In depth: milk frothers explained
What Expert Reviews' five frothers showed, and why the dates matter
Expert Reviews' December 2024 roundup of milk frothers covered five models: the Aerolatte To Go, Dualit Handheld Milk Frother, Salter Chocolatier, Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser and Nespresso Aeroccino 4. The reviewers used 200 ml of cow's milk and oat milk straight from the fridge and judged consistency between batches. The picks were given by category and no scores were published, so what carries over to us is the written findings.
Two of those five are in our ranking. The Dualit was named best for versatility, with fine, silky foam, a quiet motor and a flat white attachment. The Salter was named best budget, with thick froth on the cappuccino setting and thin foam on the latte setting. In the Salter review, the writer says the Dualit is the better overall performer, which agrees with our ranking and gives it independent support.
The dates matter. The Dualit review is from January 2024 and the Salter review from November 2024, so the Dualit review is nearly three years old and the Salter review two, and prices have moved: Expert Reviews quoted £65 to £70 for the Dualit and £40 to £50 for the Salter, while the lowest prices we verified are £69 and £28.99. Neither review states a model number, which is why the notes flag the match as an assumption. The Dualit review's product title and 340 ml capacity match John Lewis's 84140 listing, and the Salter review's 115 ml and 240 ml figures and 615 g weight match Salter's own EK5134 specification, so we treat both as the models sold today.
The roundup also shows what these reviews cannot tell you. Expert Reviews published picks by category, not scores, so the Dualit's five stars come from its own review and the Salter's standing from a written verdict. A reader comparing the two should lean on the Salter review's recommendation of the Dualit for overall performance, not infer a gap in points.
TechRadar and T3 agree on the Smeg Mini's thick foam and disagree on washing it
TechRadar's Cat Ellis reviewed the Smeg Mini Milk Frother in August 2025 using whole, oat and almond milk. T3 published its review in June 2026 after several weeks of use. Both say the foam is thick and both like the simple controls. TechRadar adds a quiet running level of about 40 dB and a heating level of 60 °C, and adds that the carafe markings are hard to see.
The differences are small but telling. TechRadar says the lid and whisk go in the dishwasher; T3 says it is manual cleaning only and mentions milk residue on the base. T3 says the Mini heats up to 180 ml or froths up to 120 ml, which agrees with John Lewis, while TechRadar quotes 60 ml and 180 ml as its minimum and maximum. Read together, the Mini is a one-drink machine for thick foam.
Against the Salter, the Mini adds a quieter, more compact body and independent praise from two reviewers; it loses hot chocolate and costs £60.01 more. That gap, and the Mini's lack of 10 owner reviews, explains why it ranks third, behind the Salter, even though two outlets rate its foam highly.
Neither TechRadar nor T3 compares the Mini with the Dualit or the Salter, so the order between them rests on our weighting, not on a head-to-head. TechRadar's note on the carafe markings is practical: with 60 ml and 180 ml as the limits and lines that are hard to see, you may want to check the first few fills against a measuring jug.
Which? tested milk frothers in October 2026, and what is visible without a membership
Which? says it assessed milk frothers and hot chocolate makers in October 2026 and published its page on 9 November 2026. The page names the Dualit 84150, the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser 2.0, the Lavazza Milk Easy Plus and the Smeg MFF11PBUK among the models it assessed, says two earned Best Buys for frothing and a third for hot chocolate, and puts prices from £30 to over £170. Which models earned those marks, and every score, are behind its paywall, so none of this informs our ranking.
This matters for two reasons. The Dualit 84150 that Which? names is the Dualit Milk Frother Max, a different product from the Handheld Milk Frother in our table, and Lawson lists it at £99.99. We have not mixed the two. The Lavazza has a separate open review: TechRadar reviewed the MilkEasy Plus in October 2026 and describes thick, creamy foam, four modes and a 180 ml maximum. We left it out because we could not confirm UK stock, and we will add it when we can.
When those paywalled results become visible in a free article, or when stock of the Lavazza or the Nespresso Aeroccino 4 improves, the ranking could change, and the page date shows when the ranking was last checked.
Why the Salter outranks the Smeg Mini with less independent praise
The Smeg Mini has two open reviews, and the Salter has one, so it may look odd that the cheaper jug ranks higher. The reason is the weighting. Foam quality counts for 30 per cent of the ranking and the Mini scores a little higher on it, but price counts for 20 per cent and the Salter is £60.01 cheaper. Capacity and settings also favour the Salter, which has hot chocolate and four functions against the Mini's three modes.
