By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Best milk frothers for perfect coffee and hot chocolate
The best milk frothers give you voluminous, creamy froth for barista-style coffee quickly – and some can make an indulgent, velvety hot chocolate.
We've tested popular milk frothers, including Hotel Chocolat's all-new Velvetiser and electric milk frothers from Dualit, Lavazza, Salter, Swan and more. We rate how easy they are to use and clean and, most importantly, how the end results taste.
All that warming, frothing, measuring and tasting revealed three milk frothers that impressed enough to gain our Best Buy recommendation. One is also a Great Value pick, along with two other good-quality, lower-priced models.
We also reveal if it's worth spending £120 on the Velvetiser 2.0, or if cheaper frothers make better hot chocolate.
How our tests find you the best
Taste tests
Our testers blind-taste cup after frothy cup to find out which milk frother produces the creamiest and most delicious drinks.
Quality of froth
We measure exactly how much the milk expands, and how quickly it heats up and reaches a good drinking temperature.
Easy to use
No one wants to be mopping up spilled milk first thing in the morning. That's why we assess how easy they are to pour from, operate and clean.
We also test...
...how well they make hot chocolate (if they can), and how noisy they are.
The milk frothers we tested
Only logged-in Which? members can view the milk frother test results.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations.
| Milk frother | Price | Score | Milk taste and appearance | Ease of cleaning | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableGet Digital access £9.99 per month, cancel at any time. Already a member? | 82% | ||||
| 80% | |||||
| 79% | |||||
| 78% | |||||
| 77% | |||||
| 76% | |||||
| 76% | |||||
| 75% | |||||
| 71% | |||||
| 70% | |||||
| 70% | |||||
| 62% |
Sign up to reveal
Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations
Unlock tableGet Digital access £9.99 per month, cancel at any time.
Already a member?
Log in
Dates tested: May 2026, November 2024, May 2022. Page last checked: May 2026. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
All the milk frothers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best milk frothers from our tests.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations.
Asda George Black Milk Frother
Available from Asda (£19)
Most recently tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 150ml for frothing, 300ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know Weighs 0.9kg, comes with two-year warranty
Dualit Handheld Milk Frother
Most recently tested November 2024
Max capacity 150ml for frothing, 300ml for heating
Functions Hot froth
Need to know Weighs 0.85kg, comes with one-year guarantee
Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser 2.0
Most recently tested May 2026
Maximum capacity 220ml
Functions Hot mode, cold mode
Need to know Weighs 1.15kg, comes with a two-year guarantee, podcup and podglass are dishwasher-safe
Illy Electric Milk Frother
Available from Illy (£75)
Most recently tested November 2024
Maximum capacity 250ml for frothing and heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know Weighs 0.7kg, comes with two-year warranty, jug, lid and whisks are dishwasher-safe
John Lewis Milk Frother
Available from John Lewis (£39)
Most recently tested November 2024
Max capacity 250ml
Functions Hot milk froth, hot milk, chocolate milk, cold froth
Need to know Weighs 1.07kg, comes with two-year guarantee
Krups Frothing Control Electric Milk Frother
Most recently tested November 2024
Maximum capacity 150ml for frothing, 300ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, heated milk
Need to know Weighs 0.85kg, comes with two-year guarantee
Make barista-style coffee at home with a Best Buy coffee machine
Lakeland Milk and Hot Chocolate Frother
Most recently tested November 2024
Max capacity 450ml
Functions Hot milk froth, hot milk, chocolate milk, cold froth
Need to know Weighs 0.75kg, comes with three-year guarantee
Lavazza A Modo Mio MilkEasy Milk Frother
Most recently tested May 2026
Maximum capacity 120ml for frothing, 180ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know Weighs 0.9kg, comes with three-year guarantee if you buy from Lakeland, lid and whisk are dishwasher-safe
Melitta Creamio II Milk Frother
Most recently tested November 2024
Max capacity 150ml for frothing, 300ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, heated milk
Need to know Weighs 0.9kg, comes with two-year warranty, lid with whisk is dishwasher-safe
ProCook Milk Frother
Available from ProCook (£69)
Most recently tested November 2024
Max capacity 400ml
Functions Hot milk froth, hot milk, chocolate milk, cold froth
Need to know Weighs 1.36kg, comes with one-year guarantee, cup is dishwasher-safe
Salter the Chocolatier Electric Milk Frother and Hot Chocolate Maker
Most recently tested May 2026
Max capacity 115ml for frothing, 240 ml for heating
Functions Cold, thick, and light froth settings
Need to know Weighs 0.78kg, one-year guarantee
Swan Automatic Milk Frother
Most recently tested May 2022
Maximum capacity 115ml for frothing, 240ml for heating
Functions Hot froth, cold froth, heated milk
Need to know Weighs 0.7kg, comes with two-year guarantee
Velvetiser vs milk frothers: which makes the best hot chocolate?
