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The 5 Best And 6 Worst Milks For Frothing

The key to a perfect latte, macchiato, or cappuccino isn't just in the coffee — it's also in the milk. If you've ever wondered why some days your pitcher of milk froths perfectly and other days it just completely misses the mark, I've got the answer for you. In fact, it's almost certainly because of the type of milk you're using. Don't blame your frother for only producing big bubbles and no foam (although maybe you could use a few milk frother tips and tricks) — the type of milk matters much more than whether you've got a cheap handmade frother (my personal favorite) or the fanciest automatic milk wand in town.

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As a former barista, I have worked with a lot of different milks — from heavy cream all the way to nondairy alternatives. There are some that froth really well, some that are consistently horrible, and some that are more controversial. Using my own personal experiences as well as that of the average home barista, I've come up with a list of the milks you can rely on for frothing and the milks that just don't do as well. You're also likely to see some milks that have more mixed opinions than others, just like how many professional baristas swear by oat milk but home coffee lovers can never get it to foam quite right — don't worry, we'll talk about why that is, too.

Rice milk is the worst milk to froth

I have a personal vendetta against rice milk in coffee. It just doesn't froth. It won't even steam. If you pour out a glass of rice milk for yourself every morning, I'd first like to ask you why, and then I'd tell you to look at the color of the milk itself. It's often very pale, watery, and almost translucent. That's because rice milk has no saturated fat, and is in fact extremely low in any kind of fat at all.

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The main thing you absolutely need to know about frothing milk is that the level of fat in your milk matters. You want to strike that sweet balance between fat and protein that allows your milk to froth beautifully — creating a consistent, stable foam with small bubbles that pours smoothly and has a creamy texture. That means you want milk with a fair amount of fat — not enough fat to cause the foam to break down, but enough to create the perfect froth.

Rice milk has none of the required fat to make it froth properly. If you froth rice milk, you might achieve a few enormous bubbles that pop as soon as you pour it into your drink. Also, well ... rice milk tastes like rice. That's not normally a flavor you want to add to your coffee. Need I say more?

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Heavy cream makes for a bad froth

So, what happens when you run straight in the other direction and use a super fatty milk for frothing? You might think that the more fat the better, but that's not the case. Heavy cream is so much fattier than whole milk that the proteins can't stabilize it to create good foam. Just for reference, whole milk contains around 3% milk fat. Heavy cream, however, has to have more than a whopping 36% milk fat — way too much to properly froth.

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Some people swear by adding heavy cream to their drinks because it's so rich and powerfully creamy. Others might be looking to use it for dietary purposes — those following the keto diet, for example, might opt for heavy cream over milk. Because it's so rich, just a little bit in your morning brew can go a long way. You can definitely heat it — and you might achieve a quick steam, if you try, but the foam won't be all that delicious (or consistent) in the end.

If you want to achieve the same richness as heavy cream but use a milk that's easier to foam, you can always try using half-and-half. This is a milk that's more typically added to top up a black coffee. However, it's not bad to foam with, and many people enjoy it for how deeply rich it is. I don't see it as a standard milk for foaming, but it's certainly not a bad milk to use for foam, either.

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Coconut milk is a poor choice

Coconut milk lovers, no need to fret just yet. Coconut milk can be frothed. It doesn't win the title of worst-ever milk to froth, but it's not a great option, either. Its popularity primarily comes from the fact that it's naturally sweeter than other nondairy milks, and it has a creamy texture to it, too. This makes it ideal for adding into iced coffees or using in non-coffee drinks you'd find at a coffeehouse. But it doesn't produce the best foam.

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Coconut milk foam tends to be less stable than other types of foam. It takes longer to froth up, and it'll need more frothing time in order to achieve a good foam. That's the main problem most people run into with coconut milk — if you're used to frothing other milks, you'll have to rework how much time it takes you to froth the perfect cup of milk.

Also, coconut milk generally produces a lighter, drier foam when it's frothed. It doesn't retain its creamy, rich consistency once you start to foam it. For the most part, it can definitely still be pourable, but it won't always have that smoothness to it like dairy milk will (although this can depend a bit on how long you froth it for and what brand of coconut milk you choose).

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Now, coconut milk is pretty high in fat, so ... why doesn't it froth well? Unfortunately, frothing milk isn't just about fat. It's actually about how the fat and proteins in milk come together when frothing, creating that stable yet creamy foam with small bubbles everyone knows and loves. Coconut milk has the fat, but it lacks as much protein as many dairy milks have. This makes it harder to froth.

