7 ice cream makers you need for quick, frozen treats, featuring Ninja, Sage, Cuisinart and more

The warmer weather calls for ice cream, and what better way to indulge your sweet tooth than with an ice cream maker.

Homemade ice cream used to be a bit of a faff. From making your mixture from scratch and freezing overnight to the slow churning the next day,

Nowadays, you can get models which whizz up ice cream in as little as three minutes, and some don’t even require you to pre-freezer your mixture beforehand. Essentially, today’s ice cream makers are quicker, easier to use and offer a variety of frozen dessert options, including sorbet, milkshakes, soft serve and even slushies.

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Below, I’ve rounded up the seven best ice cream makers you can buy today, including options from Ninja, Sage, Cuisinart and more.

1. Ninja Creami

Best ice cream maker overall

Since its release in 2021, the Ninja Creami has completely revolutionised the ice cream maker scene. While it does still require making and pre-freezing your mixture, the Ninja Creami takes as little as three minutes to whizz up your frozen creations, which is far speedier than other options on the market today.

The Ninja Creami can make ice cream, light ice cream, gelato, sorbet, milkshake, smoothie bowl and mix-ins. Its controls are easy to use, and it comes with three tubs so you can make and store multiple batches. Since launch, Ninja has expanded its line-up with a deluxe version and soft serve model called the Ninja Swirl – but you can’t beat the original. Read my full Ninja Creami review for more details.

2. Cuisinart Frost Fusion

Best soft serve ice cream maker

The Cuisinart Frost Fusion is a strong contender for best ice cream maker but soft serve is where it really shines. As a 6-in-1 ‘frozen treat’ machine, it makes soft serve, ice cream, sorbet, slushies, frappes and frozen cocktails, and it doesn’t require you to pre-freeze any mixtures.

While it has a fairly clunky design, the Cuisinart Frost Fusion has a dispenser handle at the front which really gives it that authentic ‘Mr Whippy’ feel. It makes ice cream in as little as 25 minutes, and keeps everything cool for up to two hours for ice cream and 12 hours for frozen drinks. In my opinion, it's tough to beat which is why I rated it highly in my Cuisinart Frost Fusion review.

3. Russell Hobbs Chilluxe Ice Cream Maker

Best budget ice cream maker

For those on a tight budget, the Russell Hobbs Chilluxe Ice Cream Maker is an affordable, attractive option. Using pre-frozen ingredients, this model makes ice cream, light ice cream, sorbet, gelato, frozen yoghurt, milkshakes and mix-ins, and it has a compact, stylish design.

A handy feature of the Russell Hobbs Chilluxe Ice Cream Maker is its re-spin function. If you don’t love the texture of your ice cream or gelato, you can re-spin it for a smoother finish. At just £159.99, it’s one of the cheapest options on this list. It’s important to keep in mind it’s our budget pick for those who want the newer, speedier method of ice cream making.

4. Sage The Smart Scoop

Best luxury ice cream maker

On the higher end of the spectrum, the Sage The Smart Scoop is a premium, luxury option which costs £369.95. It has a traditional ice cream maker design but has been enhanced with smart features, including automatic hardness settings which senses the firmness of your mixture based on your selection.

Sage’s The Smart Scoop can be used manually or automatically, with four programmes and 12 hardness levels, including ice cream, gelato, sorbet, frozen yoghurt and more. In brushed stainless steel, it looks the part and has surprisingly simple controls, considering the price.

5. GreenPan Frost Soft Serve & Frozen Drinks Maker

Best large ice cream maker

If it’s volume you’re after, the GreenPan Frost Soft Serve & Frozen Drinks Maker has a large 1.87-litre mixing bowl to make huge vats of ice cream. It has a built-in cooling compressor that keeps ingredients cold for hours without pre-freezing mixtures, containers or bowls.

With six modes and seven texture settings to choose from, the GreenPan Frost Soft Serve & Frozen Drinks Maker can make pretty much any frozen dessert you want. It has simple controls and screen, and quirky features like a cone holder on the side.

6. ProCook Professional Ice Cream Maker

Best small ice cream maker

On the opposite end, the ProCook Professional Ice Cream Maker might not look like it from a glance, but it’s a small model that has a 1.2-litre capacity. It looks similar to the Sage The Smart Scoop so if you liked that design but didn’t want to pay too much, this ProCook model is a good choice.

Another model that doesn’t require pre-freezing, the ProCook Professional Ice Cream Maker can make ice cream and sorbet in as little as 60 minutes. It has a smart control panel with timers, but it’s been kept relatively simple so it’s almost impossible to go wrong with it.

7. Magimix LeGlacier Ice Cream Maker

Best traditional ice cream maker

If you prefer traditional ice cream makers, the Magimix LeGlacier Ice Cream Maker is a great choice, and at under £60, it’s the most budget-friendly option on this list. It has a stainless steel bowl and 1.1-litre capacity that can make ice cream and sorbets in under 30 minutes.

With the Magimix LeGlacier Ice Cream Maker, you will need to pre-freeze the bowl for up to 10 hours. It has a large feed tube which is best for chunky ingredients that you want to mix into your ice cream, and it comes with a recipe book to get you started.