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The 8 Best Ice Cream Makers of 2023

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best ice cream makers
Sarah Ciceneros

Delish editors handpick every product we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream—but you’ll really scream once you realize just how simple it is to make your own. More convenient, cost-effective, and delicious than store-bought pints, ice cream makers give you the gift of the homemade stuff, and you can even experiment with different flavors in the comfort of your home. For all you dairy queens, kings, and everything in between, we’re here to give you the scoop on the best ice cream makers.

Take your pick, then try out our favorite homemade ice cream recipes.

Our top picks

How we picked these products

Good House Keeping Institute Lab Tested Badge

We turned to our expert friends at the Good Housekeeping Institute to determine the best ice cream makers. Their team of on-staff experts—which includes all types: engineers! data analysts! registered dietitians!—rigorously put everyday products to the test (and then more and more tests) in their New York City-based labs to determine which ones you can trust. They ran a variety of tests on the most popular ice cream makers on the market, including their ability to prepare ice cream and sorbet, ease of use and assembly, noise level during operation, cleanability, and even quality of customer service.

    Best Ice Cream Maker

    Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker

    Editor’s Choice
    Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker

    Pros

    • Intuitive controls and thoughful design make it easy to operate and clean

    Cons

    • Noisy

    Make every day Treat Yourself Day with the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker. DIY has never been so easy thanks to this gadget’s thoughtful design and features, which include an automatic stopping feature in the event of overheating, a cord storage compartment, and an opening in the lid to add extra ingredients like nuts and chocolate chips. Per the Good Housekeeping Institute's testers, "This machine made very thick and delicious vanilla ice cream and excelled at making sorbet that was thick, smooth, and full of peach flavor." Plus, the Pure Indulgence is as easy to operate as it is to clean—just be sure to check the knob for any stray debris when you’re wiping it down.

    With the capacity to make up to 2 quarts of ice cream at a time, you’ll need to keep an eye on this machine while it’s at work and chill the double-walled container in the freezer before each use (which can take anywhere from 6 to 22 hours). However, for most people, we think this ice cream maker’s delectable results and intuitive controls are worth any extra effort and noise.

    Best Budget Ice Cream Maker

    Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker

    Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker

    Pros

    • Ice cream quality is as good as pricier options
    • Inexpensive

    Cons

    • Fewer bonus features

    This unit is automatic, it's systematic, it's ice-omatic… why, it's the Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker! This reliable ice cream maker offers convenient features like an opening in the lid to add mix-ins, cord storage, and an automatic stopping feature in the event that the motor overheats.

    Though it lacks all the bells and whistles of more expensive models and the canister must be frozen prior to using, it’s a breeze to operate and can yield one and a half quarts of ice cream that’s as good as—if not better than—costlier options.

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    Best Ice Cream Maker for Kids

    Cuisinart Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker

    Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker

    Pros

    • Includes convenient topping dispenser
    • Easy for kids to use

    Cons

    • Large footprint
    • Takes some extra effort to clean

    If you’re looking for a way to entertain your little ones besides plopping them in front of a screen, look no further than the Cuisinart Mix It In Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker. Though it requires a bit of extra storage space, cleaning, and of course, pre-freezing, the most difficult part about using this machine is choosing which mix-ins to put in its built-in dispenser. (We personally prefer rainbow sprinkles, but we’re willing to compromise with chocolate chips.)

    It isn’t the most consistent in its output—the Good Housekeeping Institute warns, "There is a learning curve for dispensing swirled ice cream"—but this kid-friendly soft serve maker yields 1.5 quarts and is sure to delight your children and create a lifetime of sweet memories.

    Best Ice Cream Maker Attachment

    KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment

    Ice Cream Maker Attachment

    Pros

    • Compatible with KitchenAid stand mixers

    Cons

    • Can be a bit tricky to assemble

    Why waste extra money—not to mention valuable countertop real estate—on an ice cream maker if you already have a stand mixer? Answer: You don’t! This KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment has everything you need to make two quarts of delightfully creamy frozen desserts, including a mixing bowl, a dasher attachment, and a mechanism to turn on the dasher.

