5+ Best Cappuccino Makers For Home Use

This post is an overview of the best cappuccino makers for home and business use. Keep reading to learn more.

I often crave a cappuccino and want a machine that’ll make one. That inspired me to compile this list.

I chose the Nespresso Lattissima One as the best overall cappuccino maker because it brews quickly and has minimal cleanup. Moreover, it includes an automatic milk frother.

These features make this coffee maker exceptional for anyone who’s short on time and doesn’t want to learn an espresso brewing technique.

The following sections will compare each machine’s specs, pros and cons, and other relevant information to help you know whether they’re worth getting.

Let’s get to it.

6 Top Cappuccino Makers

1. Nespresso Lattissima One: Best overall
2. De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro: Best with grinder
3. Mr. Coffee Café Barista: Under $200
4. Melitta CT8: Best for businesses
5. Bezzera BZ10: Best splurge
6. Sage Barista Express: Best machine, UK

6 Best Cappuccino Makers for Home & Commercial Use

Each section will cover the recommended machine’s specs, pros and cons, who they’re best for, and noteworthy features.

Once you finish reading through the recommendations, check out the buyer’s guide. It’ll help you determine whether the machine you’re considering is right for your needs.

If you’re looking for a commercial model, check out what we have here.

Here we go.

1. Nespresso Lattissima One: Best Nespresso-Compatible Cappuccino Maker

The Nespresso Lattissima One works best for anyone who wants to make cappuccinos quickly and isn’t strict about having a complex flavor.

That’s because Nespresso doesn’t offer as many roasts and bean varieties as you have with ground espresso. Since Nespresso machines focus on folks who don’t want to learn how to make espresso.

Especially those who are short on time, like office workers and students.

Based on my experience, the milk froth quality wasn’t as good as that of espresso machines. Since we don’t have control over the milk’s texture. But that’s why you’re buying a Nespresso machine—for the automation.

Since these machines don’t focus on the highest-quality espresso, they feel cheap. When tinkering with one, I kept worrying that I would accidentally break the plastic when playing with the buttons.

That doesn’t matter if you’re not reckless with appliances like myself. The Lattissima One takes seconds to heat and less than a couple of minutes to brew. And the machine itself doesn’t cost that much.

Your biggest expense will come from the recurring cost of Nespresso capsules. But the time savings you get from this machine outweigh the price.

Speaking of saving time. Descaling your machine is critical maintenance that can take a lot of time and often requires guesswork on when to descale it. The Lattissima One includes a descaling notification that tells you when it’s time to descale.

It’s a feature that I wish more espresso and Nespresso machines had.

You may not want Nespresso-made cappuccinos. If you have extra time and the patience to learn, you’ll want to consider this last pick.

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2. De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro: Best Cappuccino Maker With Grinder

The De’longhi La Specialista Maestro works best for anyone who wants to make cappuccinos without much effort.

That’s because it’s a super-automatic machine. It’ll perform almost all espresso-making steps automatically. But unlike Nespresso machines, you can use whatever coffee beans you want. Giving you more complex tastes with your drinks.

Unlike many super-automatic machines, the Maestro also has a Smart Tamping Station. This will help you tamp your coffee beans for optimal extraction.

It has 8 different grind settings to ensure every bean variety will have optimal preparation no matter the type of drink you brew. However, it uses a conical burr grinder. While they’re acceptable for most uses, they don’t grind beans as consistently as flat burr grinders.

Because you have a built-in grinder, you’ll have a noisy machine. Not ideal for brewing in the early hours. However, almost all coffee grinders will have similar noise levels. There’s no avoiding this reality.

And since it has a built-in grinder, the machine demands a lot of countertop real estate. Making it unideal for more compact kitchens. You’ll likely need a coffee cart for this.

You’ll need to constantly replace the water filter in this machine for smooth operation. Unless you use filtered or bottled water. We explain why using both types of water is critical in a separate guide.

In short, filtered and bottled water has fewer minerals, which will reduce scale buildup in your machine.

It includes pre-infusion, a feature that’ll give you a cappuccino with a more complex taste. And the LatteCrema system ensures that the frothed milk is at an optimal temperature. Which’ll give you a drink with an optimal flavor.

Then, it includes a milk frother and a steam wand. Allowing you to make macchiatos, cappuccinos, and lattes.

This machine seems mighty expensive. Here’s something that won’t break the bank.

