Quick Answer: The Breville Bambino Plus (BES500) is Breville’s compact automatic-milk espresso machine, priced around $499.95 list (per Breville) and often discounted to around $400, and its headline feature is automatic milk texturing — three temperature settings and three texture settings that steam a pitcher hands-free and then self-purge the wand. It shares the same 3-second ThermoJet heater, 54 mm portafilter and 15-bar pump as the rest of Breville’s compact lineup, so it pulls the same shot as the cheaper standard Bambino; the extra ~$200 buys the automatic wand and a larger 1.9 L tank, not better espresso. It has no built-in grinder, so pair it with a dedicated one — see our best espresso grinder guide.
Breville’s Bambino line is built around one idea: real espresso in one of the smallest footprints on the market. The Bambino Plus is the milk-focused half of that line, adding automatic frothing to the same fast-heating core as the standard Bambino. Below is our full take on what that automatic wand actually changes in daily use, and where it fits against the rest of Breville’s range. (Cross-shopping the whole lineup? See our best Breville espresso machine guide, or our dedicated Bambino vs Bambino Plus breakdown.)
Breville Bambino Plus, by the numbers
| Spec | Breville Bambino Plus (BES500) |
|---|---|
| Price | ~$499.95 list (per Breville), often $400 on sale |
| Portafilter | 54 mm (per Breville) |
| Milk frothing | Automatic — 3 temperature × 3 texture settings, auto-purge |
| Built-in grinder | No |
| Pump | 15-bar Italian pump |
| Heating | ThermoJet, ~3-second heat-up, digital PID |
| Water tank | 1.9 L (64 oz) |
| Width | ~7.7 in (19.5 cm) |
The number that defines this machine is 3 seconds — Breville’s stated heat-up time for the ThermoJet system, versus roughly a minute on the ThermoCoil heaters used in larger Breville machines like the Barista Express. Espresso itself still runs at roughly 9 bars of brewing pressure, the figure the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) associates with correct extraction, even though the pump is rated 15 bars. Digital PID control holds the SCA’s recommended 195-205°F brew-water range shot after shot, so the fast heat-up doesn’t trade away temperature stability.
The Bambino Plus, tested
Breville Bambino Plus (BES500)
- Automatic milk texturing with 3 temperature and 3 texture settings, plus auto-purge — hands-free, foolproof microfoam.
- Same 3-second ThermoJet heater and 54 mm portafilter as the rest of Breville's compact lineup.
- Larger 1.9 L (64 oz) tank than the standard Bambino's 1.4 L, so fewer refills.
- One of the smallest real espresso machines available, at roughly 7.7 inches wide.
- No built-in grinder — pair it with a dedicated one for the best results.
Once your machine is on the way, Amazon Fresh can have whole-bean coffee and milk waiting in your fridge on the same delivery window, so you’re not pulling your first shot on stale pre-ground beans. In daily use, the automatic milk texturing is the feature that changes the routine the most: instead of judging pitcher angle and steam-wand depth by feel, you pick a temperature and texture setting, press start, and walk away — the wand purges itself when it’s done. For a household making several lattes back-to-back before work, that consistency matters more than any spec on the sheet.
The ThermoJet heater and 54 mm portafilter are shared with the rest of the compact Breville range, so shots taste the same as they do on the standard Bambino — you are not paying the Plus premium for better coffee. The 1.9 L tank is a real quality-of-life upgrade over the standard Bambino’s 1.4 L, meaning noticeably fewer trips to the sink over a busy morning.
Where it doesn’t move the needle: there’s still no built-in grinder, so pre-ground beans or a separate grinder are required either way, and buyers who already know how to steam milk by hand may not need to pay for automation they don’t use.
How it compares to the rest of Breville’s lineup
| Bambino Plus (BES500) | Bambino (BES450) | Barista Express (BES870) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$499.95 | ~$250-$300 | ~$699.95 |
| Built-in grinder | No | No | Yes (16 settings) |
| Milk | Automatic (3×3 settings) | Manual wand | Manual wand |
| Heating | ThermoJet (~3 s) | ThermoJet (~3 s) | ThermoCoil (~1 min) |
| Water tank | 1.9 L | 1.4 L | 2 L |
| Best for | Hands-free milk drinks | Straight espresso, value | All-in-one with a grinder |
- Get the Bambino Plus if milk drinks are most of what you make and you already own or plan to buy a separate grinder. See our full Bambino vs Bambino Plus breakdown for the complete comparison against its sibling.
- Save with the standard Bambino if you drink mostly straight espresso and don’t mind a manual wand.
- Step up to the Barista Express if you want a grinder built into the same machine.
Who should buy the Bambino Plus
Buy it if you want café-style lattes and cappuccinos without learning to steam milk by hand, if counter space is tight, or if you’re buying for a household where more than one person will be making drinks. It’s a strong pick among the best small espresso machine options in this price range.
Skip it if you already own or plan to buy a machine with a built-in grinder (the Barista Express covers that for about $200 more), if you enjoy manually steaming milk, or if you need simultaneous brew-and-steam, which calls for a dual boiler.
The bottom line
The Breville Bambino Plus is the machine to buy when automatic milk frothing matters more to you than a built-in grinder. Its ThermoJet heater and 54 mm portafilter deliver the same shot as the rest of Breville’s compact range — the real upgrade is a wand that steams and purges itself, plus a bigger tank. If hands-free milk is worth roughly $200 over the standard Bambino to you, get the Plus; if you’re happy steaming by hand, the standard Bambino delivers the same espresso for less. Either way, see our best espresso machine guide for how it stacks up against the rest of the field.