The Best Nespresso Machines for Making Espresso Drinks at Home

As if espresso machines weren’t confusing enough, you look at a single brand and realize that one company can make a few dozen different options. We’re specifically talking about you, Nespresso! No complaining, though: Nespresso is the best of the best and really cornered the market of pod-based espresso machines. How to pick one machine over another? Using anything aside from looks or price tag, that is. We did some research to see which machines other websites and experts were picking. And then we weighed in here with our own two cents.

These are the best Nespresso machines on the market.

Nespresso Essenza Mini by De’Longhi, $126

The folks at Wirecutter picked their favorite Nespresso machine… with one caveat (they say Nespresso isn’t for everyone). Of course, you wouldn’t be reading this story if you weren’t interested in Nespresso, so here we go. Wirecutter picked this basic, little machine because it makes drinks that are equally on par with drinks from other, more expensive Nespresso machines. In addition to its (relatively) low price tag, the tester also liked that it has a small footprint and doesn’t have any unnecessary buttons or features.

Nespresso Lattissima Touch Single Serve Espresso Maker, $268

Cook’s Illustrated set out to pick the very best espresso makers and this was the first Nespresso machine to show up on the list. It’s recommended with reservations, though, because it’s a bit fussy to clean due to the milk carafe and all the machine’s parts. But that does mean you can use the machine to make milk-based espresso drinks, which can’t be said of the more basic model that Wirecutter picked.

Nespresso Inissia by DeLonghi, $103

The editors at Digital Trends ultimately picked five different Nespresso machines as the best, but for the purpose of this story, we’ll focus on the first one listed. They pointed out that it’s one of the smallest machines among the company’s offerings, can be ready to make a drink in just 25 seconds, and makes nine single-serve cups before you have to refill the water tank.

Nespresso Lattissima Pro, $424

The editors at The Spruce Eats like this for anyone who wants more than the occasional espresso. (Meaning: You should be serious about espresso but not SO serious that you’ll want to be tamping your own grinds.) This machine is definitely more of a statement piece and it can make all sorts of drinks (think: ristretto, espresso, lungo, cappuccino, latte, and more). They summed it up, saying it’ll give you drinks at your fingertips, thanks to touch-panel controls, but that “the machine does all the thinking for you.”

Nespresso Essenza Mini by De’Longhi, $125

Amazon shoppers seem to agree with Wirecutter. (This is just the black version.) This bestselling machine has a 4.5-star rating and has even earned the “Amazon’s Choice” badge. The comment that comes up again and again in reviews: “I love this thing.” Most people can’t get over how such a small machine can make such a strong cup of espresso.

We have an older, now discontinued model here at the Apartment Therapy Media office that’s a lot like the Nespresso Essenza Mini by De’Longhi — and we love it. What do we like about it? Mostly that it can serve our entire office without issue. Sure, you have to empty the discarded pods and refill the water tank once in a while, but neither task is all that hard to do. It makes espresso (1.35 ounces) and lungo (5 ounces) drinks in a matter of seconds and it’s not so loud that it disturbs the entire office. If you want something that does milky espresso drinks, too, we like the Nespresso Lattissima One by De’Longhi, which just so happens to have made Oprah’s Favorite Things list back in 2018. The milk container is separate, making it incredibly easy to clean. It’s designed for a per-drink basis, however, so it’s probably not ideal for an office setting, but it’s great for home use where your family members can customize their own drinks.

Do you have a Nespresso machine at home? Which one?