In the immortal words of the 1927 song, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.” Considering the average American eats over 23 pounds of ice cream a year, according to the International Dairy Foods Association, it’s a sentiment we all share.
While it’s easy to pick up a scoop of ice cream at your local ice cream shop, buy a tub at the supermarket, or even order your favorite flavors online, there’s something undeniably special about ice cream that you make yourself. That’s why we tested and researched the best ice cream makers you can buy, from hand-cranked ice cream and rock salt options to programmable self-chilling machines.
Here are the best ice cream makers in 2022
World’s Best Ice Cream Maker: Cuisinart ICE-30 Pure Indulgence, available on Amazon, $96.80While most frozen-bowl ice cream makers only produce about a quart per batch, the Cuisinart ICE-30 Pure Indulgence produces up to two quarts of sweetness.
Best Budget Ice Cream Maker: Hamilton Beach 4-Liter Automatic Ice Cream Maker, available at Amazon, $52.99There’s no reason to spend big bucks when the Hamilton Beach 4-Liter Automatic Ice Cream Maker produces such good ice cream at a great price.
Best Compressor Ice Cream Maker: Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream, available on Amazon, $289.95The Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream mixes and freezes your ice cream for you, so all you have to do is turn it on, add the ingredients, and enjoy your frozen dessert within the hour.
Best Quick Ice Cream Maker: Chef’n Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream Maker, available on Amazon, $54.95If the dish is frozen in advance, you can have ice cream in minutes with the Chef’n Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream Maker.
Best Frozen Dessert Maker: Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker, available on Amazon, $49.99If you’re trying to avoid dairy or added sugars, you’ll love the way the Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker turns bananas and other fruit into soft-serve ice cream.
1. World’s Best Ice Cream Maker: Cuisinart ICE-30 Pure Indulgence
If you’re making ice cream for the family - or, let’s be honest, if you just want a really, enormous bowl of ice cream for yourself - you can’t go wrong with the Cuisinart ICE-30 Pure Indulgence. This machine can produce up to two quarts of ice cream per batch, so you can share your ice cream even if you don’t feel like it.
This is a frozen bowl machine, so you’ll want to remember to freeze the metal bowl for at least 12 hours before using it, but it’s really best to freeze the bowl for a full day. Once your bowl is frozen and your ingredients are added, the machine takes over. The churning is automatic and the ice cream, frozen yogurt or sorbet is ready in about half an hour.
Automatic ice cream makers can be noisy when they’re running, and if your bowl isn’t frozen enough or if the room temperature is high, you may get a not-quite-frozen result. If you find that the ice cream is runny, put it in the freezer to firm up.
Pros: Large quantity, easy to use and clean
Cons: Noisy, some complaints about icy or not quite frozen results.
While most frozen bowl ice cream makers only produce about a quart per batch, the Cuisinart ICE-30 Pure Indulgence can produce up to two quarts of ice cream.
Buy: Cuisinart ICE-30 Pure Indulgence
2. The best ice cream maker on a budget: Hamilton Beach 4-quart automatic ice cream maker
If you want ice cream in large quantities, but don’t want to spend a lot of money or take up a lot of storage space, and don’t mind having rock salt on hand, you’ll love the Hamilton Beach 4-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker.
With this machine, there is no need to pre-cool the bowl. It uses rock salt and ice, which you add to the outer bowl, to freeze the ingredients. We place these in an inner bowl, where a paddle automatically beats the dough until it is frozen. You can produce delicious, creamy ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and gelato with this machine in about 45 minutes.
Pros: Affordable price, large amount of dough
Cons: You’ll need rock salt and lots of ice.
There’s no reason to spend big bucks when the Hamilton Beach 4-Liter Automatic Ice Cream Maker produces such great ice cream at a great price.
Buy: Hamilton Beach 4-quart automatic ice cream maker
3. Best compressor ice cream maker: Cuisinart ICE-100 compressor ice cream maker
Compressor ice cream makers, like the Cuisinart ICE-100, have their own freezing mechanism. So there’s no need to freeze a bowl beforehand or pour in pounds of rock salt. Journalist James Brains found the Cuisinart machine to be quick and easy to use. It’s also not as bulky as other compressor-based appliances, measuring 16.7 inches deep, 12 inches wide and 9.3 inches high.
