Treat yourself to something sweet (just because you can) and celebrate the first few glimpses of warmer weather — not with the ice cream truck, but with your very own ice cream maker.
Sure, you can always grab a tub of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Vanilla or Halo Top’s Cookies N’ Cream, but serving a homemade scrumptious sundae at home simply can’t be beaten.
Much like your top-of-the-line blender and waffle maker, you want to ensure that if a kitchen gadget is going to take up some precious real estate on your counter, that it’s going to be worth it.
That said, we researched and rounded up the 7 best ice cream makers of 2023 that are perfect year-round (even though, let’s be real, we’re all crazed about ice cream in warmer temps).
For more kitchenware, check out our guides to the best espresso machines and air fryers.
What we look for in ice cream makers
While any model to serve melt-in-your-mouth ice cream sundaes is better than none, we kept a few considerations in mind when selecting the best products on the market:
- Size: Truthfully, will an ice cream maker sit on your counter year round? We rounded up top-rated models across all sizes — dimensions included — to help you make your choice.
- Built-In Compressors: Some models have built-in compressors that don’t require any pre-planning, making your custom ice cream-making process as streamlined as possible. We noted which of our picks have this feature.
- Number of Batches: Are you making ice cream for yourself and a loved one, or for a dinner party? We kept capacity in mind, along with which models yield a better-than-the-rest value.
How to make ice cream at home
Before purchasing one of the ice cream makers we recommend, here’s how to make ice cream at home, step-by-step, according to AllRecipes:
- Cool milk, cream and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
- Transfer your mixture into a measuring cup, then add vanilla extract (if you wish to make vanilla ice cream, that is).
- Pour your mix into an ice cream maker and churn, per the manufacturer’s directions.
- Serve immediately or let it sit and ripen in the freezer before serving.
Best Ice Cream Makers
With nearly 23,000 rave reviews on Amazon, the Cuisinart ICE-21PI Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt & Sorbet Maker is one of the best values you can snag. Its patent-pending mixing paddle makes frozen treats in just 20 minutes or less. Now that’s the real deal.
What’s more, it comes with a double-insulated freezer bowl to eliminate the need for ice, along with an easy-lock transparent lid with a large spout, allowing you to add ingredients seamlessly and mess-free.
2. Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Maker, $170, original price: $200
If you want something similar to your Keurig or Nespresso machine — making one serving at a time — then the Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Maker is for you. It’s a thoughtful splurge, much ado to its compact size, easy-to-use functionality and seven versatile one-touch programs to personalize the speed, pressure and time.
When we first laid eyes on the Cuisinart ICE-45P1 Mix-It-In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker, we immediately added it to our wishlists. Soft serve ice cream? At home? Yeah, we’re all *screaming for ice cream*.
Specifically, this model produces a decent batch of ice cream in just 20 minutes with no chemicals, salt or ice required. With its included three condiment containers — all clad with curved edges and varied sizes — you can dispense sprinkles, M&Ms and mini chocolate morsels. Plus, its classic-style pull-down lever is the cherry on top — literally.
How adorable is this travel-sized ice cream maker? The DASH My Pint Electric Ice Cream Maker is the handy device you didn’t know you needed. It boasts nearly 11,000 rave reviews on Amazon, comes with an included mixing spoon (and built-in spoon holder!) and, with just the push of a button, creates nearly 2 cups of fresh ice cream in 30 minutes.
It weighs less than a pound, too, so it’s especially apt for smaller spaces. Not to mention, it’s a great gift for couples or kids.
For the serious ice cream makers only, the Lello Musso Pola 5030 Dessert Maker is an investment, for sure, but well worth it. You’ll appreciate how it can make a whopping 2 quarts of ice cream with its electric design and wraparound stainless steel construction.
More, this Italian-made appliance is acclaimed for its durability, excellent value for the money, ergonomic use and unbeatable flavor result. So, if you’ve been wanting the closest thing to Italian gelato, this one’s your best bet.
If you own a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, its Ice Cream Maker Attachment is what we recommend to save space and add more value to your baking game. To reiterate, this is not a standalone ice cream maker. You will need the stand mixer in order to create ice cream at home.
It’s one of the best KitchenAid Stand Mixer attachments we rounded up, too, thanks to its ability to fit 5- to 6-quart mixers. This handy attachment makes up to 2 quarts of ice cream in about 25 minutes.
The Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Compressor is a fully automatic blends frozen desserts — from sorbet to ice cream to gelato — in the consistency of your choice. Impressively, it has 12 settings — from super soft to extra-firm — that’ll make you love the ice cream-making process.
It also includes a paddle for folding over ice cream (a bonus!) and smart programming that lets you know when to add mix-ins, like chocolate morsels and nuts.
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