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Best milk frothers for coffee and hot chocolate
The best milk frother gives you barista-style coffee quickly with voluminous, creamy froth – and some can even make an indulgent, velvety hot chocolate.
We've tried and tested popular milk frothers, including Hotel Chocolat's Velvetiser and electric milk frothers from Dualit, Lavazza, Smeg, Swan and more.
Our warming, frothing, measuring and tasting has revealed three milk frothers that impressed us enough to be awarded Best Buy recommendations. There were also two milk frothers that we think are great value.
We also tested those milk frothers that can make hot chocolate to see which makes the best, including the widely promoted Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser.
The best milk frothers
Only logged-in Which? members can view the milk frother test results below.
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| Milk frother | Maximum capacity for frothing | Frothing speed | Volume of froth (semi-skimmed) | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very fast | Excellent | |||
| Very fast | Good | |||
| Fast | Good | |||
| Fast | Good | |||
| Very fast | Average | |||
| Very fast | Poor | |||
| Fast | Good |
Dates tested: July 2021 and May 2022. Page last checked: July 2024. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
The milk frothers we tested
All the milk frothers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
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Asda George Black Milk Frother
Available from Asda (£18)
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 150ml for frothing, 300ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 900g weight, two-year warranty, minimum capacity 75ml
Cookworks Milk Frother
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 100ml for frothing, 200ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 800g weight, minimum capacity not stated, one-year warranty
Dualit Milk Frother
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Date tested July 2021
Maximum capacity 200ml for frothing, 350ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 900g weight, minimum capacity 100ml, one-year warranty, whisk and lid are dishwasher safe
Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 220ml for frothing and heating
Functions Hot froth, hot chocolate
Need to know 1.15kg weight, minimum capacity 180ml, one-year warranty, whisk and lid are dishwasher safe
Illy Electric Milk Frother
Available from Illy (£67)
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Date tested July 2021
Maximum capacity 250ml for frothing and heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 700g weight, minimum capacity 150ml, one-year warranty, jug, lid and whisks are dishwasher safe
Krups Frothing Control Electric Milk Frother
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Date tested July 2021
Maximum capacity 150ml for frothing, 300ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, heated milk
Need to know 850g weight, minimum capacity 100ml, two-year guarantee
After accessories that'll pep up your coffee? Discover the best coffee grinders
Lakeland Milk Frother and Hot Chocolate Maker
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Date tested July 2021
Maximum capacity 125ml for frothing, 250ml for heating
Functions Hot light froth, hot dense froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 1kg weight, minimum capacity 100ml, three-year guarantee
Lavazza MilkEasy Milk Frother
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 120ml for frothing, 180ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 900g weight, minimum capacity 60ml, three-year guarantee if you buy from Lakeland, lid and whisk are dishwasher safe
Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 120ml for frothing, 180ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk, hot chocolate
Need to know 1.1kg weight, minimum capacity 60ml, two-year guarantee if you buy from John Lewis
Nespresso Aeroccino 4 Milk Frother
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Date tested July 2021
Maximum capacity 120ml for frothing, 240ml for heating
Functions Hot dense froth, hot light froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 1kg weight, minimum capacity not stated, two-year guarantee, jug is dishwasher safe
Salter EK4635 Milk Frother
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 150ml for frothing, 300ml for heating
Functions Hot thick froth, hot thin froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 800g weight, one-year guarantee, minimum capacity 75ml
Smeg Milk Frother
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Date tested July 2021
Maximum capacity 250ml for frothing, 600ml for heating
Functions Hot dense froth, hot light froth, cold dense froth, cold light froth, heated milk
Need to know 1.8kg weight, minimum capacity 120ml, two-year guarantee
Swan Automatic Milk Frother
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 115ml for frothing, 240ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 700g weight, minimum capacity 90ml, two-year guarantee
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Velvetiser vs milk frothers: which makes the best hot chocolate?
Some of the milk frothers we tested also state they can be used to make hot chocolate directly in the machine's container, rather than adding powder to the milk frother's warm milk afterwards.
We put this claim to the test to see how good they were at making tasty hot chocolate and whether they could rival the heavily advertised Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser.
