Best Ice Cream Maker in India – Reviews & Buying Guide (2019)

After researching for more than 36 hours, comparing 15 ice cream machines, reading out all the user comments on the leading online shops, we think the Kitchenif Digital Ice Cream Maker is your best pick for making mouth watering ice cream at home. It’s not the cheapest option, but because it offers you best value for money and is easy to use, this ice cream maker is likely to be put at best use in your kitchen than cheaper or more costly machines.

Lets begin then..

Before we reveal our best ice cream maker price list or reviews, lets first look at who should buy, what are the benefits and what are the things to consider before buying an ice cream machine.

You’ll also know the answer to all questions that people frequently ask and easy tips for making ice cream at home.

If you’re in a hurry then you can watch this short video to find out the best ice cream makers and buying guide.

Who Should Buy One?

An ice cream maker is not one of those kitchen appliances that you may use quite frequently. It is not even considered an essential kitchen appliance.

Quite a few people argue that buying an ice cream maker is waste of money.

But if you are someone who loves ice cream and love experimenting with distinct flavours and ingredients, investing in one is advisable.

Benefits of Having an Ice Cream Maker at Home

Having an ice cream maker at home gives you many benefits.

Fresh & Healthy Home Made Ice Cream: Ice creams that we buy from market contain various preservatives and additives to increase their shelf life. Most often, these ice creams also contain very high level of sugar. Things like these make them unhealthy not only for people with medical conditions like Diabetes but for all.

If you have an ice cream maker at home, you won’t have to add any preservatives or chemical additives and you can also control what ingredients are used in what quantity as per your preference.

One Machine, Multiple Recipes: The deceptive name of the ice cream maker might give you an impression that it is meant for making ice creams only. But the good news is you can make a whole lot of delicious recipes like gelato, sorbet, slush and frozen yoghurt with the same machine without buying any extra attachments.

Experiment with Different Flavors: Ice cream maker is a must have for people who love experimenting with different flavours and ingredients.

With Ice Cream Maker you get complete freedom to try out whatever you may like.

Choose your Ingredients: Ice cream maker is also an ideal choice for people who are allergic to food ingredients like lactose, gluten, sugar or nuts. With Ice cream maker you can avoid these ingredients and still enjoy the great taste of ice cream.

You can add your favourite handpicked ingredients like seasonal fruits.

Always Available: Lot of people relish the taste of ice creams especially during winters but buying your favourite ice cream becomes quite difficult as all hawkers vanish and very few stores keep ice creams in winters.

Also, if some unexpected guests arrive, an ice cream machine at home will help you avoid an unnecessary trip to the local market.

Types of Ice Cream Makers

There are different types of Ice Cream Makers available in the market. The choice of type depends mainly on how often you would use it and what is your budget.

Generally, you’ll find three styles of ice cream machines:

1 – Ice-and-salt

This is how ice cream was traditionally made in old times. All you have to do is place a bowl or canister filled with ice cream base in a bucket of ice and salt. Then stir the mixture, either by hand or with a motor attached on the top of the bucket.

If you plan to make ice cream very rarely during summers and if you are not looking for smoothest textures possible, this type of machine might be a good option as these are the most affordable.

2 – Pre-frozen bowl

This type of ice cream maker consists of a double layered bowl or canister with liquid filled between the two layers.

This bowl has to be freezed for 8 to 24 hours. This freezed bowl is then put into a separate machine and ice cream base is added in this bowl. The machine consists of a electric motor that stirs the ice cream base.

These types of ice cream makers are affordable but you will need to make space for the bowl in your freezer. In most cases, you will need a double door or higher capacity refrigerator; single door refrigerator will not work because the required freezing Temperature for the Bowl is not there in a single door refrigerator.

Another limitation of these ice cream machines is the fact that you can’t make back-to-back batches because you need to pre-freeze the bowl, which means you’ll be able to make only 0.5 to 2 litres of ice cream at a time. However, this limitation can be easily overcome by buying an extra bowl (extra bowl for most ice cream makers are easily available online on amazon.in).

3 – Ice-cream Maker with Compressor

This is the easiest to use as it is a self-refrigerating ice cream maker machine which do not require you to pre-freeze the bowl.

Just turn on the switch and your ice cream is ready in minutes. These machines also come with automatic features and deliver the best quality ice cream.

