An ice cream maker does two things: It spins and freezes. Spinning is what creates that soft, creamy texture. By rotating either the bowl or the dasher (the technical name for the paddle that churns the ice cream), ice cream makers scrape frozen material from the walls of the bowl and evenly and gradually incorporate it back into the liquid base. This process also whips air into the mixture, until the whole batch is frozen to a soft-serve consistency (to firm it up more, you’ll need to transfer it to the freezer).
We prefer machines that spin using a motor. We’ve tested hand-crank models in the past, and they’re just too much work. Ice cream makers with a motor also spin faster than hand-crank models, leading to finer ice crystals and smoother textures.
An insulated bowl or compressor freezes best. Our top pick freezes your ice cream in an insulated bowl filled with a cooling liquid. Before using the bowl, you need to freeze it for 16 to 24 hours (or until the liquid inside is frozen solid). The Whynter models we recommend freeze using a built-in compressor, similar to the mechanism used in refrigerators and air conditioners.
Both freezing methods have their merits. Bowl insert machines are lighter, smaller, and more affordable; compressor machines can churn out smoother, fluffier batches, one after another, without someone having to freeze a bowl.
In the past, we’ve tested machines that freeze using good old-fashioned ice and salt, but we have found them to be messy and cumbersome.
While researching and testing ice cream makers, we focused on the following criteria:
Freezing speed: The faster the freeze, the less time there is for large ice crystals to form. Plus, we think most people will be more likely to use a machine that works quicker, since there are already wait times baked into the process of making ice cream. Our picks froze to soft-serve consistency in 18 to 40 minutes.
Churning speed: The faster a dasher spins, the more overrun (or added air) an ice cream maker can whip into an ice cream base, to create something with a light, creamy texture, rather than ice cream that’s too dense and hard. Quick churning also means there’s less time for large ice crystals to form on the walls of the maker’s bowl.
Ease of use: We favored ice cream makers with simple interfaces and little room for error. Operating all of our picks can be as easy as dumping in your base and turning on the machine.
We also looked for machines that were simple to assemble, with wide openings for sampling your creation or adding mix-ins. We appreciate that the compressor models offer an extra layer of ease — with no pre-planning or pre-freezing needed.
Ease of cleaning: We made note of any particularly tricky aspects in cleaning each machine, and we favored machines with removable, hand-washable elements.
Size: We considered how bulky each machine was and how much room freezer bowls took up in the freezer.
Warranty: Great ice cream makers can be expensive. Our picks have at least a one-year warranty.
To test the ice cream makers, in each machine we churned a vanilla custard base and a vegan coconut milk base. With each batch, we made note of the churn time and calculated overrun, which is a measurement of how much air has been added into an ice cream base in the process of freezing and churning. An ice cream with high overrun is typically fluffier, whereas one with low overrun tends to be denser.
We tasted each batch right out of the machine and then the next day, after each pint had hardened (or “ripened”) in the freezer. We made note of each one’s flavor and texture, looking for any detectable ice crystals or textural inconsistencies. We added Oreos as mix-ins, noting how many cookies a machine could incorporate before stalling.
In past tests, we’ve made chocolate custard, lemon sorbet, eggless Philly-style ice cream, and a coconut-cream-based vegan dessert. And we’ve used sprinkles, chocolate chips, and Oreos as mix-ins. Over the years, we’ve learned that fat content is key when you’re making smooth frozen desserts. If you plan to make primarily vegan ice cream or sorbet, expect at least a little bit of iciness, even from the nicest machines.
