Milk Frothers

This frother consistently made satisfying foam at the push of a button. As with all the handheld models, we had to operate it for longer than the manufacturer instructions recommended when making cold foam, but once we did, it created the richest cold foam of the handheld bunch. Since it was our winner, we put it through additional testing, mixing up small batches of whipped cream, beating one or two eggs, and emulsifying vinaigrette. In addition to being a great milk frother, it’s a handy tool for small cooking tasks. We loved the comfortable grip, and we appreciated that it took little effort to rinse the wand clean.

This frother was the most convenient and versatile of the bunch. It created perfect foam for both lattes and cappuccinos using its interchangeable disk-shaped whisks. It features a temperature dial for selecting exact heat levels, which will surely please coffee perfectionists. There’s also an opening in the lid meant for cleanly adding hot chocolate mix while the milk whirls below, resulting in a full 3 cups of smooth cocoa. With its dishwasher-safe detachable stainless-steel pitcher, this model was easy to use and clean, and it held up well to our abuse testing.

This frother looked nearly identical to our handheld winner; their only discernible difference was motor speed. This model seemed to be a bit more powerful, which actually frothed up a looser, less satisfying cold foam that dissipated more quickly than our winner’s cold foam. Still, this model matched our winner’s convenience, ease of cleanup, and durability. It made great hot foam of multiple textures.

This versatile milk frother has four clearly labeled settings: “cold foam,” “cappuccino foam,” “latte foam,” and “heating only.” It did a good job at making cappuccino foam from both whole and almond milk and made cups of delicious and smooth hot chocolate. Two minor complaints: Latte foam came out dense and stiff, with large bubbles, so the foam sat on top of the coffee instead of mixing into it. And there was no sound to alert us when frothing was done.

This model features one button for heated foam and another for cold foam, which was satisfyingly simple. We enjoyed the silky hot foam it reliably produced, though we couldn’t customize the foam texture, and its cold foam dissipated more quickly than that of the other countertop models. This frother is pitcher-shaped, with a nonstick interior and a convenient spout that made us less likely to spill foam as we topped our coffees.

This model created a stable cold foam that topped off iced drinks nicely. It also produced cloudlike, luxurious hot foam that appealed to the cappuccino lovers among us, but it didn’t allow us to make the looser, silky foam necessary for lattes. It had the smallest capacity among the countertop models, though it still produced enough foam to satisfyingly craft a superior cup of coffee. It was easy to clean—though its nonstick basin was a bit small and cramped when we cleaned it with a sponge—and held up to our abuse tests meant to mimic long-term use.

This no-frills milk frother gets the job done: Flip the switch and you’ll have foamy, hot milk. It has only one setting, which produced airy, voluminous foam best suited for cappuccinos from both whole milk and almond milk and made a creamy, smooth hot chocolate. But it has a small 1-cup capacity and no handle or spout, making pouring and moving this frother around a bit harder than with its counterparts. It was also silent throughout the frothing cycle, so we weren’t alerted when the milk was done. The frother was easy to clean up with a quick rinse. 

This model produced the rich, luxurious hot foam we were looking for, though it had a bit more trouble efficiently creating stable cold foam than its handheld peers. We found it fairly easy to operate, but we enjoyed other models’ convenient buttons more than this model’s finicky switch, which caused us to spray milk everywhere as we briefly grappled to turn it off. As with the other handhelds, it rinsed clean easily and held up well to abuse testing.

We appreciated that this model was comfortable to hold and operate at many different angles, which set it apart from the models with buttons that we had to hold down as we frothed. This model served its purpose by frothing up acceptable foams of various textures at both hot and cold temperatures, but its foam was a bit less voluminous and took slightly longer to whip up than that of its competitors. Though we liked this model in general, we didn’t enjoy its multi-speed button, which took several pushes to get up to an ideal speed for efficient frothing.

The better of the two manual models, this frother managed to serve up pleasant hot and cold foam—but it was a pain to use. The pumping required to froth milk threatened to send the pitcher’s contents flying without steady pressure from the non-pumping hand, and though the process didn’t require overwhelming effort, it was still tedious and managed to make our hands tired. Despite our concerns about the glass canister’s sturdiness, this model held up to our durability testing.

This frother has a 2-cup capacity, so it can froth enough milk for multiple drinks. It features a comfortable handle and a spout, making holding and pouring from its pitcher easy and smooth. Its stainless-steel exterior held up well to our abuse tests. While it can produce both a hot foam and a cold foam, it can only do frothy, billowy foam for cappuccinos—it can’t make denser latte foam. And it was a little tricky to use: We had to memorize actions (a long press for cold foam, a quick press for hot foam) to get the correct results. A bigger concern was that it scalded milk, giving it a less-than-ideal flavor. 

This frother was a chore to use, tiring us out unnecessarily to achieve only lackluster foam. The pumping mechanism’s screen was too dense to allow milk and air through efficiently, and it clanged against the lid, creating a loud din that was almost comical compared to the subtle whirs of the handheld and countertop models. It was also frustrating to wash: Milk got stuck in crevices, and the shapes of the basin and the lid caused water to splash all over the place.

This model had a smaller capacity and was less customizable than our countertop winner, but it was almost as versatile. The various settings—for “cold milk froth”, “hot dense foam,” and “hot airy foam”—produced discernible differences in texture. We loved the simplicity of toggling between these options with repeated presses of a single button, and the nonstick interior washed clean in no time.