Latte lovers know the joy of a perfectly crafted cup, with rich espresso and silky microfoam. In 2025, home latte machines have reached new heights, blending automation, precision, and style. This guide reviews the seven best latte coffee machines, drawing from expert tests and user insights. Whether you’re a beginner or a coffee geek, these machines deliver café-quality drinks at home. We’ve included a buying guide and FAQs to help you choose.
1. Breville Oracle Jet
The Breville Oracle Jet grinds, doses, tamps, and froths your milk for you, and it guides you through the entire espresso-making process. Unlike super-automatic machines, it also teaches you to be a better barista, walking you through the steps and even detecting the small changes required to dial in a good shot. Like the Barista Touch, it has a touchscreen control center that takes you step by step through the process, as well as multiple drink programs to choose from. But it has a better built-in grinder, an automatic tamper, and an updated automated milk wand with non-dairy milk-frothing options. Even a houseguest could easily walk up, use this machine, and end up with a pretty great drink. The temperature gauge on the Oracle Jet is built into the tip of the steam wand, so you don’t have to balance the pitcher on top of a sensor. But while the machine can make glossy microfoam for you, learning to pour latte art is still your responsibility. The $2,000 price tag is no small thing. For a single-boiler machine, we’d normally balk at such a cost. But you won’t feel cheated with the Oracle Jet—the entire experience is smooth and utterly undemanding. The built-in grinder is high quality, and it would cost a few hundred dollars to buy a similar standalone grinder. You also save time, mental energy, and beans with the machine’s guided dialing-in.
Pros:
- Intuitive touchscreen guides beginners.
- High-quality built-in grinder and automatic tamper.
- Customizable milk frothing, including non-dairy options.
- Saves time with guided shot dialing.
Cons:
- Expensive at $2,000.
- Single boiler limits simultaneous brewing and steaming.
- Latte art requires practice.
2. Breville Barista Pro
The Barista Pro has a built-in grinder with 30 grind size settings, nearly double the 16 of the Barista Express. It’s much easier to dial in the perfect size to optimize extraction. The Barista Pro has an LCD display, a clear upgrade from the analog Barista Express, although I’m disappointed Breville opted to do away with the pressure gauge. Using the display, you can program water temperature, shot volume, and (my favorite) pre-infusion time. With adjustable pre-infusion, more grind sizes, and temperature control, the Barista Pro can pull delicious shots at every roast level. Great espresso is only one-third of a latte, so let’s talk milk. The Barista Pro features Breville’s new-and-improved ThermoJet heating system, which heats in just 3 seconds! Not only is your coffee ready fast, but there’s less waiting time between brewing and steaming – a big win for latte flavor. The manual stainless steel milk frother produces textured milk for homemade lattes and cappuccinos. The texture of the frothed milk is perfectly malleable and up to snuff for a basic leaf or rosetta pattern.
Pros:
- 30 grind settings for precise extraction.
- ThermoJet heating system reduces wait time.
- Programmable settings for temperature and pre-infusion.
- Manual steam wand for latte art potential.
Cons:
- No pressure gauge, unlike Barista Express.
- Manual frothing requires skill.
- Single boiler prevents simultaneous brewing and steaming.
3. Philips 3200 Series LatteGo
The Philips 3200 series fully automatic espresso machine gets my vote as the best latte machine for beginners. It’s easy to use and maintain and comes at a price point that won’t shock a coffee novice. This is a super-automatic espresso and cappuccino machine, so preparing a latte is as easy as pushing a button. The built-in ceramic burr grinder means you’re always brewing with freshly ground coffee for the best flavor. Our taste testers unanimously preferred it to a Nespresso capsule – to no one’s surprise. The LatteGo frothing carafe uses a patented design to whip milk with air. It delivers silky smooth froth but can’t quite match the microfoam prepared by a professional-style steam wand. On the other hand, unlike a manual steam wand, it’s always consistent regardless of user skill. The touchscreen display on this machine makes it easy to select and customize one of 5 pre-programmed drinks, including a latte. Most impressively, the patented LatteGo frother contains no tubes or piping to collect stale milk; it simply snaps into two dishwasher-safe parts. This model also includes a removable brew group and AquaClean filtration system.