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3. Mr. Coffee Café Barista: Best Cappuccino Maker Under $200

The Mr. Coffee Café Barista is an excellent espresso machine for folks at home who are on a budget.

It’s a semi-automatic machine, meaning you’ll also need some barista skills to brew a great-tasting cappuccino. Otherwise, you’re better off with a Nespresso if you’re on a budget.

Since it’s affordable, it will have the bare essentials for an espresso machine. No pre-infusion. No temperature management. And no super-automatic automation.

And because of this fact, this machine won’t produce the most consistent-tasting coffee. More expensive machines tend to have better-tasting drinks because they include features like I mentioned. And they’re built with better parts to ensure temperature management.

However:

The automatic milk frother allows you to froth milk without developing a steam wand technique. But you won’t get the highest-quality milk froth. You will get a cappuccino, though.

It’s not the best-tasting drink, but it’s cheaper than buying a $4.75 Venti cappuccino at Starbucks daily [1].

This machine also isn’t the best-looking espresso maker because it looks “cheap.” I do like that the milk container is easy to clean. Many machines I’ve seen with milk frothers have many smaller parts that are a pain to clean.

You may need a cappuccino for business use. You’re looking in the wrong section.

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4. Melitta CT8: Best Cappuccino Maker for Commercial Use

The Melitta Cafina CT8 is best for businesses such as restaurants that need to serve a lot of customized drinks daily.

This beast will serve up to 350 cups daily. Making it a powerhouse for servicing customers in a restaurant or bakery. And pre-programmed drinks that your team members or customers can choose from include:

• Espresso
• Cappuccino
• Caffé latte
• Warm milk
• Americano
• Lungo
• Hot water: For tea

And if you want to make your machine more self-sufficient, you could buy a milk cooler, cup warmer, and payment system upgrades.

The first one prevents you from needing to refill the milk as often. The second is excellent for temperature consistency. And the third eliminates the need for cashiers.

The separate coffee bean hoppers allow you to use multiple bean types without risking cross-contamination. For instance, you could offer decaffeinated and caffeinated beans without getting more than one grinder.

The machine’s also simple to operate as well. There’s no automatic milk frother, which makes it impractical for self-service. However, it’s perfect for the business types mentioned.

So long as your business has a lot of extra money. This thing is expensive and is out of reach for many businesses. Moreover, it weighs more than 154 pounds. You’d need 2 or more people to carry this machine.

Unless you hired a barista who’s a bodybuilder.

Any commercial espresso machine with a milk frother or steam wand can brew a cappuccino. If you’re a business and want more affordable options, check out a guide comparing various commercial espresso machines.

If you’re a home barista and read this section for fun. We’re now making our way back to home cappuccino machines.

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5. Bezzera BZ10: Best Prosumer Choice

The Bezzera BZ10 is an exceptional device for passionate baristas who want a prosumer device to brew the highest quality cappuccinos at home.

This is a semi-automatic espresso machine. Meaning it requires learning how to use it to make great-tasting drinks. It’s not recommended for anyone short on time.

Despite being a semi-automatic machine, there are only power buttons and a brew switch. Though the price range isn’t for beginners, this machine’s excellent for someone who doesn’t want to feel overwhelmed by a million buttons and knobs.

It uses an electronically heated group head, which will heat your machine quicker and provide better temperature stability. Meaning this machine will produce shots and cappuccinos quicker than any machine with an E61 group head (a popular group head).

However, it doesn’t have a Proportional Integral Derivative (PID). A feature that would improve the temperature consistency of your drink further. However, such a feature wouldn’t work well since this machine doesn’t have 2 boilers [2].

The BZ10 is a single boiler, but it has a heat exchanger. Heat exchangers aren’t as good as double boilers, but they allow you to boil water for coffee and froth milk simultaneously. But it doesn’t have as good of temperature consistency as double boilers.

I would have also loved to see pre-infusion, which applies low pressure to your beans before brewing. It helps extract more flavor.

To make up for that, it includes a hot water tap. It’s a fantastic addition to brew a cup of tea or other instant drinks.

And finally, the BZ10 includes a cheap tamper that likely won’t last long due to shoddy construction. For the sake of wrist health and tamping consistency, I recommend getting a handle-less tamper.

Or, if you have extra money to spend on your espresso-making hobby, consider an automatic tamping machine. They do all the work for you.

