How to Froth & Foam Milk Without an Espresso Machine or Steam | 4 Ways

We show you four ways to make frothy milk foam for your coffee without an espresso machine. We'll be using a whisk, a french press, a milk frothing wand, and a jar. But before we get started, let's talk about the difference between *steamed milk*, and milk foam.

Steamed milk is what's most commonly made with higher-end espresso machines. This produces tiny, closely-knit bubbles and is similar in consistency to thick paint. It's used to create the lovely latte art seen at your favorite cafe.

Milk foam (or frothed milk) is slightly different. It's the fluffy, pillowy goodness that typically tops cappuccinos. Since it has an airier, fluffier consistency, it is not used for latte art. I understand there are slight differences between "foam" and "froth", but for the purposes of this video, I'm using them interchangeably.

While steamed milk typically requires a steam wand, we can produce pretty-good milk foam using household tools. Today I'll be covering four of my favorites.

1. Whisk & Stovetop: This produces very light, airy pillows.
2. French Press: My favorite method, this produces rich, velvety, creamy pillows that are more dense than the other methods.
3. Frothing Wand: This method produces a feather-light foam with less structure and stability than other methods.
4. Jar Method: Produces a smooth, more fluid froth.

For each of these methods, you'll notice that some milk almost always remains unfrothed. This is perfectly normal. Pour the liquid milk in your drink first, then spoon the foam on top. Enjoy!

♥ We love to hear from you! ♥
Please feel free to ask questions and share your own experiences.

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Music courtesy of YouTube Audio Library.

FTC - This is not a sponsored video.

[kaitewinn]

this I think this might be the most helpful frothing video of all

[GentBajra]

Hi, I've been making coffee for about 2-3 months now and have found your channel insanely useful for making cups of coffee. If it were not for your channel I would have been still in the learning to brew process. I've tried all sorts of your tutorials and it has definitely made me a better coffee maker, thanks for the awesome videos/help! Keep up the awesome work!

[TheAnderon]

Shake the cold milk in the milk bottle for around a minute.
Poor milk in to a cup.
Place in the microwave for a minute.
Done.
Cost nothing.

[pkeele]

Yum! I'm "living with less" and wanted to see how I can do this without extra appliance - thank you!

[maimunahmuhammad]

I was dead serious focusing on your tutorials and tips. Halfway on the 3rd step I thought to myself, this guy need a bigger cup when suddenly your "I need a bigger cup"-caption appear. LOL!!! Very helpful tips!! Thank you!!!

[belladvorkina]

I did with French press. Super!!!! Much better, than my expensive espresso and cappuccino machine. Thank you

[katyamilena]

Thank you! Finally I found a video that really helped. Your tips definitely made the difference. This is the video I was hoping to find after watching many of the same without any helpful knowledge. Explaining the different methods someone can use is key to understand different types of foam and how the foam should be frothed with different percentages of fat content in the milk, also the moment the milk should be heated up. I do not like the feathered like foam but the thicker one and you showed it. YES.🙏🏼🙏🏼

[SusanQu]

Don't have any legit frothing tools, came across this video, tried the french press method with soy milk, made probably the best froth that I've ever tasted!! The texture was not only creamy, it was smooth and the foam was dense <3 Thank you!!

[fayjan]

at long last youve answers our questions which method produces wt kinda texture n density of foam. thankyou shooo much!!! i love the thick french press method

[fosmou]

well, you sir, just saved me some money. my espresso machine broke and I was making my cappuccino with my little Italian coffee pot and adding just some hot milk in my cup. I just used two of your methods and they really work. brilliant. I'm impressed.

[erickam]

Thank you!! I've been wanting to make a London Fog at home, but I don't want to buy a big machine for making just the one drink I would use it for!! This is perfect!!! I love the first and the last way the best!

[saramations]

Love the mason jar method! Its so All-in-one, my style!

[Anniekitzer]

I absolutely love frothed milk in my coffee and thoroughly enjoyed this video. My frother stopped operating so it was nice to see three other ways to froth the milk until the replacement arrives. Thank you.

[MrDarren]

For those of you who want to make latte art, or try your hand at it, don't fret! A simple modification to the milk preparation process is enough to get you started on making those lovely hearts and tulips. What you want to do, instead of heating up cold frothed milk, is actually FROTH PREHEATED MILK. It's going to take a little bit longer, but it yields a pretty great result if you ask me!

Here's a bit of explanation. The problem with heating cold frothed milk is that your end result will almost always be...stiff foam. And yeah, there might be a difference between frothing in a French press vs. a glass jar, but you're still going to get foam that won't budge unless you whip out the spoon and start scooping. I'm not dissing the technique of heating up cold frothed milk. It's actually really, really useful for making cappuccinos or any drinks that require stiff foam. But for lattes, which needs fluid, movable foam, it's not going to work.

I'm not entirely sure why exactly microwaving cold frothed milk yields inflexible foam, but I have a hunch that it affects the air inside the bubbles. If you've ever put a marshmallow into the microwaved and watched it closely, you'll see it expand and expand, until it melts (or you take it out of the microwave). This is because heat causes gases to expand in volume! Crazy, right? In fact I've seen it happen to my cold-frothed milk too. Leave it in there long enough and it starts rising. Maybe the stiff foam is caused by the individual bubbles expanding in volume and becoming airier as a result? Who knows! All I know is that it's better for lattes and latte art if you FROTH WARM MILK.

[DannyBPlays]

I'm so glad the 4th version exists. I want foam but am too lazy to buy a tool to do it for me

[hholster]

just want you to know that this is still helping people :) thanks a lot

[babsiileinchen]

Just a quick tip from a barista - it’s not about the percentage of fat in the milk, it’s about the amount of protein 💕 try using plant milk with a high amount of protein :)

[nsvykjw]

you're so smart, I really loved the last technique too excited to try that out !!!! :D

[adroc]

This is tried and true! Out of the other videos that I've been watching, this has been the most useful one of all. Thank you!

[Alex-lmen]

I don’t have a microwave oven so what do you suggest to warm the milk ?