7 ice cream machines including Ninja - as well as high and low budget alternatives
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Summer has arrived and you might be craving a nice, cool, bowl of ice cream. If you are sick of having to rush out to the nearest store to pick up a bucket, you may be tempted to try making your own at home.
But whether you have zero experience making ice cream, or have tried your hand at it before, it can be tough to decide where to start when looking for the perfect machine for the job. No matter your budget, there is plenty to choose from on Amazon.
To help you whittle down your longlist, we have pulled together a list of 7 different ice cream machines - ranging from low to high budget - that can be picked up from the online retail giant now. And to top it off, what customers have had to say about them after making the purchase.
Ninja CREAMi Deluxe Ice Cream Maker
The ever popular Ninja has a fantastic frozen dessert machine so you can make all your favourite sweet treats at home this summer. And Amazon currently has an incredible 20% discount which has seen the price slashed to £199 from £249.99 - a saving of £50.
Ninja’s ice cream machine has ten functions including the ability to make all of the following: Ice Cream, Sorbet, Light Ice Cream, Gelato, Milkshake, Mix-In, Frappe, Frozen Drink, Slushi & Frozen Yoghurt. And it will let you make 2 in 1 flavours, so you never have to pick and choose.
The company promises the machine can: “Create ice cream & drinks, your way. Recreate coffee house or dessert parlour favourites, experiment with flavours or create keto, low-sugar, or vegan treats.”
Amazon customer Zoe raved about the Ninja machine, writing: “Super easy machine to use. Arrived promptly. It is noisy but it’s only a short period but the ice cream comes up perfectly. The machine is excellent quality and I think it’s great value for money!”
But what are the alternatives to Ninja?
Low budget
Lakeland mini ice cream maker
Lakeland has a really good budget option for those who want to test out making ice cream at home, without jumping in the deep end with a full blown machine. This mini maker is £19.99 and can be picked up from Amazon right now.
The machine makes ice cream in as little as 25 minutes. It comes with a small bowl that tucks neatly into your freezer.
Beyond just making ice cream, it is also great for sorbet and frozen yoghurt too. It has a clear, easy-view lid and non-slip base.
In a review on Amazon’s website, shopper Emily wrote: “Even for a 'removable base' ice cream maker this is still good value. It's easy to assemble, use, and clean, and it takes up very little space in the freezer in between uses.”
Andrew James Ice Cream Maker Machine
At just a little bit more than Lakeland’s mini machine, you can get this ice cream maker from Andrew James for £34.99 on Amazon. It is actually available at a 5% discount right now, a saving of a couple of quid from the usual price of £36.99.
With the machine you can make delicious ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and frozen yoghurt in your very own kitchen. At the touch of a button you can enjoy delectable stress free homemade ice cream in just 20 minutes!
When you buy an Andrew James Ice Cream Maker you will also receive 3 recipes to get you started on your frozen goodness adventure! With just 4 removable components the set-up process could not be any simpler.
Shop with confidence. Your Andrew James Ice Cream Machine is covered by a 2-year manufacturer's warranty.
Amazon shopper Chris writes: “My ice-cream maker arrived last week, so I've only had time to make two recipes (Dark chocolate sorbet and Salted caramel ice cream), but both have been absolutely outstanding! Smooth, creamy, and a fraction of the price of buying shop-bought equivalents despite being far superior.”
Medium budget
Cuisinart Ice Cream Deluxe
For those who want a proper ice cream machine, but don’t want to fork out the big bucks can grab this option from Cuisinart for £79.99 on Amazon right now. It is currently 20% off from its original price of £100 - a saving of over £20.
Makes 2L of delicious, homemade ice cream, frozen yoghurt or sorbet in as little as 25 minutes. Easy to use: Simply pre-freeze the bowl overnight, add ingredients and switch on.
Add extra toppings through the lid during churning such as nuts, chocolate chips, fruit pieces and sauces for a ripple effect Removable bowl/lid and paddle for easy cleaning.
