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Here’s how to make cappuccino at home! This popular espresso drink is creamy with just the right touch of foamed milk.

How to make cappuccino
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How can we express our love for a great cappuccino? Alex and I have ordered this drink from Italian cafes to American coffee houses and every time we drink it, we melt. With that perfect meld of steamed milk, espresso and frothy foam, there’s no wonder one the most famous espresso drinks of all time.

A few years ago, we started nerding out on how to make all the coffee drinks we love. After hundreds of experiments, we found this—you can make a coffee-shop style cappuccino in the comfort of your own home! This post is part of our Barista Series where we teach you all the tricks to making homemade coffee drinks. Here’s how to make a cappuccino that tastes like it’s straight out of an Italian café!

What is a cappuccino?

A cappuccino is an espresso drink with steamed milk, milk foam and espresso. It’s very similar to a latte but the proportion of steamed milk is different. Here’s the breakdown of a latte vs cappuccino:

  • cappuccino has equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foam (⅓ each).
  • latte is ⅓ espresso and 2/3 steamed milk, with a thin layer of foam on top. Here’s a chart that breaks it down.

Luckily, the cappuccino is the easier of the two to perfect at home! With a latte you want microfoam, steamed milk with a wet-paint like texture that’s tricky to achieve without an espresso machine. But a cappuccino can easily be made with frothed milk using various tools: even a whisk!

How to make a cappuccino: overview

You’ll need a few tools and basic ingredients for this drink—and a little practice to get it perfect! Here’s an overview of how to make a cappuccino:

  • Make the espresso using an espresso machine, espresso maker, French press or Moka pot (details are below).
  • Steam the milk: If you have an espresso machine, steam the milk and get it nice and foamy.
  • Or, heat the milk and froth it. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you’ll heat the milk to a temperature 150°F: that’s where the milk is hot to the touch but not simmering. Then, froth it using a milk frother, French press, or whisk. For a cappuccino you’ll want a good amount of froth: the drink is ⅓ espresso, ⅓ milk and ⅓ foam.
  • Serve. Pour the frothed milk into the espresso and serve! It’s nice to use a latte cup, which holds the perfect amount.
Cappuccino in white mug

What you need for the espresso

You’ll need to make espresso for a cappuccino: simply strong coffee will not do! This means you’ll need the following:

  • Espresso roast coffee: The roast is important to get the right dark, bitter flavor. Also make sure to use a fine grind on the espresso when you make it.
  • Espresso machine, manual espresso maker, or other tools: There are several ways to make espresso. We use this countertop espresso machine. A few cheaper options are a portable manual espresso maker, a French press (go to French press espresso), or a Moka pot, which makes very strong coffee with a similar flavor to espresso.

The best milk for a cappuccino

What’s the best milk to use for a cappuccino? Here’s what to know:

  • Use whole milk that’s as fresh as possible. Milk that’s nearing its expiration date does not foam as well. (Trust us: we learned that the hard way!) Whole milk froths the best because it has the highest milk fat.
  • 2% milk also works. This milk works fairly well, though you lose a bit of the richness.
  • Use oat milk for a vegan cappuccino. The best non-dairy milk to use is oat milk: it froths up the best and has great flavor.

Steaming the milk with an espresso machine

The tool you need to steam milk is an espresso machine with a steamer. This makes the best foam for a cappuccino, and steaming milk also adds a sweet creaminess to the flavor. However, espresso machines can be pricey. Here’s the espresso machine we use: it’s middle of the road price-wise and works great. If you don’t have one, you can make a cappuccino by simply frothing milk with a whisk (scroll down).

If you have an espresso machine, here’s how to steam milk for a cappuccino:

  • Hold the steaming wand just below the surface of the milk until it doubles in size and is very foamy.
  • Lower the steaming wand slightly until the milk reaches 150°F: use a thermometer or judge by when your hand can’t hold the pitcher for more than a few seconds. Go to How to Steam Milk for more details.
How to steam milk with an espresso machine

Alternative method: frothing the milk

Don’t have an espresso machine? For a great homemade cappuccino you can simply heat and froth the milk. There are a few different tools you can use to froth milk: we recommend reading our entire post How to Froth Milk before you start. Here are the best tools we’ve found for a home barista to froth milk:

  • Handheld milk frother. A handheld milk frother is economical and works well. It gets the milk extremely frothy, which is great for making a macchiato or cappuccino.
  • French press. If you have a French press for making coffee, it’s also great for making foam! It makes a nice frothy foam with bubbles a little larger than the frother.
  • Whisk. A whisk can work too. It whips up the milk pretty well, though it has larger bubbles and generates a bit less foam than the other methods.
How to froth milk with a milk frother

Variations: Macchiato and iced cappuccino

If you love making a cappuccino, you might also enjoy a macchiato (our personal favorite). A Macchiato is 2 shots espresso with a thick layer of foam on top. You make the steamed or frothed milk in the same way as a cappuccino. The difference is, you spoon all that “dry foam” off the top of the milk and dollop it into the espresso. It’s like a lighter version of the cappuccino.

