Soft serve or sorbet? These ice cream makers are worth the hype

Best for: Health-conscious people after a dual soft serve & ice cream maker

There’s no need to compromise on creamy texture and taste with the Ninja Swirl by CREAMi. With 13 soft serve and scooped ice cream functions, including a ‘mix-in’ function for your favourite toppings, the CREAMi gives you the flexibility to churn ice cream, whip up a batch of gelato, or even make milkshakes and frozen yoghurt.

How does it work? You prepare and freeze your base mixture in the provided pint container for 24 hours. Then, use the ice cream maker to process and dispense your frozen creation.

If you’re craving low-fat soft serve, the soft serve ice cream maker uses special ‘Creamify’ technology for a smooth, swirlable texture with less guilt. Plus, the machine is a breeze to use and clean up after, with its removable, dishwasher-safe tubs, paddles, and drip tray.

There are plenty of recipes on Ninja’s website we’d be eager to try. From classic chocolate soft serve (which can easily be made dairy-free) to enjoy with the family, or a mango sorbet to enjoy on a hot summer’s day, Ninja Swirl has your cravings covered.

Modes:

• 6 soft serve programs: Soft serve, fruit whip, lite ice cream, frozen yoghurt, frozen custard, CreamiFit (high-protein, low-sugar and low-fat bases)
• 6 scoop programs: Ice cream, gelato, milkshake, lite ice cream, sorbet, frozen yoghurt
• Mix-in function: Add your favourite toppings, including chocolate, nuts and lollies

Capacity: 2 x 475ml pints

Dishwasher safe components: Yes 

Key features:

• Free shipping
• Two-year warranty

Available at:

• $599.99 at Ninja
• $521.53 at Amazon

Best for: Large families wanting variety in an ice cream & frozen drink maker

From creamy milkshakes and frozen yoghurt to alcoholic slushies, GreenPan Frost is a hard-working ice cream maker. Its six modes allow you to make everything from creamy milkshakes and cola slushies to fruity sorbets, while its seven texture settings mean you can have your ice cream just the way you like it – smooth and creamy, or thick and icy.

Making frozen treats in less than 30 minutes, you don’t need to pre-freeze your ingredients, as the ice cream maker’s built-in compressor chills your mixtures on demand.

For ease of use, the ice cream maker’s counter-friendly design includes a clear-view bowl, fountain-style dispensing handle and double-insulated housing to keep your dessert cool while minimising condensation. Cleanup is easy too – there’s even an extrude/clean mode that cleans the machine’s internal parts with soapy water.

Modes:

• Slushie
• Soft ice cream
• Spiked slushi
• Sorbet
• Milkshake
• Extrude/ Clean

Capacity: 1.9 litres

Dishwasher safe components: Yes

Key features:

• Free shipping
• Two-year warranty

Best for: Ice cream lovers who don’t want to wait

Want ice cream quickly? The Breville Smart Scoop ice cream maker features a pre-cool function to reduce the time it takes to make your dessert.

Unlike other machines, which require pre-freezing overnight, the Smart Scoop takes around 50 minutes to churn and chill your frozen dessert. However, this depends on how cool the ingredients are and the type of dessert you’re making, so for recipes like crème anglaise that require heating ingredients, cool them for at least four hours prior.

The ice cream maker takes the guesswork from the process by automatically sensing when your dessert has reached the perfect temperature. Its built-in ‘keep cool’ mode keeps your treats frozen for up to three hours after mixing.

Modes:

• Automatic: Sorbet, frozen yoghurt, gelato or ice cream
• Manual
• Add mix-ins

Capacity: 1 litre

Key features:

• Free shipping
• Two-year repair warranty

Available at:

• $626.67 at Mighty Ape
• $699.95 at Breville

Best for: Iced coffee and slushie lovers wanting an ice cream maker to keep cool all summer

Making ice cream is easy with the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe. Fill your tub (three are provided) with your desired ingredients, freeze for at least 24 hours, then use one of the 11 ice cream maker’s functions to create your dessert of choice and mix in your favourite toppings.

