# Best Ice Cream Maker 2026: The Compressor Is the Weight Source: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker Published: 2026-09-11 | Updated: 2026-09-11 | Prices checked on Amazon UK on 2026-09-11 There are two kinds of ice cream maker here and the difference between them is weight. A freezer-bowl machine costs £28.89, makes 1.5 litres in about 30 minutes and weighs 2.4kg — but the inner bowl has to spend the night in your freezer first. A compressor machine costs £231.39, makes 1.5 litres in 40 minutes and weighs 10.2kg, because a compressor and its refrigerant are inside it. The machines in between tell the same story: 7kg for the cheapest compressor at £119.99, 11.8kg for the 2-litre CASO. Paying eight times more does not buy more ice cream; it buys the ability to start when you decide to, and the price of that is ten kilos of cupboard space. What the listings call capacity means three different things. A bowl of 1.5 or 2 litres is a batch — four to six servings. The Cuisinart FreezeWand quotes 240ml because it works in pots, giving you three different desserts at once and a third of the capacity for £69.99. The Freeze Ease offers 950ml with a compressor for £119.99, which works out at £126 a litre of output against £99 for the 2-litre CASO. And the Ninja CREAMi at £179.99 does not churn at all: you fill a tub, freeze it for 24 hours and process it in minutes, which is a different routine that its 1,156 reviewers rate at 4.4 stars. The evidence is where this ranking gets uncomfortable. The best-rated machine is the Cuisinart ICE100 at 4.6 stars from 1,545 ratings, which needs no pre-freezing and costs £231.39 — but the worst record belongs to the most expensive machine of all: the £250.79 Buffalo has 45 ratings and 24 per cent of them one-star, one buyer in four. At the other end, the £24.99 Lakeland Mini has 18 per cent one-star from 286 ratings, and the £89.99 Cuisinart Deluxe leads the category at 4.3 stars with a five-year guarantee no rival offers. Between them the pattern is clear: above £200 you are buying the compressor, and it does not come with a better machine attached. ## The ranking ### 1. Duronic Ice Cream Maker IM540, 1.5L Freeze-Bowl Machine - Price: £28.89 | Amazon rating: 4.2 from 2,135 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/duronic-im540 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IZGNYWC?tag=ranked10-21 The most-reviewed budget machine here — 2,135 ratings — at £28.89 for 1.5 litres, with a bowl you freeze overnight. The most-reviewed ice cream maker in this ranking that anyone would call affordable: 2,135 ratings at 4.2 stars with 59 per cent five-star and 8 per cent one-star, for £28.89. It makes 1.5 litres of ice cream, gelato, sorbet or frozen yoghurt in about 30 minutes, weighs 2.4kg and measures just 17 x 17 x 24cm — small enough to live in a cupboard. The specification that decides the purchase is not on the box: this is a freeze-bowl machine, so the inner bowl has to spend the night in the freezer before you can churn anything. The listing mentions a detachable freezer bowl and a built-in timer, and the reviews describe the routine — keep the bowl in the freezer so it is always ready. A compressor machine costing eight times as much does the same job without that step and weighs four times as much. What £28.89 buys is the whole category's value proposition: 1.5 litres of ice cream for the price of two tubs of the good stuff, from a machine with more reviews than any rival here. The 8 per cent of one-star ratings are about consistency on warm days, which is what a freezer bowl does as it starts to thaw — the honest limit of a cheap machine. Pros: 2,135 ratings at 4.2 stars: the deepest affordable sample here; £28.89, a tenth of the compressor machines; 1.5 litres in about 30 minutes; 2.4kg and 17 x 17 x 24cm: cupboard-sized; An anti-slip base, a timer and a see-through lid Cons: The bowl must be pre-frozen overnight; 8 per cent of its 2,135 ratings are one-star; Consistency drops as the bowl thaws; Not a compressor: you cannot make ice cream on impulse ### 2. Cuisinart Deluxe Ice Cream Maker ICE30BCU, 2L with 5 Year Guarantee - Price: £89.99 | Amazon rating: 4.3 from 1,352 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/cuisinart-deluxe-2l - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001D650FA?tag=ranked10-21 First in Amazon's ice cream maker category: 2 litres, a five-year guarantee and 1,352 ratings — with a bowl you freeze overnight. The first machine in Amazon's ice cream maker category, with 1,352 ratings at 4.3 stars, 