7 Best Coffee Makers With Milk Frothers in 2024

This is a review of the best black coffee and espresso makers with milk frothers. Explore our recommendations to find something that’ll make lattes and cappuccinos.

I often find myself wanting milk-based drinks like lattes. However, I have difficulty finding a good coffee maker with a milk frother. That inspired me to write up this list.

I chose the Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista as the top pick because it’ll support ESE pods and has an automatic milk frother. Perfect for people who don’t have much counter space and don’t want to put too much effort into making drinks.

Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista: Best Overall

• Price: $$$
• Type: Semi-automatic espresso machine
• Dimensions: 8.8 × 11.2 × 12.6 in (D, W, H)
• Water Capacity: 54 oz = 54 solo shots
• Material: Stainless steel & plastic
• Warranty: 1 year

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But it still requires a fair amount of cleanup. Check out alternatives that’ll lessen the time spent on cleaning your machine.

Let’s do this.

Best Bean-to-Cup Coffee Machines With Milk Frother

1. Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista: Top pick
2. Nespresso Lattissima One: Beginner-friendly
3. PHILIPS 1200: Includes a grinder
4. Nespresso Vertuo Creatista: Top high-end pic
5. Ninja DualBrew Pro: Best for iced coffee
6. Gaggia Classic Pro: Best espresso maker
7. Keurig K-Cafe: Best maker, UK

Best Home Coffee Makers With Frother

The following sections will provide miniature reviews on all the best coffee and espresso makers available that include milk frothers or steam wands.

Steam wands will produce microfoam (smaller bubbles). While milk frothers produce macro foam. The former works better for drinks like lattes. The latter, for macchiatos and dalgona coffee.

You could technically create lattes with milk frothers, but it won’t have the same mouthfeel and texture as those made with steam wands, a feature that espresso machines typically have.

That doesn’t matter if you’re not a coffee-making expert and just want a machine that’ll make lattes.

I’ve blabbered enough. Let’s begin.

1. Mr. Coffee Café Barista: Best Overall

Price *	$
Type	Semi-automatic espresso machine
Dimensions	8.8 × 11.2 × 12.6 in (D, W, H)
Water Capacity	54 oz = 54 solo shots
Material	Stainless steel & plastic
Warranty	1 year

The Mr. Coffee Café Barista is a fantastic choice for anyone who wants an affordable machine that automatically dispenses milk.

Semi-automatic espresso machines require manual input when working with espresso on every step except for applying pressure and boiling water. You won’t need a separate kettle to heat water.

It’s a great choice for anyone who wants automation for consistent-tasting coffee in some areas, but control in everything else.

This specific coffee maker’s worth the money if you’re after something cheap that’ll brew great-tasting drinks. It’s not comparable to models $500 and up, but it’s reasonable for the frugal.

Mr. Coffee cut some corners when making the machine. It doesn’t have stellar user experience or design-quality. They opted for a cheap-feeling plastic casing for most of the machine, which means it won’t withstand wear and tear well.

The water reservoir is removable, but accessible from the machine’s rear, which is good because it makes it easy to clean. That said, there’s no way to tell how full it is from looking at the front of your machine. Why not include a window? It shouldn’t cost that much to add.

Unless you keep this thing on the edge of your counter, reaching the reservoir will be difficult due to its location and the water tank’s size. That’s because you’ll likely have your wall cabinet preventing you from reaching over the Barista.

The portafilter handle is also a pain to twist. It requires a bit of effort to move. I don’t recommend this machine to anyone with arthritis or other wrist issues.

I like the milk frother because it’ll automatically froth milk for cappuccinos and lattes. Eliminating any manual input for frothing. However, it’s a bit loud. I wouldn’t recommend running it when other folks are asleep.

Holding down the “Clean” button for 3 seconds will set the machine into self-cleaning mode. This will clean any coffee bean residue from your machine and built-up milk from the frother.

And this machine supports Easy Serve Espresso (ESE) pods. These are pre-ground beans stuffed in a cloth-like puck that allows you to brew espresso without grinding beans. This eliminates the need for buying a grinder or storing pre-ground beans.

This coffee maker will take around 2 minutes to heat and doesn’t have the easiest cleanup. The next pick eliminates those weaknesses.

