The best milk frother machine for both hot and cold drinks

Ahh.. there's nothing better than a cup of freshly made coffee made by a barista. Replicating that delicious frothy taste at home is almost impossible unless you have this secret (but necessary) machine: a milk frother.

Look no further for an amazing cup of joe at home because milk frothers come in all shapes and sizes. From hand-held frothers to huge machines that heat, steam and froth in one, there's one for every coffee lover.

There can be lots involved as a coffee lover - from grinding up your coffee to coffee pods and capsules, it can be overwhelming - but we love it. Still not sure about whether these milk frothing machines are worth it? We've got the full guide on milk frothers below - and our favourites reviewed.

Related: The best gifts for coffee lovers

What does a milk frother machine do?

As the name suggests, a milk frother takes any cup of milk and makes it frothy, soft and dense. It does this by aerating the milk and making foam through a whisk or rotating blade.

Are you asking yourself what can milk frothers make? Many milk frothers can be hot or cold so that you can make lattes, cappuccinos, cold brews and cold foam for iced coffees. As well as this, frothers can be useful for those chocolate fans out there, to whip up a velvety cup of hot chocolate.

You can even use milk frothers with milk alternatives including oat milk, soya milk and almond milk. So, vegans and those who are lactose intolerant won't miss out on delicious coffee, either!

Coffee at home doesn't have to be so boring anymore.

What types of milk frother should I get?

There are a few different types of milk frothing machines you can get on the market today, so it may be best to know what you're getting yourself into. In no time you'll be making your own coffee bar at home.

In our review of the best milk frothers, we have everything from automatic machines with touchpads or simple hand-held whisking devices.

Manual milk frothers: Often seen in the shape of a large jug, these manual frothers work by using a bit of elbow grease. You just pump the milk up and down with a whisk inside the jug and it will aerate the milk. It's a little bit more hard work and less favourable if you want efficiency.

Hand-held milk frothers: Also known as steaming wands, usually come as a small automatic whisking device that will whizz up your milk. Often battery-powered, you just press the button and pop into your milk (don't put it in a glass cup though!) and you'll have frothy milk in no time.

Milk frothing machines: Automatic, efficient and does the job for you, these are probably the milk frothers we'd recommend. These come in all shapes and sizes and can have loads of functions to them - think hot, cold, frothy, heated and more!

The best milk frother machine UK 2021

Coming in at just under £50, this Lavazza easy frother is efficient, stylish and sleek. With over 3,200 reviews on Amazon, you can froth up to 120ml of milk or heat up 180ml. We also like that the removable parts are dishwasher safe, so you can keep it clean day in, day out.

Pros:

• Makes up to 180ml of milk

• Dishwasher safe removable parts

• Beeps twice to tell you it’s finished

Cons:

• Only makes up to 120ml of foam

• Not the cheapest

Tried & Tested by Deputy Commercial Content Editor, Natalie Corner: "I bought this as a gift for my mother who loves having a milky coffee and instead of her heating the milk in the microwave. I'm honestly a little bit jealous that she has this one as it's much better than the one I have. The foam option creates a really think dense froth (even better when your milk is fresh) and it is ideal for a cappuccino or latte. The no foam option means you can heat more milk without foam which is something that my machine doesn't have. The Lavazzo also creates perfect froth with the cold option and makes me feel like I've been out and bought my favourite iced coffee. Can't believe how much money I've saved!"

Don't want a big piece of kit taking up your kitchen sides? This KitchenCraft compact milk frother is small but mighty and will fit in your cutlery drawer. All you need to do is pop it in your cup and switch it on to froth up. Also works as a mini electric whisk.

Pros:

• Perfect to fit into your kitchen drawers

• Doubles up as an electric whisk

• A great value option

Cons:

• Cheaper option means it doesn't last as long

• Not as powerful as our bigger options

Review: "Excellent quality at an affordable price. Put batteries in (not included) size AA and away you go! Not only is it useful for frothing milk for coffee but also for making a glass of Indian Lassi."

Working on both warm and cold milk, you can adjust the temperature easily on this Severin frother. It comes in at a higher price but it has 13 integrated programmes to choose from. Just select your choice on the OLED display and off you go!