66 per cent five-star and 6 per cent one-star, for £89.99. It makes 2 litres — the largest freeze-bowl capacity here — in about 25 minutes, weighs 4.7kg and comes with a recipe book. Two numbers set it apart. The first is the five-year guarantee, which no other domestic machine in this ranking offers: a compressor machine can cost £231 and the cheapest here £28.89, and neither comes with five years of cover. The second is 2 litres, the point where home ice cream becomes worth the effort — four tubs' worth in a batch rather than a dessert for two. The technique is the same as every freeze-bowl machine: the bowl lives in the freezer and takes hours to freeze solid, so the reviews advise keeping it there permanently, with one buyer noting two extra hours in the freezer before churning. That is the price of not spending £230 on a compressor, and with a five-year guarantee and a 25-minute churn it is the best compromise in this ranking. Pros: 2 litres: the largest freeze-bowl capacity in this ranking; A five-year guarantee: the only one offered here; Ready in about 25 minutes, with a recipe book; Ranked 1st in Amazon's ice cream maker category; 1,352 ratings at 4.3 stars, 66 per cent five-star Cons: The bowl must be pre-frozen, ideally kept in the freezer; 6 per cent of its 1,352 ratings are one-star; 4.7kg, so it needs a shelf rather than a cupboard; £61 more than the best-value machine here ### 3. Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Maker NC300UK, 1.4L - Price: £29.99 | Amazon rating: 4.2 from 2,135 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/ninja-creami - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H6QMX9DD?tag=ranked10-21 Second in the category: seven programs and a process-in-minutes routine that starts with 24 hours in the freezer. Second in Amazon's ice cream maker category with 4.4 stars from 1,156 ratings, for £179.99. It is a different kind of machine from the rest: you fill one of the two tubs with a base, freeze it for 24 hours, then process it in minutes into ice cream, gelato, sorbet, milkshake or a smoothie bowl, choosing one of seven programs. That routine — fill, freeze, process — is what the 1.4-litre capacity actually means, and it is why the reviews read differently from the paddle machines: people describe preparing protein ice cream and frozen yoghurt bases in advance, a tub at a time, rather than churning 2 litres for a dinner party. The tubs are the capacity, and having two means one can be freezing while the other is eaten. At £179.99 it costs twice the Cuisinart Deluxe and six times the cheapest machine here, and what it buys is texture and convenience rather than volume: the processing step turns a solid block into a scoopable result, which no paddle machine does. The one-year warranty is the shortest among the domestic machines, which at this price is worth noting. Pros: 1,156 ratings at 4.4 stars, second in its category; Seven programs: ice cream, gelato, sorbet, milkshake and more; Two 1.4-litre tubs, so one can freeze while the other is used; Turns a solid frozen base into a scoopable dessert in minutes; Popular for protein ice cream and frozen yoghurt bases Cons: Every base needs 24 hours in the freezer; A one-year warranty, the shortest among the domestic machines; 6.4kg and 40.5cm tall: it needs counter space; £179.99 against £89.99 for a 2-litre churning machine ### 4. Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker ICE100BCU, No Need to Pre-Freeze - Price: £231.39 | Amazon rating: 4.6 from 1,545 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/cuisinart-gelato-ice100 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ARETWDK?tag=ranked10-21 The best-rated machine in the ranking at 4.6 stars — and the one that needs no pre-freezing, at 10.2kg. The best-rated machine here: 4.6 stars from 1,545 ratings with 80 per cent five-star and 4 per cent one-star, for £231.39. It makes 1.5 litres of ice cream, gelato, sorbet or frozen yoghurt in about 40 minutes and — the sentence that justifies the price — no need to pre-freeze the bowl. That is what a built-in compressor buys, and you can see it in the weight: 10.2kg against 2.4kg for the cheapest machine here, because a compressor and its refrigerant fill the difference. Every freeze-bowl machine in this ranking asks you to plan a day ahead; this one starts when you decide to make ice cream. Two specialist paddles are included, one for ice cream and one for gelato and sorbet, which is the sort of detail that separates a machine designed for both from one with a single paddle. The reviews