2. Nespresso Lattissima One: Best for Beginners

Price *	$
Type	Capsule
Dimensions	12.7 × 6.1 × 10.1 in (D, W, H)
Water Capacity	33.8 fl oz = 6 cups
Material	Plastic
Warranty	2 years

The Nespresso Lattissima One works best for anyone who wants a Nespresso machine with a built-in milk frother. Also, for anyone who wants quickly-made lattes, cappuccinos, and whatever.

Capsule coffee makers brew coffee by reading pods that you insert into the machine. From there, it’ll brew per the pod’s specifications. For instance, ristretto espresso pods brew espresso.

This machine uses the Nespresso Original Line pods; these brew espresso. Not black coffee like the Vertuo Line pods.

Capsule coffee makers are ideal for brewing drinks quickly and minimal cleanup.

This machine’s worth the money, considering you won’t need a Nespresso machine and an Aeroccino. This machine is a 2-in-1.

The water reservoir is removable, making cleaning and refilling easier. But it’s a pain to reach if you’re placing this thing under a low-hanging wall cabinet. Even in a wall cabinet with ample vertical clearance, you’ll need to reach around the machine to get a good grip on the tank.

It doesn’t have the greatest ergonomics. A handle would have made this device much nicer for folks with arthritis or other wrist problems.

Aside from that, the machine doesn’t require much vertical clearance otherwise. If you place it at the edge of your counter, you shouldn’t have many issues accessing the reservoir. The lid to access the pod slot requires a couple of inches of vertical clearance.

Making this perfect for homes with 18 inches of clearance between their cabinet and countertop (the standard) [1].

It’ll take 25 seconds for this machine to heat up to brew espresso and 40 seconds to brew milk-based drinks. Upon finishing, it’ll take around 9 minutes for this machine to automatically power off.

You can’t program it to brew later. Fix this with a smart plug.

It includes an automatic milk frother that’ll spew milk into your coffee cup in the messiest way possible. Meaning, this device doesn’t excel in presentation.

You’ll see 4 types of Nespresso Lattissima makers; here are their differences:

• Lattissima One: Compact.
• Lattissima Pro: Includes a touch screen for pre-programmed drinks.
• Lattissima Touch: Drink selection via analog buttons.
• Gran Lattissima: More pre-programmed drink options to choose from.

Are you someone who prefers using ground coffee, yet wants a grinder? Check out the next machine.

3. Philips 1200: Best Coffee Machine With Milk Frother & Grinder

Price *	$$
Type	Automatic espresso maker
Dimensions	17 × 9.5 × 14.5 in (D, W, H)
Water Capacity	60 fl oz = 60 solo shots
Material	Plastic
Warranty	6 months

The Philips Carina (1200) espresso maker is a fantastic choice for anyone who wants to fully automate coffee and espresso making.

It’s a fully-automatic espresso machine, meaning it’ll grind beans, time shots, boil water, and apply pressure to espresso. You’ll only need to tamp your beans to ensure consistent extraction. 

This type of coffee maker works best for anyone who doesn’t want a capsule machine, yet wants to automate coffee making.

This machine’s low(ish) price and its super-automatic nature make it well worth its value.

However, Philips had to cut some corners to make it a viable option. They first opted for using a flimsy-feeling plastic on the casing, which could reduce the machine’s lifespan. They also used a single boiler.

Boilers determine the time it’ll take to heat your machine’s water and whether it can brew and froth milk simultaneously. Single boilers heat slower than other boiler types. It also can’t brew and froth at the same time.

It includes a water filter, which will remove chlorine and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to ensure your coffee tastes cleaner [2]. However, you’ll need to frequently replace these. If you already have a means to use filtered water, do that instead of buying filters.

The programmable touch-screen display allows you to adjust your coffee’s strength and the amount of coffee or espresso you want made. Or if you want to dispense hot water. All these options offer a bit more control over your drink-making.

Let’s talk about the grinder.

It’s a ceramic conical burr grinder. Since it’s a burr grind, it’s faster and more consistent compared to a blade coffee grinder. It’s also a conical burr, which means it isn’t as consistent as flat burrs, but is cheaper. And it’s a ceramic burr; it won’t heat up and cause beans to lose flavor, unlike stainless steel burrs.

But ceramic burrs are more susceptible to chipping, and may not last as long as their metal counterpart.

