6 Best Ice Cream Makers, According to Our Testing

Whynter: We've tested several Whynter ice cream machines and found them excellent overall. They're easy to use, and the built-in compressors perform well.

• Whynter Upright Compressor Ice Cream Maker with Stainless Steel Bowl & Churn Blade: This Whynter model was a top performer and perfect for those who want to produce bigger batches of ice cream since it has a 2.5-quart capacity. While taste-testing, I was shocked at how luscious and creamy the vanilla ice cream turned out. This machine doesn't have as many features as the Breville, but it has a stainless steel blade.
• Whynter Upright Automatic Ice Cream Maker: Most compressor ice cream machines are big and bulky, which is why this ice cream maker with a built-in compressor yet a smaller footprint earned a Kitchen Gear Award. The tradeoff to the smaller size is the 1.28-quart capacity, so it won't make big batches, but it makes top-notch ice cream and sorbet.
• Whynter 2-Quart Capacity Automatic Compressor Ice Cream Maker & Yogurt Function: This is another compressor ice cream machine that performed well in our tests. It churned out thick and delicious ice cream, and as a bonus, the machine can reach temperatures between 104ºF to 110ºF so you can use it to make homemade yogurt. If the stainless steel design isn't your style it also comes in champagne gold.

Cuisinart: Cuisinart ice cream makers work with a pre-frozen bowl and an automatic churning blade. We found some machines work better than others.

• Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt-Sorbet & Ice Cream Maker: This machine performed nearly as well as our Cuisinart top pick but doesn't have separate specialized modes for sorbet and gelato (but can still make them) and a timer. It is a great choice for someone who wants to spend less money and doesn't mind skipping the extra features.
• Cuisinart 1-Pint Wonder Ice Cream Maker: This was the smallest machine of the bunch and in our tests it wasn't cold enough to completely freeze the ice cream or sorbet, likely due to the small bowl size that thaws quickly.

Other Brands

• Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Ice Cream Maker: Reminiscent of an old-fashioned ice cream maker, this one uses a bucket, salt and ice to make ice cream with a motorized churner. While it's fun to use, it didn't produce the best ice cream and requires a considerable amount of ice.
• Zoku Ice Cream Maker: Another small machine that's single-serve and makes 5 ounces of ice cream. We didn't officially test this in the Lab, but some at-home testers tried it and love the individual serving sizes, allowing kids to choose their own varieties, flavors and mix-ins.

Over the years, we've put more than 25 different ice cream makers to the test in the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab. When we test ice cream makers, we evaluate their performance and ease of use.

✔️ Types: There are four very different styles of ice cream makers for at-home use that can help you create your favorite flavors at home:

• Freezer bowl: A freezer-bowl-style ice cream maker is a common and easy-to-use style, though you have to ensure that you have the space in your home freezer to store the bowl for up to 24 hours before you intend to make ice cream. (If the bowl isn't truly frozen, you'll struggle to make ice cream.) With this style, you won't be able to make multiple batches at a time because the bowl needs to refreeze between batches. Also, if you churn too long, the bowl will start to defrost.
• Compressor: A compressor-style ice cream maker operates like a small freezer. You flip a switch that turns on the internal cooling mechanism (the compressor), chilling the ice cream bowl to below freezing while churning the ice cream base until frozen. I found that these ice cream machines make better ice cream than freezer bowl styles due to the consistent temperature. It's a great option if you intend to make multiple batches of ice cream at once, don't have room to freeze a freezer bowl or aren't good at preparing in advance. Many self-freezing ice cream makers also have features like a timer or hardness settings.
• Pacojet style (Ninja Creami and Swirl): The Ninja Creami and Swirl are similar to Pacojet ice cream machines used in commercial kitchens or restaurants. The Ninja machines stand out from the others because instead of churning a liquid base, they use high-speed blades to process pre-frozen containers of ice cream (or whatever base you choose).
• Salt and ice: This traditional ice cream maker requires plenty of ice and salt with either manual or automatic churning. While not the most practical, it can be a fun activity for the family.
• Frozen bowls and plates: To operate this style, in some cases you'll need to freeze the entire bowl or plate overnight and use a little manual effort to hand churn (or scrape in the case of frozen plates) the ice cream base after adding it to the frozen bowl or plate. These tend to be single-serve, but it can be fun for kids to see ice cream forming right before their eyes.

✔️ Machine footprint: Ice cream machines vary in size from small personal bowls to large compressor-style machines. Assess how much space you have in your freezer and kitchen before purchasing.

✔️ Capacity: Are you making ice cream for one every so often or multiple batches for big summer parties? This is important to take into consideration before buying a machine. Ice cream makers range in capacity from single-serve size to larger 2.5-quart size.

Whether you prefer an ice cream float, ice cream sundae or even a baked Alaska, buying an ice cream maker is worth it if you'd like to add a homemade touch to hosting or simply want to control the ingredients you use. They're also great if you want to experiment with flavors or have family members with dietary or allergy restrictions you'd like to accommodate.

Owning an ice cream maker doesn't mean you're limited to making ice cream: You can also create gelato, sorbet, sherbet and frozen yogurt. One significant advantage is that you can experiment with flavors you might not see in the store or cater to dietary needs, such as non-dairy or protein ice cream. Another fun option is using your ice cream maker for frozen cocktails or smoothie bowls. A few compressor ice cream makers also reach higher temperatures so you can make yogurt. For ice cream makers that use a freezer bowl, the frozen bowl can double as a bucket to keep your wine chilled, or you can fill it with ice to keep food cold.

Ice cream's level of creaminess depends mainly on the size of the ice crystals that form during the freezing process. Smaller ice crystals mean creamier ice cream. Keeping all ingredients cold throughout the entire ice-cream-making process is key, even after churning, to help prevent large ice crystals from forming.

Also, consider ingredients. Milk or cream with a higher fat content helps contribute to a creamier and richer texture, and adding egg yolks to some ice cream bases adds creaminess. The type of sugar used also contributes to ice cream stability and texture. Corn syrup, as opposed to table sugar, will give ice cream more body and make it more resilient to melting and refreezing, which creates large ice crystals. Alcohol is also sometimes used to minimize large ice crystals and create a creamy texture in sorbet.

Jamie Ueda is a consumer products expert with nearly two decades of experience in product testing, development and manufacturing. She has tested and written about many kitchen-related items such as such as hand mixers, gifts for bakers, cake decorating tools, flatware and many more kitchen products. She is an avid ice cream maker and loves creating her own recipes at home.

Director of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab Nicole Papantoniou reviewed this story. She oversees all of Good Housekeeping's content and testing related to kitchen appliances, tools, gadgets and gear. She's been testing kitchen appliances professionally since 2013.