Ice cream maker with compressor are quite expensive but are the best, if you have the budget and are looking for professional quality then you should certainly consider this type.

Things to Consider Before Buying an Ice Cream Maker

Once you have decided which type of ice cream maker machine you need, the second most important thing is to rely on the following buying considerations

• Check the capacity to make sure you get at least the required quantity in a single cycle.
• Ease of operation, should be easy to operate. If it requires many complicated steps then the ice maker will not be used often.
• Ease of cleaning, in addition to ease of operation, the ice maker should be easy to clean as you wouldn’t like wasting much time in cleaning after the ice cream is made.
• Look for ice maker with transparent top so you know when the ice cream is ready.
• Availability of extra pre-frozen bowl, if you plan to make ice cream in large quantity and if you do not want to wait for hours to make the next batch. This only applies if you are buying a pre-frozen bowl type ice cream maker.

Best Ice Cream Maker List

1. Kitchenif Digital Ice Cream, Sorbet, Slush & Frozen Yoghurt Maker Capacity 1.5 Litres

This is the best selling ice cream maker on Amazon.in and we are not surprised at all.

This is a pre-frozen bowl type ice cream machine.

Key Features:

• Digital Timer with Automatic Shut Off
• Transparent Lid With Timer Display
• Opening for Adding Ingredients
• 1.5 Litres capacity

Kitchenif Digital Ice Cream Maker features a built in Digital Timer that automatically stops the operation after preset time. This feature is quite useful as you do not have to worry about turning it off and you can complete some other work in the meantime.

Kitchenif Digital Ice Cream Maker looks elegant and is quite light and compact. The transparent top with digital timer display and two buttons give it a modern look.

The double insulated pre-frozen bowl comes with a large capacity of 1.5 litres which means that you can make ice cream, sorbet, slush or yoghurt for your complete family in one go.

You need to Freeze the Ice Cream Bowl of the Machine for 12-18 Hrs (depending on the freezer temperature). It is also important to note that you will need a double door or higher capacity refrigerator as a single door refrigerator can’t provide the required freezing temperature for the bowl.

Ingredient spout lets you add ingredients in the freezer bowl while the ice-cream machine is fully in operation.

You can also buy an extra ice cream freezer bowl from amazon.in, so you need not worry about waiting for 12 hours to make the next batch of ice cream.

Pros	Cons
Easy to use and clean	Requires pre-freezing the ice cream bowl
Value for money
Attractive Design
Digital Timer with Auto Shut Off
Transparent top & opening for adding ingredients

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2. Kitchenif Ice Cream, Sorbet, Slush & Frozen Yoghurt Maker Capacity 1.5 Litres

This Kitchenif Ice Cream maker is simply the other variant of Kitchenif Digital Ice Cream Maker with the main difference that this model does not feature the built-in digital timer and display.

Key Features:

• Transparent Lid
• Opening for Adding Ingredients
• 1.5 litres capacity

Kitchenif Ice Cream Maker gives you 1.5 litres of ice cream, sorbet, slush or frozen yoghurt in less than 30 minutes.

This lightweight ice cream machine features a nice and clean design. It is very easy to use and detachable parts make it very easy to clean as well.

The transparent top features a knob for turning the machine on or off and an ingredient spout for adding extra ingredients while the machine is mixing.

This Ice Cream Maker features the same 1.5 litres double insulated pre-frozen bowl.

In order to prepare the ice cream maker you need to first freeze the Ice Cream Bowl for 12-18 Hrs (depends on the freezer temperature). As stated in the first product above, always use a double door or higher capacity refrigerator.

This Ice cream maker uses the same ice cream bowl as the first product which is readily available on amazon.in.

Pros	Cons
Easy to use and clean	Requires pre-freezing the ice cream bowl
Attractive Price
Clean and Compact Design
Transparent top & opening for adding ingredients

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3. Libra Ice Cream, Sorbet, Slush & Frozen Yogurt Maker Capacity 1.5 Litres

Libra Ice Cream maker comes with almost same features as the second product in this list i.e. Kitchenif Ice Cream Maker. The only noticeable difference is the design and shape of the top lid.

