There is essentially two good times to buy one espresso machine or a milk coffee machine: Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. That’s when these machines have the biggest sales in a given year, including the two most popular espresso machines in the world, according to Amazon sales figures. THE Breville Barista Express and the Ninja Luxe Café Proeach number one in their respective categories, are having massive early Prime Day sales this week, up to $200 off list price.
These two espresso machines are also some of my favorite espresso machines for most people – the devices I often recommend to espresso beginners who would like to stop paying $7 per drink at Starbucks. That makes these two best Amazon Prime Day deals of 2026.
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
Breville Barista Express is a semi-automatic espresso machine, meaning the grinder and steam wand are included in the machine – a one-stop shop for frothy milk drinks. It’s been the best-selling espresso machine of its kind for so long that I can’t even remember when it wasn’t.
WIRED has been recommending the Express as one of our favorite espresso machines for about a decade for its blend of value, reliability, precision, and ease of use. This $200 discount during Amazon Prime Day 2026 is the lowest price I’ve seen in years — a good enough deal that I had to double and triple check to make sure it was true.
Why is it so popular? It’s a Goldilocks affair: a mix of accessible pricing, great ease of use, and exceptional product support. Although the built-in grinder isn’t as good as Breville’s top-of-the-line Oracle-Jetthe Express will produce flavorful, consistent, well-extracted espresso on medium and dark roasts. Breville’s reputation for honoring warranties and excellent customer service doesn’t hurt: a big deal for a device that will hopefully be with you for years to come.
In fact, we can attest to its longevity: Senior Equipment Editor WIRED Julien Chokkattu has been taking shots from his Barista Express for seven years, and it’s still going strong.
Photography: Matthieu Korfhage
Photography: Matthieu Korfhage
Ninja’s flagship semi-automatic espresso machine is also having a great sale for Prime Day 2026, in a deal that has already started this week. THE Ninja Luxe Café Pro is $150 off, which is the lowest price I’ve ever seen.
When Ninja announced it would enter the semi-automatic espresso market in 2024, I was skeptical. But both the Pro and the slightly low end Luxury Premium Coffee surprised me with their ability to make excellent espresso with minimal effort. The best deal is on the Pro, which includes a useful bean assist feature to help you dial in your beans, a rarity at this price point. It also offers a manual tamper lever and hot water spout that were mysteriously missing from Ninja’s lower-tier device.
The Ninja devices are not as proven as the Breville. And it’s best to leave the “filter coffee” function alone. But if you’re a latte lover, you may still have reason to prefer the Ninja coffee maker. The reason is the milk frother, which is among the best of any semi-automatic espresso machine I’ve seen, thanks to a magnetic metal whisk at the bottom of the milk carafe. This is one of the most integrated and well-frothed milks I have ever seen in an automatic frother.