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| Hot chocolate maker | Maximum capacity for heating milk | Taste | Speed | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Fast | |||
| Excellent | Fast | |||
| Good | Average |
Dates tested: May 2022. Page last checked: July 2024. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 220ml for frothing and heating
Functions Hot froth, hot chocolate
Need to know 1.15kg weight, minimum capacity 180ml, one-year warranty, whisk and lid are dishwasher safe
Lakeland Milk Frother and Hot Chocolate Maker
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 125ml for frothing, 250ml for heating
Functions Hot light froth, hot dense froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know 1kg weight, minimum capacity 100ml, three-year guarantee
Lavazza MilkUp Milk Frother
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Date tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 120ml for frothing, 180ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk, hot chocolate
Need to know 1.1kg weight, minimum capacity 60ml, two-year guarantee if you buy from John Lewis
How does a battery-powered milk frother compare?
If you don't want to pay out for one of the milk frothers above, you can get battery-powered whisks that claim to do a similar job and cost a lot less.
We tried out a handheld whisk from Ikea, to see how it compared. And although we weren't blown away, for £1.50 it just about did the job.
It added about 50% volume to semi-skimmed milk and 90% to oat milk. This is on par with the lower-performing electric milk frothers we tested. Our Best Buy recommendations increased the milk volume by 100 to 150%.
We found the mouthfeel of the foam wasn't up to scratch, though. Our taste testers commented that it lacked creaminess and had poor foam structure.
Unlock your inner barista: see our coffee machine reviews
How we test milk frothers and hot chocolate makers
We buy the most popular milk frothers and hot chocolate makers and put each through these tests. We regularly revisit the milk frothers on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing, and when we find them we do.
Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.
Frothing
- We froth oat milk and semi-skimmed milk scoring on how long it takes, the volume increase, and how much it depletes after five minutes.
- We also measure how long each milk frother takes to heat up 180ml of oat milk and semi-skimmed milk, and if it heated to an appropriate temperature for drinking coffee and hot chocolate.
The best milk frothers quickly make voluminous froth that sticks around. The worst take ages to make a pathetic about of foam.
Ease of use
- We test each milk frother on how easy it is to operate, pour from, clean and how much noise it makes while working.
Most milk frothers are easy to operate, but the best milk frothers are easy to pour from and clean as well.
Mouthfeel
- Testers complete a blind taste test of oat milk and semi-skimmed cappuccinos and scored them on appearance, taste, foam formation and creaminess.
- They also each blind-taste a hot chocolate from those milk frothers that claim to also make them.
Most milk frothers taste OK, but the best feel creamy and the worst have a metallic taste.
Get excellent coffee to go with your frothed milk with the best pod coffee machines
Milk frothers: key questions answered
Can you froth cold milk?
Yes. Many milk frothers have a cold froth function. They produce consistently silky froth but struggle to keep the volume of foam. In our testing, cold froths had completely depleted after five minutes.
Can you froth milk without a frother?
If you're undecided about purchasing a milk frother, there is another way to achieve frothy cappuccino milk using a cafetiere. We tested it out.
To do this you have to:
- Heat the milk beforehand
- Then plunge the filter up and down until the milk looks as though it's grown significantly in volume.
The result? Voluminous, frothy milk that scored slightly higher than our electric whisk for foam formation and taste. Don't expect perfectly dense foam, but if you want a quick and easy alternative in the kitchen, then we'd pick a cafetiere over a handheld whisk.
Which milk is best for milk frothers?
The key to perfectly frothed milk is fat. That's why cafés and coffee shops use whole milk to make coffees as standard.
To replicate that same froth for oat milk, and all other plant-based milks, you have to buy the 'barista' version which has added stabilisers to mimic the fats found in cow's milk.
We did find that the oat milk seemed to deplete less after five minutes than the semi-skimmed.
So, if you're after tight microfoam and decent creaminess, then cow's milk is the way to go. However, if you like the sweetness that comes with oat milk and plentiful froth, then oat is a great alternative.
Is the Velvetiser the same as a milk frother?
The Velvetiser is a milk frother but it has been designed for making hot chocolate with Hotel Chocolat's drinking chocolate. There is a variety of flavours to choose from.
You can also simply froth milk in the Velvetiser should you wish to. Some milk frothers also have settings to make hot chocolate.
We've put them to the test and you can see the results higher up this page.