Churning delicious ice cream and sorbet at home is effortless with a great ice cream maker. Gone are the days of this being a slow, long process, now you can make a big bowl of homemade ice cream in as little as 25 minutes!
Not only are ice cream makers convenient and simple to use, they also give you full control over what is going into your frozen desserts. What’s not to love? We’ve reviewed some of the best ice cream makers available so you can easily find the best option for you.
1. Cuisinart Ice 100 Ice Cream Maker with Compressor (Top Pick)
If you plan on making a lot of frozen dessert at home, the Cuisinart Ice 100 is the best ice cream maker for the job. This machine is smart, sturdy and will look great in any kitchen. It comes with two mixing paddles; one designed for ice cream and one for gelato.
One of the highlights of this model is the ease of use; you can pause/ restart the machine at any time and you can add extras to your ice cream base through a handy window. There’s a keep cool mode too so your ice cream won’t melt after it is ready.
The Cuisinart Ice 100 has a self-refrigerating compressor unit so you do not need to pre-freeze bowls or use other products such as ice and rock salt. This compressor style tends to be larger but it allows you to make consistently delicious desserts from soft serve to sorbet with no wait.
What We Like:
- Make multiple batches with ease
- Quick and convenient
- User friendly
What We Don’t Like:
- Pricier
- Large in size
2. Apuro Ice Cream Maker
The Apuro Ice Cream Makers are ideal for whipping up larger quantities of ice cream in the comfort of your own home. The stainless steel design looks elegant and the simplicity compliments the easy functionality of the maker.
This model has an LED temperature display and the bowl is non-stick and removable so making your favourite vanilla ice cream will be stress free. The built-in freezer allows you to make frozen desserts in less than an hour without the need for pre-freezing the bowl.
This product is aimed more towards making lots of ice cream in minimal time so if that is what you are looking for, this is a great option.
What We Like:
- Built in freezer
- Large capacity
- Durable
What We Don’t Like:
- Can be noisy
- More expensive than similar models
3. Cuisinart ICE-30 Ice Cream Maker (Best Value)
The ICE-30 Ice Cream Maker is a great value, compact machine that is easy to use and will fit well in any kitchen.
When using this appliance, just pour the mix into the pre-frozen bowl and leave the machine to work its magic. In 20-30 minutes the dessert will be ready. Using the spout, you can add extra goodies like chocolate chips towards the end of the churning process.
You need to freeze the bowl for at least 12 hours beforehand so making ice cream will take a bit of prior planning (if you have enough freezer space you could keep the bowl in the freezer all the time). Using a freezer bowl tends to be an economical option that suits many people and while a freezer bowl model takes a lot of pre-preparation time, the making of the ice cream is impressively quick at only 25 minutes.
What We Like:
- Value for money
- Only takes 25 minutes
- Includes a spout for adding extras to the mix
What We Don’t Like:
- Noisy when churning
- Does not make a lot per batch
4. Breville The Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker
The Breville Smart Scoop has 12 hardness settings so you can make the best ice cream exactly the way you like it. You can make sorbet, gelato, frozen yogurt or ice cream, the maker automatically senses the hardness of the mixture and you can even put it in manual mode too.
This smart stainless steel maker has a self-refrigerating compressor that will keep your mix cool for up to three hours. This means you can make amazing dessert without having to watch over it.
Ice cream making with the Smart Scoop is a breeze. On top of being fully adjustable, this ice cream machine is durable and easy to clean so you can rely on it time and time again.
What We Like:
- Very quiet
- Full control over settings
- Keeps dessert cool for up to three hours
What We Don’t Like:
- Higher price
- Some customers have reported performance issues
5. Glacio Ice Cream Maker
The best ice cream makers are the ones that require no fuss. With the Glacio maker you pour the ingredients straight in with no need for pre-freezing anything. As this is a compressor model, you can enjoy continuous use of the maker with quick, tasty results.
There is a stay cool feature that will keep the bowl cold for up to an hour so you don’t have to wait for it to finish or worry about the sorbet or ice cream melting or overfreezing.
The products display clearly shows if the maker is on, the temperature and if it is mixing or chilling. For user friendliness, the Glacio mixer comes with a removable bowl, removable paddle and a scoop.
What We Like:
- Over freezing protection
- Ideal for moderate use
- Compressor allows continuous use without time spent freezing bowls
What We Don’t Like:
- Lesser known home appliance brand
Ice Cream Maker Buyers Guide
You can’t beat homemade ice cream on a hot day. The taste is better, the ingredients are hand selected and the process is easy. That is, if you’ve chosen the best ice cream maker. With so many options, it helps to know what to look out for.
Type of Ice Cream Maker
There are two main types of ice cream maker:
- Motorised with Freezer Bowl. This type uses a freezer bowl that needs to be pre-frozen before you begin to make ice cream. Once the bowl is frozen and you add the ingredients, the motor churns the mix. They tend to be sturdy, affordable and work very quickly.
- Built-in Freezer. This is an automatic machine that uses a compressor to cool the bowl in just a few minutes. The ice cream maker freezes and churns at the same time with little effort needed from you. Some allow you to choose specific settings depending on the texture you want. These makers tend to be more expensive.
Factors to Consider
- Ease of Use: Are the instructions are clear? Does the control panel makes sense? Is it easy to use the machine?
- Speed: How long does it take to make the ice cream?
- Ease of Cleaning: Do the pieces come apart for cleaning? Do they need to be cleaned by hand?
- Noise: The motor will make a noise on every machine but the severity will vary, so keep this in mind.
Ice Cream Maker FAQs
An ice cream maker works by mixing and freezing the ingredients while churning. The mix becomes aerated by the churning and this is what creates light, fluffy ice cream.
Ice cream makers tend to take 25-40 minutes to churn a litre. This can vary between ice cream makers, dessert type and the ingredients used.
Healthline found several differences between the two but we are going to keep it simple. Despite the confusion, these are the main differences between ice cream and gelato:
1. Gelato incorporates less air to create a denser texture whereas ice cream is churned to be more creamy
2. Gelato is made with less fat
3. Gelato is frozen at a lower temperature (giving it a fuller/ richer flavour)
