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Best ice cream makers
What's better than creating your favourite indulgent ice cream flavours from scratch with an ice cream maker?
There are two types of ice cream makers, and we've discovered the best of both:
- Freeze-first: These are cheaper to buy but it takes longer to get your ice cream, as you have to freeze the bowl first for about eight to 12 hours.
- Self-freezing: More expensive, self-freezing ice cream makers that give you ready-to-eat ice cream in less than an hour.
We've tested ice cream makers costing from around £20 to almost £500 from top brands, including Lakeland, Cuisinart and Magimix. Read on to find out which are the best ice cream makers for airy, creamy and smooth ice cream with no ice crystals/freezer burn and the least fuss.
The best ice cream makers - freeze first
Only logged-in Which? members can view the freeze-first ice cream makers test results below.
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| Freeze-first ice cream maker | Making ready-to-serve ice cream | Ice cream texture | Ease of use | Freezer bowl capacity | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | |||
| Excellent | Average | Excellent | |||
| Excellent | Good | Excellent | |||
| Good | Good | Good | |||
| Average | Good | Excellent | |||
| Average | Good | Good | |||
| Average | Poor | Good |
Date tested: June 2022. Page last checked: February 2024. We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
The freeze-first ice cream makers we tested
All the freeze-first ice cream makers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best freeze-first ice cream makers from our tests.
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American Originals Ice Cream Maker
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Most recently tested June 2022
Size H16 x W16 x D16cm
Freezer bowl capacity and size 600ml – H10 x W16 x D16cm
Pre-freeze time 12 hours
Cuisinart Ice Cream Deluxe
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Date tested June 2022
Size H29 x W22 x D22cm
Freezer bowl capacity and size 2 litres – H16 x W20 x D20cm
Pre-freeze time Overnight
Lakeland Stainless Steel Digital Ice Cream Maker
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Size H19 x W22 x D22cm
Freezer bowl capacity and size 850ml – H14 x W19 x D19cm
Pre-freeze time 12 hours
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Magimix 1.1 Le Glacier Ice Cream Maker
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Size H22 x W20 x D20cm
Freezer bowl capacity and size 850ml – H15 x W19 x D19 cm
Pre-freeze time 8 to 12 hours
Ninja Creami Ice Cream & Frozen Dessert Maker
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Size H40.5 x W16.5 x D27cm
Freezer bowl capacity and size 1.4 litres – H11 x W12 x D12cm
Pre-freeze time 24 hours
Sensio Home Ice Cream Maker Machine
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Size H23 x W20 x D20cm
Freezer bowl capacity and size 500ml – H13 x W20 x D20cm
Pre-freeze time 12 hours
VonShef Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker
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Size H23 x W21 x D21cm
Freezer bowl capacity and size 750ml – H15 x W19 D19cm
Pre-freeze time 8 hours
The best ice cream makers: self-freezing
Only logged-in Which? members can view the self-freezing ice cream makers test results below.
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| Self-freezing ice cream maker | Making ready-to-serve ice cream | Ice cream texture | Ease of use | Capacity | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Good | Excellent | |||
| Excellent | Average | Excellent | |||
| Average | Good | Average | |||
| Poor | Average | Good |
Date tested: July 2021. Page last checked: February 2024. We are not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
The self-freezing ice cream makers we tested
All the self-freezing ice cream makers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best self-freezing ice cream makers from our tests.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendation below.
Cuisinart Gelato and Ice Cream Maker
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Size H23 x W29 x D56cm
Capacity 1.5 litres
Different desserts it makes Ice cream, sorbet, gelato, frozen yoghurt
Scoop No Measuring jug No Spatula No
Magimix Gelato Expert
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Size H26 x W29 x D37cm
Capacity 2 litres
Different desserts it makes Ice cream, sorbet, gelato, frozen yoghurt, granita
Scoop No Measuring jug No Spatula Yes
Sage The Smart Scoop Gelato and Ice Cream Maker
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Size H23 x W39 x D26 cm
Capacity 1 litre
Different desserts it makes Ice cream, sorbet, gelato, frozen yoghurt
Scoop No Measuring jug No Spatula Yes
VonShef Ice Cream Maker with Compressor
Available from House of Fraser (£134.99)
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Size H26cm x W36cm x D23cm
Capacity 1 litre
Different desserts it makes Ice cream, sorbet, gelato, frozen yoghurt
Scoop Yes Measuring jug No Spatula Yes
How we test ice cream makers
We buy the most popular ice cream makers sold at leading UK retailers and put them through the following tests:
Is the ice cream ready to serve?
We make three batches of ice cream with each machine and review how well each machine makes the ice cream.
- The best machines create perfect ready-to-serve ice cream, which is easy to scoop out.
- Others produce sloppier or too solid ice cream.
Ice cream texture
We conduct a blind ice cream texture test using vanilla and chocolate chip ice cream that we make in each machine.
- The samples are frozen for 24 hours before this test and given five minutes to defrost before being served.
- Each tester is given samples in a different order and isn't told which sample came from which machine until after they've completed the test.
- They score on how well the chocolate chips have spread and how creamy, airy and smooth the texture of the ice cream is.
Ease of use
For each of the ice cream makers, we consider how easy they are to operate, assemble and unload ice cream from.
- The better ice cream makers have intuitive designs with clearly labelled parts and responsive functions.
- The worst machines are overly complicated.
Noise
Most of these machines make noise due to the built-in freezers and motors, but some are much louder than others.
The louder the machine the worse it scores.
Cleaning
We wash each ice cream maker three times. They all score pretty much the same on ease of washing and it isn't a chore with any of them.
Build quality and storage
- We examine each ice cream maker for any manufacturing faults or design flaws.
- We measure them to see how easy they are to store
- We examine how much countertop space they take up while using.
How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker
Although it's easier with a dedicated machine, you can make ice cream without an ice cream maker.
No-churn vanilla ice cream
Ingredients:
- 198g (about half a 397g can) of sweetened condensed milk
- 600ml double cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, cream and vanilla extract until thick and quite stiff (like clotted cream).
- Scrape the mixture into a freezable container.
- Freeze until solid (for best results leave overnight).
- Defrost for 10 minutes before serving.
See our pick of the best hand blenders and best stand mixers.
No-churn salted caramel ice cream
Ingredients:
- 397g of canned caramel
- 500ml double cream
- salt to taste
Method:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the canned caramel, cream and salt until thick and quite stiff (like clotted cream).
- Scrape the mixture into a freezable container.
- Freeze until solid (for best results leave overnight).
- Defrost for 10 minutes before serving.