Frozen Yoghurt Machines UK: Gravity vs Pump, Pasteurised vs Live-Culture (2026)
Last updated: September 2026
A frozen yoghurt chain opening in Bristol asked us one question last week: “Do we need the pasteurising machine?” The answer surprised them. It’s no — and buying one would have quietly ruined the product they’re selling.
In 30 seconds:
- If you sell live-culture frozen yoghurt, don’t buy a pasteurising machine. The heat cycle kills the live cultures you’re charging for.
- Live-culture froyo wants a non-pasteurised, gravity-feed machine. The Blue Ice S60 is the usual pick — 550 servings an hour, from £9,929 inc VAT.
- Pump feed whips air into the mix. You get a lighter, taller serve and more portions per tub. Great for ice cream, less suited to a dense, tangy froyo.
- Pasteurising earns its money when you mix from fresh liquid dairy and hold it in the machine between strip-downs. That’s a parlour job, not a live-culture froyo bar.
- Feed type and pasteurising are two separate choices. You can buy a gravity machine that pasteurises. Don’t assume gravity means live-culture safe.
- Check your power before you check the price. The big freestanding S-series machines need a 3-phase supply. Most shop units only have single-phase.
- Budget from £7,282 for a small gravity machine, up to £22,455 for a 3-phase pasteurising twin twist. Everything below is in stock for free next-working-day UK mainland delivery.
New to soft serve altogether? Start with our commercial soft serve ice cream machine buyer’s guide, which sizes the whole range on output. This page picks up where that one stops: the frozen yoghurt decision.
What gravity feed actually means
Mix sits in a hopper above the freezing cylinder. Gravity pulls it down. There’s no pump in the path.
You get a denser, more intense serve. For frozen yoghurt that’s usually what you want, because the tang carries better in a dense product. Fewer parts also means a quicker strip-down at close.
What pump feed adds
A pump pushes mix into the cylinder and injects air on the way in. The trade calls that air “overrun”.
More air gives a lighter texture, a taller swirl and more servings from the same tub of mix. The trade-off is more parts to wash every night, and a milder flavour because the air dilutes it.
What a pasteurising machine does
It heats the mix on a timed cycle, then chills it again. That knocks back bacteria in the hopper, so you can hold fresh liquid mix in the machine for longer between full strip-downs.
Genuinely useful if you mix your own from liquid dairy. But heat doesn’t sort good bacteria from bad. It kills both.
The honest summary
The biggest mistake we see is buying at the top of the range and assuming more features means a better product. A pasteurising twin twist is the most expensive machine on this page. For a live-culture froyo bar it is the wrong one.
Decide what you’re selling first. The machine follows from that, not the other way round.
Gravity vs pump, side by side
| Gravity feed | Pump feed | |
|---|---|---|
| How mix reaches the cylinder | Falls from the hopper under its own weight | Pushed by a pump, with air injected on the way |
| Texture | Denser, heavier, stronger flavour | Lighter, airier, taller swirl |
| Servings per tub of mix | Fewer | More, because of the added air |
| Parts to clean | Fewer | More — the pump assembly comes apart too |
| Best for | Live-culture frozen yoghurt, gelato-style soft serve | High-volume ice cream, cost-per-serve operations |
Neither is “better”. They suit different products. If your selling point is a thick, tangy, spoonable yoghurt, gravity is the honest choice.
Pasteurising: when it’s right, and when it’s wrong
Pasteurising is right when
- You make your own mix from fresh liquid dairy rather than buying it ready-made.
- You want to leave mix in the hopper between full strip-downs, within the period your machine’s manual allows.
- You’re selling ice cream or a dessert where live cultures are not part of the product.
- You trade long days and want fewer mid-service cleaning interruptions.
Pasteurising is wrong when
- You sell live-culture frozen yoghurt and say so on your menu board. Heat kills the cultures.
- You buy a ready-made mix that’s already been heat-treated by the supplier. You’d be paying twice for the same job.
- Your budget is tight. A pasteurising model is a large step up in price for a feature you may never switch on.
One important nuance: pasteurising and feed type are separate decisions. The T34B below is a gravity machine that pasteurises. So “I bought gravity” does not automatically mean “my cultures are safe”. Check the spec, not the category.
Whichever you choose, your cleaning and holding routine should follow the machine’s own manual and whatever your local environmental health officer expects for your setup. Machines differ, and so do council interpretations.
The machines, by what you’re selling
All five below are Blue Ice machines, built by Spaceman. All are stainless steel, carry 12 months parts and labour, and ship free next working day to UK mainland on orders placed before 11.30am.
