Milk Frothing Calculator

Work out milk frothing instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Milk Frothing Calculator

Frothed volume is the milk times one plus the foam percentage, and the heat needed is mass times milk's specific heat of about 3.93 kJ per kg per degree times the temperature rise. Milk proteins denature above about 70 C and stop holding foam, which is why the target temperature matters as much as the technique.

Formulas

Frothed volume

volume = milk ml x (1 + foam percentage)

Heat energy

kJ = mass in kg x 3.93 x (target - start temperature)

Worked example

With the default values below, Milk Frothing Calculator returns Volume after frothing of 195. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Milk to frothminimum 20 ml: 150 ml
Milk starting temperatureaccepts 0–40 C: 4 C
Target temperatureaccepts 30–75 C: 65 C
Foam increase wantedaccepts 0–150 %: 30 %

Results

Volume after frothing: 195 ml
Extra volume from foam: 45 ml
Heat energy needed: 37.04 kJ
Approximate steaming time: 74 s

Step by step

1Values used
2Frothed volume
3Heat energy
4Volume after frothing= 195 ml
5Extra volume from foam= 45 ml
6Heat energy needed= 37.04 kJ
7Approximate steaming time= 74 s

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Milk Frothing figure worked out?

volume = milk ml x (1 + foam percentage). Frothed volume is the milk times one plus the foam percentage, and the heat needed is mass times milk's specific heat of about 3.93 kJ per kg per degree times the temperature rise.

Why does this matter?

Milk proteins denature above about 70 C and stop holding foam, which is why the target temperature matters as much as the technique.

What do I need to enter?

Enter milk to froth, milk starting temperature, target temperature, foam increase wanted. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.