As the winter chill sets in, the craving for a luxurious, creamy hot chocolate becomes irresistible. The market has been transformed by specialist appliances promising café-quality drinks at home, led by the viral Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser. But with a price tag of £150, it's a significant investment. Enter a compelling rival: the Salter Chocolatier Electric Hot Chocolate Maker, priced at a mere £35. We put both machines through a rigorous test to see if the budget option can truly compete with the luxury favourite.
Putting the Premium and Budget Makers to the Test
Our testing, conducted by Deputy IndyBest Editor Sabrina Sahota on Tuesday 13 January 2026, was designed to be fair and comprehensive. Both machines were used to create a classic hot chocolate using milk chocolate flakes and dairy milk. Key factors assessed included ease of use, speed, the taste and texture of the final drink, ease of cleaning, and overall design aesthetics.
The Budget Contender: Salter Chocolatier (£35)
The Salter appliance is a compact, matte black machine that measures H18.6cm x W11.1cm x D16.8cm. Its standout feature is versatility; it doesn't just make hot chocolate but also functions as a milk frother for coffees, with settings for thick froth, light froth, hot milk, and cold froth.
Operation requires consulting the manual, but once learned, it's straightforward. The hot chocolate function takes approximately five-and-a-half minutes. The resulting drink was praised for being at a perfect, drinkable temperature with a very smooth texture where all chocolate melted seamlessly. However, it notably lacked the frothy foam of a barista-made creation.
Cleaning is simple thanks to a removable whisk and a smooth interior. For the price, it represents solid value, especially for those who enjoy both hot chocolate and frothy coffee drinks.
The Luxury Benchmark: Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser (£150)
The Velvetiser, launched in 2018, is a purpose-built machine with a premium, weighty feel and a stylish design (available in colours like pebble). It focuses solely on making hot and cold chocolate. Its instructions are clear with helpful diagrams.
Where it shines is in performance and speed. It produced a ready-to-drink hot chocolate in just two-and-a-half minutes. The drink was rich, silky smooth, and had a luxurious, foamy head – identical to a high-end café purchase. Hotel Chocolat attributes this to a unique vortex-creating design with internal ridges and a custom whisk.
The downsides are the cost and cleaning. Those same internal ridges make it slightly harder to clean than the Salter model. It also comes with two cups and ten chocolate sachets, justifying some of its premium positioning.
The Final Verdict: Which Hot Chocolate Maker Wins?
The choice ultimately depends on your priorities and habits.
If you are a dedicated hot chocolate connoisseur seeking an authentic, barista-quality experience and are willing to invest, the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser is the undisputed champion. It delivers on its promise of a frothy, luxurious drink with impressive speed and style.
If you desire versatility and value, the Salter Chocolatier is the smarter buy. While its hot chocolate lacks the signature foam, it is still delicious and warmly satisfying. Its ability to froth milk for lattes and cappuccinos makes it a multi-purpose kitchen gadget, offering far more utility for its remarkably lower price.
Why trust this review? Sabrina Sahota has over five years of experience testing kitchen gadgets for IndyBest. The wider team has rigorously evaluated a vast range of appliances, from coffee machines to grinders, ensuring expert, unbiased recommendations.
