Laura Honey
Making your own ice cream is easier than you think – and far more rewarding. You can skip the ultra-processed additives, tailor flavors to your liking, and turn it into a fun activity for the whole family. But without the best ice cream maker, what should be a sweet, simple pleasure can quickly melt into frustration.
Just like other summer staples – think the best grills or best pizza ovens – I tested a wide range of machines from the most respected brands, like Cuisinart and KitchenAid, as well as underdogs and budget-friendly picks, such as Zoku. I focused on options for single-serve treats as well as large-batch creations, putting each one to work on ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, and dairy-free alternatives.
The results were as varied as the flavors. In some cases, traditional designs delivered the best scoops, while newer innovations offered versatile solutions for modern kitchens. We're also in the process of testing the new Ninja Swirl for possible inclusion in this guide. After churning through countless batches and conducting plenty of taste tests, the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence emerged as our top pick. Below, you’ll find our roundup of the best ice cream makers available.
The quick list
Just want the scoop? Below is a quick list of the best ice cream makers from our tests. There are more detailed reviews further down the page.
If you’re looking for no-frills perfection, this is the ice cream maker for you. It’s very hands off and not the fastest ice cream maker, but it’s fantastic – well worth making room in the cupboard for.
The Creami Deluxe boasts eleven frozen functions, perfect for ice cream, sorbet, frappuccino, Italian ice, and more. It's quick to churn, but it makes a lot of noise.
If you already have a KitchenAid stand mixer, this attachment is a no-brainer. It is simple to use, saves space, and churns brilliant soft serve, sorbet, and frozen yogurt.
The Breville Smart Scoop is expensive, but there's no need to pre-freeze, and you can experiment with tons of settings. It is a joy to use and well worth the money.
The Zoku ice cream maker is a miniature marvel. The process is very hands-on: rather than churning, you do the work with a small spoon. It’s fun, fast, and affordable.
Best ice cream makers 2025
Best ice cream maker overall
Cuisinart are market leaders for ice cream makers and the Pure Indulgence doesn’t disappoint. I tested this by making ice cream, vegan ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt. On all of these recipes, Cuisinart more than delivered. The results were smooth, well-churned, and light to eat. When I re-froze our creations, everything was still scoopable and delicious. At the end of churning, the compact, stainless steel body is easy to clean because it has a few, simple parts. The shape is easy to put in a cupboard; it’s one of the smaller ice cream makers. For under $100, this is excellent value.
Most ice cream makers create some noise and require forward planning, the Cuisinart is no exception. You’ll need to prepare the bowl by having it chilling overnight. This means that you’ll need to plan ahead and allow quite a bit of freezer space to fit it in. After I had been using it for a few hours, in quite a hot kitchen, it needed to go back into the freezer for a re-fresh.
For more details you can read our full Cuisinart ice cream maker review.
Most versatile ice cream maker
If you're a frappé fanatic, ice cream enthusiast, or just love all things chilled, the Ninja Creami Deluxe is a machine worth considering. With 11 frozen functions – including sorbet, gelato, milkshakes, Italian ice, and açai bowls – it’s far more versatile than traditional ice cream makers. Rather than churning, it finely shaves into pre-frozen mixtures, delivering creamy results in just three minutes. You do need to pre-freeze, but there is no bulky bowl. There are pint-sized containers, and everything can go straight into the dishwasher after use.
However, this convenience comes with trade-offs. The Creami is tall and by far the loudest machine I tested. It won’t demand freezer space, but it might claim a permanent spot on your countertop. And while the price may be hard to justify for casual use, for those who love variety and want one machine that can do it all – from morning smoothie bowls to late-night sweet treats – it’s a highly capable (and genuinely fun) investment.
For more details you can read our full Ninja Creami Deluxe review.
Best soft serve ice cream maker
Ice cream, sorbet, and frozen yogurt: the KitchenAid mastered them all. I already knew that KitchenAid makes quality kitchen appliances, and this was no exception. It was one of the quickest appliances to deliver thick, well-churned results. The process is simple, if you’re familiar with KitchenAid products. At under $80, it’s great value and you won’t need to buy and store a whole new appliance either.
