Electric milk frothers are a great kitchen appliance to have. It’s the easiest way to heat and froth milk for any milk-based recipe either for coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
In this guide, I am comparing two popular choices for milk frothers: Instant Pot’s and Keurig’s.
Quick Summary
There are slight differences in terms of design, but none that affect the quality of the milk.
How to pick? Simply pick the cheapest one! In this case, it’s the Instant Pot milk frother.
Milk Frothing Settings
One of the most important things in a milk frother is how you can control the froth level to match different recipes.
Instant Pot frother is a 4-in-1: it can do high froth, light froth, hot milk without froth and cold foam.
Keurig’s frother has three settings: high foam for cappuccino, light foam for latte and cold foam.
Coating Material
Both frothers use Teflon nonstick material to keep milk residue from sticking and to keep the frother easy to clean.
If you want to avoid Teflon in your food appliances, have a look at my stainless steel frother guide.
Capacity
Instant Pot’s frother has a total of 10 oz capacity for hot milk, but when frothing for cappuccino, you can use a max of 5 oz.
Keurig’s frother has a 6 oz capacity for a Latte or light froth and 4 oz for Cappuccino.
So if you’re looking for the larger frother capacity, Instant Pot frother wins.
Controls and Whisks
While both milk frothers allow you to control the foam level for each coffee recipe, they follow different methods to do it.
On the Instant Pot frother, you have a button selection for each foam level. To select a foam level, you’ll click the function button to rotate selections.
Unlike other frothers, you don’t have to switch the whisk to get a light foam.
Keurig, on the other hand, is a two-button operation. Press Hot for hot foam or cold for cold foam. To switch from high to light foam, you’ll remove the whisk’s spring coils.
Design
The Instant Pot frother has a much nicer design that feels more premium than Keurig’s frother.
It features metal housing with a handle that makes it easy to pour out the milk. Along with the backlit foam options, it feels and looks better.
Keurig uses plastic housing, which remains cool to touch, and does not have a handle.
Ease Of Cleaning
None of these milk frothers is dishwasher safe. So you’ll have to be careful cleaning them.
They are splash-proof, so a little water on the housing won’t harm it. But you never want to submerge the frothers in water.
Thanks to the nonstick housing, cleaning is very easy. Rinse it with water and mild soap. You’ll also want to take the frothing whisk out for a thorough rinse.
Types of Milk You Can Froth
You can froth dairy or non-dairy milk using any electric milk frother, including both Instant Pot and Keurig.
However, the quality and density of the foam will always depend on the amount of fat in the milk.
Full-fat milk always produces better foam. While lighter kinds of milk, like skimmed milk, or some plant-based milk, produce less foam even on the highest setting.
If you don’t like consuming dairy, I highly recommend using Plant-based milk that is made especially for coffee or for steaming. They are usually sold under the name Barista-style. These have been formulated to produce the best foam while remaining dairy-free.
Why Choose the Instant Pot Frother Over Keurig’s
I find that Instant Pot’s milk frother offers more value for a less expensive price. While the Keurig frother is nearly double the price and has less capacity.
Instant Pot’s milk frother is easier to use, doesn’t require any whisk changes, and is made of better materials.
When it comes to capacity, the Instant Pot is larger and can make enough froth for two cups if you’re using the smaller froth settings.
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