Overall, it’s a good grinder. The best you’ll get for a coffee maker in this range. However, the built-in grinder makes it unable to fit under a wall cabinet without having to move it. Since the grinder lid will require several inches of vertical clearance.

Capsules won’t work with this coffee maker. If that’s unideal, consider the next pick.

4. Breville Nespresso Vertuo Creatista: Best Single-Serve Coffee Maker With Frother

Price *	$$
Type	Capsule
Dimensions	16.4 × 9.6 × 12.7 in (D, W, H)
Water Capacity	67.6 fl oz = 11 cups
Material	Stainless steel
Warranty	2 years

The Nespresso Vertuo Creatista works best for anyone who wants to make drinks like lattes and cappuccinos because of the included steam wand.

It’s a capsule coffee maker. You plop a pod into the slot, press a button, and it’ll brew coffee or espresso. Since it’s a Vertuo Line machine, it’ll brew black coffee and espresso. Unlike the Original Line, Nespresso Creatista and Creatista Plus.

While expensive, this machine’s worth the money because of its high-quality build.

But it’s not the best choice for small kitchens or anyone who doesn’t have much space between their countertop and cabinet. The Vertuo Creatista includes a removable water reservoir, but it’s only accessible from the machine’s rear.

The tank doesn’t include a viable handle, which makes it difficult to grip. And there’s no way to look inside the tank from the machine’s front. You must guess when to refill it.

Opening the pod slot lid will require around 5 inches of vertical clearance. This design choice should allow this thing to fit under standard cabinets. However, it isn’t ideal for countertops that aren’t that deep.

By the way, this big boy weighs 15 pounds. Not the lightest appliance to move if you must refill the reservoir. 

Its removable water tank and drip tray make the machine much easier to clean and refill. The removable drip tray enabled you to brew in travel mugs or carafes.

The Vertuo Creatista also allows you to select among 3 temperature and froth settings for more control over your frothed/steamed milk’s taste and texture.

And since it’s a Nespresso, it doesn’t allow you to use ground coffee. The next machine will.

5. Ninja DualBrew Pro: Best Iced Coffee Maker With Frother

Price *	$
Type	Drip coffee maker
Dimensions	9.13 × 11.39 × 15.54 in (D, W, H)
Water Capacity	60 fl oz = 12 5-fl oz cups
Material	Plastic
Warranty	1 year

The Ninja DualBrew Pro (CFP301) is a boon for any household that has varying drink enjoyers. For instance, homes with at least 1 tea lover, an espresso lover, and a black coffee drinker.

This machine is a drip and pod coffee maker. Insert a pod into the machine and it’ll brew per its specifications. To make drip coffee, add a paper filter, fill it with grounds, and press a button. Then the machine will saturate the coffee grounds and drip feed coffee into your cup or carafe.

The former brewing method works best for quick coffee with a minimal cleanup. The latter for anyone who wants to serve groups of people using a carafe.

This machine’s worth the money if you want a long-lasting machine filled with features.

It includes 4 different brew styles, like:

• Classic: Normal brewing.
• Rich: Brews longer to extract more flavor.
• Over ice: Less coffee & concentrated.
  • Brewing this way prevents ice cubes from diluting your drink.
• Specialty: Uses up to 20 bars of pressure to brew espresso shots.

It’ll also serve boiled or hot water, excellent for brewing tea, making oatmeal, or any other type of instant drink.

There’s a knob in the center that allows you to program your machine or select 9 cup sizes—up to a 12-cup carafe. And program your machine to brew coffee at a later date. For instance, when you wake up.

The milk frother looks unsightly, but it’ll automatically froth milk to make drinks like lattes. Hide your shame when not in use by folding the milk frother into the machine.

Many folks complained this machine didn’t include a manual. If that’s true, how are we supposed to know how to descale it? If you do get this machine, Ninja has a quick-start guide on their site [3].

It’ll show you how to operate the machine, recipes, and features. But not how to descale it. Most coffee machines have similar methods of descaling. Research this through YouTube or by reading our guide on descaling coffee makers.

This maker also didn’t include a reusable filter. This could save you money in the long run, but result in coffee with more sediment in it. If you don’t mind something that’s a bit harder to clean, consider Ninja’s Gold Tone filter.

I don’t recommend getting knock-off ones because they may not fit with your machine. Even if they claim to fit. And they may use stainless steel mesh, which is more difficult to clean because more coffee bean oils accumulate on them than with Gold Tone filters.

