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Ice cream makers come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have a common goal: to churn ice cream. There are three main types of ice cream makers: manual, electric and compressor. But, which type of ice cream maker is best for you? That depends on your needs and budget.
Manual ice cream makers are the cheapest option, but they require more work on your part. Electric ice cream makers are more expensive, but they're easier to use and tend to produce better results. Compressor ice cream makers are the most expensive option but are also the most reliable and produce the best-quality ice cream.
To help you find the right ice cream maker, our team has evaluated models from brands like Ninja, Hamilton Beach, Breville and many more. We picked products based on key features such as value for money, ease of use, size, and cleanability.
Earning A rating of 4.55 out of 5 stars on Amazon and Myer, Breville's The Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker has cemented its position as a top-tier option. This highly-rated machine offers functionality and convenience, providing 12 hardness settings to cater to diverse taste preferences.
An exceptional feature is its Pre Cool function, eliminating the need to refrigerate your mix beforehand. The machine takes care of cooling before the churning commences. For those who desire more control over their ice cream's consistency, a manual setting allows you to dictate the churning duration, ranging from 3 minutes to 3 hours.
Post-churning, the self-refrigerating compressor maintains your mixture at the preferred hardness for up to 3 hours, courtesy of its Keep Cool function. Despite its many features and user-friendly interface, The Smart Scoop has drawbacks.
Its bulky design might not be ideal for individuals with limited counter space, and the price tag is noticeably steeper than its competition. However, if you're inclined towards quality and don't mind investing a bit more, Breville's The Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker is undeniably a top contender in the market.
Today's Breville The Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker deals
We picked the Ice Cream Maker With Compressor for the best Cuisinart option. It has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Myer.
The fully automatic device utilises a commercial-grade compressor, so you won't need to pre-chill or freeze bowls. It comes with two distinct paddles - one for authentic gelato and another for creamy ice cream, giving you the flexibility to create your favourite frozen treats.
There is also a 1.5L capacity, a 60-minute countdown timer with touchpad controls and an LCD readout for your convenience. An added feature is the 10-minute Keep Cool function that activates after the timer has run out, ensuring your ice cream stays perfect even if you're not ready to serve it immediately.
Despite these merits, it's worth noting that the machine could be somewhat noisy during operation, and the price may be on the higher side for some.
Today's Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker With Compressor deals
The Davis & Waddell Electric Ice Cream Maker is our choice for the best budget-friendly option. It has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Its compact size and one-switch operation make it a breeze to use, and the rubber non-slip feet ensure your appliance stays put during the churning process. Its ability to produce 1.5L of soft-serve ice cream is quite an accomplishment for such an affordable unit. Plus, the clear lid with a convenient mix-in hole adds to its user-friendly design.
However, it's worth noting that the bowl requires at least 8 hours in the freezer to achieve the desired consistency, which can be a timing challenge for some users. A few customers have also mentioned that the machine's operation can be somewhat noisy.
Today's Davis & Waddell electric ice cream maker deals
We recommend the Cuisinart Ice Cream Deluxe for the best mid-range ice cream maker, boasting an Amazon rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
This machine promises to transform your kitchen into a gourmet creamery, with the ability to churn out up to 2L of homemade ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet in as little as 25 minutes.
It's also pretty user-friendly. You just need to pre-freeze the bowl overnight, add your ingredients, and switch it on. You can also toss in extra toppings like nuts, chocolate chips, or fruit pieces directly through the lid during the churning process for a delightful ripple effect. This model also prioritises convenient cleaning with its removable bowl, lid, and paddle.
Do note that it doesn't have an automatic shut-off feature, meaning you'll need to watch it closely to prevent over-churning. Additionally, the overall taste and flavour of your frozen treats will highly depend on the quality of your ingredients. But if done right, the results are unbeatable.
The Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker garners a 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon and Appliances Online, making it our top pick for the best premium ice cream maker.