While I think this made the best ice cream on test, there’s a big problem that keeps this from the top spot. The main restriction is that this is an attachment for a KitchenAid stand mixer. You can’t use it unless you already have an Artisan, Classic or a Pro Line mixer, and it isn’t compatible with mini mixers. The bowl is big, so you couldn’t keep it in your freezer all the time, but you’ll need to leave it in overnight in advance. The open top is great for watching your results come together, but can get messy when pouring and emptying your finished chilled churns.
For more details you can read our full KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment review.
Best budget ice cream maker
A miniature marvel, this is one of our favorite ice cream makers. It’s $25, so it's one of the most affordable options, but it doesn’t skimp on design. It’s just really simple. The freezer bowl needs overnight chilling, but it’s small enough to store in your freezer at all times. After freezing the bowl, you simply pour in your fridge-temperature mix and stir and scrape until it reaches the perfect consistency. You’ll have ice cream in just 5 minutes – ten at most. Once you’re finished, this small bowl is easy to clean and doesn’t demand the storage of bigger appliances.
Rather than flipping a switch or turning a dial, this is a very hands-on process. You can’t really do anything else for the five to ten minutes that you’re scraping and stirring your ice cream. As a result, it can get a little messy, as you become the churner. It’s also worth noting that the lack of a paddle and motor leaves you with a slightly rougher texture, too; it’s not the same professional churning technique. It’s also worth noting that this only makes 5 fl. oz, so it won’t make enough to feed a family.
For more details you can read our full Zoku ice cream maker review
Best no-prep ice cream maker
Unlike the other machines I tested, the Breville Smart Scoop doesn’t require any overnight bowl-freezing. It’s a fully self-refrigerating model that can churn out ice cream in as little as 30 minutes, making it ideal for spontaneous frozen dessert cravings.
There are 12 preset options with adjustable firmness levels from soft-serve to scoopable. It even has a keep-cool function to hold your dessert at the perfect temperature, and a pre-cool setting that helps firm up mixtures that may have come out too soft. If you're looking to make a variety of frozen desserts, save on freezer space, and reduce prep time, this is one of the best ice cream makers available; it’s far more sophisticated than most of its competitors.
That said, it comes with a significant price tag – over four times the cost of some other machines I tested. While the functionality is impressive and almost expert-level, it might not be worth it for the average user. At 30 pounds, it’s also pretty bulky, which is something to think about.
You can read more details in our full Breville Smart Scoop review.
Our Verdict
It’s hard to pick an ice cream maker that is definitively the ‘best’, because I would use each one for very different occasions. If I had a KitchenAid attachment and a big freezer, that would be my go-to, but they’re both big conditions. The Cuisinart delivers similar results, but doesn’t take up as much space and doesn’t rely on you having a KitchenAid stand. The Zoku is a brilliant option if you don’t want lots of mess, or need to make lots of ice cream, and it's fun for the family. The Ninja is well-suited to those after quick blends with a range of ingredients. So you can see my dilemma, maybe I should just buy them all. You can never have too much ice cream anyway.
How we test the best ice cream makers
At Homes & Gardens we are committed to thorough and rigorous testing. That's why we ensure that we have personally tested products – where possible – before we recommend them to you.
We tested the market-leading ice cream makers in our test kitchen. We made thorough notes from unboxing, right through to cleaning up and storing the ice cream makers. We used them for basic tasks, such as making vanilla ice cream, but we also tried dairy-free ingredients, and made sorbets, to provide a good representative picture of how these ice cream makers would function in your day-to-day life. If you would like to know more about how we test, you'll find more detailed information on our dedicated page.
FAQs
What should I look for when buying an ice cream maker?
There are lots of different factors that you’ll want to consider:
Method
Some machines will use a freezer bowl, some will have a built-in freezer, and some won’t have either. A freezer bowl requires you to pre-plan to perfection, whilst machines tend to be louder and more demanding on your utilities. Some machines will require more hands-on attention than others, which will only need you to flip a switch.
Capacity
If you’ll only be making single servings each time you use your ice cream maker, there’s no point in investing in a big appliance. Conversely, if you plan on making batches in advance, you’ll only end up frustrated by having to repeat the same process over and over.
