The four Ninja Luxe Café models on SharkNinja’s US comparison chart handle the fiddly part of espresso the same way. Each grinds whole beans in a built-in conical burr grinder, weighs the dose on a built-in scale, and lets what Ninja calls Barista Assist recommend the grind size while it watches brew temperature and pressure. So they are not really split by how they pull a shot. They split by everything around the shot: who steams the milk, whether cold brew and a hot-water tap are on the menu, and how much counter you can give the machine.
We did not test these espresso machines. What follows comes from SharkNinja’s US product pages for the four models, the US owner’s guides for the Premier and the Pro, Ninja’s own support FAQs, and the Amazon listings, all checked on November 2, 2026. Where those sources disagree, we show both figures instead of picking one.
Quick answer: The Luxe Café Mini (ES301) is the compact one where you steam the milk yourself on a manual wand. The Mini Plus AutoFroth (ES351) is nearly the same compact body with a steam wand that runs itself through three presets: steamed, thin and thick. The Premier (ES601) adds cold brew, cold-pressed espresso, a cold foam setting and a 70-oz reservoir. The Pro (ES701) is the only one with an independent hot water system for Americanos and tea, and it trades the separate tamping tool for a lever built into the machine. If you need none of those extras, the two Minis cover espresso and drip coffee on less counter.
Four questions that sort the lineup
Who steams the milk? This is the first dividing line, with one caveat. The Mini is the one built around a manual steam wand: SharkNinja’s chart lists it as “Manual Frothing,” and you choose the temperature, the thickness and the milk type and do the frothing yourself. The Mini Plus, the Premier and the Pro are listed with hands-free froth presets that run the wand at the press of a button; they differ in how many textures they offer and whether cold foam is one of them. The caveat: the US owner’s guides for the Premier and the Pro also describe a manual frothing mode on the steamed-milk setting, so picking one of those two does not rule out frothing by hand. We could not find a US owner’s guide for the Mini Plus, so we cannot say whether it has the same mode.
Do you drink cold brew or cold foam? Both Minis brew espresso and drip coffee, hot or over ice. Cold brew, cold-pressed espresso and a cold foam setting start at the Premier.
Do Americanos or tea need their own hot water? On SharkNinja’s US pages, only the Pro lists an independent hot water system, which the company pitches for Americanos, tea and pour-over-style drinks.
How much counter is there? SharkNinja says the Minis are 30% smaller than the Pro. For the two larger machines the published sizes do not agree, and for the Premier they do not even agree across SharkNinja’s own US pages, so measure your counter against the larger figures in the table below. One placement point comes from the manuals rather than the spec sheets: SharkNinja’s US owner’s guides for the Premier and the Pro say not to use the machine under a wall cabinet and not to keep it in a cabinet while it is in use. We could not find US owner’s guides for the two Minis, so read the safety section of the guide that comes in the box.
What each machine makes
| Model | Drinks | Milk |
|---|---|---|
| Mini (ES301) | Espresso, drip (hot or iced) | Manual steam wand |
| Mini Plus (ES351) | Espresso, drip (hot or iced) | Auto wand: steamed, thin, thick |
| Premier (ES601) | Espresso, drip, cold brew | Auto, 4 presets with cold foam |
| Pro (ES701) | Espresso, drip, cold brew, hot water | Auto, 5 presets with cold foam; XL jug |
Size and water
| Model | Maker size, in (L x W x H) | Listing size, in (L x W x H) | Water (oz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini (ES301) | 10.24 x 12.17 x 13.43 | 10.2 x 12.2 x 13.4 | 47 |
| Mini Plus (ES351) | 10.08 x 12.17 x 13.43 | 10.1 x 12.2 x 13.4 | 47 |
| Premier (ES601) | 15.75 x 15.24 x 20.51* | 12.99 x 13.39 x 14.57 | 70 |
| Pro (ES701) | 15.51 x 15 x 19.33 | 13.39 x 12.48 x 14.84 | 70 |
“Maker size” is the figure on SharkNinja’s US product page; “Listing size” is the item dimension on the Amazon listing. *For the Premier, SharkNinja’s US pages give two different sizes: 15.75 x 15.24 x 20.51 in on the ES601 page, which also lists a weight of 0.06 lbs that cannot be right, and 12.95 x 13.39 x 14.57 in with a weight of 25.73 lbs on the Gunmetal Gray (ES601GM) page, close to the Amazon figure. The water figures come from SharkNinja’s product pages for the two Minis and from the US owner’s guides for the Premier and the Pro. Only the Pro has a built-in tamper; the other three use a separate assisted tamper tool. For the Minis the two size sources agree to a rounding. For the Premier and the Pro we could not confirm which figures are the machine’s own footprint, so measure against the larger ones.