This machine cleverly senses the hardness of the mixture based on your selected setting and maintains an optimal temperature for up to three hours. With 12 automatic settings tailored for various frozen delights, from sorbet and frozen yogurt to gelato and ice cream, you're afforded the convenience and flexibility in crafting your delicious dessert.
The Pre-Cool and Mix-in features accommodate optimal operating temperatures and personal customisations of mix-ins like chocolate chips or fruit. The Keep Cool functionality also ensures your frozen dessert stays chilled and churned for up to three hours.
However, while highly functional, this machine leans towards the bulky side — a consideration for those with limited kitchen space. Moreover, the product warranty is limited to just one year.
Today's Breville The Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker deals
The Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Maker seamlessly combines functionality, ingenuity, and user-friendly operation, securing its place as the best choice for gelato-making. This device has been awarded a stellar rating of 4.75 out of 5 stars on Amazon and Bing Lee.
The CREAMi goes beyond gelato, offering versatility with its five one-touch programs, including Ice Cream, Sorbet, Milkshake, Lite Ice Cream, and Mix-in. Furthermore, its Creamify technology sets it apart, easily transforming frozen ingredients into a creamy treat in mere minutes. For those who like a personal touch, this ice cream maker allows for creative mix-ins, from fruits to nuts and chocolate, tailoring each dessert to individual preferences.
One potential downside to the CREAMi is its size. Despite its compact design intended for easy countertop fitting, users with smaller kitchens may find it occupies significant space. Moreover, while it's designed with easy-to-use functionality to include all ages, younger users might require adult supervision to safely navigate the device and its programs.
Today's Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker With Compressor deals
We also picked the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker With Compressor for the best option with a built-in freezer. It has a high rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Myer.
With a built-in freezer and a double-insulated freezer bowl that holds up to 1.5 litres, this device makes the ice cream-making process convenient and quick. The easy-lock lid and advanced mixing paddle further add to the seamless operation of this unit. The fully automatic nature of this ice cream maker, complemented by a commercial-quality compressor, sets it apart from the competition.
Plus, it features two paddles to create both authentic gelato and creamy ice cream, and its touchpad controls and blue LCD readout enable easy operation. A 60-minute countdown timer adds to its functionality.
Some customers said the machine can get pretty loud, which may be a bit of a downside. Additionally, it may seem pricey compared to other models in the market. However, given its impressive features and positive reviews, this Cuisinart ice cream maker is worth considering if you want to make fresh and natural frozen treats at home.
Today's Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker With Compressor deals
For making soft serve ice cream, we recommend the Cuisinart Soft Serve, which has earned a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Myer.
This device churns out tasty soft-serve treats in less than 20 minutes. All you need to do is pre-chill the 1.5-litre ice cream freezer bowl overnight, prepare a soft serve mixture with four ingredients, and let the machine take over. The device has three condiment dispensers for adding favourite toppings like sprinkles, cookie crumbs, or chocolate chips to frozen desserts.
Plus, it has a pull-down handle that dispenses the soft serve directly into cones or cups, making it easy and mess-free. Moreover, the built-in cone holder conveniently holds waffles or sugar cones ready to be filled with delicious soft serve.
However, do note that the need for pre-chilling might be seen as a drawback for some. Moreover, it can make up to 8-10 soft serves per batch, soit might not cater to larger gatherings.
We picked the KitchenAid Ice Cream Bowl Attachment for the best mixer attachment choice. It has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Appliances Online.
This attachment is a fantastic accessory for your mixer, letting you whip up creamy, homemade frozen treats in under 30 minutes. It is designed to connect easily with all KitchenAid tilt-head stand mixers. The 1.9L bowl capacity also provides plenty of room for making your favourite ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets.
There's also a mixing dasher that ensures thorough ingredient incorporation, providing even freezing for a delightful consistency every time. A bonus is that the bowl is straightforward to clean, requiring just warm, soapy water.
However, this attachment comes with some cons. Firstly, the prep time for your desserts is excluded from the 30-minute estimation, which might extend the overall time. While this product is user-friendly, users must ensure they have an appropriate KitchenAid Stand Mixer, as the attachment is not universally compatible with all mixers.
