We have tested 18 milk frothers. our favorite for use in the home kitchen is the philips senseo milk twister. It conjures up an excellent milk foam: stable, flowing and creamy. Thanks to its compact dimensions, it takes up very little space in the kitchen. Not only does it look pretty good, but it also scores points for its fair price.
We have added a chapter on milk frothers in automatic coffee machines to the test and updated the availability of the products. Our recommendations are still up to date.
Our latest update is not about new products, but about plant-based milk alternatives. Soy milk and co. Are becoming more and more popular – and not only among vegans! You can prepare them in milk frothers like our test winner philips senseo milk twister.
We have tested three new milk frothers. Our test winner is once again the philips senseo milk twister. The new severin SM 3585 received a recommendation.
We have tested 6 other milk frothers: arendo milkstar, arendo milkloud, gastroback 42360, clatronic MS 3326, WMF lono milk& choc and the hand milk frother scanpart. Unfortunately no longer available and therefore no longer in the test report is the lavazza amodo mio.
We especially liked the WMF lono and it is our new test winner. But also the devices from clatronic and gastroback are worth a look.
We are constantly testing new products and update our recommendations regularly. We will be happy to inform you as soon as this article is updated.
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We have tested 18 milk frothers of all types and price ranges for you. We will not only tell you how the different machines performed, but also how to make really good milk foam with them.
Brief overview: our recommendations
Test winner
Philips senseo milk twister
The philips senseo milk twister is a compact automatic milk frother that impresses with its chic design and excellent milk foam. It is cylindrically shaped and shines in black plastic. As is usual with compact appliances, the induction technology is located in the housing together with the milk container. Less common is the whisk attached to the lid. Because usually the milk is foamed from the bottom and not from the top.
This is very pleasant to use, but the whisk can also break off more quickly. The milk foam produced by the senseo milk twister is excellent. Few appliances in this price range can keep up with it. The design is apparently so appealing to the competition that many manufacturers have given their machines a similar look.
Due to its small dimensions, it is mainly suitable for singles and users who only need small amounts of milk foam. The senseo milk twister cannot froth more than 120 milliliters of milk at a time.
Also good
Severin SM 3585
Like all tested severin milk frothers, the severin SM 3585 impresses above all with its functionality. However, there’s no denying that the manufacturer has put a little more emphasis on modern product design in the latest member of the severin family than in its brethren.
This is expressed in a slim base with an extremely pleasant feel and an LED ring that indicates the device status. Unlike the other severin models, the jug appears very high-quality and heavy. It lies well in the hand and offers with 260 milliliters a clearly more milk foam than our test winner of senseo.
We have tested here the severin SM 3585 spuma 500. The spuma 700 model offers an even larger filling capacity and temperature control, as we know from the severin SM 9685. The milk foam cannot compete with the fluffy foam that a barista conjures up in the pot, but it absolutely meets the requirements of the target group. It is creamy and fine-pored, but quite firm. The classic latte macchiato layers are particularly successful with this machine.
Basically, all severin milk frothers are suitable for larger quantities of milk foam or for hot chocolate. With a capacity of up to 0.7 liters, they offer a foaming volume of an impressive 350 milliliters, depending on the model. Like the SM 3585, the SM 3582, SM 9684 and SM 9685 are also easy to operate and have a separate jug for convenient cleaning.
Luxurious& elegant
WMF lono milk& choc
The WMF lono milk& not only does choc handle milk foam like no other – it also offers an original extra that sets it apart from other machines. Because practically all milk frothers can heat cocoa, but the WMF lono milk& choc goes one step further. A small stainless steel cage in the scope of delivery allows the preparation of real hot drinking chocolate. The insert protects the stirrer from chocolate chips while the chocolate is melting.
High-quality material, chic design and compact dimensions characterize this milk frother, as does its ease of cleaning. In addition, there is a foaming volume of 350 milliliters, which is otherwise only achieved by large severin appliances. When it comes to pure heating, the WMF frother with 500 milliliters ends up behind the severin 9685, which can heat a proud 700 milliliters of milk. However, the price of the luxury frother is higher than that of our test winner from senseo.
Good& inexpensive
Clatronic MS 3326
With the MS 3326, clatronic has found a good compromise between size, performance, quality and price. For a reasonable price, this milk frother delivers very good milk foam. Unlike other compact devices, the clatronic MS 3326 has a removable jug, which is a positive feature when it comes to handling and cleaning. The foaming volume of 225 milliliters is not outstanding, but it is significantly higher than that of our test winner, the senseo milk twister.