Price
You don’t always get what you pay for with ice cream makers. They can be expensive appliances and they don’t always deliver on a range of functions. Generally, the more you pay, the more settings, speed, and power it will have, but that is not a given. Make sure that you always get value for your money.
Special features
Ice cream makers can get pretty elaborate, so if you want one that will make a Mr Whippy shape with cone storage, add-in features, and marbling effects, you need to pick an appliance that can do that without much complaint. Equally, if you only want to make ice cream, it’s a waste to pay for extra settings and features.
How long should an ice cream maker take to churn?
This will depend on the appliance. We have tested appliances that will take 3 minutes, but they’ve also been known to take forty. Speed is no guarantee of quality, and we saw better results with longer churns. Check the manufacturer’s guide and make notes as you play with recipes and techniques.
How much should I pay for an ice cream maker?
This depends on what you are after. I wouldn’t pay less than $25, because the quality won’t be any good. The Zoku is $25 and it’s brilliant, but it’s very small, and you’ll have to do all your churning by hand. We’ve also tested ice cream makers that cost up to $300, but they have lots of settings to produce different types of ice cream in different time frames. Always check reviews to see whether you are getting good value.
What speed should I have my KitchenAid on to make ice cream?
Once you have inserted your ice cream maker attachment, start your KitchenAid on the lowest speed setting. When you’ve added your ice cream mix, you can build it up to half speed. Be patient with your ice cream, as you don’t want to over-churn and ruin it.
Do all ice cream makers require you to freeze the bowl?
No. Some will have motors, such as Breville’s, or will require you to pre-freeze the ingredients, like with the Ninja Creami.
Can ice cream makers make gelato?
Yes. The best ones will have a churner and compressor, but you can use an ice cream maker with gelato. The main difference is in the ingredients: ice cream uses eggs, while gelato tends not to.
What is the best at home ice cream maker?
This depends on your needs. All of the ones on this list are brilliant options for making at-home ice cream. If I had to choose one, it’s a close call between the Cuisinart and the KitchenAid. However, for small batches, I would use the Zoku.
Do you need an ice cream maker to make ice cream?
No. Ice cream makers can make the process a lot simpler and more efficient, but there are plenty of recipes that you can follow which won’t require a machine. You might need to whip cream by hand or with an electric mixer though.
How do I clean an ice cream maker?
Always check the manufacturer’s instruction manual, because some parts might be dishwasher safe. As a rule of thumb, I use warm, soapy water and a soft sponge to wipe my dasher and freezer bowl clean. If the appliance has a motor, use a damp cloth to wipe the machine clean and then a microfiber cloth to dry it.
Are ice cream makers worth it?
This, as with many questions, depends on what your needs are. I like good ice cream and I like eating it often. For Ben & Jerry’s or Häagen-Dazs, each tub costs around $8. That can mount up. Not to mention the additives, sugars, and ingredients that you often find in store-bought products. For someone who is interested in ice cream and eager to create their own flavor combinations, an ice cream maker is worth it. If you’re half-hearted, not really interested in ice cream, sorbet, or frozen yogurt, you can make ice cream yourself maybe once or twice a year, then you won’t miss an ice cream maker.
-
5 colors designers warn to never pair with woodWood features in most homes, it's incredibly versatile, however, there are certain shades that will clash rather than complement
-
How to grow Daucus carota – discover why the frothy flowers of Queen Anne's lace are perfect for relaxed, naturalistic bordersDiscover expert tips on watering, sunlight, soil type, and more
-
Best indoor pizza ovens – I've tested the market and found the only 3 worth consideringIndoor pizza ovens can be hit or miss, but these three are the real deal
-
A chocolatier's advice on how to make the perfect mochaMaking the perfect mocha requires perfect coffee and quality chocolate. I spoke to experts in both fields to find out the best ways to blend them.
-
Which Ninja blender should I buy? The best Ninja blenders, tested and compared by the expertsIt can be hard to work out which Ninja blender to buy. After rounds of testing, here's our definitive breakdown of the options
-
I'm a trained chef and swear by these ridiculously easy recipes to cook in an air fryer when I'm short on timeWhat to cook in an air fryer according to a trained chef – from energy-boosting snacks and breakfasts to indulgent desserts, they'll be your mid-week winners.
