An apparatus (10) for the production and dispensing of chilled food products, such as ice cream or the like, comprises a refrigerated top tank (12) intended to contain a liquid preparation, and an underlying refrigerated cylinder (14) which contains a motor-driven scraper (15) and which receives the liquid preparation from the top tank (12) in order to produce from it the final product and dispense it controllably through a tap (16) at one end of the cylinder (14). The liquid preparation passes between the top tank (12) and the refrigerated cylinder (14) via a mixer pipe (21) which mixes air with the passing preparation. The top tank (12) contains a motor-driven screw (26) rotating about a horizontal axis so as to push the product inside the tank (12) towards the mixer pipe (21).