Three of the milk frothers we tested can also make hot chocolate directly in the machine's container, rather than by adding powder to the warm milk afterwards.
We put this claim to the test to see how well they made tasty hot chocolate and whether cheaper models could rival Hotel Chocolat's revamped Velvetiser.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the hot chocolate test results.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results.
| Hot chocolate maker | Price | Score | Hot chocolate taste & appearance | Ease of cleaning | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableGet Digital access £9.99 per month, cancel at any time. Already a member? | 79% | ||||
| 77% | |||||
| 62% |
Sign up to reveal
Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations
Unlock tableGet Digital access £9.99 per month, cancel at any time.
Already a member?
Log in
Dates tested: May 2026, November 2024, May 2022. Page last checked: May 2026. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser 2.0
Most recently tested May 2026
Maximum capacity 220ml
Functions Hot mode, cold mode
Need to know Weighs 1.15kg, comes with a two-year guarantee, podcup and podglass are dishwasher-safe
Lakeland Milk and Hot Chocolate Frother
Most recently tested November 2024
Max capacity 450ml
Functions Hot milk froth, hot milk, chocolate milk, cold froth
Need to know Weighs 0.75kg, comes with three-year guarantee
Salter the Chocolatier Electric Milk Frother and Hot Chocolate Maker
Most recently tested May 2026
Max capacity 115ml for frothing, 240 ml for heating
Functions Cold, thick, and light froth settings
Need to know Weighs 0.78kg
How we test milk frothers and hot chocolate makers
We buy the most popular milk frothers and hot chocolate makers and put them through our independent tests. We don't accept freebies from product manufacturers or retailers.
We regularly revisit the milk frothers on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing. When we find them, we do.
Taste
- After frothing, testers complete a blind taste test of semi-skimmed milk and score it on appearance, taste, foam formation and creaminess.
- They also taste a hot chocolate from the milk frothers that can be used to make it.
- The best frothers make creamy milk, while the worst make it taste weak and watery.
Frothing
- We froth semi-skimmed milk, timing how long it takes and measuring the volume increase.
- We also measure how long each milk frother takes to heat up, and if it warms milk to an appropriate temperature for coffee and hot chocolate.
- The best milk frothers should froth different types of milk equally well.
Ease of use and cleaning
- We assess how easy each milk frother is to operate, pour from and clean, and how noisy it is.
- Most milk frothers are easy to operate, but the best milk frothers are easy to pour from and clean as well.
Milk frothers are easier to clean if they have a detachable jug. If not, you need to be careful when cleaning them as water can get directly into the circuitry from the base. We've spotted many online reviews that claim frothers break quickly and this could be a key reason why.
Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent
How does a battery-powered milk frother compare?
If you don't want to pay for an electric milk frother, 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%.
The mouthfeel of the foam wasn't up to scratch, though. Our taste testers commented that it lacked creaminess and had poor foam structure.
How to use a milk frother
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.
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 good alternative.
Can you froth cold milk?
Many milk frothers have a cold froth setting, but check before purchase if you need this function.
What is the difference between a Velvetiser and 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 are a variety of flavours to choose from. You can also simply froth milk in the Velvetiser should you wish to.
We've tested two other milk frothers that can make hot chocolate: the Lakeland Milk and Hot Chocolate Frother and Salter the Chocolatier Electric Milk Frother and Hot Chocolate Maker. Scroll up or join Which? to find out which makes the best hot chocolate.
Get excellent coffee to go with your frothed milk with the best pod coffee machines
How to froth milk without a frother
If you're undecided about purchasing a milk frother, there is a 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.