The four machines
Luxe Café Mini (ES301): for frothing the milk yourself
The Mini is aimed at the person who likes the ritual of steaming milk but not the ritual of weighing beans. The grinder, scale and Barista Assist are all there – with 60 grind sizes against the Premier and Pro’s 25 – and the machine brews espresso for lattes and cappuccinos plus drip coffee three ways: classic, rich or over ice. The milk, though, is on you. Its manual steam wand lets you choose temperature, thickness and milk type, dairy or plant-based, and that manual control is the point of this model rather than a gap in it.
Around the machine, the Mini is built for a small counter. SharkNinja lists it at 10.24 in long, 12.17 in wide and 13.43 in tall, with a 47-oz water reservoir and a 250 g bean hopper, and the tamper and funnel park on top of the machine. One wrinkle in the maker’s own copy: a bullet on the same product page calls it an “auto frother,” while the steam-wand description and SharkNinja’s comparison chart both say manual frothing. We go with manual, since that is what the rest of the page describes.
Luxe Café Mini Plus AutoFroth (ES351): same footprint, milk handled
The Mini Plus keeps the Mini’s compact body – SharkNinja lists it at 10.08 x 12.17 x 13.43 in, with the same 47-oz reservoir, 250 g hopper and 60 grind sizes – and changes the one thing that shapes every milk drink: the steam wand is automatic and temperature-controlled. Pick steamed, thin or thick, and it textures dairy or plant-based milk without you holding the jug. Those three presets are the whole list on SharkNinja’s page. Cold foam is not among them, so iced drinks topped with cold foam point you up to the Premier.
Like the Mini, it is a 2-in-1 for espresso and drip coffee, hot or over ice. If most of what you make is lattes and cappuccinos and you want the counter space back, this is the model that matches that pattern. If you enjoy frothing by hand, the plain Mini covers the same drinks.
Luxe Café Premier (ES601): when cold drinks are part of the routine
The Premier is where the lineup adds cold. On top of espresso and drip coffee it makes cold brew and what SharkNinja calls cold-pressed espresso, brewed at a lower temperature and pressure. Its Dual Froth System steams and whisks at the same time, hands-free, with four presets: steamed, thin, thick and cold foam. The grinder has 25 settings, and the US owner’s guide gives the reservoir as 70 oz, against 47 oz on the Minis – fewer trips to the sink if several people drink from it.
What it leaves out matters too. Tamping is done with a separate assisted tamper tool, and the box holds a double basket and a Luxe basket, with no single basket. Size is the open question: SharkNinja’s own US pages list two sizes for the Premier, one about 6 in taller than the other (see the note under the table), so measure for the larger one.
Luxe Café Pro (ES701): hot water, a built-in tamper, milk for two
The Pro keeps everything the Premier brews and adds a fourth function: an independent hot water system, which SharkNinja pitches for Americanos, tea and pour-over-style drinks. In a house where one person wants tea while another wants a latte, that tap is the clearest reason to step up. The tamping tool also disappears into the machine. A lever-press tamper is built in, and Ninja’s support FAQ says it presses the grounds at 22 pounds every time.
