with durability and longevity in mind, the frother is made with a stainless steel exterior and a ceramic coating on the inside of the frothing cavity. It is designed with a handle on its side and a spout for easy and safe handling when it comes to pouring hot milk into your coffee. Nespresso also offers the more affordable Aeroccino3, which only has one warm foam option and is not dishwasher safe. If you are looking for the same level of quality at a lower price, and don't mind having to wash the jug by hand and not being able to choose between two types of foam, the Aeroccino3 is also a great option.

Within this list, the Bellman Stovetop Milk Steamer is the only device that incorporates steam into your milk to froth it. It allows you to steam milk exactly like your barista at the local coffee shop, and create microfoam. Barista Magazine finds the Bellman to be an impressive way to steam milk in a home kitchen, stating that it allows for consistency and ease in creating latte art.

To use the Bellman, fill its stainless steel body halfway with water and screw the lid on before heating it on the stove. Pressure is created when enough steam builds up from the boiling water, and in three to five minutes, you are able to get enough high-powered pressure to inject steam into your milk. Like a regular espresso machine, the Bellman uses a steam wand to foam your milk, which is controlled by turning a knob to release pressure and emit bursts of hot steam. It also comes with a pressure release valve to prevent accidents from occurring due to pressure build up. Using the Bellman requires some practice, and presents a steep learning curve if you have never used the steam wand on an espresso machine before. However, there is no other milk frother that can replicate the process of steaming milk like the Bellman, and it is an excellent option for those chasing the perfect rosetta in their latte.

If there is one thing that luxury appliance brand Smeg gets right, it's the design of their retro-inspired products. Unique and charming, the Smeg Milk Frother is sure to capture attention while sitting on your kitchen counter. However, the Smeg is more than just a pretty exterior with a sturdy build and numerous features to provide the perfect milk foam for your drinks. BBC Good Food listed the Smeg Milk Frother as one of the best frothers on the market, stating that even though it comes at a pretty price, it's very high quality (and of course they mentioned it looks good too).

This frother comes with six different preset options: hot froth light, hot froth dense, cold froth light, cold froth dense, hot milk, and hot chocolate. It can also be used in Hot Manual and Cold Manual settings, where the milk is frothed (and heated in Hot Manual) until you stop the machine, or until it reaches the maximum temperature recommended. It froths up to 8.5 fluid ounces of milk, and is able to heat 20 fluid ounces without froth — allowing for multiple drinks to be made at once — and the frothing jug, whisks, and lid are all dishwasher safe. The Smeg Milk Frother combines aesthetic appeal with versatile and practical functions to make it worth its price. If you love Smeg's retro-charm and want a well-built and efficient frother, you might want to splurge on this one.