This won’t make “proper” espresso. If you’re someone who prefers specialty coffee from an espresso machine, consider the last pick.

6. Gaggia Classic Pro: Best Espresso Machine With Milk Frother

Price *	$$
Type	Semi-automatic espresso maker
Dimensions	8 × 9.5 × 14.2 in (D, W, H)
Water Capacity	71 fl oz = 71 solo shots
Material	Stainless steel
Warranty	1 year

The Gaggia Classic Pro is ideal for anyone at home who wants a pretty compact espresso maker with durable parts.

Semi-automatic espresso makers automate applying pressure to coffee grounds and maintaining water temperature. Otherwise, you retain control of every other aspect of espresso-making.

This type of machine is ideal for anyone who wants some control over making espresso yet wants consistent drinks.

The Gaggia (pronunciation: ga-juh) Classic Pro will take a while to learn how to use for anyone new to using semi-automatic espresso machines. As you saw a second ago, these machines automate water temperature and apply pressure.

You must time shots, tamp beans, and clean out your machine. However, this is a popular machine and has a lot of documentation. Making it much easier to find videos to learn how to use it.

It also has a few buttons and a knob. It won’t take you an hour of reading literature to understand what each button does.

If this isn’t ideal for you, consider automatic or super-automatic espresso machines. They mostly require you to press buttons, and they’ll do the rest of your work. Some also come with built-in grinders or automatic tamping.

The Classic Pro doesn’t include a grinder. You must buy a separate grinder. However, that ensures you’ll have higher-quality, more consistent grounds. These types of grounds will result in a more flavorful cup of coffee.

It’s also easier to store the machine. And it doesn’t require as much vertical space. Speaking of. The water reservoir is located on the machine’s rear and requires several inches of vertical clearance to access. This coffee maker may not fit under most wall cabinets.

I’d recommend placing this on a dishwasher, coffee cart, or at the end of a counter. However, there’s a window on the machine’s front (behind the drip tray) that shows you how much water remains. Eliminating guesswork on when to refill.

And the drip tray is removable for easy cleaning. Wish I could say the same for the water tank.

The steam wand rotates, which gives you more control over your steamed milk’s texture. Ideal for having a better-tasting latte. And it supports ESE pods. Think of these pods as a combination of a tea bag and a K-Cup.

They eliminate the need for a grinder and storage space for coffee beans. Considering the price you may have spent on a grinder, it may also save you a lot of money on the upfront grinder cost and maintenance.

7. Keurig K-Cafe: Coffee Maker With Frother, UK

Price *	£
Type	Capsule
Dimensions	38 × 29.7 × 31 cm (D, W, H)
Water Capacity	1.7 l = 10 cups
Material	Plastic
Warranty	1 year

The Keurig K-Cafe is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to make black coffee and espresso without much cleanup. It’s also fantastic for folks who don’t want to reach around their machine to refill the water tank.

It’s an excellent choice for folks in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada because of Keurig’s widespread warranty policy.

This is a capsule coffee maker. You plop a pod into the pod slot, press your desired cup amount, then the machine brews per the pod’s specifications. This specific machine works with K-Cup pods, not Nespresso ones.

You’ll want this machine type if you don’t mind spending a bit more on coffee for less work and cleanup.

Keurig can always have my money. Thus, it’s safe to say this machine’s worth the investment.

While that’s a weird sentence, hear me out. Keurig has some of the best design work for coffee makers. Look at the water reservoir. It’s located on the machine’s side, meaning it won’t require you to reach behind the machine to access it. You’ll also always know how full it is.

There’s no fill line, which is a bummer if you need to add a specific amount of water.

It’s not a big deal to refill the water tank, though. It’s removable, which already makes it easier than many machines to clean and refill. Then it has a handle that’ll make it much easier to grip for folks who have wrist issues.

The water tank will probably have a lot of weight to it. Considering its size… Imagine carrying that to and from your kitchen sink.

The manufacturer had to make this machine accommodate the machine’s massive water tank and inclusion of a milk frother. Thus, it’ll take up a lot of counter space. Making it unideal for anyone with small kitchens.

It will fit under cabinets, though. Its size comes from width and depth. But the machine isn’t that tall. When opening the pod shot, you will need several inches of vertical clearance, but that shouldn’t put you above 45 cm—the total space between counter and cabinet.