Blue Ice S60 — the live-culture frozen yoghurt pick
Quick specs
- Output: 550 servings per hour (80g)
- Feed: gravity — no pasteuriser
- Flavours: 2 plus twist
- Format: freestanding
- Power: 24 Amp, single phase
- Dimensions: 552(W) x 766(D) x 1474(H)mm
- Price: from £9,929 inc VAT
- View the Blue Ice S60 product page →
Best for
Dedicated frozen yoghurt shops and busy dessert bars selling a live-culture product. It’s the most output you can get from this range without moving to a 3-phase supply.
What it does well
- Dense, tangy serve that tastes of the yoghurt, not of air
- Two flavours plus a swirl, so one machine covers your whole board
- No heat cycle anywhere in the process — cultures go in live and come out live
- Runs on a single-phase supply, so most shop fits take it as they are
Don’t use it for
- Mixing your own from raw liquid dairy and holding it for days — you want pasteurising for that
- Squeezing the maximum number of servings from each tub of mix — a pump machine wins there
- Counter-top installs. It’s a 1474mm-tall floor-standing unit
Trade-off
24 Amp single phase is a serious draw. It’s still a normal supply, but it isn’t a machine you plug in next to the till on a shared circuit. Get an electrician to confirm the circuit before delivery day.
Blue Ice S30 — the same idea, for a smaller site
Quick specs
- Output: 300 servings per hour (80g)
- Feed: gravity — no pasteuriser
- Flavours: 2 plus twist
- Format: freestanding
- Power: 13 Amp
- Dimensions: 552(W) x 652(D) x 1474(H)mm
- Price: from £7,282 inc VAT
- View the Blue Ice S30 product page →
Best for
A first froyo site, a café adding a dessert line, or a second machine for a quieter branch. Same live-culture-safe gravity system as the S60, at roughly half the output.
What it does well
- Runs from a 13 Amp supply — the least demanding freestanding machine in the range
- Two flavours plus twist, same as the S60
- Narrower footprint than the S60 at 652mm deep
- Cheapest route into a proper floor-standing twin twist
Don’t use it for
- Festival pitches and peak weekend queues — 300 an hour goes quickly
- Any operation planning to hold mix in the hopper for extended periods
Trade-off
You save around £2,600 against the S60 and give up 250 servings an hour. If you already have queues at your busiest hour, buy the bigger machine now rather than twice.
Blue Ice T36 — gravity on a countertop
Quick specs
- Output: 420 servings per hour (80g)
- Feed: gravity — no pasteuriser
- Flavours: single flavour
- Format: countertop
- Power: 16 Amp, single phase
- Dimensions: 453(W) x 678(D) x 908(H)mm
- Price: from £9,324 inc VAT
- View the Blue Ice T36 product page →
Best for
Kiosks, trailers and tight counter runs where floor space doesn’t exist. High output for a countertop machine, and still live-culture safe.
What it does well
- 420 an hour from a unit under a metre tall
- Sits on a counter, so you keep the floor for staff and stock
- Gravity feed, no heat cycle — cultures survive
Don’t use it for
- A two-flavour menu. This is a single-flavour machine — there’s no twist
- Counters that can’t carry the weight, or that have a cupboard immediately above
Trade-off
You’re paying near-S60 money for one flavour. You’re buying the countertop format, not the output. If you have the floor space, the S60 is better value per serve.
Blue Ice T34B — pasteurising without a 3-phase supply
Quick specs
- Output: 420 servings per hour (80g)
- Feed: gravity, with heat-treatment pasteurising
- Flavours: 2 plus twist (three heads)
- Freezing cylinders: 2 x 1.2 litres
- Format: countertop
- Power: 16 Amp, single phase
- Dimensions: 532(W) x 651(D) x 955(H)mm
- Price: from £12,336 inc VAT
- View the Blue Ice T34B product page →
Best for
Operators mixing their own from fresh liquid dairy who want the pasteurising cycle but only have a single-phase supply. It’s the accessible entry point into heat-treated soft serve.
What it does well
- Pasteurises on a 16 Amp single-phase supply, where most pasteurising machines want 3-phase
- Two flavours plus twist from three heads
- Countertop format despite the extra hardware
Don’t use it for
- Live-culture frozen yoghurt. The heat cycle is the whole point of this machine, and it’s the thing that kills your cultures
- Budget setups. It’s around £3,000 more than the T36 for the pasteurising function
Trade-off
You can run this machine without using the pasteurising cycle. But then you’ve paid for hardware you never switch on, and you’d have been better off with the T36 or the S60.
Blue Ice S70C — the high-volume pasteurising machine
Quick specs
- Output: 720 servings per hour (80g)
- Feed: pump, with heat-treatment pasteurising
- Flavours: 2 plus twist (three heads)
- Format: freestanding
- Power: 3-phase supply required
- Dimensions: 532(W) x 823(D) x 1563(H)mm
- Price: from £22,455 inc VAT
- View the Blue Ice S70C product page →
Best for
Big parlours, shopping-centre units and multi-site operators making their own mix at volume. Everything on this machine is built around long days and high throughput.
