Best Coffee Machines for Lattes UK 2026

If latte is the drink you make every morning, don't choose your coffee machine based purely on how well it makes espresso.

The milk system matters just as much.

A good latte needs espresso with enough character to work through the milk, combined with smooth, properly textured milk rather than a mountain of dry foam.

There are three main ways to get there at home:

one-touch automatic milk, assisted milk texturing, or a traditional steam wand.

We've picked the strongest machines for each type of latte drinker.

Best Latte Coffee Machines at a Glance

1. De'Longhi Rivelia LatteCrema — Best Latte Machine Overall

Best for: One-touch lattes from fresh beansType: Bean-to-cupMilk: LatteCremaVerdict: ★★★★★

If your priority is:

fresh beans + latte + press one button

Rivelia is extremely difficult to ignore.

Current LatteCrema versions automatically prepare milk drinks and offer a wide range of customisable recipes. De'Longhi lists up to 16 customisable drinks on the full Rivelia range.

There's also the Bean Switch system.

That makes much more sense than it initially sounds for latte drinkers because you can easily switch between:

• regular and decaf;
• darker and lighter roasts;
• different beans for different household members.

Pros

• One-touch milk drinks
• Fresh beans
• Excellent convenience
• Compact for bean-to-cup
• Easy bean switching
• Strong personalisation

Cons

• Around £600–£750 depending on version/offers
• More expensive than Magnifica
• Milk system requires cleaning

Buy It If...

You want your morning latte to involve as little work as possible without switching to capsules.

[READ RIVELIA REVIEW]

[CHECK LATEST PRICE]

2. Ninja Luxe Café — Best Assisted Latte Machine

Best for: People who want to make the drink themselvesType: Assisted espressoVerdict: ★★★★★

There's a big difference between:

a machine making your latte

and

a machine helping you make a latte.

Ninja falls closer to the second camp.

You get more of the café-style preparation experience while assistance removes some of the frustration associated with learning espresso and milk texturing from scratch.

That makes it particularly attractive to people who want more involvement than Rivelia provides but don't want a completely manual machine.

Buy It If...

You enjoy making coffee but don't want every latte to become a science experiment.

[READ NINJA LUXE CAFÉ REVIEW]

3. Sage Barista Touch Impress — Best Premium Assisted Latte Machine

Best for: Café-style experience with lots of guidanceType: Espresso + grinderVerdict: ★★★★½

The Touch Impress is aimed directly at someone who wants to make espresso drinks but wants the machine to guide a significant amount of the process.

That combination works particularly well for milk drinks.

You retain the portafilter ritual while getting far more assistance than you'd receive from a traditional espresso setup.

Pros

• Integrated grinder
• Guided workflow
• Assisted dosing/tamping
• Excellent milk convenience
• Strong drink personalisation

Cons

• Expensive
• Large
• Overkill if you only want one-button coffee

[READ BARISTA TOUCH IMPRESS REVIEW]

4. De'Longhi Magnifica Start LatteCrema — Best Value Latte Machine

Best for: Automatic latte on a smaller budgetType: Bean-to-cupVerdict: ★★★★½

This is the machine I'd look at before automatically spending £700.

Selected Magnifica Start models combine fresh beans with De'Longhi's automatic LatteCrema Hot system. Current official pricing has put versions around £300–£320.

That's potentially less than half the price of premium bean-to-cup machines.

What are you giving up?

Primarily interface sophistication, drink choice and personalisation.

Not the basic ability to press a button and get a milk-based coffee.

Buy It If...

You want one-touch latte from fresh beans and care more about value than touchscreens.

[READ MAGNIFICA START REVIEW]

5. Sage Bambino Plus — Best Compact Latte Machine

Best for: Small kitchensType: EspressoVerdict: ★★★★½

Bambino Plus makes sense for somebody who wants a proper espresso setup but needs to keep things compact.

Its milk functionality also makes it particularly appealing compared with stripped-back entry-level espresso machines.

You get much more involvement than with Rivelia or Magnifica.

That's either a benefit or a drawback depending on what your morning looks like.

