Is the Ninja Luxe Café Pro Worth It?
Based on tests by Tom's Guide (Jun 2025). How we score
Save $100Depends. Ninja Luxe Café Premier for most people.
Amazon prices as of Sep 29, 9:38 PM EDT (details)
Why
Tom's Guide rated the Luxe Café Pro 4.5 out of 5, the same as the Luxe Café Premier (ES601). Its reviewer, an SCA-certified barista, found the weight-based grinder "shockingly accurate." The Pro adds what the Premier lacks: a built-in tamping arm, a hot water dispenser for Americanos, a single-shot basket, and a bigger milk jug that froths for two drinks. Its grind suggestion wasn't perfect: at the machine's setting "I found the flavor to be a little lacking," so she overrode it. In a head-to-head, the same reviewer calls the Pro "the better machine for features, design, and user experience," but asked whether the extra features are worth the extra money, she says "In my opinion, no." Splurge if you want the tamping arm and hot water for Americanos; save if you don't mind tamping by hand.
Cheaper alternatives, scored against the Ninja Luxe Café Pro
Luxe Café Premier 3-in-1 Espresso, Drip & Cold Brew
From 1 tester: Tom's Guide
From 1 tester: Tom's Guide
Tom's Guide rated it 4.5 out of 5, the same as the Pro. It has the same weight-based grinder and also brews drip and cold brew, but you tamp by hand (a screw-on funnel keeps grounds off the counter), there's no hot water dispenser or single basket, and its milk jug is 8 oz. Tom's Guide's verdict: "you'll be able to get a great coffee from both," and "the Ninja Luxe Café offered much better value for money." America's Test Kitchen, which tested only this model, rated it Recommended with Reservations: "its design struck us as overcomplicated."
Sources: Tom's Guide: Ninja Luxe Café review (Sept. 21, 2024), Tom's Guide: Ninja Luxe Café vs Ninja Luxe Café Pro (June 23, 2025), America's Test Kitchen: The Best Espresso Machines (updated July 2, 2025)
Common questions
Ninja Luxe Café Pro or Luxe Café Premier?
Tom's Guide gave both 4.5 stars and says they're built very similarly apart from the tamping. The Pro adds a tamping arm, a hot water dispenser, a single-shot basket, ristretto and lungo settings and a bigger milk jug. Its reviewer calls the Pro the better machine but doesn't think the extra features are worth the extra money for most people.
Can the Ninja Luxe Café Pro make cold foam?
Yes. Its milk jug has a whisk at the bottom that textures hot and cold milk, and Tom's Guide's reviewer topped a cold-pressed shot with cold foam: it "instantly elevated my summer staple."
Sources: Tom's Guide: Ninja Luxe Café Pro review (June 7, 2025), Tom's Guide: Ninja Luxe Café vs Ninja Luxe Café Pro (June 23, 2025), Manufacturer specs via Amazon listing
