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Best milk frothers to buy for coffee and hot chocolate drinks
Warm, frothy milk can add barista levels of deliciousness to your homemade coffees and hot chocolates. Check out our pick of the best milk frothers to create delightful drinks from your kitchen.
By Mumsnet HQ | Last updated Apr 17, 2024
Heating and foaming milk gives it a sweet, creamy texture but it can be difficult to get perfect results when using a pan and a whisk. But fear not – help is at hand. Milk frothers can whizz up creamy creations in an instant and there’s a huge range to choose from to help perfect your homemade lattes, cappuccinos, hot chocolates and more.
Here are the best milk frothers to buy.
1. Best overall milk frother: Dualit 84135 Milk Frother
Price: £49 | Buy now from Amazon
“Ours gets daily use. This one’s better than our previous Nespresso one – the kids make hot chocolate and Nesquick in it, I like to put frothy Baileys and milk in my coffee.”
“Another shout for the Dualit here – I use ours daily for hot chocolate and decent coffee. Easy to clean too.”
Related: The best espresso coffee machines to buy »
If you crave the lovely creamy texture that only hot frothy milk can provide, the Dualit frother can heat up to half a litre of milk in just two minutes – enough for two drinks. There are lots of recommendations for this model on the Mumsnet forums and in addition to making steamed milk and hot frothed milk, the Dualit has a setting for frothing cold milk too which is perfect for milkshakes.
2. Best budget handheld milk frother: Aerolatte
Price: £8 | Buy now from Amazon
"I went through four really cheap ones but they all packed in after a few goes. Eventually got an Aerolatte and it's still going strong after over a year's worth of almost daily use"
This handheld, battery operated whisk will whip up a latte in no time at all – it’s designed to create frothy milk in 20 seconds or less. It’s a no frills option compared to some of the other kettle-style frothers on our list, but at this price there isn’t much to argue about. It will have you covered if you want to use non-dairy milks too as it can handle soya, rice, almond and coconut milk.
3. Best easy-to-clean milk frother: Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother
Price: £58 | Buy now from Amazon
"It was my favourite purchase of last year, I love mine. I have a Lavazza" - tried and tested by Mumsnet user, supercee
The Italian brand comes up trumps for ease-of-cleaning with this Lavazza MilkUp frother. The stainless steel container uses magnetic induction to heat the milk and all the components (cover, seal and whisk) are dishwasher safe.
But you can worry about the cleaning after you’ve enjoyed your drink. It will heat and/or froth up to 120ml of milk at a time, and the handy beep notification will let you know when it's done.
4. Best automatic milk frother: Morpilot Stainless Steel 4 in 1 Automatic Milk Frother
Price: £43 | Buy now from Amazon
This milk frother has four settings to choose from to create the perfect consistency for cappuccinos, lattes, hot milk, hot chocolates and flat whites. You can also choose between three textures – hot airy foam, hot dense foam and cold milk froth, so it's easy to create a coffee that's perfect for you.
Another smart feature is the temperature controller which switches the machine off to save you from crying over burnt milk. It also comes with an additional brush for cleaning.
5. Best premium milk frother: Severin SM 3587 Induction Milk Frother Spuma 700 Plus
Price: £49 | Buy now from Amazon
"I have owned and used a few different frothers and they are well worth it if you like a frothy coffee. I use mine daily. My advice is to consider the ease of cleaning and how frequently you will want to make two cups at once. I have a Severin which I prefer to others I have owned for two main reasons: firstly it’s easy to clean as it goes in the dishwasher (which most don't) and secondly, it has a large capacity so it can do two cups at once" - recommended by Mumsnet user, Batinahat
This Severin milk frother takes things up a level with its barista-style pouring spout, ideal for creating latte art. And its 13 different modes include special settings for soy, cashew and lactose-free milks making it a perfect choice for vegans.
It’s easy to use too, with a digital display to show you what setting you are choosing, as well as a red/blue LED to let you know if you’re on hot or cold mode. And if you’re warming the milk, you can choose exactly how warm you would like it to be (from 45 to 65 degrees).
6. Best manual milk frother: Bodum Latteo Milk Frother
Price: £23 | Buy now from Amazon
"These make the best froth but they are hard work. You are exhausted by the time you get your coffee!" - recommended by Mumsnet user, Cappuccino
Not everything needs to be electric! The Bodum Latteo Milk Frother shares more than a passing resemblance to a cafetiere, but the specially designed mesh and seal are designed specifically to froth milk rather than filter coffee.