With a mixing opening in the clear lid, you can add additional ingredients without stopping the churning. The LED display tells you we left exactly how many minutes until ice cream time, and the unit even has a 10-minute chill function if you can’t enjoy your dessert right away.
You can make up to 1.5 quarts of frozen dessert per session, and if you need more, there’s no need to wait for a bowl to cool in the freezer before making the next batch.
Pros: No need to freeze the bowl, large quantities, countdown timer.
Cons: Expensive, takes up storage space
The Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream Maker mixes and freezes your ice cream for you. So all you have to do is turn it on, add the ingredients and enjoy your frozen dessert within an hour.
Buy: Cuisinart ICE-100 compressor ice cream maker
4. The best quick ice cream maker: Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream from Chef’n
No electricity, no rock salt, and no lengthy churning. Simply pour your ice cream batter onto the pre-frozen surface of the Chef’n Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream Maker, mix with the included spatulas, and in just a few minutes you’ll be enjoying your frozen dessert.
We should freeze the bowl at least overnight. In our testing, we were pleasantly surprised by how freezable the bowl was - we easily made three cups of ice cream before the bowl got a little too hot. Keep in mind that you’ll probably have to cut your recipe in half to accommodate the smaller capacity of this ice cream maker.
You can make up to three cups of your own ice cream in one 30-minute session or use the machine to add mix-ins to softened commercial ice cream. It’s also by far the easiest ice cream maker to store - you can stack other items on top of it or even store it sideways in a narrow cabinet.
Pros: No electricity needed, quick results, easy to use, fun for kids.
Cons: Bowl must be frozen before use, small amounts of ice cream, expensive for what it is.
If frozen in advance, you can have ice cream in minutes with Chef’n Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream Maker.
Buy: Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream from Chef’n
5. Best Frozen Dessert Machine: Yonanas Frozen Dessert Machine
Yes, its name is ridiculous, and yes, technically it’s not ice cream. But why nitpick when the result is so good? With the Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker, your bananas, mangoes, berries or any other overripe fruit are quickly transformed into creamy, smooth soft serve desserts.
The process is simple, but your fruit must be frozen and slightly thawed before using the machine. You then push the fruit into the chute, turn on the rotating blade and press the plunger. Voila, you have a bowl full of nature’s goodness.
Some buyers complain. The machine is noisy, and the crushed fruit gets stuck in the chute, requiring you to disassemble the machine and remove it with a spoon. But these are minor inconveniences compared to the joy of a delicious fruity dessert.
Pros: Great for people with lactose intolerance, can make low sugar “ice cream”, very easy to use.
Cons: Noisy fruit gets stuck in the chute.
If you’re trying to avoid dairy or added sugar, you’ll love the way the Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker turns bananas and other fruit into soft ice cream.
Buy: Yonanas Frozen Dessert Machine
Ice cream maker FAQ
What type of ice cream maker should I choose?
If you plan to make ice cream at home regularly, we recommend a pre-frozen or self-chilling machine rather than one that requires pounds of ice and rock salt.
With a pre-frozen machine, you freeze a canister full of refrigerant for up to 24 hours before using it. A compressor machine is even easier to use: you often just pour in your ice cream mixture, flip a switch and wait 30-40 minutes. Unfortunately, they are also the most expensive and bulky.
Does homemade ice cream taste the same as store-bought?
You may find that the ice cream you make at home freezes more slowly than store-bought ice cream. Commercial-grade ice cream makers are powerful enough to operate at top speeds, which means they can blow extra air (called “overrun”) into the ice cream, which home machines cannot.
Also, the ingredient list for your typical supermarket pint is often longer than a homemade recipe. That said, many people prefer the denser, richer texture of homemade ice cream. To keep some sweetness, simply take it straight out of the machine or let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before serving.
