The best overall
You don't have to pay a fortune to enjoy a frothy, foamy cappuccino at home. The stainless-steel HIC Milk Creamer Frother costs approximately $20, but it produces the best milk foam of any milk frother we've tested.
The most well-loved feature of this simple manual milk frother is just how easy it is to clean. Many expensive electric milk frothers involve multiple parts that you have to wash and clean regularly. With the HIC frother, you just scrub out the stainless-steel jug with soap and water after every use and then wash the lid and mesh pump part.
Its stainless-steel design is also durable, so you don't have to worry about it breaking like you would with a glass manual milk frother.
I've made cappuccinos at home every day for the past three years with a Bialetti Stovetop Espresso Maker and the HIC Milk Creamer Frother, and this milk frother has never failed me.
It's all about the technique: I typically pour cold milk into the frother, froth it for 1-2 minutes, let it sit for a minute to thicken up, pour it into my ceramic milk pitcher, and heat it in the microwave for 45 seconds. The milk froth grows creamier and frothier as it heats until it's perfect for pouring over the espresso I have in my coffee mug. I've also used it to make frothy milk for iced drinks.
It's frequently recommended by reviewers as the best manual milk frother. Websites like Your Best Coffee Machine and Heavy also recommend the HIC Milk Creamer Frother. Many buyers on Amazon argue that it's often more effective than expensive electric frothers.
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to use, simple to clean, consistently makes great foamy milk, works with any kind of milk, froths cold milk for iced drinks
Cons: You have to heat the milk after you froth it
Buy the HIC Milk Creamer Frother on Amazon for $20.30The second-best manual frother
If you want stylish manual milk frother, the Bodum Latteo is the one for you. It's made of borosilicate glass instead of stainless steel, so you can even pop the glass carafe into the microwave when you're done frothing the cold milk.
Bodum is a well-known brand that also makes French press coffee makers, so you know its products are trustworthy.
Just like the HIC Milk Frother, the Bodum model is very easy to clean. You simply wash the glass carafe like you would any other glass and scrub the lid and mesh pump clean. In comparison, many expensive electric milk frothers involve multiple parts that you have to wash and clean, which is a real hassle.
The only downside with Bodum's glass design is that you have to be more careful with it. The HIC milk frother is made of stainless steel so it won't break under most conditions, but this glass one could shatter.
To use Bodum's manual milk frother, you just have to follow the same technique we described for the HIC milk frother. Pour cold milk into the frother, froth it for 1-2 minutes, let it sit for a minute to thicken up, and heat it in the microwave for 45 seconds using the glass carafe the milk is in.
The milk froth grows creamier and frothier as it heats until it's perfect for pouring over the espresso in your coffee mug. You can also use it to make frothy milk for iced drinks.
The tech and reviews site Heavy recommends the Bodum Latteo Milk Frother as one of the best ones you can buy, and many buyers on Amazon say it's much better than any electric milk frother they've tried.
Bodum's Latteo milk frother is a steal for less than $20, especially when you compare it to the stationary electric milk frothers in this guide.
Pros: Glass design helps you see frothing progress, easy to clean, simple to use, consistently makes great foamy milk, works with any kind of milk, froths cold milk for iced drinks
Cons: You have to heat the milk after you froth it, glass is breakable
Buy the Bodum Latteo Milk Frother on Amazon for $17The best premium frother
If you're dead serious about the milk foam on your morning latte and you're not afraid of dropping more than $100 on a fancy milk frother, the Breville Milk Cafe is the best one you can buy.
The most popular feature of the Breville Milk Cafe is that you can customize the exact temperature, type of foam, and amount of foam you want to create. Its circular dial lets you easily set the milk temperature from cold to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. A spinning magnetized disk creates the foam and induction heating warms the milk.
The stainless-steel jug is easy to clean because it separates from the heating base; you can even pop it in the dishwasher. Breville's Milk Cafe produces enough milk foam for three big cups of coffee, too, which is excellent if you have a family (or just like lots of foam).
