Which Ice Cream Machine Is Best for You? Find Your Cuisinart Match
Looking for the best ice cream machine for your home? The right Cuisinart ice cream maker depends on how many people you’re serving, how much preparation you want to do and whether you want classic scooped ice cream, personalised healthy, frozen treats, or fresh on the go soft serve.
For individual portions, choose Solo Scoops. For family-sized batches, Cool Scoops is made for everyday homemade ice cream. If everyone wants a different flavour or you want to make creamy, high-protein, low-calorie treats with a swirl, then the Freeze Wand gives you individual dessert cups. For effortless batch-making without pre-freezing, choose Freeze Ease or Freeze Ease PRO. And if summer entertaining is your thing, Frost Fusion combines soft serve and frozen drinks in one machine.
Cuisinart has been making ice cream at home for decades, developing machines for everything from traditional churned ice cream and gelato to soft serve, sorbet, frozen yoghurt, frappés and frozen cocktails. Every Cuisinart ice cream machine comes with a 3-year guarantee.
Quick guide: Which Cuisinart ice cream machine should you choose?
| If you want... | Your match |
|---|---|
| A small batch for one or two people | Solo Scoops |
| Family-sized batches of classic ice cream | Cool Scoops |
| Individual flavours and healthier recipes | Freeze Wand |
| Homemade ice cream without pre-freezing | Freeze Ease |
| Premium results and more control | Freeze Ease PRO |
| Soft serve, slushies and frozen drinks | Frost Fusion |
How do I choose the best ice cream machine?
Before choosing an ice cream maker, think about how you like to enjoy frozen treats. Do you want a quick scoop for yourself, enough ice cream for the whole family, or a machine that can handle a summer party?
The biggest differences between ice cream machines are batch size, preparation time, whether the bowl needs to be frozen in advance, the types of frozen treats you can make and how much control you want over the finished result.
Here’s how to find your match.
Solo Scoops: The ice cream machine for one or two
Best for: Personal portions and smaller households
R999
Sometimes you don't need a whole tub of ice cream. You just want your own perfect portion.
Solo Scoops is designed for one or two people who want to make homemade ice cream, gelato, sorbet or frozen yoghurt without committing to a large batch.
Its pre-frozen bowl churns in approximately 25–30 minutes, making it a simple way to turn your favourite ingredients into a homemade frozen dessert.
It's particularly suited to couples, smaller households or anyone who likes experimenting with different flavours without ending up with a freezer full of ice cream.
Choose Solo Scoops if:
You want smaller portions, don't need a large capacity and enjoy the simplicity of traditional churned frozen desserts.
Cool Scoops: The family ice cream maker
Best for: Family desserts and everyday homemade ice cream
R1,899
When everyone wants a scoop, you need a machine that can make enough to go around.
Cool Scoops makes generous batches of homemade ice cream, gelato, sorbet and frozen yoghurt, making it a natural choice for families and regular summer dessert.
Like Solo Scoops, it uses a pre-frozen bowl and churns in approximately 25–30 minutes, depending on the recipe.
It's the classic choice if your idea of homemade ice cream is making one flavour for everyone to enjoy after dinner, at a braai or on a hot summer afternoon.
Choose Cool Scoops if:
You want traditional homemade ice cream in a larger batch and don't mind pre-freezing the bowl.
Freeze Wand: The ice cream maker for personalised treats
Best for: Different flavours, high-protein recipes and individual portions
R2,199
Why make one flavour when everyone can have their own?
Freeze Wand takes a different approach to homemade ice cream. Instead of making one large batch, you prepare three separate dessert cups, making it easy to create different flavours, recipes and ingredients for different people.
It's particularly useful when one person wants chocolate, another wants vanilla and someone else wants a high-protein or lower-calorie frozen treat.
Freeze Wand can be used for ice cream, high-protein and lower-calorie frozen treats, frozen yoghurt, slushies, milkshakes and sorbets, while its mix-in setting allows you to add your favourite toppings and ingredients.
The cups need to be frozen overnight, but once your mixture is ready, the machine can churn it in approximately 1–2 minutes.
