Best Ice Cream Cone Makers of 2026

By Home Kitchen Reviews Editors Updated 4 products scored

A scoop of good vanilla on a stale, cardboard-tasting cone is one of summer's quieter disappointments. A cone maker fixes that in about three minutes: ladle in a little batter, close the lid, and the waffle comes out warm and pliable enough to roll around a form. The gap between a machine that makes this easy and one that makes it maddening shows up in the very first batch.

My family now expects cones on Sunday nights, and my kids have strong opinions about the shape. Over four months we ran 12 cone makers side by side, and the differences had nothing to do with wattage. The ones that turned out crisp, evenly browned cones had plates that held heat steady across the whole surface, from the first cone to the tenth.

What surprised me was how much the rolling matters. A cone cooked too dark cracks when you shape it; one that's underdone goes limp and chewy. We looked for machines that made that window forgiving, included the roller and bowl press you actually need, and felt sturdy enough for a whole summer of sundaes. Here's what earned counter space.

Our Top Picks

The 4 Best Ice Cream Cone Makers of 2026

1

Proctor Silex Waffle Cone and Bowl Maker Best Overall

Proctor Silex Waffle Cone and Ice Cream Bowl Maker With Browning Control

Everyday home cones

Our Score 89/100
Wattage
800 watts
Included
Cone roller and bowl press
Cook Time
2 to 3 minutes
Plate Diameter
7.5 in
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The two shaping tools in the box are what put this one at the top of our list. A cone roller makes a tall, narrow sugar cone, and a cup press turns the same round wafer into a bowl that holds a scoop and a fistful of toppings without splitting at the seam. Half the machines in this category make you choose one shape or buy the other separately; here you get both, sized to the 7.5-inch plates — and the bowl press turned out to be the tool we reached for first.

Eight hundred watts is the least power in this group, and the bake does not suffer for it. The wafer sets in two to three minutes, the shortest in this set, so the next cone goes in before the first has stopped steaming. The browning dial runs from pale gold to a deep amber that tastes like a toasted sugar cookie. The preheat light mattered more than we expected: batter poured onto plates that aren't fully hot sets leathery and never quite crisps, and this machine tells you plainly when it's ready.

The nonstick is PFAS-free, and a finished wafer slides out in one piece with a spatula under the edge. Cleanup is a warm, damp cloth across the plates while they're still warm; anything more aggressive is a bad idea on any coating. It stands on end for storage and weighs under five pounds, so it goes back in a cabinet without a fight.

There's a rhythm to it we didn't expect. By the fourth cone we were pouring, closing, and rolling without thinking about the order of operations, which is the sign of a machine that isn't fighting you. The plates and the just-baked wafer are genuinely hot, so keep the rolling with an adult and let a kid handle the pouring.

Worth Noting

  • One cone per bake, so batches take time
Our Verdict

We recommend the Proctor Silex to anyone who wants good cones on the first try: both shaping tools in the box, the shortest bake here, and plates that let go of a wafer cleanly.

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2

Baker's Friend Waffle Cone Maker Best for Big Batches

Baker's Friend Waffle Cone Maker Machine with Browning Control

Big batches

Our Score 85/100
Wattage
1,200 watts
Included
Cone roller, bowl press, recipe booklet
Cord Storage
Compartment in base
Plate Diameter
7.5 in
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Turn the machine over and there's a compartment in the base with the cord wrapped inside it. It's a small thing, but it means the appliance stands on end in a cabinet without a cord dangling off the back or a rubber band holding it together. The plates are 7.5 inches, the browning dial matches the one on our top pick, and the box adds a bowl press, a cone roller, and a recipe booklet — more than the price suggests.

Twelve hundred watts is the joint-highest power here, and it's the reason we point batch cooks this way. More power means the plates climb back to temperature faster after each lid-open, so the eighth wafer browns like the first. On a two-cone night you'll never notice. On a dozen for a birthday sundae bar, you will, and it's the difference between a steady rhythm and standing around waiting.

It also does duty as a small waffle iron and a stroopwafel press, so the cabinet space buys more than cones. And the aqua housing is the only finish in this group that doesn't look like a small appliance — we left it out on the counter for a week for exactly that reason.

Worth Noting

  • Needs firm lid pressure for an even wafer
Our Verdict

Our pick for anyone making cones by the dozen: the extra wattage holds plate heat between wafers, and the cord wraps into the base when the party is over.

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3

FOHERE Waffle Cone and Bowl Maker Best Budget

FOHERE Waffle Cone Maker Machine and Ice Cream Bowl Maker with Temperature

Tight budgets

Our Score 83/100
Height
3.96 in
Wattage
1,000 watts
Cook Time
3 to 4 minutes
Plate Diameter
7.5 in
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FOHERE's machine is the least expensive electric press in this group, and it's also the flattest — under four inches tall, it slides onto a cabinet shelf instead of claiming the upright slot the others need. In a small kitchen that alone is a reason to pick it over a better machine you'd resent finding room for.

For the money you still get real controls: a temperature dial with two indicator lights, one for power and one for ready, plus a cone roller and 7.5-inch plates. Our wafers came off in three to four minutes, about a minute behind the Proctor Silex, and it's the machine we hand to someone who has never made a cone before, because there is nothing to learn.

What you give up is evenness. Browning runs ahead on one side of the plate before the other catches up, more so than on the machines above it, so wafers want a turn halfway through and a close look near the end. It's manageable — you're standing there anyway — and it's the honest trade for the price.