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly with push-button operation.
- LatteGo frother is easy to clean and consistent.
- Built-in ceramic grinder for fresh coffee.
- Customizable drink settings via touchscreen.
Cons:
- Automatic frother doesn’t produce true microfoam.
- Limited to five pre-programmed drinks.
- Espresso quality not as robust as semi-automatic machines.
4. De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro
The DeLonghi La Specialista Maestro is another hybrid espresso machine that blurs the line between super automatic and semi-automatic. Featuring a distinctive retro vibe, the La Specialista Maestro is guaranteed to grab all the attention in your kitchen. Unlike the Breville Barista Touch Impress, this espresso machine demands more from the user – there’s no touchscreen display offering guidance here. Still, once you’ve got the hang of the La Specialista Maestro, you’ll be able to produce wonderful espresso. The built-in coffee grinder has 13 settings to adjust grind preferences. The milk-frothing jug is another convenient feature that automatically makes steamed milk and foam which pours directly into your cappuccino or latte macchiato. Our Lab expert loved the thick froth that it produced without having to manually operate a steam wand. One tester said, “Never having used an espresso machine prior to this, I feel super comfortable using this one because it’s so easy to use and to clean.” Even though this espresso machine is simple and convenient, it doesn’t sacrifice taste delivering a delicious shot of espresso with golden brown crema.
Pros:
- Retro design adds kitchen aesthetic.
- 13 grind settings for espresso customization.
- Automatic milk frother produces thick foam.
- Easy to clean for beginners.
Cons:
- No touchscreen, less intuitive for novices.
- Requires user skill for optimal results.
- Pricey at $1,199.95.
5. Ninja Luxe Café Premier Series
The Ninja Luxe Café does it all – and does it well, guiding you through the process of making your ideal drink like your personal, patient barista. It even impressed the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) tutor, when mentioned it when I was taking my exam. It’s an impressive-looking machine, and our tester was surprised how easy it was to master. The Luxe Café suggests a suitable grind size and dosage for the drink you want to make, and the result was consistently well extracted coffee with minimal effort. Espresso turned out beautifully, though we found the choice of four different settings to be unnecessary for filter coffee – regular and cold brew would have been fine. The automatic milk frother worked well with our tester’s 2% milk, creating creamy microfoam for latttes and cappuccinos. The in-built spinner allows you to create cold foam to pair with your cold coffee, a feature not seen in many other espresso machines.
Pros:
- Guides users with grind and dose suggestions.
- Automatic frother creates creamy microfoam.
- Unique cold foam feature for iced lattes.
- Versatile for espresso, drip, and cold brew.
Cons:
- Unnecessary filter coffee settings.
- Frother doesn’t steam milk, requiring preheated milk.
- Larger bubbles in foam with some milk types.
6. Lelit Bianca V3
I’ll be honest here, any prosumer espresso machine will make a great latte. If you drop several thousand dollars on a machine of this quality and commit to a few weeks mastering its ways, cafe-quality lattes await. But here’s why I suggest the Lelit Bianca V3. The Bianca’s 1.5-liter steam boiler and professional-grade steam wand are more than up to the task of creating perfect silky microfoam. It’s far more powerful than any other model on this list; it took me under 30 seconds to steam milk for a latte. Lastly, I have to mention this machine’s cool style, including warm wooden accents and a bottomless portafilter, options most brands would charge a premium for. Plus, there’s the innovative moveable water tank, which fits on either side or the back to suit you countertop needs. The catch is that along with being expensive, a prosumer machine like this takes practice to master. You can’t just plug it in and press a button. This incredible machine is for the coffee geek who wants to learn the craft of preparing the perfect latte.
Pros:
- Powerful steam wand for quick, silky microfoam.