Owner reviews do not break the tie, because neither jug has the 10 reviews we need. The Mini has 5 at John Lewis and the Salter has none we could find, so both sit at a neutral level. That is deliberate: a small sample of five good reviews is not allowed to lift a model above one with no reviews at all, since five reviews can be unrepresentative.
A buyer who cares only about foam thickness for cappuccinos could reasonably reverse the order, and the page's text says so. The ranking is a weighted average, and a different weighting gives a different order.
Which? also gives a price range of £30 to more than £170 for the frothers it assessed. Our six models run from £28.99 to £149, so the group sits inside that range, though the page does not say which of its models cost what.
Buying guide: choosing the right milk frother
Capacity on the box is not the amount of froth you get
Every electric jug here quotes two numbers, and they are not interchangeable. The Salter heats 240 ml of milk but froths only 115 ml, the Morphy Richards heats 300 ml and froths 150 ml, and the Smeg MFF11 heats 600 ml and froths 250 ml. Froth takes more space than liquid milk, so the froth limit is the figure that tells you how many drinks you get from one run.
Work backwards from your mug. Start from the froth figure: the Salter's 115 ml suits one drink at a time, and the Smeg Mini is similar, with 120 ml of hot froth according to John Lewis. If you make two cappuccinos together, the Morphy Richards at 150 ml or the Melitta at up to 150 ml is the smallest jug that leaves room for both, and the Smeg MFF11 at 250 ml handles a family.
The Dualit is listed at 340 ml in total by John Lewis, and Expert Reviews says its jug is marked from 120 ml to 325 ml. It does not publish a separate froth limit, so a buyer who needs a guaranteed froth figure will find the Smeg MFF11 clearer. The Dualit still gives you 100 ml more heated milk than the Salter for £40.01 extra, which is the practical gap between a single mug and a large latte.
A larger jug is the wrong choice when you make one small drink a day. TechRadar quotes 60 ml as the Smeg Mini's minimum fill, and the Smeg MFF11's minimum froth volume is 125 ml according to Smeg UK, so a very small drink does not suit the larger jugs. For one latte, the smaller models take up less room.
A handheld wand costs a fifth of a jug but leaves the heating to you
Expert Reviews named the Aerolatte To Go its best cheap handheld at about £13, and it is a battery-powered wand rather than a jug. It needs two AA batteries, it needs milk heated beforehand, and the reviewer says it is hard for beginners to get fine foam, because large bubbles are easy to make. That is the bargain: you pay little, then do the heating and the technique yourself.
An electric jug removes both steps. The Salter costs £28.99 and heats and froths in one press, so it is £40.01 cheaper than the Dualit and still the best milk frother in this group for anyone watching a budget. John Lewis also sells a similar aerolatte wand at £10 with 4.5 out of 5 from 34 reviews, though we did not compare that model against the jugs and could not confirm its stock.
A wand suits you if you already heat milk in a pan or microwave, store things in a drawer, or want something to carry. It does not suit anyone who wants cold froth for iced coffee, because the wand cannot chill or heat. None of the models in this comparison is a wand, since a wand cannot be rated on the same capacity and settings criteria as a jug.
Expert Reviews gives the Aerolatte To Go a two-year warranty, with Lakeland adding a third year, but Lakeland's page showed it as unavailable and discontinued when we looked, which is one more reason we left wands out of the ranking.
Thick foam and latte foam are different jobs, and most jugs favour one
Three of these frothers have an open reviewer's description of the foam, and they split along this line. TechRadar says the Smeg Mini's foam is very thick, ideal for cappuccinos, but too thick for latte art, and T3 says it stays thick to the bottom of the cup. Expert Reviews found the Salter's cappuccino setting gave wonderfully thick, stiff froth, while its latte setting produced warmed milk under a layer of bubbles.
The Dualit is the exception in the evidence. Expert Reviews says its flat white attachment gives well-textured milk and its basket attachment gives lattes a little foam, so one jug covers both. That is why the Dualit ranks above the Salter and the Smeg Mini even though it costs more than the Salter. The Smeg MFF11 attempts the same range with light and dense programmes, but no open reviewer has confirmed how well it does.
If you drink flat whites or lattes, avoid the Smeg Mini; TechRadar calls its foam too thick for latte art. If you drink cappuccinos or iced cappuccinos, the Salter and Smeg Mini are the models where independent reviewers praise thickness. Oat milk adds a variable: TechRadar found oat gave a smooth, glossy foam in the Smeg Mini and almond a stiffer, drier one.
