Best ice cream makers, tested for delicious scoops and swirls at home

Bring the parlour homeMollie Davies/The Standard With back-to-back heatwaves, summer feels never-ending – and who can be mad about that? After all, with summer comes some of the best things, including ice cream. Nowadays, you no longer have to be at the beach to enjoy a creamy, smooth, flavourful scoop. The best ice cream makers serve up frozen deliciousness at home, from mint choc chip to mango sorbet (aka heaven on a hot summer's day). A kitchen appliance you’re sure to get more use from than you think, ice cream makers are a dream for hosting while providing fun for little ones in the house. Whether you love classic ice cream, soft serve, gelato, frozen yoghurt or sorbet, the latest and greatest machines make it easy to whip up homemade tubs and fill cones with flavour. Before buying an ice cream maker, it's worth deciding whether convenience or cost matters more to you. Pre-freeze models are typically cheaper and more compact, but require some pre-planning, while compressor machines can make ice cream on demand at the touch of a button, albeit with more space needed – and a higher price tag. Best ice cream makers at a glancBest overall – GreenPan frost ice cream maker and slushie machine: £329, Tesco.comBest budget buy – Lakeland ice cream maker: £44.99, Lakeland.co.ukBest for gelato – Magimix gelato expert: £449, Fenwick.co.ukBest swirl machine – Ninja creami swirl and scoop machine: £279.99, Sharkninja.co.ukBest family-size machine – CASO design icecreamer 5-in-1 ice cream maker: £278.99, Amazon.co.ukTo find out which are genuinely worth investing in, I tested a range of models, assessing everything from ease of use and cleaning to ice cream quality, features and overall value for money. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it. Strawberry sauce, sprinkles and Flakes at the ready!How I tested I’ve tested flavour, ease of use, and value for money Mollie Davies/The Standard Luckily for me, I was testing the best ice cream makers during several heatwaves and had plenty of willing family members and friends. Taste is arguably the most important part of any ice cream, but the size and look of the machines also came into consideration. I assessed whether each maker would fit in well with my current kitchen set-up, and how it would look sat on my worktop.Not one to enjoy making more work for myself, I didn’t want them to be too fiddly to clean. I kept note as to whether they could be put in the dishwasher or if they had several bits that needed to be washed by hand. Finally, I considered whether each one justified its price based on its features, performance and the quality of the finished ice cream. GreenPan frost ice cream maker and slushie machine Mollie Davies/The Standard ★★★★☆Best: Overall ice cream makerWhat we love: So many options to choose from, large capacity, no pre-freeze, quick, and looks good on counterTake note: Expensive, can make funny noises, and easy to over-freezeGreenPan cites Stanley Tucci and Gwyneth Paltrow among its fans, so I wasn’t surprised that its ice cream machine is so stylish. Rather than the usual bright white appliance, it has a lovely natural finish that feels much more chic in my kitchen. The main base comes fully assembled, then it’s just a case of clicking a few parts into place. Settings include sorbet, slushies, milkshakes, ice cream, smoothies, frozen cocktails and frozen yoghurt. My partner requested a frozen Dr Pepper after completing an Iron Man, and I was genuinely surprised by how quickly it froze, especially given the temperature outside (around 33 C). However, it’s quite easy to over-freeze depending on the texture setting you choose. We went for the middle option, but this ended up being a little too firm for a drink. Next we made a lemon sorbet from the recipe book, which was honestly incredible – the perfect balance of sweet, sharp and creamy. The machine has minimum and maximum fill lines – you’ll notice some unusual noises as the mixture freezes because there isn’t quite enough liquid in the chamber, so always add a bit more. When it comes to cleaning, add water and a drop of washing up liquid, run the clean cycle and use the extrude function. A brilliant pick for anyone who enjoys hosting or trying new recipes, the generous capacity combined with a variety of settings and ability to keep desserts cold for hours make it a really fun addition to the kitchen.Capacity: 1.8L Weight: 11kg Dimensions: D43.8cm x W22.2cm x H44.1cm Minimum churn time: 15 minutes Pre-freezing required: No Included accessories: Double insulated mixing bowl Lakeland ice cream maker Mollie Davies/The Standard ★★★★☆Best: Budget ice cream makerWhat we love: Affordable, great taste, and easy to use and cleanTake note: Can be hard to keep cold, and pre-freezing is required Despite its compact size, Lakeland’s budget ice cream maker still manages to make 1.5L of ice cream. It’s also among the easiest to use, with a simple design that doesn’t overcomplicate things – ideal for your first time making ice cream at