The Best Ice Cream Makers

Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker

The quick churner

Making ice cream with this pick from Cuisinart is mess-free, fast, and always delicious.

Best Overall

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With the ability to quickly churn two quarts of ice cream, this ice cream maker is amazing. Everything is fully automatic, so you don’t have to sit and turn a crank. It comes with a double-insulated freezer bowl, instructions, and several recipes for you to try. There’s a convenient spot to keep the cord, so it’s easier to store. The ingredient spout is large, so you can add all sorts of delicious mix-ins, such as chocolate chips, crumbled cookies, chunks of candy bars, real fruit, and more. The brushed stainless steel housing looks sharp on your counter. With the heavy-duty motor, you will get consistent results with each batch. Everything is BPA-free, so you don’t have to worry about bad chemicals leaching their way into your dessert. The freezer bowl needs to be completely frozen before you make a batch, so you will need to plan ahead a little.

Pros

• No messy salt
• Fully automatic
• Makes consistent ice cream

Cons

• You have to freeze the bowls completely, which takes time

Hamilton Beach 68330N Automatic Ice Cream Maker, 4 quarts, White

The family-size option

This machine can make up to four quarts of ice cream at a time.

Best Large Capacity

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If you need ice cream for a crowd, this is the ice cream maker for you. It produces up to four quarts at a time, which is a gallon of delicious ice cream. Since you use rock salt and ice, you don’t have to plan ahead to freeze your freezer bowls. It’s very practical for those spontaneous moments of family fun. You can use this ice cream maker to create a variety of frozen treats including ice cream, sorbet, gelato, custard, and frozen yogurt. Everything is fully automatic so once you add the ingredients, ice, and rock salt, you don’t have to worry about taking it out to stir or anything. The lid locks easily, so you won’t have chunky rock salt falling into your ice cream.

Pros

• Easy lock lid
• 4-quart capacity
• Makes a variety of frozen desserts

Cons

• Rock salt and ice can be messy to clean up

Cuisinart ICE-70 Electronic Ice Cream Maker

With a countdown timer

This premium pick from Cuisinart sports all the best features.

Best Features

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In only twenty minutes, you can be enjoying a nice bowl of homemade ice cream. This ice cream maker has great features, including a countdown timer so you don’t have to keep peeking in at the dessert to see if it’s ready. It automatically shuts off once the time is up, so you won’t accidentally burn up the motor. The ingredient spout has an integrated measuring cup, so you won’t have extra dishes to wash. The three settings operate at different speeds, allowing you to create several different types of frozen treats. The paddle has a unique shape, helping to speed up the process of turning ingredients into up to two quarts of ice cream. With a brushed metal housing, this ice cream maker will look nice on your counter. This comes with a recipe book to give you lots of ideas, or you can use it with your favorite recipes. Make sure you put the freezer bowls into the freezer the day before to ensure they are completely frozen.

Pros

• Great recipes in the included book
• Easy to operate
• Countdown timer

Cons

• The user guide doesn’t explain which setting to use when

Yonanas 902 Classic Soft Serve Maker

Soft and delicious

This machine is great for making soft serve ice cream with frozen fruits.

Best Soft Serve

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It’s fast and easy to make vegan frozen treats with this ice cream maker. You simply add frozen fruit, and it churns out a delicious dessert in seconds. You can create different flavor combinations by adding mix-ins like chocolate chips. Try combining different fruits to see what you like best. It doesn’t require any sugar, making this machine a winner for healthy desserts. The chute for adding fruit is large, allowing you to pop in frozen bananas. When you push down the plunger, the ice cream comes out quickly. It’s easy to clean up since you can put the pieces in the dishwasher.

Pros

• Turn frozen fruit into ice cream like dessert
• Great for vegan ice cream
• Works quickly

Cons

• It can only run for two minutes before the motor needs to cool – it’s not great for large batches

Nostalgia ICMW400 Electric Bucket Ice Cream Maker, Makes 4-Quarts in Minutes

Old-fashioned style

Though it looks rustic in style, this ice cream maker churns out ice cream at a modern pace.

Best Style

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This ice cream maker looks like it’s old-fashioned, but don’t let the real wood slats fool you. This is not your Grandma’s ice cream machine. You aren’t going to have to turn a crank by hand to churn. It’s modern and fully automatic on the inside. It creates up to four quarts of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or gelato in about thirty minutes. The lid snaps on securely, and it’s designed so you can peer through it to easily check on your dessert. The electric motor is powerful, and there’s a lock to keep it in place so everything stays where it’s supposed to while in use There’s a convenient handle for carrying, and this machine comes with many different recipes to get you started. The inside of the machine is plastic, and the canister for the ice cream is aluminum, which makes for easy clean-up.

Pros

• Looks old-fashioned
• Makes up to 4 quarts at a time
• See-through lid

Cons

• The bucket spins instead of the paddle, which can be alarming at first

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you make ice cream?

There are several different ways to make ice cream. You will need to follow the directions on your ice cream maker since they are all different. Here is a basic recipe for vanilla that will make 1 1/4 quarts. Combine two cups of half and half, two cups of whipping cream, one cup of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in a bowl and stir well. Try to make as much sugar dissolve as possible. Then pour this mixture into your ice cream maker canister. Follow the directions to churn the ingredients into ice cream.

What is a freezer bowl?

Many models of ice cream makers use freezer bowls. You need to put these into the freezer about 24-hours before you want to make ice cream, to ensure they freeze all the way. When it’s time, you take your chilled ice cream ingredients and pour them into the canister. Since it’s frozen solid, you don’t need to layer rock salt and ice around the canister.

What mix-ins should I try?

You can add mix-ins to your ice cream before it’s completely done. Read your owner’s manual so you know the best time to add them in. You can try adding chunks of fruit, chocolate pieces, candy, chunks of frosted cake or brownies, or cookie pieces. The possibilities are endless, so start experimenting and create some new family favorites.