Hot chocolate is a bonus on some of these, and a reason to skip others
Expert Reviews calls hot chocolate one of the Dualit's highlights, and its review covers melting real chocolate. The Salter does it too: the reviewer made hot chocolate from 35 g of grated chocolate and 240 ml of milk in about 5 minutes 40 seconds and found it smooth and rich, though not as velvety as the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser, which cost about £100 when Expert Reviews assessed it. The Smeg MFF11 has a dedicated hot chocolate programme.
The Smeg Mini and the Melitta have no hot chocolate function, and the Morphy Richards page lists none. That should not be held against a model that does not promise it, but it matters when you are choosing between the Salter at £28.99 and the Morphy Richards at £39.99: the Salter costs £11 less and adds the chocolate function, while the Morphy Richards adds 35 ml of froth capacity.
A hot chocolate function is wasted if you only drink coffee. In that case the Smeg Mini's thick foam or the Dualit's flat white attachment gives you more for the money.
Dishwasher claims are patchy, so check which parts and who says so
The two Smeg Mini reviews disagree. TechRadar says the lid and whisk are dishwasher safe on the top rack and the carafe wipes clean, while T3 says it is not dishwasher safe and found milk residue on the base. We report both and score the model in the middle.
Expert Reviews says the Dualit's attachments are dishwasher safe on the top rack. Smeg UK says the MFF11's stainless steel carafe is dishwasher safe. AO says the Melitta's components are, while Redber's page does not say. The Salter and Morphy Richards pages do not mention dishwashers at all, so a shopper who wants a dishwasher-safe jug should look at the Dualit or Smeg MFF11.
TechRadar adds that the Mini's carafe and base must not be immersed in water. A jug with a dishwasher-safe label is the wrong choice if you rely on it for the whole unit, because on every model here only some parts are named as safe. Read each retailer's wording before you assume the jug can be washed whole.
A quiet jug still runs for two to three minutes, so noise adds up
Expert Reviews describes the Dualit as very quiet, calls the Salter fairly quiet, and TechRadar gives the Smeg Mini a running level of about 40 dB. An AO reviewer calls the Smeg MFF11 a tad noisy and slow. For the Morphy Richards and Melitta, no source we opened comments on noise at all.
Run time makes the difference larger. Expert Reviews recorded 2 minutes 27 seconds to 2 minutes 45 seconds per setting on the Dualit, and about 2 minutes 30 seconds for thick froth on the Salter. A jug that runs for that long at breakfast in an open-plan kitchen is audible for as long as a kettle's boil, so noise deserves weight alongside foam.
A quiet jug is the wrong priority if you only froth once a week or froth while the family is already awake; then price and capacity should decide. We do not score noise as a separate criterion because only three of the six models have any open comment on it, and a criterion with half the group unmeasured would reward missing data.
Check the footprint and weight before you clear a worktop space
The Dualit stands 20.5 cm tall on a 10 cm by 10 cm base and weighs 850 g according to John Lewis. The Salter measures 18.6 by 11.1 by 16.8 cm according to Salter and weighs 615 g according to Expert Reviews. The Morphy Richards weighs 0.85 kg, and the Smeg MFF11 measures 25.1 by 18.4 by 14.2 cm and weighs 1.78 kg according to Smeg UK, with a 1 m cable.
Those numbers settle where each jug lives. The Dualit and Salter are light enough to lift from a cupboard each morning. The MFF11 weighs more than twice as much as the Dualit and is a worktop fixture, which is how its design-led reviewers at AO describe it, as a good fit for kitchen worktops. The Smeg Mini is described as compact by TechRadar and T3, but neither review gives dimensions, so we do not quote any.
A tall, narrow jug is the wrong choice under low wall cupboards: at 25.1 cm the MFF11 is the tallest here, and the Dualit at 20.5 cm is the next. If space is the limit, the Salter at 18.6 cm and the Smeg Mini are better bets.
A £149 jug buys capacity and design, not better foam
The Smeg MFF11 is £120.01 dearer than the Salter and £80 dearer than the Dualit. For that money you get 600 ml heated, 250 ml of froth, six programmes and a dishwasher-safe carafe, all according to Smeg UK. What you do not get, from any open source we could read, is evidence that the foam is better than the cheaper models'.