This machine isn’t ideal for anyone wanting to brew a quick cappuccino. The next device could do that, though.

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6. Sage Barista Express: Best Cappuccino Maker, UK

The Sage Barista Express is best for anyone in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and other countries needing a far-reaching warranty policy.

It’s a super-automatic machine that’ll automate almost all brewing steps required for making cappuccinos. Including grinders. However, this specific machine doesn’t include an automatic tamping mechanism.

Meaning, you must develop a tamping technique to tamp your portafilter.

You also will need to froth your milk manually. That’s great if you want control over your milk frothing, but not much so if you’re after automation. And unlike other super-automatic machines, you can’t control the milk frother’s temperature.

You may have microfoam that’s not as consistent as what you’d see in other machines.

You’ll want this machine if you’re after drinks with complex flavors. And the pre-infusion feature allows you to do so. Since it’ll extract more flavors from your beans by applying a low amount of pressure before brewing.

It uses a thermocoil water boiler, which heats water quicker than single boilers, but doesn’t allow you to froth milk and brew coffee simultaneously. That’s not optimal for anyone wanting to entertain guests and quickly make a bunch of cappuccinos.

When it comes time to refill the water reservoir, you’ll need to reach behind the machine. But thankfully, it has a large water tank. You won’t need to fill it as often.

Are you buying the right cappuccino maker? Keep reading to learn.

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Cappuccino Maker Buying Guide

Consider these factors when shopping for a cappuccino machine:

Factor	Description
Milk Frother or Steam Wand	This is essential to make microfoam for your cappuccino.
Machine Type	Determines cost and automation.
Water Tank Size	Number of shots you can make before refilling.
Brand & Price	Quality of product, customer service availability, and product price.
Features	Additions to make your drink taste better.
Boiler Type	How quickly the machine will heat water.

I’ll explain why each of these factors are critical to consider when shopping for a cappuccino maker throughout the following sections. If there’s other information you should know, I’ll let you know as well.

For instance, who should consider what feature or machine size.

When sifting through these sections, keep the following questions in the back of your head:

• How often do you drink coffee?
• How much do you drink daily?
• How much space will you need?
• How long do you want your machine to last?

Let’s dive in.

1. Milk Frother or Steam Wand

A machine with a steam wand or a milk frother is essential to creating a latte. Without one, you’re not making a latte.

What if you wanted an espresso or Nespresso machine without a milk frother or wand? You could consider a separate milk frother. In a separate guide, we explain different ways to froth milk without a steam wand.

A couple of methods involve using an immersion blender or an electric mixer after heating milk.

Steam wands and milk frothers aren’t the same [3]. Milk frothers typically automate frothing for you, but have a less consistent texture since they rely on electric coils to produce steam. Steam wands give you more control over frothing and give you more textured milk.

You’ll know right off the bat whether a machine includes either. Most espresso machines will have a wand sticking out of it. That’s the steam wand. Some Nespresso models and super-automatic espresso machines will typically include automatic frothers.

What is a super-automatic espresso machine, though? We’ll talk about that in the next section.

2. Machine Type

Here are the different types of espresso machines that can make cappuccinos:

	Price Range	Automation	Best For
Semi-automatic	$200–$2,000	Pressure, temperature, and water flow	Enthusiasts or businesses.
Automatic	$300–$3,000	Grinding and brewing	Balancing price and automation.
Super-automatic	$800–$5,000	Everything except tamping.	Quick espresso drinks without the learning curve.
Capsule	$100–$700	Everything.	Quick espresso drinks that don’t taste the best.

There are also manual espresso makers, which give home baristas the most control over their drinks. But they require purchasing separate milk frothers to make cappuccinos.

Those who don’t have the time to make espresso nor want to develop the skill should consider capsule machines like Nespresso. They require no skill to use and will brew drinks automatically. However, they won’t have a complex taste like espresso from other machines.

That doesn’t mean all espresso brewed from traditional machines will taste good. Likely, in the beginning, you’ll suck at making espresso. It’s a skill that you’ll need to develop over time. Consider a semi-automatic machine if this sounds like something you want to do.

After practice, you’ll have the best-tasting drinks.

You’ll still retain a lot of control over the brewing process with automatic machines, but they’ll cost a bit more.

And if you want a machine that lets you use your own coffee beans, but will automate espresso-making for the most part, consider super-automatic devices. However, you will still need to tamp your portafilter and grind beans.