Oat milk is highly overrated

If you're an oat milk fan questioning my judgment, let me explain. Most baristas will swear by oat milk. Its biggest claim to fame is that it tastes just like dairy milk, and it has enough fats to taste perfectly creamy when used in coffee.

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However, there is one major caveat. While some people promise that oat milk foams up well, that's not always the case. The truth is, they're probably using oat barista milk (more on that later), which contains additives to help the milk froth better. Most coffee shops rely on some brand of oat barista milk — like Oatly Barista Milk — for frothing.

Oat milk itself, however, can be more volatile. It foams a bit, but not all brands will produce much (if any) foam. Oat milk foam is also likely to be unable to hold up for long. You can achieve some microfoam, but not without being disrupted by larger bubbles, too.

The difficulty with oat milk is knowing what brand to pick. Some won't froth at all. Others will froth well, but not well enough. Some have enough fats (and proteins) to froth really consistently. I personally love Elmhurst Milked Oats, because there's nothing but pure oat milk in the carton, which steams well enough for a latte and holds up over time. Generally, I wouldn't be able to ever rank oat milk as the best milk to froth — despite its dairy-like taste — because, unlike with other milks, not all oat milks can produce consistent foam.

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Soy milk is difficult to froth

I actually love frothing soy milk for my coffee, but I also acknowledge that it can be difficult to froth. Like with oat milk, this depends on the brand (and if you're using a barista milk, that all goes out the window). The main hurdle with soy milk is that it has a tendency to curdle when heated up too quickly or added to hot liquids — one of the biggest mistakes you're making when cooking with soy milk. This means that some would-be soy milk lovers end up with clumpy coffee instead of smooth foam.

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If you want to froth with soy milk, the key is to heat it up before steaming it. Heating it gradually over the stove will give you the most control — however, using a microwave generally isn't a problem, either. Then, froth it and add it straight to your coffee — voilà, no curdling.

You might still have some trouble getting a consistent foam with your soy milk, however. Changing up the brand might help, as this can introduce different levels of fats and proteins to your milk, which may help it to froth better. Regardless, none of this will address the love-it-or-hate-it reputation soy milk has. For some people, it just tastes too much like soy, and no coffee flavor can cover it up. Other people love the flavor and prefer it in their coffee. If you're a soy milk lover, don't fret — you can froth it with some practice.

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Store-bought cashew milk is too thin

The biggest trouble with cashew milk is that it tends to be too thin to froth properly. You're most likely to get really big bubbles that pop quickly with cashew milk. Cashew milk can sometimes curdle easily, too.

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Cashew milk is a slightly newer nondairy milk in terms of popularity, so you won't always see it offered in coffee shops or even talked about much at all. But if you have seen a barista raving about its frothability, you might be wondering why that is. Chances are, those who successfully use cashew milk in their coffee are making it themselves from scratch. What's the main difference? Why, fat levels, of course. You're likely to find that cashew milk from the grocery store aisle is thin, watery, and doesn't contain much fat. Homemade cashew milk, however, uses exclusively blended cashews and water, which makes it much fattier and richer, thereby producing a better froth.

Basically, if you're a true cashew milk lover and absolutely must have it in your coffee, you need to be making it yourself. It sounds like a test to weed out who's the most dedicated to cashew milk (and honestly, it kind of is), but for many, the superior froth is well worth it.

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Whole milk is the best milk to froth

Whole milk is truly the best of the best when you're frothing milks. That's because it has a lot of milk fat — but not so much fat that it becomes unstable. Whole milk is super rich and creamy, which makes for a silky-smooth and delicious foam, and the high fat content makes it shoot to the very top of the list of the best milks to froth. If you're a beginner barista, you're likely to find that whole milk is extremely easy to froth, and doesn't take much technique to achieve relatively consistent bubbles.

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The key to whole milk is its stability when creating a foam. Drinks like cappuccinos rely on foam that's stable, but not necessarily super dry, either. When you're making a lot of foam, if your foam turns out too stiff, it can make the drink taste dry, stale, and less flavorful. Creamy yet stable foam is the point of perfection you're looking for when frothing, and whole milk makes it impossibly easy to achieve that point every single time.

Some coffee lovers prefer to stay away from whole milk because it can sometimes make a drink too rich — especially if you're the kind of person who prefers making their coffee black. Some people also tend to disagree with whole milk early in the morning, opting for a more easily-digested plant-based milk or low-fat milk instead, which is another major reason why you might choose to opt for another kind of milk to froth instead.

