01-05-2025
The 5 Best Ice Cream Makers To Whip Up Frozen Treats At Home
Store-bought ice cream pints are reliably good, but sometimes homemade is just better. With a dedicated ice cream maker, you can whip up rich, flavorful creations with minimal effort, allowing you to focus on dreaming up new combinations. Out of the very best ice cream makers on the market, the Cuisinart ICE-20 is our top recommendation for most households because it's compact, affordable and delivers consistently great results.
If you're thinking about investing in one of these machines, Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker at Salt And Straw, recommends prioritizing size and speed. 'Try to find machines that can handle at least one quart of ice cream,' Malek advises. 'The bigger the better, since it will equate to stronger freezing components.' He also suggests looking for a machine with multiple churning speeds, which can influence the texture of frozen treats. Based on expert insights and in-depth research, these are the five models we recommend for making delicious ice cream, gelato, sorbet and other frozen treats from the comfort of your kitchen.
Dimensions: 9.5 x 9 x 11.3 inches | Weight: 11 pounds | Capacity: 1.5 quarts | Dishwasher safe: No | Includes: Motor, lid, mixing bowl, paddle
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The Cuisinart ICE-21 might not be the sleekest or most advanced model out there, but it's reliable, beginner-friendly and affordable. And unless you make frozen treats all the time and you're willing to splurge on a larger machine, a basic canister-style machine like the ICE-21 is your best bet—it's ideal for pulling out on occasion to make ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and more.
Operating this model couldn't be easier: After you add your ingredients to the double-insulated freezer bowl, all you have to do is press the 'on' button. And as it churns, you can pour in mix-ins through the spout on the top of the machine. Then, in 20 minutes, it can make up to 1.5 quarts of ice cream. Just note that the bowl needs to spend at least 16 hours in the freezer ahead of time, so you either need to make permanent room in your freezer or plan ahead before making a batch. Fortunately, the bowl—and the machine itself—is on the smaller side, so it doesn't require a ton of space.
Dimensions: 16 x 11 x 9.5 inches | Weight: 30 pounds | Capacity: 1.1 quarts | Dishwasher safe: No | Includes: Cleaning brush, bowl, paddle, motor
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If you don't want to deal with the freezer bowl that comes with canister-style machines, you'd likely be happier with a compressor-style ice cream maker. While the latter typically costs more, it's because they feature a mechanical cooling element that "allows you to make ice cream without the pre-freeze-overnight forethought needed,' says Malek. Out of all the compressor-style machines on the market, the Breville Smart Scoop is a solid choice for most people.
This sleep ice cream maker has a clear LCD screen that guides you through achieving your perfect frozen dessert, step by step. The knob allows you to select your desired ice cream consistency (12 settings, from sorbet to fro-yo to hard ice cream), and you can either follow one of the four pre-programmed recipes or take a manual approach. There's also a keep-cool setting that will maintain the appropriate temperature for up to three hours. This way, you can prepare your dessert ahead of time and keep it in the machine until it's time to serve it to guests.
Now, this isn't the fastest working machine on the list; it takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes until a batch of ice cream is ready to enjoy. But you won't have to pre-freeze a canister a day ahead of time, which means turnaround time is still decently speedy. You'll also have to keep size in mind with this machine; it weighs over 30 pounds and calls for 16 inches of width and almost 10 inches of height to fit on a countertop. Price is another factor, as it's one of the more expensive models on our list.
Dimensions: 15.2 x 10 x 17.5 inches | Weight: 20.8 pounds | Capacity: 16 ounces | Dishwasher-safe: Yes | Includes: Motor base, 2 pints with lids, outer bowl with lid, dispensing lid with swirl press, Creamerizer paddle, recipe book
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A descendent of the cult-favorite Ninja Creami, the Ninja Swirl is designed with soft serve lovers in mind. It has both a soft serve output and canister-style component to yield anything from milkshakes and gelato to soft serve and fruit whip. In total, there are 13 programs to choose from.
This machine is relatively slim and easy to use, which makes it a great option for ice cream making beginners or casual indulgers. The control panel has several intuitive buttons for each function, and the machine comes with a convenient recipe book with over 30 frozen desserts to choose from. Just like the Creami, the Swirl has a mix-in function to easily incorporate add-ins like candy, nuts and chocolate chips.
This machine requires you to freeze your batch of ice cream ingredients 24 hours in advance, which is different from other canister models that require just the container to be frozen. That means you'll have to really plan ahead, rather than just find enough freezer space to house an empty container. Luckily, this machine comes with two freezable pints with lids, so you can always have a batch ready to go for next time.
Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 11 inches | Weight: 40 pounds | Capacity: 1.5 quarts | Dishwasher safe: No | Includes: Motor, lid, mixing bowl, paddle
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Whether you have experience making homemade ice cream or you simply want a larger, more premium model to whip up inventive batches, the Lello 4080 Musso Lussino might be a smart investment. Crafted from stainless steel, this Italian-made machine—which comes from a respected brand that's popular among the pros—has a lot going for it.
As a compressor-style machine, it's fully automatic and doesn't require any pre-freezing—all you have to do is add your ingredients and press a couple of buttons. It's also exceptionally fast, capable of churning up to 3 quarts of ice cream in just 15 minutes. The only downside of this machine (aside from its higher price) is its size. Not only is it relatively large, but it weighs nearly 40 pounds, so lugging it in and out of your cabinets whenever you want to use it can be a pain.
But if you want to make truly impressive batches of ice cream (and you have the budget and storage space), you'd be hard-pressed to find a better machine. 'It consistently produces the smoothest and creamiest ice cream," says Courtney Blagrove, co-founder of Urban Dessert Lab. This is because the model 'produces smaller ice crystals' and incorporates a lot of air into the ice cream as it churns, she explains. (Salt And Straw's test kitchen is also equipped with a Lello model, though the shop relies on a commercial-grade maker.)
Dimensions: 10.9 x 10.3 x 10.3 inches | Weight: 6 pounds | Capacity: 2 quarts | Dishwasher-safe: No | Includes: Bowl, dasher, hub connector
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For ice cream lovers who already own the renowned and highly versatile KitchenAid Stand Mixer, this attachment is a no-brainer. It's a favorite of Malek's when it comes to canister-style models, thanks to the appliance's inherently strong motor and controllable speed.
The 2-quart insulated freezer bowl is compatible with most KitchenAid Stand Mixers (both tilt-head and bowl-lift models), and it comes with a churning paddle that's designed to mix the batch evenly, incorporate mix-ins and scrape the sides of the bowl as it goes.
Just like the Cuisinart—and other ice cream machines without a compressor—this attachment requires pre-freezing; the bowl needs to be stored in the freezer for at least 16 hours before use. Once it's ready to go, though, it calls for just 20 to 30 minutes of churning before the ice cream is ready to enjoy. (If you prefer a harder consistency, the brand recommends storing the prepared ice cream in the freezer for a few hours before eating.)This attachment can churn out up to 2 quarts of ice cream in one serving, so it's great for entertaining large groups. It's clearly not a top pick for anyone who doesn't already own a KitchenAid stand mixer—but if you have the multipurpose appliance or plan to get one, this is a fun way to stretch its capability even further.
The home team at Forbes Vetted is committed to helping our readers shop for the best products that suit their lifestyle, needs and budget.
In order to provide the most reliable recommendations, we spent hours researching the best machines on the market that churn out reliably delicious ice cream, sorbet and gelato at home.
There are several trusted kitchen brands that make accessible yet high-quality ice cream makers, including Breville and Cuisinart. And if you're looking for a professional-grade machine, Musso ice cream makers come highly recommended by the pros for their speed and consistency.
This is highly dependent on your experience and how often you see yourself making homemade ice cream. If you're a beginner or casual ice cream enjoyer, consider opting for a smaller and more affordable model, such as the Cusinart ICE-21 maker or the KitchenAid attachment. 'I always recommend starting with the canister-style machine,' Malek says. 'It's easy to use, has very few parts that can break and—if you remember to pre-freeze the canister—makes really good ice cream.'
For those who are more experienced and willing to make space for a larger appliance, it may be worth splurging on something more advanced. 'As you get more into ice cream making, I recommend jumping up to a compressor-style machine like Breville or Lello,' he says.
The first choice you need to make when shopping for an ice cream machine is deciding whether you want a canister-style or compressor-style ice cream maker. (There are also salt-and-ice models, though Malek doesn't recommend them, as they can be messy and expensive.) 'The canister-style is both the easiest and cheapest way to get started making ice cream because it simply needs to be 'charged' in the freezer overnight,' Malek explains. 'Compressor-style machines are the best of the best, and they allow you to make as much ice cream as you want, since it never loses its 'charge'.'
The build of the machine is important, too. 'Excellent ice cream makers have a paddle design and rotation speed where the blade can properly scrape the sides of the bowl and uniformly incorporate the colder part of your mix with the warmer part,' explains Blagrove. 'It's also worth mentioning that the materials used to construct the ice cream maker will affect the longevity of the machine.' For example, stainless steel models tend to be more durable than plastic ones. Lastly, you want to keep in mind size, features and price.