are unusually content: easy to use and clean, no pre-freezing, and the scope of what it can do. At £231.39 it is the second-dearest domestic machine here, and the compromise it offers — the best rating, the best evidence and no planning — is the one most people eventually pay for. Pros: 4.6 stars from 1,545 ratings: the best rating here; 80 per cent five-star and only 4 per cent one-star; No pre-freezing: the bowl is refrigerated by a compressor; Two paddles, one for ice cream and one for gelato and sorbet; 1.5 litres in about 40 minutes, whenever you want it Cons: £231.39: the second-dearest machine in this ranking; 10.2kg, four times the weight of a freezer-bowl machine; 4 per cent of its 1,545 ratings are one-star; A 40-minute churn against 25 for the Cuisinart Deluxe ### 5. Lakeland Digital Ice Cream Maker 1.8L with Digital Display - Price: £44.99 | Amazon rating: 4.2 from 227 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/lakeland-digital-1-8l - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B1V3JJZP?tag=ranked10-21 A 1.8-litre digital machine for £44.99 — between the budget machines and the £90 Cuisinart, with a 40-minute churn. A 1.8-litre digital machine for £44.99 with 4.2 stars from 227 ratings, 65 per cent five-star and 8 per cent one-star. It makes ice cream, sorbet and frozen yoghurt, weighs 3.62kg and measures 21 x 21 x 23.5cm, with a transparent lid, an anti-slip base and a digital display. Its position is the awkward middle of this ranking. It costs £16 more than the Duronic, which makes 1.5 litres with 2,135 ratings, and £45 less than the Cuisinart Deluxe, which makes 2 litres with a five-year guarantee. What it adds is the digital display and 0.3 litres of capacity; what it gives up is speed — 40 minutes against 25 to 30 for the machines on either side of it. It is still a freeze-bowl machine, so the bowl goes in the freezer before use. The reviews are thin but positive — every aspect worked as described — with one buyer who had not used it yet, which is the honest state of a product with a few hundred reviews. Buy it if digital controls matter to you; otherwise the Duronic at £16 less is the better-reasoned purchase. Pros: 1.8 litres: more capacity than the machines below it; A digital display and a see-through lid; 3.62kg, lighter than the compressor machines by half; 227 ratings at 4.2 stars, 65 per cent five-star; Reviewers report it working exactly as described Cons: 40 minutes to churn: slower than the £29 machine; The bowl still needs pre-freezing; 8 per cent of its 227 ratings are one-star; £16 more than a machine with ten times the reviews ### 6. CASO Design IceCreamer 5-in-1 with Built-in Compressor, 2L - Price: £197.99 | Amazon rating: 4.5 from 214 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/caso-icecreamer-5in1 - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QKFFG2X?tag=ranked10-21 A 2-litre machine with a built-in compressor and no pre-freezing for £197.99 — the cheapest per litre among the compressor machines. The cheapest way into a compressor machine by capacity: 2 litres for £197.99, which is £99 a litre against £154 for the best-rated Cuisinart above it. It carries 4.5 stars from 214 ratings with 77 per cent five-star and 5 per cent one-star, and it makes ice cream, yoghurt, sorbet and more in under 60 minutes thanks to a 180-watt built-in compressor that removes the need to pre-freeze the bowl. Two figures frame the trade. The first is the weight: 11.8kg, the heaviest machine in this ranking, because a compressor and refrigerant have to live somewhere. The second is the time: under 60 minutes, against 40 for the Cuisinart and 25 for a freezer-bowl machine — the practical cost of a compressor at this price. It also carries a two-year warranty, twice the Ninja's one year. What the reviews describe is the freedom of the format: adding cream, yoghurt and a flavour by eye rather than following a recipe, and the 5-in-1 functions covering yoghurt alongside frozen desserts. At £197.99 with 2 litres and no planning required, it is the value pick among machines that do not need your freezer. Pros: The cheapest compressor machine here per litre: £99 a litre; No pre-freezing: a 180W compressor is built in; 2 litres in under 60 minutes; A two-year warranty, twice the Ninja's; Reviewers like improvising by eye rather than following recipes Cons: 11.8kg: the heaviest machine in this ranking; Up to 60 minutes to churn; 5 per cent of its 214 ratings are one-star; £197.99 buys half a litre less than the £90 Cuisinart Deluxe ### 7. Freeze Ease Ice Cream Maker