In the same price range as the clatronic MS 3326 is also the arendo milkstar, which marks the boundary between compact and mid-range. It stands out from other milk frothers at first glance because its milk jug is made of glass. Of course, this is less break-resistant than the stainless steel jug, but it looks tidier and more delicate.
The arendo milkstar can froth up to 150 milliliters of milk, less than the compact clatronic. However, the foam succeeds very well and becomes equally firm and fine. Qualitatively, it falls just short of the test-winning philips senseo foam.
Without batteries
Bodum latteo
The bodum latteo is handmade. The inexpensive manual milk frother has a tamper and can be operated completely without electricity. Admittedly, a little practice is required to create barista-level milk froth – but it’s worth it and will be fun for all coffee enthusiasts.
Comparison table
- Very good milk foam
- Beautiful design
- Good workmanship
- Pleasant to use
- Excellent results
- Super price-performance ratio
- Removable milk jug
- Very affordable
- With practice very good milk foam
- Does not take up much space
- Quiet and compact
- Perfect milk foam
- Good filling capacity
- Good speed
- Milk can be heated in it directly on the stove top
- Good milk foam
- Inexpensive
- Cup must not be put in the dishwasher
- Foam spiral seems somewhat unstable
- You have to get the hang of it
- Milk foam is too cold and too little
- Unfortunately the milk foam is not perfect
- Makes only meager milk foam
- Expensive
- Batteries need to be changed frequently
Who needs a milk frother?
Good old filter coffee is no longer in vogue. Today’s coffee connoisseurs prefer to drink cappuccino or latte macchiato instead. From the bialetti stovetop pot to the fully automatic coffee maker from jura, there are numerous utensils and appliances that bring coffee specialties into your own four walls.
However, for complete enjoyment, you need not only an excellent espresso, but also an excellent milk foam. This can be prepared with a number of different devices. Many coffee lovers own a fully automatic coffee machine or an espresso machine that can make milk coffee drinks. From lavazza to delonghi – the list of coffee machines is long and we have already presented a number of machines in these categories to you.
For many, it is the milk foam that makes the coffee special. If you’re ambitious, you can even conjure up little patterns on the drink or try your hand at curiosities like a black latte made with activated carbon.
In most cases, the milk foam is produced fully automatically. You don’t have to do more than fill a milk tank or dip a hose into a container of milk. The minimum solution for fully automatic machines is a frothing lance for manual frothing. The lance emits steam that heats and froths the milk at the same time. This variant is the standard for espresso machines and the technology of choice for every professional barista.
Coffee machines usually already have a frothing function
It takes a little practice and experience to learn this technique. The lance is easy to use, but if you master it, you have full control over the temperature and consistency of the milk foam and achieve the best results.
Even with non-specialist kitchen appliances such as the thermomix, milk foam can be made. If you are not looking for a complete solution, but prefer a compact and separate milk frother, you have the choice between different variants, which we present to you below.
Manual milk frother with battery operation
The simplest form of a milk frother consists of a metal rod with a handle and is often even available in supermarkets or drugstores like rossmann. Inside the handle there are two mignon batteries and at the end of the metal rod there is a spiral mini-whisk, which is rotated by a small motor. To froth it is just dipped into the milk.
For a good result, the milk should be in the narrowest possible container. You can, for example, directly use the drinking vessel. The result is a quite good milk froth – at least as long as the batteries have proper juice. Unfortunately, the quality of the milk foam also decreases with the energy of the batteries, so that it is often necessary to buy more. The device is therefore hardly suitable for daily use.
In addition, the small whisk does not heat the milk, so you need an additional milk heater. A battery-operated milk frother is therefore more suitable for infrequent use or as a practical solution for on the go.
Manual milk frother with tamper – bodum, bialetti and co.
The shape and design of the manual milk frothers are reminiscent of a french press, some of them even come from the famous manufacturers bialetti and bodum. The frothers consist of a narrow jug made of glass, aluminum or stainless steel with a handle on the outside. In addition, there is a lid through which a rod runs that is connected to a sieve.
To froth the milk, the sieve must be moved up and down a few times in a sweeping motion. The result is a fine and stable milk foam. These milk frothers are visually very attractive, do not require electricity and are easy to operate and are usually even dishwasher safe.
A really good milk foam must be fine-pored and should still have a certain stability.