Amazon prices last updated on 4 December, 2023 at 06:02 ameBay prices last updated on 4 December, 2023 at 08:18 am
Methodology
16 Brands considered
68 Products compared
9 Best products chosen
Why you can trust our picks
All efforts have been made to ensure we picked the best products for this list. Our team evaluated numerous ice cream makers in various online retailers like Amazon, eBay, Myer and The Good Guys. We examined ice cream makers from the following brands:
Advwin
Breville
Cuisnart
Cuisinart
DASH
Davis & Waddell
Devanti
Domaier
Hamilton Beach
Kenwood
KitchenAid
Magimix
Ninja
Sensio
Smeg
TODO
We narrowed down our choices based on customer ratings and reviews (as of November 2023). We also considered each model's key product features, ease of use, value for money, size and construction. For the best cheap category, we picked products under $200, while we chose products $600 and up for the best premium option. We came up with what we believe are the best 9 ice cream makers available online.
We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias. However, Finder may receive compensation when you click some links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners and why you can trust our guides.
How to compare ice cream makers
Make sure you compare a range of options before deciding which is the best ice cream maker for your needs. Here are the key factors you'll need to consider when shopping around for the right appliance.
Settings and features
Most budget ice cream makers have simple controls and limited features. High-end models offer more features, including the following:
Automatic and manual modes
Built-in timers
Settings for ice cream, gelato, sorbet and more
The ability to add in extra ingredients – choc chips, anyone?
Auto-off function
Recipe booklets
Size and capacity
Consider how much ice cream you'll likely need to create in a single batch. Most home ice cream makers have a capacity of 1–2 litres.
If there's limited space in your kitchen, remember to check the dimensions of the ice cream maker so you'll have enough room for it in your cupboards or on the bench. And if you go for a frozen bowl machine, check whether you'll be able to fit the bowl in your freezer.
Preparation time
Check how long it will take for the machine to make a batch of ice cream. Many machines will take between 20 and 40 minutes as a general guide. However, keep in mind that frozen bowl ice cream makers usually require you to place the bowl in the freezer at least 8 hours in advance.
Price
Frozen bowl ice cream makers are the cheapest option, with many machines priced in the $70–$200 range. Compressor ice cream makers are more expensive, commonly between $300 and $500.
Reviews
Want to know how a manufacturer's ambitious claims stand up in the real world? Check out some independent reviews from previous buyers to determine whether they'd recommend their ice cream maker to others.
Ease of use
The best ice cream maker will be simple to set up and use. Look for easy-to-understand controls, a user-friendly interface and features like digital displays.
Ease of cleaning
How easy is it to pull apart the machine and clean it? Are there dishwasher-safe removable parts, or will they need to be washed by hand?
Appearance
If you're storing the ice cream maker on your bench-top, you may want to consider a colour or material that matches your other appliances and decor.
Warranty
Finally, check whether there's a manufacturer's warranty, what it covers and how long it lasts.
What should I know about ice cream makers?
In this guide, we're dealing with electric ice cream makers. While you can still buy those old-school manual ice cream makers you may have had in your kitchen cupboard while growing up, electric models take care of the hard work of churning for you.
They also allow you to prepare ice cream just the way you like it – for cheaper than the cost of buying in-store. However, before you buy one, you'll need to work out whether the upfront cost, the preparation time and the cleaning involved with an ice cream maker make it a better choice than just buying a tub of the good stuff from the freezer aisle of your local supermarket.
What are my main options?
You have 2 main choices when shopping around for an ice cream maker:
Frozen bowl ice cream makers. These models come with an insulated ice cream bowl that you're typically required to place in the freezer at least 8 (or as much as 24) hours before use. They're easy to use and more affordable than compressor ice cream makers, but you'll need to be prepared well in advance if you're planning on making ice cream – this is also a major drawback if you need to make multiple batches.