home, or as a thoughtful gift.The bowl clicks away from the lid and can be used to store your finished ice cream (one less piece to wash, too). The open hatch is also a great feature, making it easy to add mix-ins during the process. The process is a delicate balance: don’t make the same mistake we did and stir in chocolate when the mixture was still too warm – disaster. Similarly, most recipes require egg yolks and heating the milk and cream mixture, so it can be fiddly when trying not to scramble the eggs and waiting for things to cool down. The bowl does need to be pre-frozen for 8-12 hours, and on a particularly hot day we found it struggled to stay cold enough throughout the cycle.The finished results, however, were lovely. Lakeland’s smooth and creamy ice cream easily rivalled expensive models, including Ninja and Russell Hobbs. Capacity: 1.5L Weight: 2.2kg Dimensions: 20cm diameter x 22.2cm height Minimum churn time: 25 minutes Pre-freezing required: Yes – 8-12 hours Included accessories: Lid, feed hole, spindle, paddle, 1.5L freezer bowl Ninja creami scoop & swirlMollie Davies/The Standard ★★★★☆Best: Swirl ice cream makerWhat we love: Great soft serve, delicious ice cream, perfect for individual portions, and great for kidsTake note: Can be hard to get used to, requires pre-freeze, bulkyI’ve had my Ninja swirl for over a year now. The real selling point continues to be the soft serve function, which is far more precise than others I’ve tried – it really does replicate a delicious 99 from an ice cream van. There are six programmes to choose from, including classic ice cream, frozen yoghurt and gelato, making it easy to tailor recipes to different diets and preferences (you can even choose a high-protein option).Sticking to Ninja’s recipes is important, as the soft serve needs the right ingredients to hold its shape. Once I got it right, the ice cream was deliciously smooth, creamy and much closer to a proper gelato than a standard homemade ice cream. Keep your hand firm on the lever, as portions are generous. Kids will love getting their hands messy and making their own individual portions with four tubs included.The machine is around double the width of the creami (£169, Sharkninja.com), so it’s not one for small kitchen countertops. That said, it’s definitely among the brand’s most stylish designs. The main body is pre-assembled and just a few parts to click into place, while the only preparation needed is similar to the creami – the tubs needing to be filled and frozen for 24 hours before use. It’s a bit annoying, but a familiar setup. Capacity: 480ml (4 x tubs) Weight: 9.45kg Dimensions: H: 44.5cm x W: 38.5cm x D: 25.5cm Minimum churn time: 5-10 mins Pre-freezing required: Yes – 24 hours Included accessories: 4 x 480ml swirl tubs with nozzles and lids, dispensing lid with swirl press, outer bowl and lid, creamerizer paddle, pull-out drip tray, recipe inspiration guide Russell Hobbs chilluxe ice cream makerMollie Davies/The Standard★★★★☆Best: Sleek ice cream makerWhat we love: Modern, lovely-looking design that looks great on the worktop, creamy ice cream consistency, and versatile settingsTake note: Bowl requires freezing for around 24 hours before use, makes small batchesA stylish and compact ice cream maker that delivers incredibly smooth, creamy results with minimal effort; we were instantly drawn to Russell Hobbs’ minimalist design. It wouldn’t look out of place on any kitchen worktop, unlike many bulkier appliances. The machine is not quite as spontaneous as other models we tried (see the CASO and Magimix), as it requires a bowl to be pre-frozen for 24 hours before use. However, it’s a great affordable choice for those looking to make several different flavours in smaller batches. The fun mix-in function disperses chocolate chips or bits of fruit evenly at the right time, while the versatile machine can also create everything from ice cream to sorbet and milkshakes. The milkshake setting was actually what stole my heart. It’s really handy to have one machine that does several things, especially if you’re in a flat or have a small kitchen space.Capacity: 500ml (2 x tubs) Weight: 8.3 kg Dimensions: H:38.5 x W:17.2 x D:30.7cm Minimum churn time: 4 minutes Pre-freezing required: Yes – 24 hours Included accessories: 2 × 500ml lidded tubs Magimix gelato expertMollie Davies/The Standard ★★★★☆Best: Authentic gelato ice cream makerWhat we love: Very quick, incredible-tasting gelato, and easy to cleanTake note: Expensive and heavyOwing to the price, I didn’t want to love Magimix’s gelato expert as much as I did. However, I don’t think I’ve tasted as authentic, creamy-tasting gelato since I was in Rome a few years ago.While a hefty bit of kit, it’s still rather compact and neat compared to professional-grade gelato makers. We chose to make a cookies-and-cream blend with a vanilla base, adding Oreos when the batch was nearly finished. I really enjoyed not having to pre-freeze any bowls or heat ingredients. Instead, you add everything into the stainless steel bowl, which comes out like a real ice cream shop