The milk side is bigger as well. The Dual Froth System Pro uses an insulated steam wand and an XL milk jug that SharkNinja says can froth for two drinks at once, with five presets that add extra-thick froth to the Premier’s four. The Pro is also the only one of the four that ships with a single basket alongside the double and Luxe baskets. Like the Premier, it has 25 grind settings and a 70-oz reservoir per its US owner’s guide, and its size figures disagree: 15.51 x 15 x 19.33 in on SharkNinja’s page, 13.39 x 12.48 x 14.84 in on the Amazon listing. One more inconsistency: SharkNinja’s comparison chart labels the Pro’s tamper “Assisted Tamper,” while its product page and support FAQ describe the built-in lever.
What all four share, and what we could not find
All four are rated at 1,650 watts and carry a one-year limited warranty on SharkNinja’s pages, and SharkNinja classes all four as semi-automatic. Barista Assist recommends the grind and adjusts the brew, but you still grind into the portafilter, tamp and lock it in. The US materials we read do not give a bean hopper capacity for the Premier or the Pro, and Ninja’s own counts of espresso “styles” vary from one page to the next, so we left those numbers out rather than guess.
When none of these is the right machine
If you want to press one button and walk away, these are the wrong category. SharkNinja sells its AutoBarista machines separately as fully automatic, and our guide to semi-automatic vs super-automatic espresso machines explains what that changes day to day. If you are deciding between Ninja’s guided approach and a traditional machine you learn to dial in yourself, our Ninja Luxe Café vs Breville Barista Express comparison covers that trade-off, and our guide to first espresso machines looks at other brands. And if you rarely drink espresso or milk drinks, a machine built around a portafilter is more equipment than a drip coffee habit needs.
How to choose
If you want to froth by hand on a small counter, start with the Mini (ES301).
If you want lattes without touching the wand and the counter is tight, the Mini Plus AutoFroth (ES351) is the closer match.
If cold brew, cold-pressed espresso or cold foam is part of your week, look at the Premier (ES601) first.
If the house also runs on Americanos or tea, or you often make two milk drinks at once, the Pro (ES701) is the one with the hot water system and the XL jug.
Whichever you pick, check the model number on the listing – ES301, ES351, ES601 or ES701 – and measure your counter against the larger size figures above.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Ninja Luxe Café Premier and the Pro?
The Premier (ES601) is a 3-in-1 for espresso, drip coffee and cold brew, with four hands-free froth presets and a separate assisted tamper. The Pro (ES701) adds an independent hot water system, a fifth froth preset for extra-thick froth, an insulated steam wand with an XL milk jug for two drinks, a built-in lever tamper and a single basket in the box. Both have 25 grind settings and a 70-oz reservoir.
What is the difference between the Luxe Café Mini and the Mini Plus?
The milk. The Mini (ES301) has a manual steam wand, so you froth by hand. The Mini Plus AutoFroth (ES351) has an automatic, temperature-controlled wand with three presets: steamed, thin and thick. Both are 2-in-1 machines for espresso and drip coffee with 60 grind sizes and a 47-oz reservoir.
Which Ninja Luxe Café makes cold brew?
The Premier (ES601) and the Pro (ES701). SharkNinja lists the Mini and the Mini Plus as 2-in-1 machines for espresso and drip coffee, hot or over ice, without cold brew.
How tall is the Ninja Luxe Café Premier?
The published figures disagree. SharkNinja’s US pages list 20.51 in on the ES601 page and 14.57 in on the Gunmetal Gray ES601GM page, and the Amazon listing gives 14.57 in. For the Pro, SharkNinja’s page lists 19.33 in and the Amazon listing 14.84 in. The two Minis agree across both sources at about 13.4 in. SharkNinja’s US owner’s guides for the Premier and the Pro say not to use the machine under a wall cabinet.
How we put this together: We compare manufacturer specifications, owner’s guides and verified US listings, and note where the maker’s own figures disagree. We did not test these espresso machines or measure any of them. Model availability was checked with Amazon’s product data on November 2, 2026.
As an Amazon Associate, TheHomePicker.com earns from qualifying purchases.