There’s no doubt that we all love ice cream. It isn’t a specific seasonal staple but a timeless dessert that you can enjoy throughout the year, especially if you have an ice cream maker available at home. You can easily create your favorite combinations with the freshest ingredients without compromising your budget. Moreover, you can include add-ins like chocolate chips, seasonal fruits, and nuts or create low-fat, low-sugar ice creams. Now you don’t need to rely on premium commercial ice cream brands that charge per scoop because you can have your own ice cream maker.

However, you cannot just go out and buy an ice cream maker that you find on the shelves. If you want to make ice creams like a pro, you have to invest in the best equipment that’s long-lasting and versatile. In this article, we will inform you about the top five best ice cream makers you can find in the market currently and how to select the right model.

How to Select the Right Ice Cream Maker for Home Use?

Splurge: Lello Musso Pola 5030 Dessert Maker Silver, 2 Quart

If money is of no concern and you are a true ice cream lover, ice cream connoisseur, or just a frustrated ice creamer, then definitely buy this Italian made bad boy that will literally make ice cream in 20 to 25 minutes from the moment you add all the ingredients. Yes, splurge, splurge and splurge to your heavenly delights. This machine will make the BEST ice cream you will ever have and will last for a couple of decades before it breaks down.

so let’s get back to reality as most of us cannot afford to spend over a thousand bucks for an ice cream maker. To make the selection easier, we tested the top-rated appliances available in the market and on different websites. We checked their reviews, ratings, price, pros, and cons and tested all the ice cream makers. So, after much deliberation, we could finalize our top five picks and the key factors to consider when purchasing an ice cream maker. Let’s check them out.

Design and Weight

The first thing you would check in an automatic ice cream maker is its design, weight, and measurements. Please check the interior/exterior materials and if the paddle is made of metal or plastic. The models we tried all contained plastic paddles. Moreover, you must note the number of quarts the product can hold and the space it occupies on the kitchen countertop. These aspects are essential to analyze to ensure the product meets your requirements.

Best Overall: Breville the Smart Scoop

Breville BCI600XL Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker, Brushed Stainless Steel

You can call it the Rolls Royce of the ice cream makers industry. Breville makes ice cream for a lot of fun; all you need to do is turn on the churner. The unit works efficiently and quietly. You can count upon the Smart Scoop for creating uniform textured, smooth, and creamy ice creams. This compression model has a built-in refrigeration mechanism that allows users to make ice cream batches in bulk without refreezing the bowl. This product boasts various whistles and bells, such as pre-programmed settings enabling you to make 4 types of frozen treats, from hard to soft, like frozen yogurt, sorbet, and gelato, apart from ice cream. You need to churn the ice cream for around 50 minutes and chill afterward.

Instructions

Creating ice cream may be fun and quick with automatic ice cream makers, but you cannot make it properly without adequate know-how of how to use the machine. The ice cream maker must come with a detailed guide and instructions manual. Without thorough instructions, you won’t be able to use the device properly. A recipe booklet is a must because it will help you determine the right proportion of ingredients. The manual will also inform you about care instructions, washable parts, additional requirements such as rock salt or ice, and pre-freezing bowls. If the product has a digital interface, please check the number of functions it features and if you can use it without checking the manual.

Editor’s Choice: KitchenAid Stand Mixer Ice Cream Maker Attachment

KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment – Excludes 7, 8, and most 6 Quart Models, Fits 5 to 6 quart Mixers

If you own a KitchenAid already, you don’t really need to buy a separate appliance for making ice cream. Just use the ice cream attachment in your KitchenAid and create delectable frozen desserts in a jiffy. The unit contains a paddle, drive assembly, and freezer bowl, which you can use with any bowl-lift, tilt-head KitchenAid model, except for Mini Artisan. It features a low noise volume and a two-quart capacity attachment and reportedly has the widest single bowl capacity among all brands. Furthermore, KitchenAid has a quick-start user guide and an instructions manual to help you attach the drive assembly to different mixers and numerous recipes to try on your KitchenAid.

Budget

Budget is another consideration for those wishing to make ice creams at home without breaking the bank. However, you don’t need to compromise on the product features to stay within your budget. There are many models of ice cream makers that you can easily afford without downsizing on the features.

Best Budget-Friendly Model: Cuisinart Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt and Sorbet Maker

Cuisinart 1.5 Quart Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream Maker, White

The Cuisinart ice cream maker is budget-friendly, easy-to-use, and makes super-smooth ice cream within just twenty minutes or even less. This model is the best option for beginners. It has a lid, paddle, base, and a double-insulated bowl. The product features just one on/off button, making it relatively easy to operate. You need to chill the bowl for around 16 to 24 hours after churning the ice cream for 20 minutes, and smooth, creamy, gelato-like ice cream will be ready. Its manual is easy to understand and comes with a recipe book and valuable tips for milk substitutes and sweeteners. Furthermore, it features an ingredient spout to pour the components conveniently and an easy-to-fix and easy-to-lock plastic lid, which seamlessly attaches to the base. The clear plastic lets you always monitor the process of making ice cream.

Quantity

We tested the quantity of ice cream that different makes created using a single batch of Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream from Food Network Kitchen and followed the timings and directions precisely. Although many models produced more or less similar results, we were particularly impressed with the DASH My Pint Ice Cream maker. So, when searching for an ice cream maker, always first examine your requirements and the amount of ice cream you want to create per batch before selecting the model.

Best for Small Batches: DASH My Pint Ice Cream Maker

DASH My Pint Electric Ice Cream Maker Machine for Gelato, Sorbet + Frozen Yogurt with Mixing Spoon & Recipe Book 

This ice cream maker produces pint-size frozen treats and is ideal for a small family or when you need to feed a small group of friends. It is pretty straightforward to understand the product’s operating mechanism and comes with all necessary components such as a cooling cup, cooling bowl, and plastic paddle. The motor is mounted on the top. This product makes 1.6 cups of your favorite ice cream within only 30 minutes or even less, and given the small quantity, the ice cream freezes within an hour.

Cleaning Mechanism

You must check if the ice cream maker’s parts are washable in the dishwasher because it will make your life easier. Usually, ice cream makers contain components that aren’t dishwasher safe, but some models do have parts that you don’t need to wash manually.

Top Pick: Hamilton Beach Automatic Ice Cream Maker

Hamilton Beach 68330N Automatic Ice Cream Maker, 4 Quart, White

This model is ideal for a big family as it produces big batches of up to four quarts in one go. It relies on adding rock salt and ice to keep the canister cool and the mixture chilled while churning. The motor is top-mounted, and the canister churns the ingredients automatically. This model has an auto-stop feature that prevents over-churning as the machine stops when the dessert is done, which usually takes no more than 40 minutes. It has easy-to-clean parts and a user-friendly manual that makes it effortless to make ice cream if you are a beginner.