Key Features:

• Transparent Lid
• Opening for Adding Ingredients
• 1.5 litres capacity

This one features an on/off button in place of the on/off knob. The transparent lid comes with an opening for adding ingredients or toppings during mixing.

The Ice cream bowl is also of the same size and specifications as the one used in Kitchenif ice cream maker.

The clean and compact design with detachable parts lets you clean it easily. 1.5 litres bowl gives you sufficient ice cream, sorbet, slush or frozen yoghurt for the complete family.

The ice cream bowl needs to be refrigerated for 12-18 hours prior to use.

A free recipe book comes along with this ice cream maker which has 30 mouth watering recipes and you can always experiment with different recipes and ingredients.

Pros	Cons
Easy to use and clean	Requires pre-freezing the ice cream bowl
Very Attractive Price
Clean and Compact Design
Transparent top & opening for adding ingredients

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4. Nostalgia Electrics 4-Quart Electric Ice Cream Machine

Nostalgia Electrics Ice Cream Maker uses a perfect mix of modern technology and traditional science to make delicious ice cream.

Key Features:

• No need to pre-freeze the ice cream bowl
• Easy to clean
• Makes ice cream fast

This ice maker from Nostalgia Electrics uses the traditional method of salt and ice along with an electric motor to churn the ice cream mix.

This ice cream maker machine consists of 3 main parts: 4- quart (appx. 4 litres) aluminium canister, easy to clean plastic bucket and electric motor that is mounted on top of the bucket.

The advantage of this ice cream maker machine over the 4 ice cream makers that we have discussed above is, it does not require any pre-freezing of the ice cream bowl.

This ice cream maker can make 4-quarts (appx. 4 litres) of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or gelato, quite quickly. All you have to do is, simply add your ingredients into the aluminium canister and place the canister in the middle of the bucket. Fill the gap between the canister and the bucket with appropriate proportions of ice and salt.

To avoid the formation of large ice crystals, pre-freeze the ice cream mix before transferring into the aluminium canister. Keep an eye on the ice cream mix being churned and stop the motor when the mix feels like soft serve. Your ice cream will be ready in around 20 minutes.

The ice cream made is in soft serve form, you can keep it in the freezer for a few hours to make it hard like the ice cream that you buy from the market.

This ice cream maker is very easy to clean. Canister, bucket and the plastic dasher can be easily cleaned like kitchen utensils.

However, ice cream making with this ice cream maker is a little messy as compared to the other ice makers in this list.

The ice cream maker comes with a detailed instruction manual with a list of recipes.

Pros	Cons
Easy to clean	Requires more manual effort
Large Capacity	Can’t add ingredients while the motor is in operation
Makes ice cream quickly
No need to pre-freeze the ice cream bowl

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5. Libra Ice Cream, Sorbet, Slush & Frozen Yogurt Maker Capacity 0.5 Litres

This Libra Ice Cream maker is ideal for very small family or couples.

Key Features:

• Transparent Lid
• Opening for Adding Ingredients
• Clean & compact design

The top lid is half transparent and half solid color with on/off button and dual opening for adding ingredients in the ice cream bowl.

This is a highly compact and lightweight ice cream maker.

0.5 litres capacity might not be sufficient for an average Indian family. You should definitely consider this limitation before deciding to buy this ice cream maker.

We couldn’t find a matching extra ice cream bowl for this model anywhere on amazon, so if you are planning to use it for a family or large gathering then you should definitely avoid this ice cream maker.

This ice cream machine from Libra also comes with a free recipe book which has 30 mouth watering ice cream recipes.

Pros	Cons
Easy to use and clean	Requires pre-freezing the ice cream bowl
Highly affordable Price	Insufficient capacity of 0.5 litres
Clean and Compact Design
Dual opening for adding ingredients

Best Ice Cream Maker with Compressor

Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker

This stylish and fully automatic gelato & ice cream maker from Cuisinart gives you 1.5 litres of delicious homemade ice cream, gelato, sorbet or frozen yoghurt in just 40 minutes.

Key Features:

• Built-in compressor, no need to pre-freeze the ice cream bowl
• Fully automatic and very easy to use – simply add ingredients and press to start
• Includes two professional, robust mixing paddles for ice cream and gelato, specially designed to give your recipe suitable consistency
• Keeps your ice cream or gelato frozen for up to 10 minutes after mixing.
• Opening in the top lid for adding extra ingredients or toppings during mixing.
• Removable paddles, lid and ice cream bowl for easy cleaning.

