Dualit Handheld Milk Frother review: The perfect partner for your morning espresso

While some coffee machines come with built in steam wands, most manual espresso machines and coffee pod machines don’t. This means that you’ll have to pick up a separate milk frothing device if you want to deviate from an espresso and make yourself a milky coffee such as a cappuccino. This is also the case for those of you making coffee via more low-tech methods like french press, aeropress or moka pot.

An excellent jug-style option for all your frothing and milk-heating needs, the Dualit Handheld Milk Frother is effective, simple to operate and whisper-quiet in use. Whether you want to make a correctly textured flat white, a sumptuous hot chocolate made with real chocolate pieces or a classic caffe latté, this highly versatile milk frother has an accessory that is up to the task, helping it outshine its rivals and net a full five stars from us.

Dualit Handheld Milk Frother review: What do you get for the money?

The Dualit Handheld Milk Frother retails for £70, a £10 increase on the price of the previous version we tested. It’s a very reasonable total when compared to similar models, which we’ll discuss in brief below.

The frother itself has a tall, thin matte-black plastic body and looks sleek and modern at home on the countertop. Inside, the Dualit has handy ml markings, ranging from 120ml to 325ml, its minimum and maximum capacities. The Dualit Milk Frother also comes with a number of accessories: a standard frothing whisk, a basket attachment used for lattés and hot chocolates and a flat white cap for, you guessed it, making flat whites. As per the included instructions, these accessories, paired with various combinations of ingredients, can help produce flat whites, lattés, cappuccinos, hot chocolates, mochas and milkshakes.

Taking a look at some of the other models on our best milk frother page, the most budget-friendly option among them is the Aerolatte To Go (£17), a simple handheld whisk used to froth up heated milk. Our favourite alternative jug frothers in the same price range as the Dualit are the Nespresso Aeroccino 4 (£89), a sleek, silvery model that’s a dab hand at both hot and cold milk, and the Lavazza MilkUp (£69), a handsome frother which has a removable pouring jug, making for a much easier clean-up process. If you’re happy to splash some cash, the handsome Smeg MFF01BLUK 50s Retro Frother (£161) matches style with substance, looking great and allowing you to perfectly tailor heated, frothed and cold milk to your liking.

READ NEXT: Best coffee machines

Dualit Handheld Milk Frother review: What’s good about it?

The first thing that struck me about the Dualit Handheld Milk Frother was its strong design in terms of both aesthetics and function. The dark, matte colouring and tall shape give the frother a nice amount of visual intrigue, where so many kitchen appliances can look unappealing and plasticky on your countertop. Internally, the ml markings allow for precision tinkering when frothing your milk, helping to get things just how you like them, while the overall capacity of 325ml is commendably roomy, especially compared to some of its rivals mentioned above.

Most impressive, however, is how much textural variety and different drink options the Dualit is able to offer with just a few small peripherals. Starting things off simple, I tried frothing milk for a cappuccino and was pleased with the silky, fine-textured foam it was able to produce. Add the basket attachment, as per the instructions, and the Dualit produces heated milk with a small amount of foam that is right on the money for a latté.

Of course, any milk frother worth its salt should be able to whip up milk for cappuccinos and lattés. What really sets the Dualit Handheld Milk Frother apart, is its flat white attachment and performance on chocolate-based drinks. Using the flat white cap, I was pleasantly surprised at the beautifully textured heated milk that it turned up. With most cafés handing out mini-cappuccinos when you order a flat white, it’s a real treat to be able to make one just right with the press of a button. Similarly, breaking up some Twirl, Galaxy or Tony’s Chocolonely to make a hot cocoa bordered on too indulgent, (though I can’t pretend I didn’t purposely over-test this feature in order to satisfy my sweet tooth). For extra variety, you can add a shot of espresso or some instant coffee to the mix to make a mocha or serve your hot chocolate over ice to make a delicious chocolate milkshake.

On top of all that, the Dualit Handheld Milk Frother operates very quietly and its attachments are dishwasher-safe if placed in the top rack. It also has no fussy controls to learn. All the settings mentioned above are determined by what peripheral you clip on and are set off by pressing the frother’s single button.

Dualit Handheld Milk Frother review: What could be better?

While I was largely impressed with the Dualit Handheld Milk Frother, I did have a couple of quibbles that are worth mentioning. As its name suggests, this milk frother is handheld, meaning that you grip it by the neck of the jug to pour. I found this a little awkward, as the neck is fairly wide and it made me miss the well-sized handle that was present in the previous version. I also would’ve appreciated some sort of spout, like you see on kettles, to make pouring easier and prevent spills.

The other issue that cropped up when testing the Dualit Handheld Milk Frother was speed. For me, this wasn’t a major problem, as I was generally busy working my Aeropress while the frother did its thing. However, if you tend to be in a rush in the morning or just like things done rapidly, you might find it a little slow. The aforementioned tests on the various settings took between 2mins 27secs and 2mins and 45secs, which is a tad longer than the operation times on similar models.

Dualit Handheld Milk Frother review: Should you buy it?

While a bean-to-cup coffee machine might be the ideal set-up for many, pairing a milk frother with an espresso machine or manual coffee maker is a great option for anyone looking to save money or countertop space. And if you’re in the market for one, the Dualit Handheld Milk Frother is a very hard option to beat. It’s on the more affordable side for an electric jug frother and is easy-to-use, simple to clean and quiet in operation. Most importantly, it produces beautifully textured milk for cappuccinos, latté and even flat whites, while also allowing you to make decadent hot chocolates.