Chill out with the best ice cream makers for 2025, tested and reviewed

Yahoo

26-05-2025

With a few hot days popping up between spring rainstorms, I'm jonesing for ice cream season. Not that there's really a season for the country's most beloved frozen treat. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the average American eats roughly 19 pounds of ice cream each year, or about four gallons! If you could create the perfect homemade ice cream, exactly how you want it, wouldn't that be an incredible treat? Enter the best ice cream makers for 2025.As a culinary school graduate, kitchen gear expert, and mom of two, I was excited to test the most popular ice cream makers on the market. I had lots of questions: Would they be giant machines? Would they be too loud? Would they make more than just straight-up dairy ice cream? Could they handle mix-ins? Would any of them offer instant gratification when a craving strikes?
After researching nearly 100 home ice cream makers, I narrowed down the testing pool to eight popular picks. I ruled out manual models in favor of electric models because they do not require tedious hand-cranking. These machines feature a canister (or insulated bowl) that you must freeze before installing on a base and churning, or a compressor, which freezes the ice cream base and churns it in one go. In all the models, I looked for ease of use, a variety of functions and value. My picks for the best ice cream makers are a lot of fun to use and produce excellent homemade frozen treats.
Related: More cooking must-haves, including Ina Garten's go-to kitchen gadgets, the best cookware sets and the best chef's knives.
Best ice cream makers of 2025
Factors to consider when choosing an ice cream maker
How we tested ice cream makers
Other ice cream makers we tested
How to make homemade ice cream
Ice cream maker FAQs
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My time spent testing ice cream makers yielded these considerations to keep in mind when you're shopping.
Churn time: This factor depends on whether the machine features a canister or a compressor — and if you have the mindset and the space to keep a bowl in the freezer at all times. Canister machines can churn out ice cream in as little as 20 minutes and Ninja machines in as little as two (but with both, you have to pre-freeze the bowl, for Ninja you must freeze the inner bowl with the ice cream base inside). Compressor machines may take up to 60 minutes.
Dimensions and weight: Limited storage space means some models may not work for you. You should consider whether or not you'll use an ice cream machine often and if you have room for it in a cabinet or on a shelf — always check the height and weight of the model before you commit. Note that some machines weigh over 25 pounds.
Value: These machines hit a huge range of price points. For $22, you can own a home ice cream machine, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you know you'll use a machine three to four times a month, about $50 to $100 will get you a quality canister model. For the ice cream-obsessed, compressor models start at $250 and can cost thousands of dollars at the top end.
Taste and texture: This is where the ice cream scoop meets the pint. You want deliciously smooth and creamy ice cream that's dense and does not have ice crystals.
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After opening each box, I noted if there was any setup required and how easy these appliances were to program. I gave each freezer bowl, dasher (aka paddle) and lid a quick wash with soap and water. According to manufacturers' instructions, I froze the bowls overnight as needed.
I made a basic egg-free vanilla ice cream and strawberry sorbet base that I chilled in the fridge before processing in each ice cream maker. Note that machines with a compressor do not require you to freeze anything in advance, while canister machines require you to freeze the empty canister and the Ninja machines require you to freeze the ice cream base in the canister overnight before processing.
To rank on our list, the gadgets had to excel in the following tests:
"Smooth operator" test: This was all about texture. I noted whether the ice cream and sorbet tasted creamy and airy and if there were ice crystals. Basically, I looked for the perfect mouthfeel.
"Mix-in madness" test: I added crushed chocolate sandwich cookies a few minutes before the vanilla ice cream was done processing to see how the machine handled mix-ins. Were they easy to add? Did they incorporate well into the base?
"Zoom" test: Could you let the ice cream process while making a work call? Some machines were far too loud for this, and others operated at a low hum.
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Cuisinart ICE-100 1.5-Quart Ice Cream Maker ($300): Cuisinart's entry into the compressor category was not as impressive as the Whynter model that made it into our top picks. It comes with a removable inner bowl and two dashers — one for ice cream and one for gelato. It processed the chilled ice cream and sorbet base in about 60 minutes, and the results were good, but not great.
Hamilton Beach 1.5-Quart Electric Ice Cream Maker 68880 ($54): This budget-friendly canister ice cream maker sadly missed the mark. Like most traditional ice cream makers, you must freeze the inner bowl for 24 hours before using it. It's very noisy, takes at least 40 minutes to process ice cream and the ice cream tasted just ok after curing in the freezer.
Ninja Creami Deluxe Ice Cream and Frozen Treat Maker ($250): Like with its souped-up cousin, the Ninja Swirl by Creami, you must make and freeze the ice cream base in the appropriate canister at least 24 hours in advance. But once it's frozen, the processing time is super-quick (thankfully, as this machine is noisy). I made ice cream in two minutes and sorbet in four! However, I think if you're going to splurge on one of these machines, the Ninja Swirl by Creami offers more variety than any other machine with its many modes and features.
Dash My Pint Ice Cream Maker ($22): This mini ice cream maker churns out one cup of ice cream at a time, which could be fun if you could use it on a whim, but you must freeze the canister for 24 hours before you use it. After 30 minutes of churning, the ice cream was at a soft-serve texture. I transferred it to a container and put it in the freezer. I had high hopes that this might turn into a spontaneous rainy-day activity, but that wasn't the case.
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There are so many ice cream and sorbet recipes available that you should easily be able to find one that satisfies cravings and dietary needs — think keto, non-dairy, low-fat, protein-infused, frozen yogurt and more. I used a simple vanilla ice cream recipe that called for milk, cream, sugar and vanilla extract, and a strawberry sorbet recipe that called for strawberries (I used frozen), sugar, fresh lemon juice and water.
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What's the difference between canister and compressor ice cream makers?
Ice cream makers generally either feature a canister (or insulated freezer bowl) that you must freeze for about 24 hours before installing on a base and churning, or a compressor, which means it has built-in refrigeration and coolant that simultaneously freezes the liquid you've added to the inner bowl while churning it into the consistency of ice cream. Compressor models tend to be much more expensive than canister models.
We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.