Best Espresso Machines for Home (5 In-Stock Picks by Budget and Style)

A home espresso machine can make café drinks for a fraction of the price. But the machines differ a lot in how much work they ask of you.

Some make you grind, tamp and steam by hand. Others do everything at the touch of a button. Pick the style first, then the budget.

The short version: The Breville Barista Express Impress is the best espresso machine for most people learning at home. It has a built-in grinder and an assisted tamper that takes the guesswork out of dosing. On a tight budget, the CASABREWS 3700 Gense costs $149.99 at the maker’s price. It needs a separate grinder or pre-ground coffee.

Our Picks at a Glance

• Best overall: Breville Barista Express ImpressJump to review ↓
• Best 3-in-1 (espresso, drip and cold brew): Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601Jump to review ↓
• Best compact: Breville Bambino PlusJump to review ↓
• Best budget: CASABREWS 3700 Gense Espresso MachineJump to review ↓
• Best super-automatic: Gaggia Magenta PrestigeJump to review ↓

Every machine above was available to buy on its maker’s own store when we checked. Prices are the makers’ own and change often.

Machine	Style	Grinder	Milk	Maker’s Price
Breville Barista Express Impress	Semi-automatic	Conical burr, 25 settings	Manual steam wand	$649.95
Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601	Semi-automatic, 3-in-1	Conical burr, 25 settings	Hands-free frother	$499.99
Breville Bambino Plus	Semi-automatic	None	Automatic steam wand	$399.95
CASABREWS 3700 Gense	Semi-automatic	None	Manual steam wand	$149.99
Gaggia Magenta Prestige	Super-automatic	Ceramic flat burr, 5 settings	Automatic milk carafe	$899.00

1. Breville Barista Express Impress: Best Overall

The Barista Express Impress is Breville’s answer to the hardest part of espresso: getting the dose and tamp right. Most beginners struggle there. Too much or too little coffee, or an uneven tamp, and the shot runs too fast or too slow.

Breville’s Impress Puck System helps. You grind into the portafilter, then pull a lever. Breville says it presses the coffee with a constant 22 pounds of force and finishes with a small twist, like a barista’s tamp. It also tells you if you need a little more or less coffee next time.

The built-in grinder has 25 settings. That gives you room to dial in different beans. PID temperature control keeps the water steady, which helps each shot taste the same.

Milk is manual. You steam with a wand, which takes practice but gives you full control over foam for lattes and flat whites.

The machine is large. At 16.6 inches wide, it takes a real slice of counter. Measure first. Our guide to countertop organization in a small kitchen helps you make room.

Who should buy it: Anyone who wants to learn real espresso at home, with a grinder built in and help on the tricky steps.

2. Ninja Luxe Café Premier ES601: Best 3-in-1 (Espresso, Drip and Cold Brew)

The Ninja Luxe Café is for households that do not drink only espresso. It makes espresso, a drip-style coffee and cold brew from one machine. That can replace two or three appliances on the counter. Our list of the coolest kitchen appliances to buy covers other multi-use machines.

Ninja calls its guidance “Barista Assist.” A built-in scale weighs the grounds, and the machine suggests adjustments. There is an assisted tamper too. Together, they make dialing in easier for beginners.

The frother is hands-free. Put milk in the jug, choose one of four presets, and it froths on its own. Ninja says it works with dairy and plant-based milk. That suits anyone who wants lattes without learning to steam.

It costs less than the Breville Impress and does more types of coffee. The trade-off is control. Hands-free milk will not give you the same fine control as a manual wand.

Who should buy it: Households that want espresso drinks and regular coffee from one machine with minimal learning.

3. Breville Bambino Plus: Best Compact

The Bambino Plus is small and fast. Breville says it heats up in 3 seconds. That means you can go from switching it on to pulling a shot almost at once.

At 7.4 inches deep and 11.9 inches wide, it fits where bigger machines will not. It is a good fit for apartments and small kitchens. Our guide on how to stock a small kitchen for solo cooking covers other compact essentials.

The standout feature is the automatic steam wand. Set the milk temperature and texture, put the jug under the wand, and it steams on its own. It stops when the milk is ready. You get café-style microfoam without learning the technique.

There is no grinder. Buy a burr grinder that can grind fine enough for espresso, or buy fresh pre-ground espresso coffee.

Breville’s store showed “Add to cart,” but the page we checked did not show stock by color. The brushed stainless version is linked here. Breville sells other colors too.

Who should buy it: Small kitchens and latte drinkers who want easy milk and already have a grinder, or will buy one.