AO reviewers of the red version, 9 in all, average 4.8 out of 5 and praise the design and cleaning, but one calls it noisy and slow and another wants the milk hotter. Which? lists the MFF11PBUK among the frothers it assessed in October 2026, but its scores are paywalled, so we cannot say how it scored.
If you froth for four people at breakfast, the MFF11 is the best milk frother here for volume. If you froth for one or two, the Dualit or Salter gives you comparable or better-evidenced foam for under half the price (the Dualit) or about a fifth (the Salter). If you are also replacing your kettle, our kettle comparison covers the same kitchen budget question from a different angle.
Stock is thin on the Smeg. Smeg UK's own page showed the MFF11CRUK as out of stock, Stuart Westmoreland had it, and Appliances Direct listed fewer than 10 remaining. A model with limited stock can change price quickly, so check the date beside the price before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best milk frother in the UK?
Our top pick is the Dualit Handheld Milk Frother 84140, based on Expert Reviews' five-star review of the Dualit range, 95 reviews at John Lewis averaging 4.3 out of 5 and a 340 ml capacity. The Salter Chocolatier is the best value at £28.99. The Dualit costs £69 at the lowest price we found.
Is an electric milk frother better than a handheld wand?
An electric jug heats and froths milk in one step, while a wand froths milk you have already heated. Expert Reviews names the Aerolatte To Go as its best cheap handheld at about £13, but says it is hard for beginners. A jug such as the Salter costs £28.99 and needs no technique.
Can a milk frother heat milk as well as froth it?
Yes, all six models in this comparison heat milk as well as froth it. The Smeg MFF11 heats up to 600 ml, the Dualit holds 340 ml, the Morphy Richards heats 300 ml and the Salter heats 240 ml. Handheld wands do not heat milk.
Can I froth oat milk in an electric milk frother?
Often yes, but results vary. Expert Reviews used both cow's and oat milk in its Dualit and Salter assessments, and TechRadar found oat milk gave a smooth, glossy foam in the Smeg Mini while almond milk was stiffer and drier. Manufacturers do not publish plant-milk guidance for most of these models.
Are milk frothers dishwasher safe?
Only some parts, and the sources differ. Expert Reviews says the Dualit attachments go on the top rack, Smeg UK says the MFF11 carafe is dishwasher safe, and TechRadar says the Smeg Mini's lid and whisk are, while T3 says it is not. TechRadar says the Mini's carafe and base must not be immersed.
How much milk do I need to put in?
Each jug has a minimum. TechRadar quotes 60 ml as the Smeg Mini's minimum, Smeg UK gives 125 ml as the MFF11's minimum for froth, and Redber gives 100 ml for the Melitta. The Dualit's jug is marked from 120 ml. Going over the maximum fill risks overflow, as Morphy Richards warns.
How long does a milk frother take?
Expert Reviews recorded 2 minutes 27 seconds to 2 minutes 45 seconds per setting on the Dualit and about 2 minutes 30 seconds for thick froth on the Salter, which took about 1 minute 40 seconds for a latte. Times for the other models are not stated by their sources.
Can a milk frother make hot chocolate?
Some can. Expert Reviews made hot chocolate in both the Dualit and Salter, using 35 g of grated chocolate and 240 ml of milk in the Salter, which took about 5 minutes 40 seconds. The Smeg MFF11 has a hot chocolate programme. The Smeg Mini and Melitta do not list one.
How long is the guarantee on a milk frother?
It varies from 2 to 3 years among these models. Salter gives 3 years if you register within 30 days, John Lewis lists 2 years for the Dualit and Smeg Mini, and Redber gives 2 years for the Melitta. Smeg UK does not state a length for the MFF11 on its page.
Do I need a milk frother if my coffee machine has a steam wand?
Not necessarily. A steam wand heats and froths milk on the machine, while the jugs here work alone on a worktop. We did not assess steam wands. If you already own one, a jug adds convenience and cold froth rather than new capability.
Is the Smeg milk frother worth the money?
It depends on the model. The Smeg Mini costs £89 and has two open reviews praising thick foam. The Smeg MFF11 costs £149 and offers 600 ml heated and 250 ml froth, but we found no open independent foam result for it. It is worth it for large batches, not for one cup.
Where can I read independent milk frother reviews?
Expert Reviews, TechRadar and T3 publish open milk frother reviews, and Which? has a milk frother section whose scores need a membership. We link the open reviews we used in the source list, and note which models have no open independent review.
