The best espresso machine 2024: outstanding espresso makers for your home (2024)

The best espresso machine can set you up for the day with a super-smooth hit of concentrated caffeine, without you even having to leave the house.

There are all sorts of options out there if you're looking for the best coffee machine, but for many people an espresso maker is the only way to go. Whether you're looking for a fully manual machine requiring maximum barista skills, or a more beginner-friendly option with helpful automation, we're here to help you find your perfect match. If you' just want to push a button for your espresso, however, you'd probably do better with one of the best Nespresso machines.

On this page we've picked out 10 the best espresso machines from big names including De’Longhi, Gaggia and Breville, as well as a few picks from brands you might not know, with options for most budgets. Each one has been tested extensively by one of our expert reviewers, and we'll alert you to both their good and bad points as well as directing you to the best prices online. Each machine has its own strengths and weaknesses, but they're all capable of making really good espresso.

The quick list

Below is our quick guide to the best espresso machines around. Use it to narrow down your options, then either hop down to the more in-depth entry, or head straight to a retailer to buy.

The best espresso machine 2024

The best espresso machine overall

There's a bit of an expectation when it comes to espresso machines that if you want the absolute best results, you need to learn the ways of the barista. However the Breville The Barista Touch Impress (sold in the UK as the Sage The Barista Touch Impress) is one mighty exception to this rule, and right now we think it's the best espresso machine you can get.

It's one of Breville's most advanced espresso machines, guiding you through all the most difficult aspects of using a manual coffee machine. It combines features from our previous top pick, the Barista Express Impress, such as the compact integrated grinder, assisted tamping and auto-dosing, with the Barista Touch's touchscreen and automatic milk frothing, to make a brilliantly user-friendly (and surprisingly compact) expresso machine that gives incredible results every time.

Our reviewer spent two months testing the Barista Touch Impress and came away suitably, well, impressed. For novices it'll automatically take care of the entire process as well as enabling you to save your favorite settings for instant access, while those with barista skills will fined it easy to take more control of the process to achieve better results – you may find it harder than you'd expect to beat the Barista Touch Impress's own output, though.

Read our full Breville The Barista Touch Impress review

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The best budget espresso machine

Let's say that what you want from the best espresso machine is the ability to experiment with tamping the coffee and dispensing the water, but you're on a tight budget. In that case, the De'Longhi Dedica Style is one of this category's more affordable espresso machines.

The Dedica Style is simple to use. It takes ESE pods or ground coffee, which means you can use it to make decaf coffee. On test, it created an intense espresso with a stable crema. It can brew two single espressos simultaneously, but placing two cups under the spout on such a compact machine proved tricky.

We were disappointed that the machine couldn't make espresso straight after steaming milk. So if you're planning to make several coffees with milk, you'll need to brew all of the espressos before starting on the milk-based drinks. We also experienced some dripping after we poured espresso.

Read our full De'Longhi Dedica Style EC685 review

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The best manual espresso machine

The Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello+ is a new winner of our best manual espresso maker recommendation. It's expensive, which is why we don't recommend it for everybody, but it's very impressive.

An upgraded version of the original Diletta Bello, it includes extra features like a shot timer so you can check that your espresso isn't under- or over-extracted, a programmable pre-infusion mode, and an eco-mode for faster heating. This last point is particularly welcome, because the original machine took quite a long time to get up to temperature.

During testing, we found that the Diletta Bello+ turned espresso-making into a meditative experience, and with practice we were able to create consistently rich and smooth espresso. The steam wand is particularly well designed too, and able to create smooth microfoam from dairy and non-dairy milks (including oat milk, which is notoriously tricky).

The Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello+ is only available in the US at the time of writing. If you're somewhere else, we'd recommend instead the Sage the Barista Touch Impress, which is top in this guide.

Read our full Seattle Coffee Gear Diletta Bello+ review

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The best automatic espresso machine

The Smeg BCC13 is a compact bean-to-cup espresso machine that handles every part of the process for you, from measuring and grinding the beans to frothing milk for cappuccinos and lattes. Just fill the water tank, add your beans to the hopper, and select your preferred drink using the set of buttons on top of the sleek chassis. You might need to refer to the manual the first few times, since each button can deliver two different drinks and the icons aren't immediately self-explanatory, but that's a pretty minor complaint.