It comes with a five year guarantee. Cuisinart also promises “unbeatable taste and flavour, made with fresh ingredients”.
One customer on Amazon wrote: “Super simple to use and makes a really nice soft serve consistency which you can freeze harder. Most ice creams at the supermarket don’t use real whole milk and cream any more so it’s great to make your own!
“Many people putting bad reviews have clearly not used it right - measure your freezer space and temp before buying, cool the bowl and mix as much as possible, follow a proper recipe and don’t try to make diet ice cream, and you’ll get perfect results in 20 minutes. The motor isn’t really that loud but it is quite an annoying grindy noise.”
EUHOMY Ice Cream Maker Machine
A slightly pricier option than the Cuisinart machine, this ice cream maker is available for £99.55 from Amazon. The price has been slashed by 17% from the usual price tag of £199.99.
This ice cream maker has a built-in 100W self-cooling compressor, no need to pre-freeze, and can make delicious ice cream within 30-60 minutes. It is so perfect for DIY enthusiasts, allowing you to create a variety of ice cream flavours such as classic ice cream, gelato, refreshing sorbet, decadent semifreddo and more.
It features single mixing, single refrigeration and ice cream in three modes to meet your multi-flavor desserts needs that range from sweet to savoury and healthy to indulgent. To maintain the frozen state and freshness, the sorbet machine will automatically remain cool for 1 hour.
The machine comes with a handle, paddle, measuring cup, scraper, ice cream scoop, recipe book, manual. And there is a one year warranty to protect your purchase.
One Amazon shopper wrote: “After having read the instructions, which I think could have been better as I’m completely new to making ice cream, I used my favourite search engine to get lots of recipe ideas. I made a great batch of low fat ice cream using skimmed milk, yoghurt and sweetener. Very impressed with it. The ingredients have to be mixed/whisked prior to going in the ice cream maker.”
Highest budget
Cuisinart Ice Cream and Gelato Maker
For the more dedicated home ice cream makers, Cuisinart has a more high budget offering, to complement the medium price option above. The higher end Cuisinart machine is available on Amazon for £248.95, with a 17% saving cutting the price by over £50 from the usual £300 price tag.
With the machine you can make 1.5L of delicious, homemade ice cream, gelato, frozen yoghurt or sorbet in as little as 40 minutes. The professional compressor system means no need to pre-freeze the bowl and no need to wait between batches.
It has two mixing paddles, one for ice cream and one for gelato to give your recipe the right amount of air for perfect texture. Cuisinart says it is easy to use, simply add ingredients and switch on.
Users can add extra toppings through the lid during churning such as nuts, chocolate chips, fruit pieces and sauces for a ripple effect. And like the mid-budget option it comes with a 5 year guarantee.
Klarstein Sweet Sundae - Ice Cream Machine
If you have a serious ice cream addiction, looking to start a side hustle, or very deep pockets, you can grab the Klarstein Sweet Sundae machine for £303.99. It can be purchased from Amazon here.
With the Klarstein Sweet Sundae ice cream machine, you can create delicious, homemade ice cream specialties in no time at all. Here, ice cream lovers young and old will find something they love.
Within 40 minutes, the selected ingredients solidify into delicious, creamy ice cream. This ensures perfect cooling on hot days - and you always know that only the best ingredients will find their way into your ice cream.
The icing on the cake with the Klarstein Sweet Sundae is the dispensing system and the automatic cleaning system. As with a soft ice cream machine, the ice cream can be portioned directly into the cup or cone by pressing a lever - you’ll feel like you are getting a treat at the seaside without leaving the comfort of your home.
One shopper on Amazon wrote: “I love this machine. I wanted a way to hit that nostalgic soft-serve craving at home and the Klarstein does it perfectly. It makes real soft-serve ice cream like you've had from the Mr. Whippy van. I've had it now for about a month, during which I've made up a batch of ice cream more-or-less every other day.”
Have you ever made ice cream at home? How did it go and would you recommend it to others? Let us know in the comments below.