There are plenty of affordable ice cream makers hitting the shelves right now, including Aldi's Ambiano Ice Cream Machine for £69.99 and Lidl's Silvercrest version, the Premium Freezy, for the same price.
Though these ice cream machines are unbelievably cheap, as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I'd recommend spending a fraction more on an easier-to-store alternative that I've tested: Cuisinart's genius FreezeWand (£79.99 via Amazon).
As well as still being wallet-friendly, this is one of the best ice cream makers I've tested for a small kitchen and works like a charm for making sorbets, ice cream and a range of other frozen treats. Here's why I think it's the sweet-treat-buy to beat for most kitchens, including Aldi's budget Ninja Creami alternative.
SMALL KITCHEN FRIENDLY Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker
I was so impressed by this clever foldaway ice-cream maker when I tried it. It can fit so neatly into a drawer or cupboard, unlike stand-up alternatives.
The ice cream makers recently released by supermarkets with middle aisles we love to peruse are both modelled on Ninja's viral sensation and bestseller the Ninja Creami, which we reviewed way back in 2023. While the Ninja Creami's design has been a huge hit, it's an appliance that takes up a lot of space on a worktop. Even the most dedicated at-home ice cream enthusiast might struggle to give up the space it needs in a kitchen.
That's why I was so impressed by Cuisinart's FreezeWand design, which is perfect for compact spaces. It consists of a stick fitted with a blade that neatly fits into three 240ml pots to churn up your ice cream creation. These pots, which you use to pre-freeze your ingredients, also neatly stack together either in your freezer or in storage – another big benefit of this buy over bulkier alternatives.
When packed down, the FreezeWand measures up at just 30.5cm in height, which makes it supremely convenient for storing. Compare that to the Ninja Creami and lookalikes, which each need around 40cm of worktop clearance at all times (even to store) and there's a clear winner for cosier kitchens.
The functionality on Cuisinart's alternative is impressive too. It can churn up ice cream (and work in mix-in extras like chocolate chips) and sorbet as well as offering settings to make milkshakes and slushies.
The limiting factor to the original Cuisinart wand is the smaller size of the pots to freeze ingredients in. For a family of four, say, a 240ml pot of ice cream definitely isn't going to cut it for an after dinner treat.
If you're interested in mixing up bigger portions of ice cream regularly, that's where the brand's bigger FreezeWand XL comes in (available from Amazon for £99.99). It has the same clever foldaway design but with a larger capacity. Each of its pots can hold 470ml which is extremely similar to the capacity of the Creami pots.
In all of my tests of the Cuisinart FreezeWand I was really impressed with the resulting ice cream and sorbet it created and found the mix-in element worked well too.
If you do have the space, perhaps thanks to a dreamy appliance garage, to host an upright ice-cream maker, then these are the ones I'd recommend. Top marks go to the Ninja Swirl, in particular, which is probably the most fun I've ever had reviewing an appliance.
SOFT SERVE MAKER Ninja Creami Scoop & Swirl
If you want the full Pizza Hut Ice Cream Factory experience, you need the Swirl. If you're less fussed about the fun of dispensing your homemade sweet treat into a cone, then the Creami Deluxe (which has slush settings) may be better.
NO NEED TO PRE-FREEZE Cuisinart Frost Fusion
This lesser-known buy from Cuisinart has six settings: soft serve, slushie, sorbet, frosé, frozen cocktail and frappe. If you don't want to choose between ice cream or slushies, this is a good in-between. Our reviewer Annie recently rewarded it 4.5 stars out of 5 when she tried it in her review.
This brand new release from Nutribullet flips the design of the Creami on its head – a triumph for those lacking space between their kitchen cupboards and worktop. It's in our test kitchen right now being put through its paces.
Which of these would fit best into your kitchen?