Once that's done, the BCC13 will set about brewing tasty, well extracted coffee that's impressively consistent. The auto milk frother produces creamy, sweet microfoam when used with dairy milk, though (as Smeg itself warns you) it's not so great at handling plant-based alternatives.

The whole machine is finished to a very high standard, and is a cinch to keep fresh. There are no awkward nooks and crannies where grounds can get stuck, and the one-minute quick clean cycle keeps things hygienic between full cleanings.

Read our full Smeg BCC13 review

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The best small espresso machine

If you’re tight on space, then the Breville Bambino Plus offers similar features to the Gaggia Classic above but with a more compact footprint and a slightly more affordable price tag.On test, we found the Breville Bambino Plus – known as the Sage Bambino Plus in the UK – heated up in just three seconds, and took just 21 seconds to deliver a cup of espresso with body and a thick crema. Milk frothing was nice and easy too, with a choice of three temperature and three milk textures, and the metal steam wand was a classy touch.

If you prefer you can instead texturize your milk manually, and however you do things the Bambino Plus will automatically purge the steam wand by pumping water through it once you're finished. This isn't a machine for complete beginners – you'll need to familiarize yourself with the art of choosing the right filter basket and ground coffee, as well as tamping the coffee down and trimming excess grounds – but once you learn its ways you'll find it to be an impressive and capable espresso maker.

Read our full Breville Bambino Plus review

The best espresso machine for beginners

The Gaggia Classic was our #1 espresso maker in 2021 and 2022 but it has since been knocked off its perch to make way for new machines. Whilst we do still think that it is one of the best espresso machines it is a little older than some of the others that we now feature in this guide. But it's still a great choice.

Gaggia says it will produce a shot of coffee with a thick crema without experimenting with the coffee grind size, making it ideal for those who want to learn how to use an espresso machine before attempting to play barista. It also offers complete manual control over how much water is dispensed, allowing you to create the volume of coffee you want.

On test, we were impressed that the coffee was rich and intense. With all three filters, it had a stable crema that reformed when we sprinkled sugar on top. The built-in steam wand ensures you can make milk-based coffee drinks too.

Read our full Gaggia Classic review

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How to choose an espresso machine

Espresso machines are some of the best coffee makers. They come in all shapes and sizes, including some of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines, and the best espresso makers help you achieve barista-quality results. They often include their own integrated bean grinder for your convenience but do bear in mind that that extra equipment adds bulk and often increases the price as well. If you're looking for something fast, cheap and that doesn't need a lot of counter space you might prefer a single-serve or pod coffee machine.

If espresso is definitely for you, the first decision is to choose whether you want an espresso machine that offers manual control over dispensing water or a device that takes on that work for you; the latter is probably better for those new to playing barista.

Next, consider if you want a machine that you can use with ground coffee, single-serve pods, or a mixture of the two. Coffee pods are less messy than using ground coffee. They can be handy if you occasionally want to make decaf coffee using the machine – but they don’t produce the thick, rich crema you get with freshly ground coffee.

If you regularly make espresso for two or more people, look for a coffee machine with a double spot on the tray that can fill two separate cups simultaneously. And if you like longer coffee drinks with milk, such as cappuccinos and lattes, choose an espresso machine with a built-in steam wand or factor in the cost of a standalone milk frother.

Finally, take note of the size of the espresso maker to see if you have sufficient room for it on your kitchen countertop – or, if you plan to store it away in a cupboard, consider its weight to see that you’ll be able to lift it easily.

If you're on a budget, take a look at our guide to the best cheap coffee maker deals, too.

How we tested these espresso machines

We take testing espresso machines seriously and put each device through its paces to see if it can live up to its promises. We assess the quality of espresso produced by each machine, analyzing the flavor of the final drink; we look for a rich, intense shot of coffee that doesn’t taste bitter or burnt, along with a thick, stable crema that reforms after the sugar has been sprinkled on it.

The temperature of the espresso is also measured, checking for consistency from one cup to another, and we assess the noise level of the machine. If it has a built-in steam wand, we evaluate its ability to texturize both dairy and plant-based milk, looking for tiny bubbles that create a rich, smooth texture. Again, we assess whether its noise level is acceptable.

We also evaluate how easy an espresso machine is to set up and use, whether it offers enough manual control for those who want to take on the barista role, plus how much space it will take up on your kitchen counter. Finally, we consider if the water tank is removable for easy refills and how the machine looks.

Espresso machine FAQs

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