Can You Use Immersion Blender To Froth Milk?

As an amateur cook, I often find myself wondering, “Can you use immersion blender to froth milk?” For the longest time, I wasn’t sure whether or not it was possible. But finally I found out, and now I finally know for sure.

The answer is yes! You can easily use an immersion blender to froth milk. All you need is a pot full of milk that’s almost simmering on the stovetop and your own personal handheld blender whisking away madly at the surface of heated liquid until all its white protein foams up into warm yellow-white bubbles ready for delightful pouring over — well– just about anything you like.

For this article, I’ll show you several ways to use an immersion blender for frothing milk. But before I begin, here are a few things to consider:

Can You Use Immersion Blender To Froth Milk?

Technically, you cannot use an immersion blender to froth milk because the blade is not designed for that purpose. Immersion blenders are not meant for whisking at all. They’re meant to cut, crush and crush again, until what’s left is pure and ready for blending into whatever tasty and tasty thing you want to make in the first place. But being the resourceful cook that I am (plus, being the only cook in the house), I considered it my duty to try out all ways of frothing milk possible and write them all down in this article with detailed instructions and photos. So here we go!

Without further adieu, here are the ways you can use your immersion blender to froth milk:

1. Frothing Milk On The Stovetop Using An Immersion Blender

First things first, you’ll need to get a pot of milk nice and warm on your stovetop over medium to low heat. The milk should be simmering in the pot, not boiling and certainly not steaming. If you’re using a high-powered blender like a stick blender, it might be best to let the milk cool before heating it up.

Next, turn on your immersion blender and fill it with hot liquid so that the blade is submerged deep within the liquid. You’ll want to try to keep the heat in the pot moderate so that your immersion blender does not become too hot and begin to melt. In other words, don’t rush this step or start mashing or crushing at full speed with your immersion blender! Give yourself time to make sure you have maximum froth potential first before turning on your motor and getting busy.

Start the motor and start whipping, whip-whip-whip until the bubbles in your milk start to pile up on top of each other like a giant white mountain. Then, when you’ve got enough froth on top, stop the motor before your immersion blender gets too hot. Set it aside and let the foam cool down naturally before you use it again in another recipe. You’ll notice that after big whips of froth have been whipped into your milk (which means high heat was used), once the foam has cooled back down for a few minutes and then flipped over to use again later, steam will escape from underneath the foam causing more froth to form on top.

In order to froth 1 cup of milk on the stovetop in under a minute, you’ll need to heat the pot up to medium-high. Then, when the foam has cooled down for about 10 minutes (after whipping), you can go back and use it for another purpose in your recipe process.

Is An Immersion Blender The Same As A Milk Frother?

The term “milk frother” refers to a wand that you stick into a mug of hot milk, turn it on and voila, instant froth! But immersion blenders are not the same as milk frothers. Milk frothers are known to be better at whipping up larger amounts of milk into foam with one quick stroke. With an immersion blender, it takes some time getting the right amount of foam in each cup or pot before you can start whipping up other dishes. Personally, I don’t think you need a milk frother unless you have a lot of people to serve or if you’re planning to sell what you make for profit. But for home use, an immersion blender will do just fine.

Can I Use An Immersion Blender To Make A Latte?

Yes, of course you can! It’s not just for frothing milk. You can use an immersion blender to make a latte just like the kind you order in a café or restaurant. For a strong creamy latte, provide hot espresso and steamed or frothed milk in your cup. I usually also like to pour some half and half (heavy cream mixed with whole milk) over top as well to give it that extra creamy texture that latte-lovers crave. Then turn on your immersion blender and hit that button until you get the right amount of foam on top before stopping it.

An immersion blender is also a perfect tool for making a delicious hot chocolate on the stovetop. For this recipe, you’ll need to warm up about 1/4 cup of milk in your pot before adding it to your blender with some chocolate squares and/or cocoa powder. If you’re using a stick blender, pour the hot cocoa directly into the pot of milk without first heating it up first. Follow the same steps above when making froth on your stovetop but use hot liquid instead of frothy liquid (milk or cream).