The carafe is made from borosilicate glass which means it’s microwave safe if you want to warm your milk in it, and when you’ve finished plunging to get your ideal foamy consistency, you can bung the whole lot in the dishwasher.
7. Best milk frother for style: Smeg MFF01BLUK Milk Frother
Price: £150 | Buy now from John Lewis & Partners
If you’re a devotee of 1950s retro styling, you will doubtlessly be familiar with Smeg’s distinctive kitchen products. Well, now you can appreciate the brand’s amazing style on your worktop while sipping a perfectly creamy coffee thanks to the Smeg MFF01BLUK milk frother.
Its induction heating system will warm and froth up to 250ml of milk at a time, without boiling or burning it. And those signature die-cast powder coated looks are available in a range of colours to match any other Smeg appliances you might own.
8. Best milk frother for hot chocolate: Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser
Price: £110 | Buy now from Amazon
“I use the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser. I originally bought it to make awesome hot chocolate but it also warms and froths milk for coffee.”
Barista-style drinks extend beyond coffees – and if a perfect hot chocolate is your thing, this Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser could have you sipping your dream drink in your own home in no time. It's eye-catching with its sleek copper design, and produces barista-grade hot chocolate in just over two minutes.
To get you started, the set comes with 10 single serve hot chocolate pouches to use in the machine, as well as two ceramic cups. Lots of Mumsnetters have used it to foam milk for coffees too, so there’s no need to buy a separate machine if you fancy the occasional coffee as well.
9. Best value milk frother for hot chocolate: Duomishu Electric Milk Frother
Price: £36 | Buy now from Amazon
“I bought this one for my teenager for Xmas after I saw it recommended on another Mumsnet thread as a good alternative to the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser. They love it.”
The hot chocolate devotees on the Mumsnet forums pinpointed this Duomishu electric milk frother as a good value alternative to the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser – and for good reason.
Despite being less than half the price of the Hotel Chocolat model on our list, it has an automatic hot chocolate setting (as well as options for lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos and flat whites). It will heat up to 350ml of milk at a time, or froth 160ml if you’re aiming for a sumptuous macchiato, getting the job done in about two minutes.
How to choose the best milk frother
The main choice here is whether you want a kettle (or jug)-style milk frother, which will sit on your kitchen countertop, or a manual or handheld frother which you can pack away when you’re not using it.
The kettle-style frothers come with a much wider range of features (and price tags), so as well as thinking about how often you crave a creamy coffee, it’s worth being honest with yourself about how fussy you are about your milk temperature and consistency!
On balance, electric kettle-style frothers produce the best results but on the other hand, if you’re happy to do a bit more work yourself, you could save a few quid by going for a manual or handheld frother instead.
Does a milk frother work best with warm or cold milk?
This really comes down to personal preference, and the type of drink you want to make. If you decide to plump for a manual model, you’ll need to get the temperature ‘just right’ yourself, but some of the fancier kettle style models have a big range of temperature settings that mean you can just push a button and forget about it.
Do milk frothers work with dairy-free alternatives?
Although there is nothing to stop you from trying any milk frother with non-dairy milks, their lower fat content means that many reviewers find it can have mixed results. If you want to use non-dairy milks, keep an eye out for milk frothers that have specialised settings to cope with the different consistencies of oat, almond and coconut milks.
How to clean a milk frother
The way to clean your milk frother will depend on which style of product you have gone for (kettle style, or manual/ handheld). Some have removable dishwasher-safe parts, which can make things easier, some you’ll need to run under a tap and wipe clean. It’s worth keeping an eye out for milk frothers with automatic settings too, to stop your milk from overheating. If you’ve ever tried to clean burnt milk you’ll know why this can be a big help!
What’s the best milk frother?
The Dualit 84135 Milk Frother is the best milk frother to buy. Mumsnet users praise its versatility (it can be used to create frothy Baileys as well as coffees and hot chocolates!), and its versatility extends to three settings for different temperatures and froths. The big 500ml capacity seals the deal – perfect for satisfying more of the family’s coffee cravings in one go!
How we chose our recommendations
Because we know that there’s nothing like a real recommendation from a real parent, we first headed to the Mumsnet forums to find out which milk frothers discerning Mumsnet users had bought. We compiled a list of fans they recommended, noting how effective they found them, and whether they were particularly good for any certain needs.
We then did some research across the wider web, looking at which milk frothers had won accolades or been featured in ‘best buy’ lists across websites and print media, and what customers’ reviews said about them.
Having collated all that information, we picked the milk frothers we thought would make the best buys in several interest categories.
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