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2% milk is another great option

You'll find 2% milk (or reduced-fat milk) is another milk that's easy to steam and froth. Although it doesn't have as much fat as whole milk — which is a little over 3% milk fat, compared to 2% milk fat in reduced-fat milk. There's not an enormous difference there, which is part of the reason why reduced-fat milk is still easy to froth. Because it doesn't have quite as much fat as whole milk, it might not be quite as rich and creamy — but you'll still achieve a consistent, stable froth, albeit a slightly lighter one. For many coffee lovers — especially those who only want a splash of foam in their latte — the difference between 2% milk and whole milk is negligible.

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So, why bother going for 2% milk at all? For one thing, reduced-fat milk is generally going to be cheaper than whole milk, which is useful if you're looking to make your own coffee at home to save money. It can also be a little easier on the digestive system than whole milk, since there isn't as much fat present. Reduced-fat milk is still a beloved milk used by many coffee shops as a standard dairy milk — Starbucks, for example, creates many of its drinks with 2% milk as the default.

Nonfat milk will get the job done

Alright, let's talk about the controversial skim (or nonfat) milk. The reason this milk receives mixed reviews from baristas is because many people don't see the point in opting for skim milk over whole milk (or reduced fat milk) — both of which will net you silkier, creamier results in the end. But the truth is, skim milk isn't hard to froth. It's a pretty basic barista staple that most coffee shops will have on hand. In fact, the foam that skim milk produces is — by some people's standards — even better than that of whole milk. The truth is, it's really up to your personal preference. You can achieve a consistent, very stable foam with skim milk, so I don't think it's fair to say it's a bad milk to froth just because some people dislike it.

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The difference between skim milk foam and whole milk foam is all about the creaminess. Some coffee drinkers really love to have that rich, creamy foam produced by whole milk. Skim milk, on the other hand, is much stiffer and even more stable — there's no fat present to destabilize the foam at all. If you're a cappuccino drinker who likes a stiff foam or prefers your drinks bone-dry, skim milk may very well be the milk for you.

There is one caveat to skim milk you should be aware of, though. It's so stiff that it's almost impossible to pour into your cup; instead, you can scoop it into your mug or just kind of allow the foam to plop on top of your coffee. If you're aiming to practice your latte art, skim milk is not the milk for you.

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Almond milk is a great nondairy milk to froth

As someone who always orders a coffee with plant milk, I stand by almond milk as one of the absolute best plant-based milks to froth with. I think it's highly underrated in the world of nondairy milks; it just foams really well. It's consistent, it's stable, and it pours relatively well, too. No, it's not going to have the same richness of whole milk that everyone looks up to (that's because almond milk doesn't have as much fat). But it's very, very easy to foam.

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One other small benefit of almond milk is its similarities to dairy milk in taste. Though it does (of course) taste just a little bit nuttier than dairy milk, you're not likely to notice much of a flavor difference when you add almond milk foam to your coffee. This is something that is super valuable in a plant milk; you want it to detract from the flavor of the coffee as little as possible, which means it needs to be relatively neutral-tasting on its own. This makes almond milk one of my personal favorite milks to froth.

You should know about nondairy barista milks

So, why are nondairy barista milks all lumped into the same category? It's because they largely all act the same. Barista milks add a lot to the ingredients list of a plant-based milk. They might mix up how much protein or fat is in the milk. They might add flavors or sweeteners. And, most importantly, they're probably going to be putting in some extra emulsifiers (which will help prevent the fat in the drink from separating, creating a stable foam) and thickeners.

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If you hear a barista raving about their favorite nondairy milk to froth, but you just don't wind up with the same results, chances are that they were actually talking about using a barista version of that milk. All milks have more stable barista variations, not just nondairy milks (and yes, we tested and ranked the best barista milks, too). However, it is plant-based milks that often really need extra help to produce foam at all, which is why I point out nondairy barista milks specifically as one of the best milks for frothing. Once you throw the term 'barista' in there, it removes a lot of the stipulations around which plant milks will and won't froth. Barista milk means it is literally guaranteed to froth nicely every time.

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Whether you opt for a barista milk or not is completely up to you. Emulsifiers, for example, have been linked to potential risks to gut health. You might also find that the preservatives and additives in many barista milks make them largely unappealing. However, this completely depends on the brand you purchase from — just check the ingredients for any additives you want to avoid.

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