If you’re making low-sugar, keto, dairy-free or vegan treats, use the Lite mode for a smooth texture – something traditional ice cream makers struggle with when fat or sugar content is low.

The best part about this ice cream maker? As well as the ability to make classics like ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and frozen yoghurt, it also makes slushies and a ‘Creamiccino’ – your home-made answer to Starbucks’ Frappuccino or iced coffee. There’s even an ‘Italian Ice’ setting for creating the fruity, dairy-free treats — this blueberry lemonade Italian ice recipe looks perfect for summer entertaining.

Luckily for busy households, clean up is simple. All parts (except the motor base) are dishwasher safe.

Although the Ninja CREAMi’s functions are mighty, its compact design easily fits on your kitchen bench, so it’s perfect for apartments and small kitchens.

This happy ice-cream lover gave the Ninja CREAMi a five-star review:

“I have wanted to get an ice cream maker for a while now so when I saw Ninja had this one, I had to try it and I’m so happy that I did! This thing is amazing and so easy to use, the waiting 24 hours for it to freeze is a little annoying when you’re impatient like me but i can live with that! The Ninja Creami is so easy to use and the recipes in the book are simple too. I’m so excited to continue using this machine and experimenting with different recipes!”

Capacity: 3 x 700ml tubs

Modes:

• Ice cream
• Lite ice cream
• Sorbet
• Gelato
• Milkshake
• Slushi
• Creamiccino
• Frozen yoghurt
• Frozen drinks
• Italian ice
• Mix-ins

Dishwasher safe components: Yes 

Key features:

• Free shipping
• Two-year warranty

Available at:

• $599.99 at Ninja
• $371.86 at Amazon

Best for: Families wanting to get creative

Fill your tub, freeze it for 24 hours, mix it in the Tefal Dolci Rise, and taste. It’s as simple as that to make ice cream for the whole family, with a hefty output of 1.4 litres.

With ten modes, six scoopable desserts and four drinkable options, the ice cream machine does it all. What sets it apart is its 1-Step Perfector technology, which removes the need for respinning and refreezing.

Use the dedicated blend-in mode to add your favourite toppings to your desserts. Cleaning is simple too, with an auto-rinse program.

The cherry on top? Currently, the cream maker comes with three bonus Nesquik tins (strawberry, chocolate and banana) for inspiring your creations – think chocolate banana splits, strawberry shortcake shakes, and more.

Modes:

• Scoopable desserts: Ice cream, sorbet, gelato, creamy frozen yoghurt
• Frozen drinks: Milk shakes, light ice cream, frappés, slushies, cocktails

Key features:

• Free shipping

Capacity: 1.4 litres

Best for: Dessert lovers seeking a user-friendly ice cream machine

For a smart, compact ice cream maker designed for simplicity, speed and fun, you can’t go past the Cuisinart Cool Scoops. With a 1.4-litre, double-insulated freezer bowl, it’s a solid choice for small households and summertime entertaining.

When in use, the clear lid lets you monitor the process, and the wide ingredient chute means you can toss in your mix-ins mid-cycle without stopping. Cuisinart has plenty of delicious recipes to try, from custard gelato to dairy-free vanilla ice cream.

What sets this appliance apart is its ease. With just an On/Off dial and no complicated settings, it’s ideal for those who prefer something simple. Compact and light, Cool Scoops stores easily and delivers creamy treats in about 20 minutes.

Capacity: 1.5 litres

Key features:

• Three-year warranty

Best for: Budget-conscious ice cream lovers

Bright, compact and full of nostalgic charm, this little ice cream maker is a playful, entry-level appliance ideal for small batches or kids’ sweet experiments. With a 500 ml capacity (though the bowl shouldn’t be filled more than 200ml for best results), it’s perfect for quick treats and trying out new flavours.

At just 1.1kgs, the compact design is small enough to tuck away when not in use or take to a friend’s house for ice cream adventures. The unit will churn ice cream or sorbet in less than 25 minutes, too, with just a simple on/off button. Though this model won’t rival specialist machines in power and sophistication, it’s great for spontaneous, small-batch ice cream without breaking the bank.

Capacity: 200ml

Key features:

• 12-month warranty