A machine (1) for making liquid or semi-liquid food products is provided with a frame (2), a product processing unit (3) and a control unit (35) for driving the processing unit (3)； the processing unit (3) is in turn provided with a first vessel (5) which is set in rotation about its central axis (5a) by a brushless gear motor (11) and which defines inside it a product processing chamber (6), a stirrer (7) provided with a spatula (25) mounted inside the processing chamber (6), and a movement unit (26) for moving the stirrer (7)； the movement unit (26) for moving the stirrer (7) imparts to the spatula (25), through two distinct linear actuators (27, 28), a first movement, towards and away from the bottom of the first vessel (5), and a second movement, independent of the first, towards and away from the inside wall of the first vessel (5).