[READ BAMBINO PLUS REVIEW]

6. De'Longhi Eletta Explore — Best for Hot & Iced Lattes

Best for: Milk drinks all year roundType: Bean-to-cupVerdict: ★★★★½

If “latte” means a hot latte in December and an iced latte in July, Eletta Explore becomes much more interesting.

Current models combine De'Longhi's hot and cool LatteCrema systems with cold-coffee functionality.

It's considerably more expensive than Magnifica Start.

But it's also targeting a completely different buyer.

Buy It If...

Cold coffee is a genuine part of your routine rather than a feature you'll demonstrate once to friends.

[READ ELETTA EXPLORE REVIEW]

7. Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima — Best Pod Machine for Lattes

Best for: Absolute convenienceType: CapsuleMilk: AutomaticVerdict: ★★★★☆

No grinding.

No tamping.

No steaming.

Insert the capsule and let the machine handle the drink.

For someone making one latte every morning, that simplicity can be extremely attractive.

For someone making four or five every day, we'd compare capsule running costs against beans before deciding.

[READ VERTUO LATTISSIMA REVIEW]

What Makes a Good Latte Machine?

Don't just look for the words milk frother.

There's much more to it.

Espresso Quality

Milk can hide poor coffee.

But it can't turn bad espresso into a great latte.

You still need a strong, balanced coffee base.

Milk Texture

A latte needs smoother, finer-textured milk than the stiff foam associated with some cappuccinos.

Temperature

Scalding the milk doesn't improve the drink.

Good systems should create appropriately heated milk without destroying its sweetness and texture.

Consistency

If you make a latte every morning before work, consistency matters.

This is where automatic milk systems become particularly attractive.

Automatic Milk vs Steam Wand

Automatic Milk

The machine does the work.

Best for:

• speed;
• consistency;
• multiple users;
• busy mornings.

Machines to consider:

Rivelia, Magnifica Start LatteCrema, Eletta Explore.

Assisted Milk

The machine helps control milk preparation.

Best for:

• people wanting café-style results without mastering everything manually.

Machines to consider:

Ninja Luxe Café, Sage Touch Impress.

Manual Steam Wand

You texture the milk yourself.

Best for:

• control;
• learning;
• latte art;
• people who enjoy the process.

Machines to consider:

Sage Bambino, Gaggia Classic and traditional espresso machines.

What About Oat Milk?

Plant-based milk has become important enough that we'd specifically consider it when choosing a machine.

Different oat, almond and soya products foam differently.

Some machines and automatic systems handle alternatives better than others.

If plant milk is your everyday choice, don't assume performance with dairy milk tells you everything you need to know.

We'll test and record dairy and oat milk performance separately wherever we're able to conduct hands-on testing.

→ Best Coffee Machines for Oat Milk

Latte vs Cappuccino

The same machine can make both, but the desired milk texture and proportions differ.

A cappuccino traditionally contains more pronounced foam.

A latte generally has more steamed milk and finer foam.

That's why our Best Cappuccino Machines page won't simply duplicate this list.

→ Best Coffee Machines for Cappuccino

Latte vs Flat White

A flat white is generally smaller, stronger-tasting and relies heavily on fine microfoam.

If flat whites are your main drink, manual or assisted espresso machines become particularly interesting because they give you more control over the milk.

→ Best Coffee Machines for Flat Whites

How Much Should You Spend on a Latte Machine?

Under £200

Look at espresso and pod machines.

£200–£400

Entry-level automatic milk machines become possible.

£400–£700

Excellent assisted espresso and bean-to-cup choices.

£700+

Premium automation, interfaces, drink menus and milk systems.

You don't need to spend £1,000 to make a good latte.

Best Latte Machine by Buyer

I want one button:De'Longhi Rivelia

I want the best value:Magnifica Start LatteCrema

I want to make the latte myself:Ninja Luxe Café

I have very little space:Sage Bambino Plus

I drink iced lattes:De'Longhi Eletta Explore

I want pods:Nespresso Vertuo Lattissima

FAQs

Find Your Latte Machine

Still deciding between automatic and manual?

Use our Coffee Machine Finder and select:

Latte → budget → automatic/manual → fresh beans/pods

to narrow down your options.

[FIND MY COFFEE MACHINE]