4. CASABREWS 3700 Gense Espresso Machine: Best Budget

The 3700 Gense is the cheapest way into real espresso in this guide. It has a portafilter, a steam wand and a pressure gauge, like much pricier machines.

The pressure gauge is useful for learning. It shows you what happens during a shot. If the needle stays low, your grind is probably too coarse. If it climbs too high, your grind is probably too fine.

It is narrow, at 5.7 inches wide. That makes it one of the easiest espresso machines to fit on a crowded counter. The 43.9-ounce tank means fewer refills.

CASABREWS lists a 20 bar pump. As with other machines, that is the pump’s maximum. Brewing happens at a lower pressure.

There is no grinder. Budget for one, or use pre-ground espresso. On the maker’s store, only the silver version was available when we checked. Black and yellow were not.

Who should buy it: Beginners on a budget who want a real portafilter machine and are willing to learn.

5. Gaggia Magenta Prestige: Best Super-Automatic

A super-automatic does everything for you. Press a button and the Magenta Prestige grinds beans, tamps, brews and adds frothed milk. You do not handle a portafilter at all.

Gaggia lists 13 drinks, from espresso to flat white, plus over-ice options. A full-color touch display lets you pick and adjust them.

The milk carafe froths automatically. When you are done, take it off and store it in the fridge. That keeps milk fresh and makes cleanup easier.

At 8.8 inches wide, it is slim for a super-automatic. It is deep, though, at 17.1 inches. Check that it fits under your cabinets with room to fill the bean hopper.

Super-automatics give you less control than a semi-automatic. The grinder has 5 settings. If you want to fine-tune every shot, choose the Breville instead.

Who should buy it: Busy households that want café drinks at the push of a button.

What Changed From Our Old List

The older version of this guide included the Mr. Coffee Café Barista, KRUPS EA8250, Breville Barista Express, De’Longhi EC702, Klarstein Passionata 20 and Nespresso Pixie. We check each machine on its maker’s own store before recommending it.

When we checked, Breville listed the original Barista Express as “Out of stock” with a “Notify Me” button, and its Bambino (non-Plus) the same way. De’Longhi’s store showed “Notify me” for the Dedica Deluxe EC685M. Those are not picks for now. We replaced the rest of the old list with newer machines we could confirm on each maker’s own store.

Semi-Automatic vs Super-Automatic vs Pod Machines

The style of machine matters more than any single spec.

Semi-automatic machines use a portafilter. You dose ground coffee, tamp it, lock it in and start the shot. You steam milk yourself, unless the machine has an automatic wand. They give the best control and reward practice. Four of the five picks here are semi-automatic.

Super-automatic machines do everything. They grind, tamp, brew and froth at a button press. They cost more, take less skill and give less control. The Gaggia Magenta Prestige is the pick here.

Pod machines use sealed capsules. Our guide on how to use a Keurig coffee maker shows how simple pod brewing is. They are the easiest and cleanest, but the coffee costs more per cup and you are limited to the pods available. Our guide to the best Nespresso pod flavors covers that route, and our Keurig coffee maker guide covers single-serve brewers.

What to Look for in an Espresso Machine

A few features make a big difference day to day.

• A built-in grinder. Fresh-ground beans taste far better. A machine with a grinder saves space and money on a separate one.
• Temperature control. PID control keeps water at a steady temperature, so shots taste consistent.
• Heat-up time. Thermoblock and ThermoJet systems heat in seconds. Boiler machines take longer.
• Milk system. A manual wand gives control. An automatic wand or carafe is easier.
• Portafilter size. Larger baskets are common in café machines. Home machines often use 51 to 54 mm.
• Footprint. Measure width, depth and the height under your cabinets.
• Water tank. A bigger tank means fewer refills.

Pressure numbers matter less than they seem. A 15 or 20 bar pump rating is a maximum. Espresso is usually brewed at around 9 bar, which is what Breville lists for its extraction.

Pulling a Good Shot at Home

Good espresso comes down to a few basics.

1. Use fresh beans. Look for a roast date. Use beans within a few weeks of roasting for the best flavor.
2. Grind fine. Espresso needs a fine, even grind, close to powdered sugar but a little grittier.
3. Dose consistently. Weigh your coffee. A kitchen scale makes shots repeatable.
4. Tamp level. Press evenly so water flows through the whole puck.
5. Time the shot. Many recipes aim for about 25 to 30 seconds for a double. Adjust grind to hit it.
6. Taste and adjust. Sour means under-extracted, so grind finer. Bitter means over-extracted, so grind coarser.

Store beans in an airtight container away from light and heat. Our guide to the best airtight food storage containers covers containers that seal well.