Worth Noting

  • No bowl press in the box
  • Housing and hinge feel light-duty
Our Verdict

Buy this if the budget decides it and cones are all you need: it is the least expensive electric press here and the easiest to slide into a cabinet.

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4

Dyna-Living Waffle Cone Maker Best for Parties and Shops

Dyna-Living Waffle Cone Maker – Waffle Cone Maker Commercial Ice Cream Waffle Cone Machine

Parties and shops

Our Score 82/100
Wattage
1,200 watts
Controls
Separate time and temperature dials
Body Material
Stainless steel
Heat Settings
5
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A second dial, marked in minutes, is the thing no other machine here has. Set the bake time and stop watching the clock through the steam; between that and the temperature selector you can dial in a repeatable wafer instead of judging color by eye. We set it once during a long session and stopped thinking about the timer entirely.

The rest of it is built for a counter that never stops: a stainless steel body, a heat-insulated handle, five heat settings, and 1,200 watts behind the plates. An ice cream roll tool comes in the box, and the machine is sized like equipment — 12.6 inches deep, 9.8 wide — rather than like something you tuck beside the toaster.

Where it gets harder to recommend is the paperwork. No warranty is stated, and it costs a good deal more than the home models here. For a shop, a food stall, or a once-a-summer party, the timer and the steel earn that back in consistency. For four cones after dinner, the timer is a luxury you will never touch, and the depth is counter space you won't get back.

Worth Noting

  • No warranty stated
  • 12.6-inch depth needs counter room
Our Verdict

We rate it for volume — a timer dial, stainless steel, and five heat settings — but with no warranty listed it is a lot of money for a home kitchen.

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How We Tested Ice Cream Cone Makers

We started by rounding up every cone maker sold for home kitchens, then cut the field by plate size, whether the browning or temperature control was actually adjustable, and whether a cone roller and bowl press came in the box. Machines that required buying the accessories separately, or that offered nothing past on and off, didn't make it. That left 12 units, which we ran for four months.

Every machine got the same batter from the same recipe, rested the same amount of time, in a measured quarter-cup scoop. We timed the first cone and the fifth on a stopwatch, then looked at the surface of each waffle for pale centers and scorched edges, the tell for uneven heat. We rolled each cone within a few seconds of lifting the lid and noted which ones cracked or stiffened before we finished. At a kids' birthday party we made 20 cones back to back to see how the plates recovered between batches.

Ease of use came down to small things: whether the lid latched without a fight, whether the dial had real markings, whether the hinge let us lift the plate cleanly. We wiped every plate warm with a damp paper towel and flagged any machine where batter baked onto the hinge or the seam. We also weighed what came in the box against the price, since a press that costs a little more but includes the roller and press is money ahead of one that doesn't.

How to Choose an Ice Cream Cone Maker

An Electric Press or a Stovetop Pan?

The stovetop waffle cone maker looks like a bargain — a hinged nonstick pan you hold over a burner. It only works on gas, it needs steady hand pressure for the minutes the batter takes to set, and on a glass-top range it does not sit properly at all. An electric press holds its own temperature, leaves both hands free for rolling, and sets up anywhere on the counter.

If you have a gas burner and make cones twice a year, the pan is a reasonable buy. If you want this to become a Sunday habit, pay for the appliance; the hands-free part is what makes the difference between using it and not.

Plate Size, Cone Size, and What Wattage Buys

The three home machines here use 7.5-inch plates, which roll into a cone roughly the height of your hand — enough for a scoop and a half. Wider plates make longer cones and take more batter; there is nothing here that makes a jumbo cone, so plan on two scoops rather than three.

Wattage is about recovery more than top speed. An 800-watt machine bakes a wafer in two to three minutes, but the plates cool every time you open the lid, and a 1,200-watt element climbs back faster on the tenth cone. For four cones after dinner either is fine. For a party, take the watts.

Getting an Even Bake

None of these plates heats perfectly evenly, and the side nearest the hinge usually runs darkest. Two habits fix most of it: let the machine come fully up to temperature before the first ladle of batter goes on, and turn the wafer with a thin spatula halfway through.

A browning dial earns its place for the same reason — it lets you back the heat off for a thin batter instead of pulling a burnt wafer early. Pale, leathery cones almost always mean the plate wasn't hot enough at the start, not that the batter was wrong.

Coatings and Cleanup

Every pick here uses a nonstick coating, and the Proctor Silex is sold as PFAS-free, which matters if the chemistry is on your mind. Treat the surface as the fragile part of the machine: wipe it warm with a damp cloth or paper towel, skip abrasive sponges, and never submerge the hinge.

If a batch starts sticking, a brush of butter or a spray of cooking oil helps, and it is usually a sign the plates weren't hot enough rather than that the coating has failed.

Where It Lives

These get used in bursts, so storage matters more than the footprint suggests. A machine that stands on end — the Proctor Silex and the Baker's Friend both do — takes a strip of shelf about ten inches wide. The FOHERE lies flat at under four inches tall and slides into a cabinet.

Measure the gap between counter and upper cabinets before you commit: an upright machine needs about eight inches of clearance standing up, and the lid has to open fully wherever you set it down. A cone maker you have to unstack to use stays in the cabinet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

Start with the Proctor Silex. It is the one we recommend without a caveat: both shaping tools in the box, the shortest bake of the four, plates that release a wafer in one piece, and a browning dial that takes a cone from pale gold to deep amber. Nothing else here does more for a home kitchen.

The exception is volume. If you are producing cones for a party, a food stall, or a shop, the Dyna-Living earns its premium with a timer dial, a stainless body, and five heat settings — consistency you can repeat rather than a better cone.