    Though you’ll need to pre-freeze the mixing canister and the Good Housekeeping Institute's kitchen tech experts found the attachment to be "tricky to assemble," we still think this is a great maker attachment for its price and capabilities.

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    Best Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Maker

    Nostalgia Electric Old Fashioned Ice Cream Maker

    Electric Old Fashioned Ice Cream Maker

    Pros

    • Requires rock salt, so no pre-freezing
    • Produces plenty of ice cream for a crowd

    Cons

    • No on/off button

    Put on some records or an Audrey Hepburn movie and enjoy a blast from the past with the Nostalgia Electric 4-Quart Electric Ice Cream Maker. If you enjoy doing things the good old-fashioned way, then you’ll love this classic machine’s ease of use and wooden bucket design.

    Though it lacks an on/off button and you’ll need to layer rock salt and water around the canister while you churn, that also means you can skip the step of pre-freezing required by more modern options. Plus, the Good Housekeeping Institute's testers were wowed by its capacity, saying "With its large yield, it’s a great choice for a party or family reunion."

    Best Compressor-Style Ice Cream Maker

    Cuisinart Commercial Quality Ice Cream & Gelato Maker

    Commercial Quality Ice Cream & Gelato Maker

    Pros

    • No pre-freezing or rock salt required
    • "Keep Cool" setting maintains temperature for up to 10 minutes

    Cons

    • Large footprint
    • Pricey

    You’d be hard-pressed to find a better compressor-style ice cream maker than the Cuisinart Commercial Quality Ice Cream & Gelato Maker. (See what we did there?) If you’re the type of person who wants your frozen treats whenever the mood strikes, this easy-to-use compressor-style option can help make those near-instantaneous dessert dreams a reality. Per the Good Housekeeping Institute, "it’s always ready to be pressed into action and can even make batch after batch."

    The Cuisinart has plenty of perks, like an LED panel with touchpad controls, gelato and ice cream paddles, an opening in the lid to easily add toppings, a mixing bowl with lift-out handle, and even an automatic stopping feature in the event that the motor overheats. We were also impressed to find it has a “Keep Cool” setting, which maintains your treat's temperature for up to 10 minutes.

    The built-in compressor does mean this ice cream maker has a large footprint and weighs a little more, but if you’re willing to sacrifice some extra space and quiet in exchange for 1.5 quarts of ice cream on-demand, this is the model to get.

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    Best Portable Ice Cream Maker

    Nostalgia Electric 4-Quart Electric Ice Cream Maker

    Electric 4-Quart Electric Ice Cream Maker

    Pros

    • Portable
    • No cords or hand-churning required

    Cons

    • Less powerful than our other recommendations

    Our favorite thing about the Nostalgia Electric Old Fashioned Ice Cream Maker? It’s electric! Leave the hand-churning chore of ice cream making in the past while enjoying that classic, old-timey taste with our favorite portable ice cream maker. Whether you’re hitting the beach or camping in the great outdoors, you can satisfy your sweet tooth anytime, anywhere with four quarts of sweet, creamy goodness.

    Though it isn’t as powerful as many of our other recommendations and the Good Housekeeping Institute testers found "you need to layer rock salt and water around the canister before and during churning," this machine makes up for its shortcomings with a convenient carrying handle and little window to watch your ice cream form before your very eyes.

    Best Vegan Ice Cream Maker

    Yonanas Fruit Soft Serve Maker

    Fruit Soft Serve Maker

    Pros

    • Easy to operate and clean
    • Compatible with multiple kinds of frozen fruit

    Cons

    • Performance is lacking compared to other options
    • Noisy

    When Gwen Stefani sang “This is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S,” we’d like to think she was thinking about the Yonanas Fruit Soft Serve Maker. Despite its name, you can use more than just bananas to make frozen desserts in this machine: Simply feed any of your favorite frozen (or, as the GHI lab experts advised, "thaw[ed] ever-so-slightly") fruits into the chute and then reap the rewards of smooth soft serve. Seriously, it's that magical—no cream or sugar required. From there, you can add any of your favorite mix-ins (creamy peanut butter, chocolate chips) or dig in.