with Self-Freezing Bowl, 950ml - Price: £119.99 | Amazon rating: 4.1 from 76 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/freeze-ease - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F63PKXLW?tag=ranked10-21 The cheapest compressor machine in the ranking at £119.99 — 950ml with no pre-freezing, and the highest one-star rate of the small machines. The cheapest compressor machine here: £119.99 for a self-freezing bowl with no pre-freezing required, ice cream in 40 minutes, a transparent lid with a mix-in opening and a 7kg body. It carries 4.1 stars from 76 ratings with 63 per cent five-star and 13 per cent one-star — the highest complaint rate among the machines with a compressor. The arithmetic of that price is interesting. It costs £80 less than the CASO with 2 litres and £111 less than the Cuisinart, and it makes 950ml against their 1.5 and 2 litres. Per litre of capacity it is therefore dearer than either: £126 a litre against £99 for the CASO. What it buys is a compressor in a small, cheap package — the only machine here that removes the pre-freezing step for under £150. Its specification contains one quirk worth noting: the brand is listed as Cuisinart, while the model is sold as Freeze Ease. The reviews are positive about the format — easy to use, delicious results, and one buyer chilling the container first to be safe. Buy it if counter space and price matter more than capacity. Pros: The cheapest compressor machine here at £119.99; No pre-freezing: the bowl refrigerates itself; Ice cream in about 40 minutes; A transparent lid with a mix-in opening; 7kg, lighter than the other compressor machines Cons: 13 per cent of its 76 ratings are one-star; 950ml is the smallest capacity of the compressor machines; £126 per litre of capacity: the dearest here by that measure; The listing files the brand as Cuisinart ### 8. Cuisinart FreezeWand Ice Cream Maker with 3 x 240ml Dessert Pots - Price: £69.99 | Amazon rating: 3.9 from 127 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/cuisinart-freezewand - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F94LC1BR?tag=ranked10-21 A machine whose capacity is given in millilitres: 240ml pots rather than litres in a bowl, with five presets. A machine that measures its capacity in millilitres rather than litres, and that is the whole story: it comes with three 240ml dessert pots, so 720ml in total against the 1.5 and 2-litre bowls of everything else here. It costs £69.99 with 3.9 stars from 127 ratings, 55 per cent five-star and 12 per cent one-star, weighs 1.95kg and has five presets covering ice cream, sorbet, milkshake, slushie and mix-ins. The 240ml figure is a serving size, not a batch size, and the listing leans into it: three flavours at once is the pitch, one pot at a time for three people who want different desserts. That is a genuinely different product from a churning machine — it is closer to a frozen-drink maker that also freezes a base — and it is why the price sits between the budget churners and the compressor machines while the capacity is a third of theirs. The reviews describe exactly that use: lemon sorbet and a cola slushie the day after it arrived, and one buyer who says that for the price point it cannot really be beaten. Buy it for single servings and frozen drinks; buy the Duronic at £29 less if you want 1.5 litres of one flavour. Pros: Three 240ml pots, so three different desserts at once; Five presets: ice cream, sorbet, milkshake, slushie, mix-ins; 1.95kg: the lightest machine in this ranking; Suits single servings and frozen drinks; Reviewers make sorbet and slushies within a day of arrival Cons: 240ml per pot: a serving rather than a batch; 12 per cent of its 127 ratings are one-star; 3.9 stars: the second-lowest average here; £69.99 for 720ml against £28.89 for 1.5 litres ### 9. Lakeland Mini Digital Ice Cream Maker, 0.5L - Price: £24.99 | Amazon rating: 3.7 from 286 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/lakeland-mini-0-5l - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B467D5VD?tag=ranked10-21 The smallest and cheapest machine here at 500ml — and the worst-rated with a real sample, at 18 per cent one-star. The smallest machine in this ranking and the cheapest at £24.99: a 500ml bowl in a 14.5 x 7.3 x 17cm body weighing 1.24kg, making ice cream in about 25 minutes. It carries 3.7 stars from 286 ratings with 49 per cent five-star and 18 per cent one-star — the lowest average and the highest complaint rate of any machine here with a meaningful number of reviews. Half a litre is the specification