Compressor ice cream makers. These advanced models feature built-in freezers that cool your ingredients while they're being combined, making it quicker and easier to produce a batch of ice cream. They can also keep your ice cream at ready-to-serve temperature for hours, which can be very handy when you're entertaining guests. Compressor models eliminate the need for any pre-freezing and advance planning, but you'll need to fork out more cash upfront to own one of these machines. They also take up more space in your kitchen cupboards.
3 things to consider
There are a few other factors worth considering before you buy an ice cream maker:
Do you really need an ice cream maker? Are your kitchen cupboards filled with other appliances that seemed like must-haves at the time but now do nothing more than take up space? If so, take some time to consider whether you'll use an ice cream maker often enough to justify its purchase price and the space it'll take up in your kitchen.
Noise levels. Ice cream makers don't exactly have a reputation as whisper-quiet appliances. Noise levels may not be a major concern for some buyers, but a loud machine can be a real hassle if you're trying to whip up a batch of ice cream while the kids are watching a movie. Check what other buyers have to say about a machine's noise levels before you hand over any money.
Kitchen mixer. Finally, don't forget that some kitchen mixers also come with an ice cream making attachment. Maybe you also want the convenience of a machine that can help with several other food preparation tasks. In that case, you may be better buying a kitchen mixer instead of 2 separate appliances. Check out our kitchen mixer buying guide for more information.
When looking for an ice cream maker, consider capacity - will you serve a small group or many? Machines come in various sizes, so choose accordingly. Additionally, think about the freezing method - built-in freezer or pre-freeze bowl. For convenience, a machine with a built-in freezer might be better.
You should also consider ease of use and clean up - some machines are simple to operate and clean, with removable dishwasher-safe parts. Lastly, consider budget - higher-end models offer more features, but affordable options can still produce great results.
The cost of a good ice machine can vary depending on the type and size of the machine, as well as any additional features it may offer. Generally, you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $300 for an ice cream maker. Higher-end models with more advanced features and larger capacity tend to be more expensive.
The size of the ice cream maker you should get depends on your needs. If you plan on serving a small group or yourself, a smaller capacity machine (around 1-2 litres) will suffice. Consider a machine with a larger capacity for larger gatherings or if you want to make multiple flavours at once (3-4 litres).
We picked Breville's The Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker as the best option you can buy online.
Yonanas was named the best-rated ice cream maker brand at the 2020 Finder Retail Awards.
Ice cream makers work by freezing a mixture of milk, cream, sugar and flavourings. The mixture is then churned to create a smooth, creamy ice cream.
Adding hot ingredients to your ice cream maker will cook the eggs and dairy inside and create a lumpy, unpleasant mess. So save the hot recipes for another day and stick with the classics!
Unless your machine has a built-in compressor or freezer, it won't freeze the mixture for you.
Best rated ice cream maker brand award breakdown
Total Score
Overall rating
Value for Money
Ease of cleaning
Ease of use
Performance
Yonanas
8.07
4.46
4.04
4.33
4.29
4.46
KitchenAid
8.01
4.38
4.34
4.36
4.26
4.42
Ambiano (Aldi)
7.99
4.35
4.45
4.3
4.25
4.35
Breville
7.94
4.3
4.24
4.26
4.4
4.24
Sunbeam
7.69
4.22
4.02
4.24
4.2
4.18
Cuisinart
7.64
4.22
4.14
4.16
4.22
4.24
Apuro
7.63
4.1
4.07
4.28
4.21
4.14
Other
7.28
3.67
4.33
4
4.33
4
Data: Finder Retail Brand Survey, 2020, Kantar. Metric out of 5 stars unless indicated. Methodology and more info.
Ericka Pingol is a writer for Finder specialising in best guides. Using tested methodology, Ericka has been helping Australians choose the right product across hundreds of categories since 2020. Ericka has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of the East, Manila. As well as being passionate about helping people save money when shopping for their latest purchases, Ericka has a background in writing about property investment, personal finance and health. When not writing best guides, you can find her lost in the pages of a good book or experimenting with watercolour painting.
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