- Stylish design with premium accents.
- Flexible water tank placement.
- Bottomless portafilter included.
Cons:
- High cost and steep learning curve.
- Not beginner-friendly.
- Requires separate grinder purchase.
7. Breville Bambino Plus
The Breville Bambino Plus was not only one of the most compact latte machines we tested, it also had one of the biggest water reservoirs (64 ounces), which means less refilling. Our favorite feature is the double-wall basket in the portafilter, which is more forgiving than single-wall filters found in most espresso makers — it helps produce a decent espresso even when the coffee is inconsistently ground. It’s quick to heat, comes in a compact package, pulls great espresso shots, and has an automatic steam wand that creates microfoam silky enough for latte art. Just insert the steam wand into the stainless-steel milk pitcher that comes included with the Breville Bambino Plus, then press one button. Less than a minute later, you’ll have expertly steamed milk foam ready for lattes and cappuccinos. It lacks its own coffee grinder, but the Bambino Plus is dead simple to use and to keep clean.
Pros:
- Compact with large 64-ounce water tank.
- Double-wall portafilter forgiving for beginners.
- Automatic steam wand for easy microfoam.
- Quick heat-up time.
Cons:
- No built-in grinder.
- Limited customization compared to pricier models.
- Automatic frother may not satisfy pros.
Buying Guide
Choosing the right latte machine depends on your skill level, budget, and preferences. Here’s what to consider:
- Machine Type:
- Fully Automatic: Ideal for beginners. Machines like the Philips 3200 LatteGo handle everything with a button press, but microfoam quality may not match manual wands.
- Semi-Automatic: Offers control over espresso and milk, like the Breville Barista Pro. Requires skill but rewards with café-quality results.
- Prosumer: High-end machines like the Lelit Bianca V3 are for enthusiasts willing to invest time and money.
- Milk Frothing: Manual steam wands (Lelit Bianca) offer control for latte art but need practice. Automatic frothers (Ninja Luxe) are consistent but less precise for microfoam.
- Grinder: Built-in grinders (Breville Oracle Jet) save space and ensure fresh grounds. Machines without (Bambino Plus) require a separate grinder for best results.
- Size and Space: Compact machines (Bambino Plus) fit small kitchens, but larger models (La Specialista Maestro) may need more counter space.
- Budget: Entry-level machines start around $500 (Philips 3200), while prosumer models exceed $2,000 (Lelit Bianca). Consider long-term savings versus coffee shop visits.
- Ease of Cleaning: Look for removable parts or automatic cleaning programs, like the Philips LatteGo’s dishwasher-safe frother.
FAQs
Q: What’s the difference between a latte and a cappuccino machine?
Technically, there’s no such thing as a “latte” or “cappuccino” machine. Both drinks are made with espresso and steamed milk, so any espresso machine with a milk frothing system (manual or automatic) can make them. The difference lies in milk texture and ratio, which depends on the machine’s frothing capability and your skill.
Q: Can I make iced lattes with these machines?
Yes, most machines can produce espresso for iced lattes. Some, like the Ninja Luxe Café, offer cold foam features for enhanced iced drinks. For others, you can froth cold milk or use a separate frother.
Q: Do I need a grinder for these machines?
Machines with built-in grinders (Breville Oracle Jet, Barista Pro) don’t require a separate one. For others (Bambino Plus, Lelit Bianca), a quality grinder is essential for fresh, consistent grounds.
Q: How often should I clean my latte machine?
Daily cleaning of the milk frother and portafilter is recommended to prevent residue buildup. Descale every 1-3 months, depending on water hardness and usage. Machines with automatic cleaning programs or removable parts (Philips 3200) simplify maintenance.
Q: Are automatic frothers as good as manual steam wands?
Automatic frothers are consistent and beginner-friendly but often produce thicker foam rather than the silky microfoam needed for latte art. Manual wands offer more control but require practice to master.
For more insights, check out Good Housekeeping’s espresso machine reviews or Wirecutter’s coffee maker guide.