    And if you thought that was easy, wait until you hear about the clean-up: throw the chute, plunger, and blade in the top rack of your dishwasher. Granted, this lightweight gadget is a bit of a, well, lightweight, but we think the quality output is worth the slightly sluggish, noisy motor and limited run time.

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    Which ice cream maker is the best to buy?

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    Pre-Freeze Ice Cream Makers: If you want delectable desserts with minimal effort (and who wouldn’t?), consider a pre-freeze model. These makers come equipped with a double-walled canister containing a freezable liquid between the walls, so it needs to be frozen anywhere from 7-24 hours in advance. You will need to plan ahead so the container is frozen in time for you to use it—or you can just store it in your freezer 24/7, but that may not work if you’re low on space.

    Compressor-Style Ice Cream Makers: For ice cream anytime with no prep, consider a compressor-style model. Though they’re the priciest and heaviest option of the bunch, they don’t require pre-freezing and, in some cases, don’t even need to be monitored.

    Rock Salt Makers: Like compressor-style ice cream makers, models that use a combination of rock salt and ice as a freezing agent require minimal prep (though you do of course need the rock salt and ice on-hand), but of the three types of ice cream makers, they require the most hands-on work. To use these units, you’ll need to layer the ice and salt around the canister before you get started and you’ll need to replenish them throughout the churning process. That being said, this is a good option if you don’t mind the extra effort and want to make enough decadent ice cream to numb a break-up Bridget Jones-style or fuel a crowd. (More on that in a minute.)

    Size: As we mentioned, certain ice cream makers (cough cough compression-style models) take up a larger footprint than others, which is important to take into account if you have a smaller kitchen. However, if you lack the freezer space needed to pre-freeze a canister or stow away rock salt, you can consider a more compact model or even a KitchenAid attachment if you already own a stand mixer.

    Features: You know the drill—you get what you pay for. But when it comes to ice cream makers, this rule applies to performance and additional features. For example, some machines (usually compression-style models) boast an automatic stopping function so you don’t have to monitor your maker to determine when your ice cream is ready. If you’re low on outlets or want to take your ice cream maker on the go, some units are battery-operated or have hand cranks for maximum portability. These options are great for camping or using with kids, with the downside that you’ll be putting in more effort to yield less creamy results.

    Are ice cream makers worth buying?

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    If your idea of a balanced diet is an ice cream in each hand, we think it's a worthy investment! Ice cream makers not only give you more control over what goes into your batch, but they can save you money in the long run (when properly maintained) because all you have to do is buy the ingredients to make a larger batch than what you'd pick up at the store.

    Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your ice cream maker:

    For canisters that require pre-freezing, make sure you give them enough time to chill out in your freezer. Shortening the freezing time can affect results negatively. Pro-tip: If you can still hear liquid moving inside the walls when you shake it, it needs more time.

    Don’t skimp on the fat content—for dairy-based frozen desserts, you’ll want to avoid using low-fat or skim milk. These options may seem healthier, but they don’t freeze as well and will leave your ice cream with an icy texture and less flavor. If you want to try a healthier option, consider making this strawberry sorbet.

    Just like the canister, make sure the ice cream mixture is thoroughly chilled before you start your ice cream maker.If your machine doesn’t come with a feature to signal your ice cream is ready, keep an ear out for the sound of it laboring to continue churning to determine when it’s done.Ice cream makers don’t immediately yield a product that is rock-solid in consistency. If you prefer a soft texture you can scoop it as soon as it's ready, but for a firmer consistency, stick the canister in the freezer until it’s hardened to your preference. (Just be sure to let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes before scooping.)

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