Reviewers are in love with this milk frother's ability to also make hot chocolate. All you have to do is toss some chocolate into the milk as it heats and froths to make decadent hot chocolate.
Unlike manual frothers, the Breville heats the milk as it froths it up into foam, so there's no extra step. Many reviewers like the no-fuss process: You pour milk in and turn it on — done! According to reviewers, it's also quite durable, unlike other electric milk frothers.
Reviewers across the web agree that Breville's milk frother is the best premium electric model you can buy. Heavy, Latte Art Guide, Coffee Gear at Home, and Espresso Gusto all highly recommend the Breville Milk Cafe frother. User reviews on Amazon are very favorable as well.
The only downside is that it costs $129.95, making it $113.30 more than our top pick, the manual stainless-steel HIC milk frother.
Pros: Easy to use, great milk foam production, heats the milk for you, simple to clean, make hot chocolate
Cons: Very expensive
Buy the Breville BMF600XL Milk Cafe on Amazon for $129.95 (originally $149.99)The best versatile frother
Nespresso is famous for its fancy coffee and easy-to-use espresso machines that use special pods to make the ultimate latte, but the company also makes a number of other coffee products for those who don't want to buy the whole machine. The new Nespresso Aeroccino 4 Electric Milk Frother is a great option for milk foam lovers.
It produces lovely thick, creamy foam for your latte. Nespresso improved the design on this new milk frother to include a handle for easy pouring and now, the entire body is made of stainless steel.
The design is slightly less easy to clean than Breville's nice jug style, but you just have to wash it by hand and gently scrub off any milk residue. Make sure to clean the Aeroccino4 every time you use it to keep the milk frother sanitary and in good working order.
The frother can make hot or cold milk foam and heat milk for lattes. The Aeroccino 4 uses induction heating to warm the milk and the magnetized spinning disk makes the foam. You can choose between two levels of foam density to make cappuccinos or lattes. Each setting has its own button, so it's easy to operate. On the downside, there's no temperature control like the Breville.
It's very easy to use, too. You simply pour the milk, press the button, and wait a few minutes for your foam. It automatically shuts off when you are done. I've tried a few lattes made with this milk frother at high-end kitchen stores, and I was impressed.
Pros: Multiple settings for different types of froth, hot or cold milk froth, nice design, stainless steel
Cons: A bit expensive, no adjustable temperature
Buy the Nespresso Aeroccino 4 from Sur La Table for $119.95The best budget electric frother
If both the Breville and the Nespresso milk frothers are too pricey for you, but you still want to have an electric one instead of the manual milk frothers we recommend, you will love the Epica Automatic Electric Milk Frother.
At $25, the Epica doesn't cost that much more than our favorite manual milk frothers, but it's significantly less than the Nespresso and Breville. The Epica produces equally great foam, but you can only make thick cappuccino foam with it — not creamy latte milk.
This electric milk frother uses a motorized whisk on the bottom of the jug to make your foam and it uses induction heating to warm the milk as it froths. You can make enough foam for about one or two cups of coffee, just like the Nespresso Aeroccino. The milk can be either hot or cold, but the temperature won't exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It's also relatively easy to clean by hand, but you need to be careful with it.
According to many coffee enthusiast sites like Latte Art Guide and Espresso Gusto, the Epica Automatic Electric Milk Frother is a great deal. User reviews on Amazon are very positive, and the only negative comments seem to be about the milk not being hot enough. It's a fair criticism, given that most experts say the ideal temperature for milk foam is between 150-155 degrees Fahrenheit.
Its low price and nice foam production make it a top pick for anyone who wants an electric milk frother on a budget.
Pros: Easy to use, great milk foam production, heats the milk for you, cheap for an electric milk frother
Cons: Some users say milk doesn't get hot enough
Buy the Epica Automatic Electric Milk Frother on Amazon for $25