Pros:

• 13 different programmes to choose from

• OLED display

• Adjustable temperature

• Makes up to 700ml

Cons:

• Sometimes the froth isn’t as strong

• More expensive

Review: "I would have ten of these! This has a stainless steel surface and the milk is heated by induction, there is no problem of sticking or burning at all. It also allows you to do several froths one after the other. The quality of the froth is great - I can’t rate this product highly enough!"

SMEG is known for its beautiful kitchen appliances, and now you can grab its milk frother. Coming in at a hefty £150 price tag, this is luxury in a machine with six programmed settings and a whopping 500ml capacity.

Pros:

• High quality

• Trusted brand SMEG

• Six different programmes

Cons:

• A luxury option means more expensive

• Makes only 250ml using froth option

Review: "This is the best. Very easy to use and clean, great for frothing cold milk for shakes and the hot chocolate mode is brilliant. It has a warming function with no froth and two settings for warm froth. We have no complaints whatsoever. It looks nice too and is so quiet when operating. Does not take long to operate."

Nespresso is a coffee legend and now you can grab its 'Aeroccinos' - a range of Barista frothing devices. This Barista Recipe Maker is the most expensive of our frothy choices but has all of your needs in one machine. Including a touch interface, it's extremely efficient and easy to use.

Pros:

• Nespresso is a coffee brand leader

• Touch screen and connected app for ease of use

• Multi-functional for a variety of results

Cons:

• Our most expensive option

• Harder to clean

This is Nespresso's choice of milk frothing devices, with four settings to choose from including hot foam, milk and cold foam. Versatile but compact, this is a more efficient option if you're looking for a frothing device.

Pros:

• The sound of whizzing is minimal

• Works both hot and cold

• Easy pouring

Cons:

• Only up to 120ml froth

• Only four options

Review: "This does exactly what it says it does and more. Simple to clean and provides perfectly foamed milk for all types of coffee or hot drinks. Massive enhancement to my daily coffee ritual."

With Lakeland, you get a three-year guarantee so you're sure to get many uses out of this Milk Frother and Hot Chocolate Maker. It's super easy to use and you can fit up to 250ml in this.

Pros:

• Easy to use

• A great value buy

Cons:

• Only makes 250ml

• Takes up quite a lot of space

Review: "Great frother. Works well with oat and almond as well as cow’s milk. Quiet and takes just a couple of minutes!"

Making amazingly frothed milk in just a mere 70 seconds, this Dualit milk frother is simple but strong. It has an automatic switch-off so you won't have to worry and will keep your cuppa warm if you want to bring it to the table.

Pros:

• Sleek and stylish

• Simple to use

• Only takes 70 seconds

Cons:

• Only makes hot froth

• Not too many features for usability

Review: "Bought as a gift which I have been told is being used daily for either mugs of velvety frothy hot chocolate or thickly frothed coffee. I want one myself now … best present I have ever bought!"

If a machine isn't for you, you can grab this Bodum manual milk frother which makes a simple frothy coffee extra easy. All you need to do is beat the milk up and down and it will make strong froth in no time.

Pros:

• Perfect if you don’t want a big machine

• One of our cheapest options

• Dishwasher safe

Cons:

• You have to manually aerate it

• Longer to whisk up

Review: "I am absolutely blown away by this unassuming little glass milk jug! It makes the most incredible froth for my cappuccino, and it comes out perfectly every time. I also like my drinks VERY hot, so the automatic milk frothers failed miserably every time on that front ... It is incredible."

If you're making heaps of coffee or milk at one time, this multi-functional SHARDOR frother makes up to 350ml of hot milk in one. It does hot, cold and warm milk and even has an automatic shut-off so you can let it whisk away.

Pros:

• Automatic shut-off

• Great value option with multifunctionality

• Aesthetic is great

Cons:

• Only makes up to 150ml froth

• May be lower quality

Review: "We used to use a battery-operated whisk to froth the milk, now that has gone to the land of car boot sales, this machine is a million times better and costs a few quid extra to buy. It produces copious quantities of hot frothy milk in moments and is very easy to operate and keep clean 10/10!"

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Caitlin Casey is a Commercial Content Writer for WhatsTheBest, specialising in lifestyle topics. She also writes for Closer, Heat, Yours.co.uk and Mother&Baby.

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