Instant Pot Milk Frother – can a multicooker maker really improve your coffee?

You probably already know Instant Pot for their iconic slow cookers and air fryers. Like lots of publishers, we've been a little skeptical of their forays into other areas of the kitchen, such as the Instant stand mixer, especially in light of last year's bankruptcy ruling.

That means I wasn't expecting much from the Instant Pot Milk Frother. However, I found a low-cost, high-performance appliance that does the job if you're looking for a cheap, capable milk frother. The Instant offers a versatile range of frothing settings, which are enough to rival some of the best milk frothers on the market.

Using dairy and plant-based milks, I put the Instant through its paces. For $40, it's a good, electric milk frother. It isn't without its limitations, but I'd recommend it to those looking for an affordable option.

Specifications

Unboxing

The Instant comes with minimal packaging and extras. The plastic wrap is non-recyclable, which isn't great from an environmental perspective, but I have certainly seen worse.

I tested the Instant in white, but it's also available in black — two colors to suit every kitchen. The matte finish looks stylish and sleek on the countertop, certainly like a product which costs more than $40. It's also nice to hold and the clear lid makes it easy to keep an eye on the milk inside.

Who would it suit?

The Instant wins big points in two categories: capacity and cost. The Instant can froth up to 10 oz of milk, which is perfect for large households. Whilst this does mean that you'll need to devote more space to the Instant on your countertop, it's worth it. I like the minimalist design of it anyway.

For $40, you won't get a better milk frother. It feels a little cheap and lacks some finesse (the whisk easily slips out of position), but as far as budget options go, this is unparalleled. 

if you're looking for luxury and finesse, or single-serve options, you might be better taking a look at some of the other milk frothers we recommend. There's plenty to choose from.

What is it like to use?

Instant's jug-shaped milk frother is well-designed. The handle is nice to hold and the spout is shaped enough to give a decent pour. It's not quite precise enough for latte art, but if you're aiming for that kind of finesse, you probably already have a stainless steel jug anyway.

The controls are operated through two buttons on the front. You can choose between hot milk, cold froth, hot latte milk, and hot cappuccino milk. These are all indicated by a light. Everything about the Instant is so straightforward that you almost won't need instructions.

Test 1: hot milk

This is the elementary test for milk frothers, and the Instant passed with flying colors. I poured 10 oz of milk in, so that I could test the Instant at full-capacity, and it warmed all the milk to 161 degrees Fahrenheit. That's near-perfect; a single degree over the correct temperature. It took just over one and a half minutes, which felt like a long time, but it's not bad, especially for the capacity.

Test 2: hot frothed milk

I tested both the latte and cappuccino milk functions on the Instant and they were impressive. The latte milk had about 3/4 inch of frothed milk on top, which is perfect. It was generally silky and smooth, but had a few air bubbles in. I used the jug like a barista's and tapped it on the side, swirling my milk around. This helped to make the foam a little more dense and tight. If you didn't do this, it wouldn't have the same ultra-velvety mouth feel that you get in a speciality coffee shop, but it would still be nice and fluffy.

The cappuccino milk was better, much thicker and more dense. It poured like melted marshmallow. I had about 1/3 of my glass as froth, which is pretty perfect for a cappuccino. However, when I poured it, the whisk fell out of position and into my glass. It actually became a recurring problem: when the jug is tilted too steeply, the whisk falls out. This is annoying if you forget and accidently plop the whisk into your guest's hot chocolate, but if you remember about the angles, it won't be a problem.

I also spotted that some of my milk burnt on the bottom of the Instant. Granted, I hadn't cleaned the jug out between my latte and cappuccino milk, but there are plenty of milk frothers where this isn't the case. I was surprised to see the burnt milk, since I thought both the latte and cappuccino milks were on the cool side. They measured at 158 degrees. That's enough to cool down a coffee.

Test 3: cold frothed milk

Cold froth is perhaps the Instant's greatest success. It quietly and quickly frothed the perfect cold milk. I can't fault it. There were a couple of bubbles on top, but when I drank some, it tasted smooth, velvety, and still ice cold. I tried cold froth with matcha  and it was absolutely perfect. 