Both these require skill to perfect doing. Otherwise, you’ll have a funky-tasting cappuccino. 

Now that you have a machine you want, consider a water tank size.

3. Water Tank Size

Machines with smaller water tanks will fit better in compact kitchens or on desks due to having a smaller size. However, they’ll require more frequent refills.

A larger water tank means you won’t have to refill it as often, which is incredibly convenient if you make multiple cappuccinos daily. Or if you have a lot of people in your household who drink coffee.

If you live alone and don’t drink much coffee daily, consider machines with smaller tanks. Opt for larger reservoirs if you have multiple coffee drinkers in your household or entertain guests frequently.

4. Brand & Price

A well-known brand with a reputation for producing quality products is more likely to be reliable and durable. A reputable brand will also likely have good customer service and a network of authorized repair centers.

Having excellent customer service and repair centers are critical if you invested a lot in your coffee maker. Because these machines won’t last forever. Moreover, even the highest quality machines could ship with defects.

Popular brands that make espresso makers capable of producing cappuccinos include:

Breville / Sage	Nespresso	De’Longhi
Gaggia	Rancilio	Jura
Philips	Gevi

These brands will vary in customer support, warranty policies, and price. Speaking of…

More expensive machines typically have more features, such as automatic milk frothing and programmable settings. They’re also often made with higher quality materials and construction. Such build quality allows them to operate longer before requiring a replacement.

However, many affordable machines exist that make great cappuccinos. But you’ll get what you paid for.

Paying a bit more can get you extra quality-of-life features such as—

5. Features

Features may make the machine cost more, but they’ll improve your drink quality and make the machine more pleasant to use.

Here are some features you may want to consider:

Feature	Explanation
Programmable settings	Allows you to save your favorite settings for personalized coffee experiences, ensuring consistency and convenience.
Adjustable froth levels	Provides control over the frothiness of your milk, creating customized beverages to suit your preferences.
Descaling indicator	Lets you know when the machine needs to be descaled
PID Control	Ensures precise temperature control for optimal espresso extraction
Automatic milk frother	Creates perfectly frothed milk with ease and consistency
Pre-infusion	Gently wets the coffee grounds before brewing, enhancing flavor extraction

You’ll mostly see features such as programmable settings, automatic milk frothers, and froth level adjusters in super-automatic machines or high-end Nespresso devices. These features don’t come cheap.

However, they’ll automate cappuccino making.

Pre-infusion and PID control also come with higher-end devices and will improve the espresso portion of your drink.

I’ve seen descaling indicators on some low-end machines, but it’s rare. However, it’s a feature that’ll save you from guesswork when it comes to machine maintenance. That way, you won’t waste time descaling when it’s not necessary.

Meanwhile, you don’t need to wait until your machine produces bad-tasting coffee to know it’s time to descale.

Here’s one more major factor to consider.

6. Boiler Types

Espresso machines will use one of the following methods to heat water and steam in your machine:

	Dual Boiler	Single Boiler	Heat Exchanger	Thermoblock
Price	$$$	$	$$	$
Brew boiler temperature	Independently adjustable	Fixed	Variable	Fixed
Steam boiler temperature	Independently adjustable	Fixed	Variable	Fixed
Ability to brew & steam simultaneously	Yes	No	Yes	No

Most low- to mid-range machines will use single boilers. However, these, along with thermoblocks, can’t froth milk and brew coffee simultaneously. That’s not good if you want to make multiple cappuccinos quickly to entertain guests.

Dual boilers will generally result in the highest quality steam, and allow for simultaneous brewing and frothing, but cost an arm and a leg. At least a minimum of $500.

Heat exchangers use a single boiler, but allow you to froth milk and brew coffee at the same time. But it’s not as good of quality as when it’s done with a dual boiler.

That’s all.

Conclusion

Let’s review our top 3 picks:

• Nespresso Lattissima One: Brews cappuccinos quickly.
• De’Longhi La Specialista Maestro: Automates cappuccino making
• Mr. Coffee Café Barista: More affordable

I chose the Nespresso Lattissima One because it’ll brew coffee in less than a minute and automatically froth milk. It’s better than semi-automatic and super-automatic espresso machines since you have to deal with as steep of a learning curve.

These aren’t all the cappuccino makers you could choose from. We have another guide where we recommend espresso machines with milk frothers.