that defines it, and one review describes exactly who it suits: as I live on my own this little ice cream maker is ideal, it just makes enough for two or three. That is the honest case for it. Half a litre is two generous servings — a dessert rather than a stock of ice cream — and at 7.3cm wide the bowl fits in a freezer drawer, so pre-freezing costs no shelf space. Why it is ninth is the record: 18 per cent of 286 buyers rated it one star, which for a machine this simple suggests the consistency of the result rather than the build. The five-star reviews are about size and convenience, not about the ice cream. Buy it for a small batch in a small kitchen; the Duronic costs £4 more, makes three times as much and has eight times the reviews. Pros: £24.99: the cheapest machine in this ranking; 500ml is two generous servings, per its reviewers; A 7.3cm-wide bowl that fits in a freezer drawer; 1.24kg and 14.5 x 7.3 x 17cm: the smallest here; About 25 minutes to churn Cons: 18 per cent of its 286 ratings are one-star; 3.7 stars: the lowest average of the machines with a sample; 500ml makes a dessert, not a stock of ice cream; The bowl still needs pre-freezing ### 10. Buffalo Commercial Upright Ice Cream Maker 2L, Stainless Steel CM289 - Price: £250.79 | Amazon rating: 3.8 from 45 ratings - Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/kitchen/best-ice-cream-maker/buffalo-commercial-2l - Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XCM54BK?tag=ranked10-21 The most expensive machine in the ranking — and one in four of its 45 ratings is one-star, the worst record here. The most expensive machine in this ranking at £250.79, and the one with the worst record: 3.8 stars from 45 ratings with 24 per cent one-star, which is one in four buyers — and a quarter of any review count is not a rounding error. It is a commercial machine: stainless steel, 12kg, 2 litres in as little as 30 minutes, with a built-in freezer so no pre-freezing is needed, and it ranks 34th in Amazon's ice cream maker category — where a catering product sits in a domestic category. On specification it should be the best machine here: the fastest churn, the largest capacity of any compressor model and the most robust construction. The evidence is 45 ratings, and a quarter of them are complaints. The positive reviews are warm: it feels like it is built to last, and one buyer's husband uses it while the grandchildren enjoy the results. For a small business or a very serious home user it may be exactly right — a stainless machine with a commercial motor is a different proposition from a plastic one. But at £250, with 45 reviews and one in four negative, it is the least proven product in this ranking. Pros: 2 litres in as little as 30 minutes: the fastest churn here; A built-in freezer, so no pre-freezing; Stainless steel construction, 12kg; A commercial machine for a small business use; The largest capacity of any compressor machine here Cons: 24 per cent of its 45 ratings are one-star: one in four; 45 ratings is the thinnest sample in this ranking; £250.79: the most expensive product here; 12kg of stainless steel needs a permanent space ## Verdict What we would buy. The Duronic IM540 at £28.89 is the value machine: 1.5 litres, 2,135 ratings and a bowl you keep in the freezer. If you want a guarantee and a bigger batch, the Cuisinart Deluxe at £89.99 makes 2 litres and carries five years of cover — the only multi-year guarantee in this ranking. When you cannot plan a day ahead, the Cuisinart ICE100 at £231.39 is the best-rated compressor machine at 4.6 stars, and the CASO at £197.99 gives 2 litres of the same freedom for £99 a litre. For single servings and frozen drinks, the FreezeWand at £69.99 makes three pots at once. And for a small kitchen, the £24.99 Lakeland Mini makes two servings from a bowl that fits in a drawer. What the listings will not tell you. A freezer-bowl machine needs the bowl frozen solid, which means overnight — keep it in the freezer permanently so you can churn on impulse. A compressor machine removes that step and adds 8 to 12kg of counter weight, so measure the shelf before ordering. Litres describe the bowl, not the servings: allow about 250ml per person. Churn time is the other cost of a cheap compressor: 25 minutes for a freezer bowl, 40 for the best-rated compressor, up to 60 for the CASO. And do not assume price buys reliability — the two worst records here, 18 and 24 per cent one-star, belong to a £25 machine and a £250 one. Everything on this page comes from the Amazon listings, collected on 11 September 2026.