Ice cream makers

Invent your own flavour combos using one of the coolest ice cream makers around – here are our top picks

Fastest ice cream

maker

Vonshef stainless steel ice cream maker

Star rating: 4/5 Discreet and simply designed, this model churns ice cream in just 20 minutes, making it the fastest model we tested. It only has an on/oŠ switch, so it’s easy to use, too. Our ice cream had a soft-serve texture, and was nicely whipped and creamy. Sorbet came out very soft, so we recommend popping it in the freezer straightaway to irm it up a bit more – ours was delicious after further freezing. Available from

Vonhaus (£44.99)

Best for a range of settings

Sage the Smart Scoop

Star rating: 4.5/5

If you’re after a precision ice cream maker, this model hits the mark. With settings for sorbet, frozen yogurt, gelato and ice cream, plus 12 hardness settings, you can ine-tune the results or freestyle with the manual setting. Every dessert we made came out brilliantly; they were smooth and slow-melting. With so many settings to play with, this is a great option for those who like to experiment with recipes.

Available from Amazon (£339.78), John Lewis & Partners (£339.78) or Currys (£369)

Best high-tech ice cream

maker

Ninja Creami ice cream and frozen dessert maker

Star rating: 4.5/5 This ice cream maker is unlike any other. Rather than churning and freezing the mixture, the ice cream base needs to be frozen irst. Its blades then ‘shave’ and churn the mix into smooth, creamy ice cream. Simply load the frozen bowl into the Ninja and go. This model produces single pints of ice cream and has presets for gelato, smoothies, sorbets and milkshakes. Available from Amazon (£199) or Ninja Kitchen (£199.99)

Best self-freeze ice cream

maker

Cuisinart ice cream and gelato professional

Star rating: 5/5 This is a high-quality and serious-looking ice cream maker. It comes with two paddles for ice cream and gelato. It doesn’t have as many settings as some of the models we tested, but it makes consistently delicious, ice cream parlour-quality desserts. It’s not small, but no self-freezing model is. Ice cream, sorbet and gelato take about 40 minutes to churn, but it’s quality worth waiting for. Available from Amazon (£299), AO (£299) or John

Lewis & Partners (£299.99)

Best budget ice cream

maker

Lakeland digital ice cream maker

Star rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to clever and imaginative design, the whole bottom half of this ice cream maker goes in the freezer. Not only does it save space, but it also means there are fewer parts to ind – or lose! During testing, the ice cream and sorbet were both light and smooth, and churned in 25 and 30 minutes, respectively. The controls are simple and easy to use, though the screen may be a little small for some. Available from Lakeland

(£44.99)