However, they do not heat the milk either, so a separate operation is necessary. Either you pour already heated milk into the pot, or you heat the milk in a milk warmer. Depending on the model and material, you can also use a microwave or a stove.
An external heat source is necessary
The cheap milk frothers are usually made of glass or coated aluminum. Aluminum is more robust than glass, but must not be used in the microwave oven. Glass, on the other hand, can usually be used in the microwave, but will break more quickly. Many customers also complain that the coating on inexpensive aluminum models comes off quickly. Stainless steel milk frothers are therefore the better choice.
Manual milk frothers cost about 20 euro and are available in different sizes. The size is important because for a good milk froth there should be neither too much nor too little milk in the pot. In addition, they need quite a lot of space to maneuver and the milk foam has a greater volume than the liquid milk. For this reason, you can not froth as much milk as the capacity would theoretically provide. In a one liter jug you can usually froth between 125 and 250 milliliters of milk.
Fully automatic milk frother with induction
a fully automatic milk frother is probably the most convenient way to prepare milk foam. The devices are almost reminiscent of kettles and consist of the same base, which is connected to the wall outlet. On top of it there is a container in which the milk is heated and at the same time foamed by a rotating whisk.
Particularly compact milk frothers often have a fairly flat base, while most of the electronics are located in the base of the attachment. This may seem practical at first glance, but it affects the convenience of cleaning, as the electronics must not come into contact with water.
With larger devices, the electronics are often installed in the base, which is then somewhat larger. The advantage is that the jug is easier to clean – ideally it is even dishwasher safe. These milk frothers are less compact, but score points with a larger filling capacity.
In both cases, frothing the milk is child’s play: pour in the milk, switch on the machine, wait, pour out the finished milk foam. Automatic shut-off and induction technology prevent the milk from boiling over. You don’t even have to stand next to the machine while it heats and froths your milk.
Conveniently, you can also use the machine as a milk boiler. Then the milk is heated, but not foamed. So nothing stands in the way of a hot milk with honey or a hot cocoa.
The fully automatic frothers are usually more expensive than the manual versions. In addition, they rely on electricity and take up more space in your kitchen. However, the foam quantity is quite similar for both models and is usually between 125 and 250 milliliters. For large households or wgs, there are also machines with a larger capacity.
Milk foam quality
The primary task of a milk frother is, of course, the preparation of milk foam, the quality of which is the most important criterion for us. If it’s too runny, you won’t get that creamy feel when you drink it, and the taste experience will be flat. If the foam is too firm, it forms small towers on the beverage instead of bonding with it. Visually, this may be pleasing, but again, the creamy experience in the mouth is missing.
With a battery-operated milk frother or a tamper jug, experienced hands can reliably conjure up good milk foam. Unfortunately, this is not a matter of course with the automatic models. The quality of the milk foam varies greatly in some cases.
But not only the consistency of the foam is important. As we have already mentioned, the temperature also plays an important role. Milk foam should ideally have a temperature of around 65 degrees celsius. There may be slight deviations of a few degrees. How important this is for coffee preparation is judged differently by each barista. In fact, very few automatic milk frothers allow you to adjust the temperature of the milk. In our test, only the severin SM 9685 and a model variant of the newer severin SM 3585 have this feature.
As is often the case, manual methods have the edge here, because they give you full control over the result.
Size and design
A well-equipped kitchen has a multitude of electrical appliances vying for locations and outlets. As practical as the many kitchen helpers are, they can quickly become a nuisance in the masses. So it’s nice if they are compact and look smart.
The size of a milk frother is of central importance. Depending on whether you want to supply a single household, a family or an entire office community, different variants come into consideration. With the usual compact machines, for example, larger quantities of milk foam quickly become problematic. It is important to note here that the foam volume is often only half or even only a quarter of the capacity.
You cannot expect a colorful bouquet of additional functions from a milk frother, as is the case with a fully automatic coffee maker. Besides the ability to froth cold milk, most machines can heat milk without frothing it. This is a sensible alternative to the pot on the stove, in which milk tends to boil over.
Milk foam from the fully automatic coffee maker
If milk foam is always on the agenda for you, you can also think about foaming milk directly on the fully automatic coffee machine. Basically, there are these three variants: foam lance, cappuccinatore, and integrated milk foam system.
In principle, you can remember: the more expensive the coffee machine, the more automated the milk foam system. Whereas completely manual preparation using a frothing lance is often even more successful because you have more influence on the result – as long as you are clever when it comes to frothing.
