There are two main types of ice cream maker – compressor (self-freezing) and freezer bowl (freeze-first). We've also tested a food processor that makes ice cream.

We recommend ice cream makers with a CHOICE Expert Rating of at least 80%.

The CHOICE Expert Rating, our overall score, is made up of performance (60%) and ease of use (40%).

We combine ingredients to assess the ice cream maker's ability to produce a vegan, non-dairy version of "ice cream" to the desired consistency.

We assess the ice cream maker's ability to process a water-based frozen dessert.

We assess the ice cream maker's ability to churn and freeze vanilla ice cream to the correct consistency.

The performance score is made up of three tests – vanilla ice cream, lemon sorbet and vegan frozen yoghurt – all weighted equally.

We assess how easy each ice cream maker is to assemble and disassemble, as well as how easy it is to add ingredients and remove a load. We also look at ease of using the controls and how easy the units are to clean inside and out.

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. N/A means there is no rating for that company.

The manufacturer's stated warranty.

This is the manufacturer's recommended retail price.

This is the manufacturer's claimed weight of the product.

This is the recommended time you should pre-freeze the bowl before starting to make the dessert.

We measure how noisy each ice cream maker is during processing. Readings over 70dB are considered noisy while readings over 80dB are considered very noisy.

Our kitchen experts measure the dimensions of each product in centimetres.

This is helpful when adding ingredients such as nuts during churning.

This allows you to select the softness or hardness of the texture of your dessert.

This setting starts the chilling process before the mixture is added.

Non-slip feet help to keep the unit stable on the bench during processing.

The ice cream maker will churn and freeze in a set time and may have preset functions.

This setting allows you to keep the ice cream chilling without churning (although it's good practice to get the ice cream in a container and freezer as soon as possible).

This allows you to start and stop the dessert making process, but doing this is not recommended for some models. This may be necessary and useful for some models if adding ingredients such as nuts and fruits.

You manually set the time for churning.