Test 4: plant-based milks

I used two different non-dairy milks to test the Instant. The first was my normal almond milk: it's plain almond and rice, the kind you would use for everything. The other milk was a barista oat milk, with added protein. You might not always have this to hand, but it's good to keep one nearby for when you're making coffees and hot chocolates.

The plain almond milk was nothing short of disappointing. It was nicely warmed and a very drinkable 157°F, but there was absolutely no froth on top of it. The bubbles you can see in the image quickly disappeared too. If I poured the almond milk  into a cool mug, it would have been tepid and flat. 

I was curious to try using the steam wand on my espresso machine to see whether the problem was the milk and not the Instant. By hand, I could steam the almond milk into a firm, velvety head, so the problem was with the Instant.

Thankfully, the barista oat milk recovered my disappointment. Obviously the additives and proteins in these special milks help to encourage frothing. Even on the latte setting, I had a smooth and silky plant-based milk. It took about two minutes to achieve, which is quite a long time, but it was worth the wait. This was brilliant.

Cleaning, storage, and maintenance

The inside of the Instant is non-stick, so it easily wipes clean. Even though my cappuccino milk burnt to the base, it came off easily in warm, soapy water. The lid and whisk are both dishwasher safe, although I would recommend washing them by hand, so that you don't lose one or the other: the lid keeps things warm and quiet and the whisk keeps things frothy.

The Instant is taller and wider than most other milk frothers, but not so much that it wouldn't clear wall cupboards or shelves. I'd recommend keeping it on the kitchen surface, because it's sleek and subtle. Plus, you won't have to waste time packing and unpacking it when you want to have a hot drink.

How does it rate online?

One of my key motivations for testing the Instant was how much praise it's received online. Other respectable reviewers have put this right at the top of their buying guides, so it has quite the reputation. On Amazon, this has 3.9 out of 5 stars, which is good, but not amazing. However, it's worth noting that the Instant has over 10,000 positive reviews, so you know you're in good company.

People love the Instant for a number of reasons: it's really quiet, easy to use, and easy to clean. Most people praised how well it can whip flavors, syrups, and spices into hot milk and marvelled at the thick foam it produces. Even people who used 2% milk said that this was impressive. When ratings are broken down, the Instant scores highly on flavors and usability, and a little less highly on power.

As it turns out, I wasn't alone in finding that this lacked a little power temperature-wise. Lots of people say this is on the cooler side, so needs running again for a few seconds to achieve a good temperature. Others struggled with the longevity of this product, an inevitability when you put cost before quality.

How does it compare?

The Instant boasts the same settings as Nespresso's Aeroccino 4, but for nearly a third of the price, so I tested the two, head-to-head. The Instant lives-up to its promises and can achieve the same functions reasonably well. However, as you can see in the image above, Instant's milk is a little more aerated, less dense, tight, and silky. Translated to the mouth, it tastes less velvety and smooth to drink. For most people, this won't matter, but when you're aiming for perfection, you'll notice.

The Instant has at least another 2 oz capacity than the Nespresso, so is better suited to larger households. However, this means that it's bigger on the countertop. I like the color options which come with the Instant, so could be tempted to favor it aesthetically. However, in terms of practicalities, it feels cheaper, the whisk can slide out of place, and it doesn't have the same, sleek, touch-screen controls.

Should you buy it?

As far as cheaper models go, the Instant Electric Milk Frother is excellent. It has a good capacity, versatile range of functions, and works well on a range of milks. Just make sure to always rinse thoroughly, not to tilt the jug too steeply, and to always buy the barista versions of plant-based milks, such as the Pacific Foods Barista Series Original Oat Milk on Amazon.

How we test

At Homes & Gardens we put valuable advice at the top of our priorities list. That's why any time we recommend a product to you, we do so based on our own experience. 

We have a team of dedicated experts who take every product we review to our test kitchen. There, we have a series of standardized tests which allow us to compare between milk frothers. We look at all the functions a milk frother has to offer and test all of those on dairy and non-dairy milks. Our team makes notes on everything from temperature and taste to speed and noise. We'll also let you know what a product is like to get set-up and cleaned-up, so you know everything you need to before diving into a purchase.

If you'd like to find out more, you can visit our page, which is dedicated to how we test appliances.