There is an incredible choice of ice cream makers available in the market, and you might spend weeks trying to choose the right one and trying to figure out, which features are important for you. These precious hours of summer, which is always not long enough, are always best spent eating the ice cream, instead of figuring out how to make it!
If you are considering to get an ice cream machine for yourself or as a gift, you came to the right place to learn all you want about best ice cream makers in a few minutes. We’d love to help you save your precious time, but still make the right choice for a type of a machine, that fits your budget and your needs best.
First, we are sharing our general recommendations for the easier choice of the right equipment, but it you just want to see our list of the Top 5 ice cream makers, than simply scroll to the bottom of the article.
What to look for when choosing and Ice Cream Maker
Ice cream maker is an ice cream maker, it just should make the best ice cream possible, doesn’t it? Well, it’s just a tiny bit more complicated than that. There are a few features you should look at when choosing an ice cream machine, and I’m not talking just about its price and size. Here are the key points you should consider, before deciding which purchase is right for you.
Ice cream, gelato or sorbet?
All of these three options (ice cream, gelato and sorbet) have different consistency. Usually, cheaper ice cream machines have limited features and will allow you to create treats only with one consistency. Make sure that you are happy with what exactly they can make.
Can you clean it easily?
This could be an overlooked issue when it comes to the choice of ice cream makers. It can, however, be compared to juicers: one can get super excited about the result it creates, but cleaning it might become a real nightmare! Choose the machine that will not add you any extra household work.
How long does it take to make ice cream?
We won’t lie, you might need to wait a while until you can sample your final product. That said, some ice cream makers are faster than the others, with average time for churning around 30-60 minutes. It does not end there, however: many quick ice cream makers will produce a rather soft mixture at the end, that will need to spend several hous in the feezer until it starts resemble a store/bought ice crem. If you have a little more to give away, it is worth investing in a more expensive, but a faster machine.
How noisy is it?
As we know already, creating your frozen treat does take a while. So, for some households it might be really important, that thee is no continious noise for one hour straigh. Pay attention at the noise level that the ice cream maker produces, and if you can tolerate it.
How about the warranty?
If you are targeting more expensive ice cream makers, make sure that it has good technical support, or that it’s even available in your country (it might not always be the case!).
How much ice cream can it produce at a time?
Don’t rely on the pictures, but make sure that you check the exact quantity of ice cream the machine can produce at a time. If you have a big family, or hope to prepare treats for big celebrations, a possibility of creating large volume of ice cream at a time can be crucial. Remember, it can take 1 hour to make a batch, and there are only that many hours in a day.
Top 5 Ice Cream Makers
(we are partnering with Amazon, which means that if you make a purchase by clicking on one of the links, we will get a tiny percentage of the sale, it is crucial to keep this blog up and running. That said, our opinion here is neither influenced nor sponsored by any particular brands, and this overview is as objective as it can be)
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Cuisinart ICE-100 Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker
Price: $207.99 +
Makes: 1.5 quart
What we love about it:
- It can make gelato, ice cream and sorbet, which means it can achieve different consistencies
- It’s fully automatic, with a timer
- It will keep your ice cream cool for another hour after it’s ready, even if you forgot about it
- It’s BPA free
- It has commercial-style compressor (meaning it can keep making your ice cream non-stop)
- You can add toppings and extra flavours during the freezing process, without interrupting it
- Takes only about 45-50 minutes to make it to the right consistency
- It’s not very noisy
What’s not so cool:
- Removing ice cream from it might be a challenge
- It’s quite heavy and bulky
- Cleaning some parts of it is not easy
2. Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker
Price: $44.99 +
Makes: 1.5 quarts
What we love about it:
- It can make all possible types of frozen treats, including ice cream, gelato, sorbet, frozen yoghurt etc.
- Keeps ice cream cool for up to 3 hours after it’s ready
- Has both automatic and manual regimes, thus offers flexibility for the desired final product
- Extremely easy to use
- BPA free and has a child lock
- Very reliable brand
What’s not so cool:
- It’s quite pricey
- It’s bulky and heavy
- The machine is rather noisy
3. White Mountain Appalachian Series Wooden Bucket Electric Ice Cream Maker, 4-Quart (PBWMIME412-SHP)
Price: $174.80 +
Makes: 4 quarts
What we love about it:
- Gorgeous and eco-friendly design, with a stainless-steel bowl inside and a wooden bucket outside
- Makes a really big batch of ic cream at a time (4 quarts), thus it’s pefct for parties and big gatherings
- Very easy to clean
- It’s an established and famous brand of ice makers, has an excellent reputation of creating a perfect consistency ice cream
What’s not so cool:
- Extremely noisy
4. Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Price: $65.99 +
Makes: 2 quarts
What we love about it:
- Great price
- Made from stainless steel, BPA free
- Very easy to use and to clean up
- Very fast: takes only 25 minutes to make the ice cream
What’s not so cool:
- At times ice cream comes out significantly softer than you’d like it to be for serving
5. KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment
Price: $44.99 +
Makes: 2 quarts
What we love about it:
- Price! If you have KitchenAid already, this is a great machine if you are looking for a budget option
- It will not take much extra space in your kitchen (once again, given that you own a Kitchen Aid at this point already)
- Takes just 20-30 minutes to make the ice cream
- It’s really easy to clean
What’s not so cool:
- To use it you’ll need to have Kitchen Aid already
- Some people reported earlier that the blue gel leaks during the churning processMight need additional equipment to achieve the perfect result
After seeing all the options you might feel that an ice cream maker is too much of an investment, or may be that your kitchen is packed enough already to add one more gadget to it. In this case, take a look at our No Churn Vegan Ice Cream Masterclass, which gives you great techniques and recipes to make frozen treats without an ice cream maker. Everything we cover in the Masterclass is also dairy-free and refined sugar-free. Even though these are not your conventional ice creams, they are much healthier and easier to make, and they are packed with nutrition too!
Related Article: What Vegan Ice Cream is Made of?