Gelato has lot less air in it, and is much more smooth and dense than an ice cream. Ice cream is more aerated and so this machine features two different paddles for perfect results for a great gelato or ice cream.

Cuisinart ice cream maker has a beautiful stainless steel finish and features a control panel with digital display at the top. It has a power button, a sixty minutes timer, and a start/stop button. Its removable bowl, paddles and lid make it very easy to clean.

This is a fully automatic ice cream maker and is very easy to use. All you have to do is simply add your ingredients set the timer and watch the machine make delicious desserts. You can also add additional ingredients, through the lid window, while the machine is at work.

The best part is this machine has got a compressor and the benefit of that is you can make ice cream and gelato anytime. You don’t have to pre-freeze the ice cream bowl in the freezer and you can also make batch after batch of ice cream and gelato.

Everything about this machine is simply amazing until you look at the price. This ice cream maker literally costs a fortune and is only meant for serious ice cream lovers with deep pockets. And if you are one among them then this ice cream maker is what you want.

Pros	Cons
Built-in Compressor, No need to pre-freeze the bowl	High Price
Fully Automatic, Easy to Use
Two different mixing paddles for ice cream and gelato
60 Minutes Digital Timer

Ice Cream Making Tips

So you have finally bought the Ice Cream Maker you wanted to buy since long. Congratulations, you have completed the first major step in the process of enjoying delicious home-made ice creams. Now the only thing that remains to be done is to learn some tips on how to make the best use of the ice cream maker that you just bought.

First Things First: Setting the Right Expectations

Always remember even the best and the costliest home ice cream maker will never make ice cream as smooth as the one you buy from the store.

This is because ice cream manufacturers use very large and advanced machines to stir the ice cream more quickly at lower temperatures, preventing ice crystals from forming.

But that does not mean that you can’t make great tasting ice cream at your home. You can greatly increase the taste and smoothness of your ice cream by making sure it stays as cold as possible through the entire process.

Below we have listed some easy ice-cream making tips to get the best out of your ice cream machine:

1. Before you stir the ice cream base, chill it thoroughly in refrigerator overnight. The colder the base, the sooner it starts to freeze, and the smaller the ice crystals will be. This is probably the most important tip, and may be the biggest differentiating factor between a smooth and not so smooth ice cream.
2. Once the ice cream is stirred, it’s like soft serve – you can eat it but it is very soft and you can hardly use the scoop. You should now put this ice cream in a freezer for at least a few hours. Doing this will reduce the formation of ice crystals. Also remember to keep the freezer temperature at the lowest temperature setting because then the ice cream will set quickly and the ice cream crystals will be smaller.
3. If you’re interested in adding extra ingredients like small pieces of nuts, dry fruits, choco chip etc., do so before setting up the ice cream in freezer. Always chill theses extra ingredients in the freezer before adding in the ice cream so they don’t melt the stirred ice cream. Add the ingredients slowly and periodically while the ice cream is being stirred by the ice cream maker.
4. If you’re not sure about how long to stir the ice cream, then keep an eye from the transparent lid and shut off the machine when the mix is thick and seems as good as soft serve.
5. Make sure the outside of the bowl is dry before placing it in the machine so that the bowl doesn’t freeze into the machine. Always follow this tip if you are using any ice cream maker with removable bowls.
6. Always use very high quality cream for best results, avoid using homemade cream or malai. Do not use milk or any type of juice.
7. Do not put more than 40% of the total capacity of the ice cream bowl in a single batch as the ice cream will almost double after 20-25 minutes. E.g. for a 1.5 litres capacity bowl, do not put more than 600-700 ml ice cream mix in one batch. Avoid using large quantity in a single batch as it affects the cooling and results in formation of ice crystals.

Now It’s Your Turn

We hope this post showed you what is the best ice cream maker, unbiased reviews, and some delicious ice cream making tips.

Now it’s your turn, we would love to hear your thoughts:

Which ice-cream maker from this post you are most interested in?

What is your story on making ice-cream at home?

Or

Do you want us to review any other ice-cream maker which is available in India?

Either way, let us know in the comments section below.