To get a nice frothy warm cup of milk in the microwave, you’ll need to layer your ingredients. Warm up half a mug on the microwave for about 30-60 seconds. Then, add in some chocolate or cocoa powder and any other sweeteners or flavorings into the warm mug before topping it with frothed warm milk (usually about 2 to 3 tablespoons). Finally, top it with whipped cream and serve!

Can You Froth Cold Milk?

Because an immersion blender is not meant for frothing cold liquid, the answer is no. If you try to use your immersion blender on cold thick liquid, it will break the blades and destroy your motor.

However, there are a few ways that you can achieve frothy cold milk at home without a stick blender or even an electric mixer. The first way is to use ice cubes in place of warm liquid. You’ll want to chill the hot milk in the fridge before you start adding ice cubes in small batches inside your blender until it fills up half way. Then add any other ingredients that you’d like like chocolate syrup and sweetener for making your favorite iced beverage or smoothie. I recommend using your stick blender to froth cold milk if you’re planning to make a smoothie because it’s perfect for mixing in fruits and vegetables. To use the ice cube method, fill up a pitcher of cold milk with ice cubes so that the bottom half of the pitcher is full of them. Pour some warm heavy cream into a glass and layer it with any other ingredients that you’d like before pouring the frothy mixture over top.

Frothing Milk With An Electric Stand Mixer

Unlike an immersion blender, electric mixer can be used directly with cold thick liquids as long as they’re not frozen (there are exceptions). These mixers also have a few advantages: they can be used continuously during mixing making the process a lot quicker and the motor won’t break after one more use. I’ve used my mixer to make hot chocolate in about 20 seconds, froth milk for lattes in about 5 minutes, whip heavy cream in about 3 minutes and whip egg whites for sauces in under 4 minutes. It’s definitely an important tool to have around if you love to cook at home or if you need to whip up something that needs extra help from an electric mixer.

How To Froth Milk Without Frother?

Using an electric mixer, you can froth milk in about 5 to 10 minutes. The first step is to warm up your ingredients and then simply pour them into the bowl of your mixer. Turn on the machine and watch it work its magic just like I showed above in my stand mixer recipe video.

A few notes on frothing milk with a stand mixer:

1. After removing the mixing bowl from the base and pouring out your finished foam, be sure to leave the whisk attachment attached so that you can use it for whipping cream instead.

2. If you’re using a hand mixer and plan on frothing milk in your pot, prepare the milk ahead of time by heating it up on the stovetop. Then, pour some warm milk into your glass and layer it with ingredients that you want to add before pouring the frothed mixture over top.

3. To save time, you can use a blender to mix up cold liquid before transferring it over to a stand mixer.

4. An electric mixer is much more efficient when it comes to frothing thick liquid like egg whites and heavy cream.

How To Froth Milk On Stove?

If you live in a smaller kitchen and you don’t have the space to let your milk sit at room temperature, you can use your immersion blender or immersion blander to warm up milk on the stovetop. Just warm up milk in a saucepan first, pour some into a glass or mug and layer any ingredients that you want before pouring it into the frothing container.

To make milk froth on the stovetop without an electric mixer or an immersion blender, simply heat up about half a mug of cold milk for about 30 seconds so it’s just warmed enough to pour into the top of your pot. Pour in some hot cocoa mix, sweetener and other ingredients that you want before pouring in frothed milk on top.

Final Thoughts:

Using an immersion blender to froth milk is one of the quickest and easiest ways to create frothy coffee drinks at home without much effort. Regardless of what kind of coffee drink you’re aiming for, the tools used in this process are always the same: a hot liquid for heating up your ingredients, a warm liquid for adding onto top and an electric mixer (or immersion blander in this case) that can be used to quickly create a smooth foam or stiff peaks. And just as I recommended in my first tip on making good coffee, simply use whole milk instead of skimmed or 2%.