You can also try an Iced Cappuccino! Combine espresso and a splash of milk with ice, then top with a layer of fluffy cold foam. It’s a deliciously refreshing spin on the classic.

Dietary notes

This cappuccino recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan and plant-based, oat milk is the best substitute.

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How to Make Cappuccino

How to make cappuccino
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5 from 2 reviews

Here’s how to make cappuccino at home! This popular espresso drink is creamy with just the right touch of foamed milk.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Espresso
  • Cuisine: Coffee
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 espresso shots (2 ounces)
  • 4 ounces (½ cup) fresh whole milk*

Instructions

  1. Make the espresso: Use an espresso machine to make two shots of espresso and pour it into a mug (or try our Aeropress Espresso).
  2. Steaming method (espresso machine): Place the milk in a pitcher. Hold the steaming wand just below the surface of the milk until it doubles in size and is very foamy. Lower the steaming wand slightly until the milk reaches 150°F (use a thermometer or judge by when your hand can’t hold the pitcher for more than a few seconds).
  3. OR, heat the milk to scalding and foam it (without espresso machine): Heat the milk to 150°F, which is hot to the touch but not simmering. Measure with a food thermometer, or you can approximate by testing with your finger. Use a milk frotherFrench press or whisk to froth the milk until it’s very foamy. For a cappuccino you’ll want a good amount of froth: you’re going for ⅓ espresso, ⅓ steamed milk and ⅓ foam. We highly recommend reading How to Froth Milk if this is your first time frothing. For the French press method, note that it’s useful to have at least 1 cup to have more milk to work with: this makes enough for 2 drinks.
  4. Serve: Swirl the milk container a few times. Pour milk and foam into center of the espresso.

Notes

*Whole milk works best; milk that is a few weeks old may not froth. You can also use oat milk for a vegan cappuccino. The milk frother works well; for the French press pump vigorously until frothy, about 25 times. Do not overwhip, as the foam will deflate!

We love this espresso machine, but you can easily make the drink using a French press or milk frother.

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More coffee drinks

Love coffee? Us too! Here are a few espresso drinks to master:

  • The Americano smooths the bitterness of espresso with hot water.
  • Cafe au Lait or Cafe con Leche are French and Spanish spins on coffee and milk.
  • The Mocha is rich and chocolaty, with just the right topping of fluffy milk foam.
  • A Flat White is a fun coffeehouse classic to master.
  • The Cortado and Gibraltar are perfectly balanced with milk and espresso.
  • This Pourover Coffee is the best way we’ve found to make a stellar cup of drip.

About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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9 Comments

  1. M says:

    I have a question! I have the Nestle espresso powder, can I use that for an authentic coffee experience? I’ve used it before but I think I don’t know how to make it properly? It didn’t turn out that great!

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Unfortunately not!

  2. Threads Guy says:

    This is a great recipe! I love cappuccinos and this recipe makes a great one.

  3. Kyaligamba David Luswa Muwanguzi says:

    It’s an educative and informative write up. I have benefited so much and I’m interested in purchasing the espresso machine. How much and which is the best medicine. Please advise.
    Regards
    David






  4. Mary Shave says:

    Great information. I often have difficulty explaining to young people operating coffee machines, especially in fast food restaurants, that a cappuccino without chocolate sprinkles, (or in some cases a whole layer of chocolate!!), is NOT the same as a latte. I wish they would all read your great notes.

  5. Joy Enjoy says:

    Thank you for providing the detailed installation. I don’t have a espresso machine so I will rely on heating up the milk using oven or microwave. One thing I am not clear is that do you heat up the 1/3 part milk, and then make foam out of the other 1/3 milk, and then add them into the espresso? Or do you basically heat up the 2/3 part milk and make foam out it then add it into the expresso?

    Thank you,

    Joy

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Hi! (2nd option) You heat up the 2/3 part milk to make foam, and pour that into the espresso.

  6. Scarlet says:

    I love a well made cappuccino, heavy on the nice, creamy froth! This recipe is perfect, too often they come out more like lattes.