What it does well
- 720 servings an hour — the highest output in the range
- Pump feed, so you get more portions from every tub of mix
- Pasteurising cycle for operators working with fresh liquid dairy
Don’t use it for
- Live-culture frozen yoghurt. Pasteurising plus pump-injected air is the opposite of a dense, live product
- Any site without a 3-phase supply. Adding one is an electrician’s job and a real cost
- Mobile units and trailers — the height and the supply both rule it out
Trade-off
It’s more than double the price of the S60. The extra buys output and pasteurising, not a better serve. Be honest about which of those you actually need.
Single-phase or 3-phase? Check before you order
This is the step people skip, and it’s the one that delays openings.
Most UK shop units, cafés and kiosks have a single-phase supply. That runs everything on this page except the biggest freestanding S-series machines, which need 3-phase.
- 13 Amp, single phase: S30
- 16 Amp, single phase: T36, T34B
- 24 Amp, single phase: S60
- 3-phase required: S70C, and the other S68/S70 variants
Getting 3-phase installed where it doesn’t exist takes time and money. If the machine you want needs it, start that conversation with your landlord and an electrician before you place the order, not after.
Trading at events instead of a fixed unit? Then power is your first constraint, not your last. Our LPG generator sizing guide for mobile catering explains how to work out what a machine like this really demands on site.
How to choose, in four questions
- Are you selling live-culture frozen yoghurt? If yes, rule out every pasteurising machine right now. That leaves the S60, S30 and T36.
- How many servings at your busiest hour? Under 300 points at the S30. Up to 420 at the T36. Up to 550 at the S60.
- Floor or counter? No floor space means the countertop T36 or T34B. Floor space opens up the S-series.
- What’s your electrical supply? Single-phase covers everything except the top S-series. Confirm this before you choose, not after.
Still deciding between models? Browse the full ice cream and frozen yoghurt machine range, or tell us your busiest hour and your supply and we’ll narrow it down for you.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make frozen yoghurt in a soft serve ice cream machine?
Yes. A commercial soft serve machine freezes and dispenses frozen yoghurt exactly as it does ice cream — the machine doesn’t care what the mix is. What matters is whether the machine pasteurises. A pasteurising cycle heats the mix, which kills live cultures. For live-culture froyo, choose a non-pasteurised machine such as the Blue Ice S60.
Does pasteurising kill the live cultures in frozen yoghurt?
Yes. Pasteurising works by heating the mix to knock back bacteria, and heat doesn’t distinguish between harmful bacteria and the live yoghurt cultures you’re selling. Both are destroyed. If your menu board says “live cultures”, a pasteurising machine will quietly make that claim untrue. Buy a non-pasteurised machine and keep your cleaning routine tight instead.
Gravity or pump feed for frozen yoghurt — which is better?
Gravity suits frozen yoghurt better. It produces a denser serve with a stronger, tangier flavour, and there are fewer parts to strip down at close. Pump feed injects air, which lightens the texture and mutes the tang. Pump is the better choice for high-volume ice cream, where extra servings per tub matter more than intensity of flavour.
What is overrun, and does it matter for frozen yoghurt?
Overrun is the air whipped into the mix as it freezes. More overrun means a lighter product and more servings from each tub, which improves your cost per serve. It also dilutes flavour. For a frozen yoghurt operation selling on tang and texture, low overrun from a gravity machine is usually the stronger commercial position.
Which Blue Ice machine is best for a live-culture frozen yoghurt shop?
The Blue Ice S60, from £9,929 inc VAT. It’s gravity-fed with no pasteurising cycle, gives two flavours plus a twist, and delivers 550 servings an hour — the highest output in the range that still runs on a single-phase supply. For a quieter first site, the S30 uses the same gravity system at 300 servings an hour, from £7,282.
Do I need a 3-phase supply for a frozen yoghurt machine?
Usually not. The S30 runs on 13 Amp, the T36 and T34B on 16 Amp, and the S60 on 24 Amp — all single phase. Only the largest freestanding S-series machines, including the S70C, need 3-phase. Confirm your supply with an electrician before ordering, because installing 3-phase where none exists adds real cost and weeks of delay.
How much does a commercial frozen yoghurt machine cost in the UK?
Expect from £7,282 inc VAT for a freestanding gravity twin twist at 300 servings an hour, rising to around £9,929 for 550 servings an hour. Pasteurising models start from £12,336, and the 3-phase high-volume machines reach £22,455. Budget separately for installation, an electrical check, and your first stock of mix.
Can you run a frozen yoghurt machine at an outdoor event?
You can, but power is the deciding factor. These are electric machines, and a 24 Amp single-phase draw is well beyond a small portable generator. Size your generator to the machine’s stated current, not to its price, and factor in everything else on the pitch. A countertop model like the T36 is the more realistic option for a trailer.