pail when finished. That same pail is really easily washed, ready to store away when you’re done, or pop it in the freezer for later.Watching the frozen texture slowly building up on the rim is almost hypnotic. When I hosted guests over for dinner, I was impressed how quiet and faff-free the machine was, meaning I could crack on with cooking. Truly, the only downsides are the price and how heavy it is to move around.Capacity: 1L ice cream and 1.3L sorbet and granita Weight: 10.9kg Dimensions: 260 x 290 x 370mm Minimum churn time: Automatic cycles offer 20 to 60 minute run time depending on ingredients Pre-freezing required: No Included accessories: 2 bowls, 2 paddles, 35ml measuring cup, spatula CASO design icecreamer 5-in-1 ice cream makerMollie Davies/The Standard ★★★★☆Best: Family-size ice cream makerWhat we love: Great-tasting ice cream, easy to use, and quickTake note: The machine isn’t the sleekest; if you want to keep it on your worktop, it would be more ideal not to heat milkFor the price point, this is an impressive, if bulky, machine. Granted, it’s not the nicest-looking appliance – I probably wouldn’t leave it out on the worktop – but it’s incredibly easy and more straightforward to use than others in the price bracket. You don’t need to prepare and freeze everything overnight, as the machine does all the work for you (except for heating milk as some recipes require).There are four automatic programmes for making ice cream or yoghurt, and it can create delicious ice cream in as little as half an hour (although a full batch takes just over an hour), with milkshakes and sorbets taking less time. Ingredients can be added through a hatch, the container is removable for easy storage, and the parts are removable for cleaning. The ice cream quality is amazing – super creamy, smooth, and absolutely delicious. Chocolate chip is as good as any you’d buy in a parlour. The most seamless and cost-effective way to enjoy gelateria-style ice cream at home, it can also make yoghurt in less than eight hours – which is handy for those wanting to minimise their purchases of processed foods. Capacity: 2L Weight: 11.8kg Dimensions: 43cm x 28cm x 28.5cm Minimum churn time: 1 hour Pre-freezing required: No Included accessories: Removable ice cream container, measuring cup, ice cream scoop KitchenAid ice cream makerMollie Davies/The Standard ★★★★☆Best: Stylish kitchen additionWhat we love: Fits in well with existing kitchen appliances, neat design, makes delicious ice creamTake note: Needs pre-freezing and the bowl is quite large; you need a KitchenAid to be able to use itAs someone who loves baking, my dream KitchenAid mixer is genuinely one of the best investments I’ve made. Though an initial cost, extra attachments – from pasta makers to bread-making accessories – streamline my cupboard clutter. The ice cream attachment is designed in the same classic KitchenAid look – stylish, timeless and designed to sit beautifully alongside the rest of the range.You don’t need to pre-freeze your ingredients, but the bowl itself needs to go in the freezer for around 16 hours before use. An oversight by the brand is that the bowl is quite large and won’t fit into every freezer drawer or shelf. Nevertheless, the results are fantastic. A recipe book is included – I tried the strawberry and Champagne sorbet recipe, which was honestly delicious. The KitchenAid mixer does a brilliant job of churning the mixture quickly, creating smaller ice crystals and giving the sorbet and ice cream that smooth, creamy texture you’d expect from a premium machine. It scrapes the frozen sides of the bowl while adding air to create a thick, luxurious taste.If you already own a KitchenAid and have enough freezer space, this is a brilliant addition that looks great and makes excellent ice cream. If you don’t have one already, it’s a bigger investment to justify, especially when you need to plan before every use.Capacity: 1.9 L Weight: 2.7kg Dimensions: 17.8 cm H x 27.9 cm W x 21.6 cm Minimum churn time: 30 minutes Pre-freezing required: Yes – 16 hours Included accessories: Bowl and paddle What are the best ice makers? The best ice cream maker comes down to budget and personal preference. If you’re looking for luxurious, parlour-style gelato, invest in the Magimix gelato expert, while Lakeland’s ice cream maker is a fantastic budget buy, creating even more ice cream for around 10 per cent of the price of the Magimix – you’ll just need to be a bit more prepared. A great middle ground is the GreenPan machine, which makes far more than just ice cream, and is a host’s dream.Why trust meMollie has spent the best part of a decade testing everything from gel nail kits and denim to online flower services and mattresses. Since moving into her own home last year, she’s really loved getting stuck into testing out more kitchen appliances, and with a big family nearby, testing out the best ice cream machines has been a breeze. She makes it her mission to bring you products that are genuinely worth your money, eking out the most important details, and comparing the pros and cons.