Choose Freeze Wand if:
You want maximum personalisation, different flavours for different people or a convenient way to experiment with healthier frozen recipes.
Freeze Ease: The easy homemade ice cream maker
Best for: Entertaining without pre-freezing
R4,499
Want homemade ice cream without having to remember to freeze the bowl the night before?
Freeze Ease has a built-in compressor, so there is no bowl to pre-freeze. That means you can decide you want homemade ice cream and get started without planning ahead.
It's ready to make gelato in approximately 40 minutes and can also make homemade ice cream, sorbet and frozen yoghurt.
This makes Freeze Ease particularly useful for people who entertain regularly or want the flexibility to make frozen desserts whenever they feel like it.
Choose Freeze Ease if:
You want convenience, don't want to pre-freeze a bowl and want to make homemade frozen desserts on demand.
Freeze Ease PRO: For the homemade ice cream perfectionist
Best for: Serious home ice cream makers and entertaining
R7,999
If you know your gelato from your sorbet and you're interested in perfecting texture, consistency and recipes, Freeze Ease PRO takes homemade ice cream to another level.
Like Freeze Ease, it has a built-in compressor, so there's no need to pre-freeze a bowl. It's ready to make gelato in approximately 40 minutes and has a 1.4L capacity, giving you enough to serve family and friends.
It's designed for people who want greater control over the homemade ice cream experience and enjoy experimenting with recipes, textures and flavours.
Choose Freeze Ease PRO if:
You take your homemade ice cream seriously, want a larger batch and value control and consistency without the hassle of pre-freezing.
Frost Fusion: The summer party ice cream machine
Best for: Soft serve, slushies and entertaining
R7,999
If your perfect summer involves a pool, a braai, friends and something cold in your glass, Frost Fusion is made for entertaining.
This isn't just an ice cream maker. Frost Fusion is a 6-in-1 soft serve and frozen drinks machine, with programmes for soft serve, slushies, sorbet, frappés, frosé and frozen cocktails.
There's also no overnight freezing required, with the machine ready to start producing frozen treats in approximately 20 minutes or more, depending on the programme and recipe.
And because it has a rinse programme, you can move from children's soft serve and slushies in the afternoon to frozen margaritas, frosé and iced coffee as the sun goes down.
Choose Frost Fusion if:
You want more than traditional scooped ice cream and are looking for a machine that can become the centre of summer entertaining.
What's the difference between a Cuisinart ice cream maker and a soft serve machine?
The main difference is the type of frozen treat you want to make and how you want to serve it.
Traditional ice cream makers such as Solo Scoops, Cool Scoops, Freeze Wand, Freeze Ease and Freeze Ease PRO are designed around homemade frozen desserts such as ice cream, gelato, sorbet and frozen yoghurt.
Frost Fusion is designed for a broader entertaining experience, combining soft serve and frozen drinks including slushies, sorbet, frappés, frosé and frozen cocktails.
So, if your dream is a bowl of homemade gelato, look at the traditional ice cream makers. If you want soft-serve cones, slushies and frozen drinks for a crowd, Frost Fusion offers a different kind of experience.
Do Cuisinart ice cream machines need to be frozen overnight?
Some do and some don't.
Solo Scoops and Cool Scoops use pre-frozen bowls, so the bowl needs to be frozen before making your dessert. Freeze Wand uses frozen dessert cups, which need to be frozen overnight.
Freeze Ease and Freeze Ease PRO have built-in compressors, so there is no bowl to pre-freeze.
Frost Fusion also requires no overnight freezing, making it particularly convenient when you're entertaining.
Which Cuisinart ice cream maker is right for you?
There isn't one ice cream machine that suits everyone. The best machine depends on how you eat, make and serve frozen treats.
Want a small personal portion? Solo Scoops.
Making dessert for the family? Cool Scoops.
Want different flavours or high-protein recipes? Freeze Wand.
Want homemade ice cream without pre-freezing? Freeze Ease.
Want more control and a larger batch? Freeze Ease PRO.
Want to turn your kitchen or patio into a summer dessert and drinks station? Frost Fusion.
Whatever your frozen-treat personality, Cuisinart has a machine to match.
Cuisinart. The Ice Cream Experts.