It’ll make espresso and black coffee, since it uses K-Cups. Then it includes a milk frother that allows you to make cappuccinos and lattes. It’s also dishwasher safe.

That’s all for our recommendations. Prevent yourself from making a regrettable decision by following our buyer’s guide.

How to Choose the Best Coffee Maker With Milk Frother

Use the following checkpoints to help you buy a coffee machine with a milk frother or steam wand:

These sections will cover each of the criteria above in-depth. I recommend reading to know exactly what you’re buying and what it’s capable of doing.

1. Drinks It Can Brew

All drinks that coffee machines with steam wands and milk frothers include:

Lungo is a long shot that extracts more water from your machine. And Ristretto is concentrated espresso. In addition to these, many of these machines could brew solo espresso shots and doppio (double shots).

Strictly drip coffee machines will not brew espresso, though. The drip machines that include milk frothers will produce latte-like drinks. Since lattes require espresso and steamed milk.

And coffee machines with milk frothers technically can’t produce lattes, since steamed milk has smaller bubbles than frothed milk. Machines with milk frothers could produce recipes like dalgona coffee and macchiatos.

Espresso machines, for the most part, can’t produce black coffee. Yes, espresso is coffee, but it’s concentrated. Machines like those in the Nespresso Vertuo line, some Keurig machines, and combination machines—like what Ninja makes—produce both coffee types.

2. How Easy It Is to Clean & Maintain

Milk can be a breeding ground for bacteria if it is not cleaned properly. This can lead to food poisoning.

Features that can make coffee machines with milk frothers easier to clean or to use include:

1. Dishwasher safe removable milk frothing containers.
2. Automatic cleaning cycles that remove milk residue from the machine.
3. Ergonomic design that makes it easy to reach all the controls & parts of the machine.

It is becoming more common for coffee machines with milk frothers to include these features. This is because consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of cleanliness and ease of maintenance.

3. Additional Features

Consider these features when shopping for coffee makers with milk frothers:

Most of these machines will include automatic milk frothing, which helps ensure you get a consistent milk texture for better-tasting beverages. Many won’t include adjustable temperature settings, though.

Machines like those from Ninja will have pre-programmed temperature and brewing adjustment. For instance, press an iced coffee machine, and it’ll spit out a concentrated coffee drink.

4. Machine Type

Compare all the machines that have built-in milk wands and frothers:

Here are scenarios and people I’d recommend each machine for:

• Drip coffee: Get if you want latte-like drinks & need to serve many people.
  • Thermal coffee makers: Same as drip coffee, but uses a thermal carafe to keep drinks hotter, longer.
• Capsule makers: Quick & mess-free coffee that fully automates espresso-making.
• Espresso machines:
  • Semi-automatic: You want control over making your espresso drinks.
  • Super-automatic: Hands-off approach to brewing espresso beverages.

Most drip coffee makers don’t include milk frothers. You’ll mostly see them if they’re made by Ninja or are other combination coffee machines. The same goes for many capsule coffee makers.

There’s 1 or 2 Keurig models that have a milk frother; and a handful of Nespresso models.

Almost all espresso makers—whether semi-automatic or fully automatic—include milk frothers or steam wand. Manual espresso makers don’t include a steam wand.

I recommend capsule coffee machines to spend the least time on making milk-based drinks. And semi-automatic makers for the most control.

FAQs: Coffee Machines With Milk Frothers

Keep reading to find frequently asked questions about coffee makers with milk frothers.

Our Verdict

Here’s a review of our top options:

1. Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista: Affordable & automatically froths milk.
2. Nespresso Lattissima One: Quick heat-up & brewing.
3. Philips 1200: Automatic grinding & brews black coffee, along with espresso.

I chose the Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista as the best because it’s not too pricey, gives you control over brewing espresso, and will automatically froth milk.

Mr. Coffee Cafe Barista: Best Overall

• Price: $$$
• Type: Semi-automatic espresso machine
• Dimensions: 8.8 × 11.2 × 12.6 in (D, W, H)
• Water Capacity: 54 oz = 54 solo shots
• Material: Stainless steel & plastic
• Warranty: 1 year

Check Current Price

Footnotes:

• * Price will vary by model, manufacturer, and vendor.