The Best Ice Cream Makers for Home Use

If you’re a mom like me, ice cream is synonymous with summertime and those melty, sweet treats my kiddos crave in the longer days and endless sunshine. While I can drive up to a DQ and slap some money on a soft serve, I often prefer to make my own ice cream from natural ingredients. I’m sharing my favorite ice cream maker, and guess what? It’s not the Ninja Creami! (But I promise to list a few other ice cream makers, too!)

My Favorite Ice Cream Maker (And Why It’s Not the Ninja Creami)

If you’re going to make homemade ice cream (and I know you’re ambitious and want to), the machine you use determines whether it actually becomes a fun event or just a one-time experiment that gathers dust in your cabinet.

A good ice cream maker is how you actually follow through on the “let’s make ice cream tonight” moment. You mix your base, pour it in, and 30 minutes to 1 hour later, everyone’s eating something fresh and delicious.

The Ninja Creami is everywhere right now, and it does make a very specific ultra-smooth texture that people love. But, I gotta go with a classic, the Cuisinart Indulgence 2-Quart Ice Cream Maker is where it’s at for me. It has a double-insulated freezer bowl that churns ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and sherbet super fast. And it works well!

Specifcations

Brand and Name	Cuisinart Indulgence
Capacity	2 quarts
Bowl Type	Double-insulated freezer bowl
Churn Time	Under 30 minutes
Makes	Ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet, frozen drinks
Dishwasher Safe	Hand-wash only (bowl, paddle, lid)
Price Point	$129.95

My hubby loooves this vegan salted caramel ice cream, and I’ve made it many times over the years!

Best Ice Cream Recipes

Here are some delicious, easy ice cream recipes that my kids demand again and again:

• Goat Cheese & Roasted Cherry Ice Cream
• Homemade Fried Chicken Ice Cream
• Samoas Cookies Ice Cream Recipe (Vegan, Paleo)
• Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
• Cookie Butter Earl Grey Ice Cream (Vegan)
• Paleo Cookie Dough Ice Cream (Vegan, Healthy)
• Paleo Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Roasted Cherries (Vegan)
• Healthy Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches (Paleo)

I’m making a creamy Lemon Ice Cream in my Cuisinart, inspired by this recipe from The Baker Chick!

My Review of the Cuisinart Indulgence Ice Cream Maker

First things first: it does one thing, makes amazing ice cream, and it does it exceptionally well. The footprint is surprisingly small for a 2-quart machine. It doesn’t have to live on your counter if you’re working with limited kitchen real estate. Tuck it in a cabinet, pull it out when the mood strikes, and you’re back in business.

The Ninja Creami comparison keeps coming up because it’s so popular right now, and it’s worth being direct about it: the Creami requires you to freeze your base overnight before you can process it. So if you want ice cream tonight, you needed to have started yesterday.

The Cuisinart doesn’t work that way. From the moment you pour in your base to the moment you’re eating soft-serve-style ice cream is lightning fast in comparison. Transfer it to a container, freeze another hour or two, and you’ve got scoopable ice cream by that same evening, and the results are consistently smooth, creamy, and so dang good. For me, and I imagine for most people —especially families —the Cuisinart just fits real life better.

Hot tip: keep the bowl in your freezer between uses, and it’s always ready to go. Once it’s a permanent freezer resident, this machine becomes that much easier to use for a spontaneous ice cream treat.

Where to Buy the Cuisinart Indulgence Ice Cream Maker

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More Ice Cream Makers Your Family Will Love

If you’re not super fond of the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, I’ve selected 5 different ice cream makers that might work better for you. Listed from lowest to highest pricing, because I’m helpful like that!

Martha Stewart Ice Cream Maker – 2 Quart Size

The Martha Stewart ice cream maker brings a little extra polish to the process — a vibrant LED display, built-in timer, and a see-through lid so you can actually watch your base transform into something delicious. The ingredient pour chute keeps things mess-free, and the mix-ins chute signals the perfect moment to add your sweet toppings. Martha is the original, and you can’t beat the price! Price: $79.99.

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker – ICE-21, 1.5 Quart

Clearly, I love this brand, and this pretty pink Cuisinart ice cream maker is cute as a button, which is a smaller size if you need it, at 1.5 quarts. The new paddle churns up frozen treats in 20 minutes or less, with an easy-lock lid and large spout for adding mix-ins without the mess. Another thing I love is that Cuisinart is donating $32,500 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation this year. Price: $89.95.

BLACK+DECKER Ice Cream Maker

The BLACK+DECKER is built for families who want full control over what goes into their kids‘ treats, and frankly, I’m all for it! The 3-step process is simple enough for kids to help with, cleanup is fast, and the mix-ins feature means everyone gets their own personalized pint without the negotiation. Price: $219.99.

Ninja CREAMi

Ok, so while the Ninja CREAMi isn’t my favorite, it has built a massive fanbase for one reason: its texture. It shaves through a uniformly frozen pint to produce an ultra-smooth, incredibly creamy result that’s hard to replicate otherwise. 7 one-touch programs cover everything from gelato to smoothie bowls to lite ice cream. As I mentioned, you do need to freeze your base solid for 24 hours before processing (not for me, but maybe it works for you!). Price: $229.99.

Instant Pot InstantChill Ice Cream Maker

The InstantChill is the one for people who refuse to plan ahead — its built-in compressor means zero pre-freezing required, ever. Pour in your base, and you’ve got real ice cream, gelato, or sorbet in 20 minutes flat. 6 one-touch programs handle everything from rolled ice cream to non-dairy desserts, and the smart mix-in alert tells you exactly when to add your toppings for the best texture. Price: $249.95.

Dear ones, I hope this review of the best ice cream makers helps you choose the right one for your summer. If I haven’t included your go-to, share it with us below!