If you want a separate grinder for drip coffee too, our guide to the best coffee maker with a grinder covers machines with grinders built in.

Milk Drinks Made Simple

Espresso plus milk makes most café drinks. Here is the difference.

• Cappuccino: Espresso with steamed milk and a thick layer of foam.
• Latte: Espresso with more steamed milk and a thin layer of foam.
• Flat white: Espresso with a small amount of silky, thin microfoam.
• Macchiato: Espresso with a dollop of foam.
• Americano: Espresso topped with hot water. A kettle is handy here, and our guide on how electric kettles work explains why they heat water so fast.

Whole milk foams most easily. For dairy-free drinks, barista-style oat milk foams best. Our guides to the best substitutes for whole milk and the best coconut milk substitute cover how different milks behave.

For iced drinks, pull the shot over ice or chill it first. Our guide to the best iced tea maker covers another cold-drink option.

Cleaning and Descaling

Espresso machines need regular care to taste good and last.

• Purge the steam wand after every use, and wipe it with a damp cloth. Dried milk clogs it.
• Rinse the portafilter after each shot and knock out the puck.
• Backflush if your machine supports it. Check the manual.
• Clean the grinder now and then to remove oily buildup.
• Descale on the maker’s schedule. Hard water needs it more often.

Descaling works the same way as for a kettle. Our guide on how to clean an electric kettle explains how scale forms and why it matters. Filtered water slows buildup.

Milk jugs and removable parts may be dishwasher safe. Check your manual. Our guide on how to clean a dishwasher helps you keep coffee oils from building up in the filter.

Fitting an Espresso Machine in a Small Kitchen

Espresso machines are often the biggest appliance on the counter. Choose one that fits your space.

The CASABREWS 3700 Gense, at 5.7 inches wide, and the Bambino Plus, at 7.4 inches deep, are the easiest to fit. The Breville Impress needs about 16.6 inches of width. The Gaggia is slim but deep.

Leave room above for the bean hopper and water tank lid. Many machines fill from the top. If the only spot is under a cabinet, slide the machine forward to fill it. Our ideas for small kitchen cabinet organization and vertical storage in small kitchens help you free up space for cups, beans and tools.

A 3-in-1 machine like the Ninja can replace a drip coffee maker, which frees space. Our guide to the best small kitchen appliances for cooking for one covers other space-saving picks. For energy use, see our guide to the most energy-efficient small kitchen appliances. Espresso machines that heat in seconds use less power than ones that sit hot all morning. Our tips on reducing kitchen energy use in a small apartment cover auto-off settings and other habits.

Which Espresso Machine Should You Buy?

Buy the Breville Barista Express Impress if you want to learn real espresso with a grinder built in and help with tamping.

Pick the Ninja Luxe Café Premier if you want espresso, drip coffee and cold brew from one machine.

Choose the Breville Bambino Plus if you have a small kitchen and want easy, automatic milk.

Get the CASABREWS 3700 Gense if you want a real portafilter machine for about $150.

Go with the Gaggia Magenta Prestige if you want café drinks at the push of a button.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best espresso machine for home?

For most people who want to learn espresso, the Breville Barista Express Impress is the best pick in this guide. It has a built-in conical burr grinder with 25 settings, assisted tamping, PID temperature control and a manual steam wand. If you want espresso, drip coffee and cold brew from one machine, the Ninja Luxe Café Premier is the better all-rounder.

What is the difference between semi-automatic and super-automatic espresso machines?

A semi-automatic machine grinds or takes your ground coffee in a portafilter, and you tamp, lock it in and start the shot. You control the process. A super-automatic machine grinds, tamps, brews and often froths milk at the touch of a button. Super-automatics are easier but cost more and give you less control.

How many bars of pressure do you need for espresso?

Espresso is usually extracted at around 9 bar. Many machines advertise a 15 or 20 bar pump, but that is the pump's maximum, not the brewing pressure. Breville, for example, lists a 15 bar pump with 9 bar extraction. A higher pump rating does not mean better espresso.

Do I need a separate grinder for an espresso machine?

Only if your machine has no grinder. Espresso needs a fine, even grind, and freshly ground beans taste much better. The Breville Barista Express Impress, Ninja Luxe Café and Gaggia Magenta Prestige have built-in grinders. For the Bambino Plus or CASABREWS 3700 Gense, buy a burr grinder that can grind fine enough for espresso, or buy pre-ground espresso coffee.

How often should you descale an espresso machine?

Follow your maker's schedule, which usually depends on your water hardness. Many machines remind you when it is due. Hard water needs more frequent descaling. Using filtered water slows scale buildup and helps the machine last longer.