The cappuccinatore is a semi-automatic system where you hang a hose directly into the milk carton. the fully automatic machine then takes care of the suction, heating and foaming.
If the milk foam is prepared completely automatically, it is an integrated system in the fully automatic coffee machine. You then simply fill the milk tank of the machine and press the button.
Which milk foams best?
Whether an electric milk frother is your first choice or whether you prefer to work manually – the quality of the milk foam is and remains the decisive factor! And this depends not only on the choice of the right machine, but also on the milk used. In addition to classic cow’s milk, plant-based milk alternatives are also becoming increasingly popular.
It’s not just vegans who are increasingly turning to soy milk and co. for their cappuccino in the interests of environmental protection and animal welfare. Do what really matters when frothing milk?? How do the milk alternatives compare in terms of foam and taste??
Frothing milk the right way
Milk frothing is an art that often takes even a professional years of training to master. But that doesn’t mean you can’t produce a decent milk foam at home for your morning coffee. For ideal milk foam, the fats and proteins in the milk are particularly important. Whole milk, for example, contains three percent fat and three percent protein. These are needed to ensure that the air bubbles have as stable a shell as possible and that the milk foam does not collapse.
The perfect milk foam meets three criteria: it is fluffy, creamy and remains stable for as long as possible. To achieve this result, the right technique is crucial. A fully automatic coffee maker or an electric milk frother prepare the milk foam conveniently at the touch of a button – so the choice of the right appliance is the key here.
Even manual milk frothers are usually easy to use. However, the real art of milk frothing comes into play when using the foam lance with steam. The effort is worth it, however, when a latte macchiato à la barista is created in return. If you want to go deeper, we recommend you to read the article about milk foam on coffeeness.
65 degrees celsius is the optimum temperature
the most important rule for milk frothing remains: at 65 degrees the milk foam has the optimal temperature! Above 70 degrees, on the other hand, the milk begins to denature, can hardly be foamed and tastes downright burnt.
Vegetable milk alternatives
chemically speaking, classic whole milk contains the ideal composition of water, fat and proteins to create an optimal milk foam. Even low-fat milk with 1.5 percent fat content still produces a pretty good result. Nevertheless, there is no denying that industrial milk production is detrimental to both the environment and animal welfare – so it’s good that there are now plenty of plant-based alternatives available. In general, we can say that almost any plant milk is suitable for milk foam, but which one is right for you is a matter of taste.
Soy milk has the highest protein content of all dairy alternatives, at around 30 percent, and thus produces the fluffiest foam, which, however, also collapses again relatively quickly. In comparison to cow’s milk, the protein-fat ratio of almond milk and oat milk is low, which means that both varieties produce foam, but do not foam as well as their animal counterparts. Special editions such as oatly barista achieve better results, but this is mainly due to additives and stabilizers.
In our experience, fully automatic milk frothers and coffee machines cope well with all types of milk. However, you should be careful with homemade plant milk! The milk must be filtered very carefully so that the coarse particles do not clog the fine lines of automatic milk systems.
However, there are some drawbacks when preparing milk by hand. Since vegetable milk often takes too long to foam, it often exceeds the 70-degree mark before a decent foam has formed. But if the environment and animal welfare are more important to you than these minor shortcomings, you should still be happy with your vegan latte macchiato.
From our point of view, almond milk comes closest to the taste of the classic whole milk cappuccino. It has a mild taste that enhances the coffee flavors rather than masking them. Oat milk, soy milk, or other alternatives such as hazelnut milk have a very strong flavor that cancels out the subtle coffee notes. But here too, of course, there’s no accounting for taste!
rice and hemp milk are unsuitable
The only milk alternatives that clearly fail the foam test are rice milk and hemp milk. They contain too many carbohydrates in relation to fat and protein to produce a milk froth. But with any other plant-based milk, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Because products from different suppliers can react very differently to frothing.
test winner: philips senseo milk twister
The philips senseo milk twister convinces us all along the line: it prepares excellent milk foam, looks chic and has a comparatively reasonable price. As a compact milk frother, it takes up little space in the kitchen. The milk foam is stable, flowing and creamy – just the way it should be.
For singles and users who need smaller amounts of milk foam, it’s the perfect choice. However, if you want to prepare milk foam for several people, we recommend a device from the severin family. Because with a foaming capacity of 120 milliliters, the capacities of the milk twister are quite limited.
