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TOP 10 best ice cream makers: Comparison Chart
Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream Maker
Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt Ice cream maker
Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker
Musso Lussino Ice Cream Maker
Nostalgia Electric Ice Cream Maker
Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream Maker
Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt Ice cream maker
Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker
Musso Lussino Ice Cream Maker
Nostalgia Electric Ice Cream Maker
Cuisinart Electronic Ice Cream Maker
Cuisinart Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker
Hamilton Beach Automatic Ice Cream Maker
White Mountain Electric Ice Cream Maker
Donvier Manual Ice Cream Maker
Cuisinart Electronic Ice Cream Maker
Cuisinart Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker
Hamilton Beach Automatic Ice Cream Maker
White Mountain Electric Ice Cream Maker
Donvier Manual Ice Cream Maker
Best Overall: Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream Maker Review
This is a completely automatic ice cream churner whose dimensions are 8.25 by 8.00 by 11.25 inches. It has big ingredients spout making it easy to add mix-ins (things like nuts, fruit bits and anything else you want in your ice cream). It features a high-duty motor which can do the churning within twenty five minutes only. It produces two quarts of creamy ice cream; you will only need to freeze the bowl for a minimum of twelve hours before you use it.
Best feature:
Completely automatic.
If your budget is not for compressor models, then this freezer bowl model will be the perfect one for you.
Why We Like It
- BPA free
- Heavy duty motor
- Designed to North America standards. The cord storage keeps the countertop free of clutter
- Recipes and instruction book are included
- The two-quart freezer bowl is double-insulated
Runner-Up: Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt Ice cream maker Review
This is a powerful unit that is capable of producing the best ice cream within twenty minutes. It features a heavy duty motor that makes it work faster. Its other features include a double insulated freezer, stylish design, and compact in-built cord storage. The double insulated bowl can hold 1.5 quarts. It has an advanced paddle that churns ingredients automatically and the freezer freezes then evenly. It also has an easy to lock lid which has a wide feeder mouth.
Best feature:
Double insulated freezer.
This is an affordable ice cream machine which can also produce frozen yogurt and sorbet within twenty minutes.
Why We Like It
- The mixing paddle makes frozen desserts in less than twenty minutes
- It can make up to 1.5 quarts
- The double insulated freezer eliminates needing ice
- The simple lock lid which is transparent has a big spout. This makes adding ingredients easier and clutter free
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The Most Elegant - Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker Review
This electric ice cream maker has a smart, brushed stainless steel cover. It also has a clear digital readout which displays exactly which operating mode is on. It features twelve hardness settings which allows selecting the type of frozen delight you like. Its churning blade and bowl can be removed making cleaning easy. It even features automatic hardness implying that it can sense how hard your mixture is. Its controls are intuitive and produce audio alarms to let you know when everything is ready.
Best feature:
A compressor that is self-refrigerating.
If you really want to make the creamiest frozen yogurt at home, choose this model.
Why We Like It
- It has twelve settings for hardness enabling you to select the perfect consistency for your frozen yogurt
- It is automatic
- Pre-cool setting makes sure the components are in optimal temperatures
- It has an audio reminder that lets you know about the state of your frozen yogurt
Stainless steel - Musso Lussino Ice Cream Maker Review
This is 1.5 quarts soft serve ice cream maker that is stainless. It is completely automatic and its housing, paddle, and bowl are stainless steel making it easier to clean. It weighs forty pounds and features stainless steel components (paddle, bowl, and housing). It is simple to use and it produces the best frozen yogurt. Churning is completed within twenty two and twenty five minutes, this is faster than most models. Another good thing about this model is that when the mixture gets too hard, it turns off automatically.
If you want luxurious testing frozen yogurt, get this model.
Pros
- Has a timer that controls its functions for various frozen confections
- It easily produces consecutive batches
- Its freezing capability produces fluffy frozen yogurt
- It is strong and well designed. It can even last for decades
Cons
- It is expensive compared to most other models
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Easy to carry - Nostalgia Electric Ice Cream Maker Review
This is an electric ice cream machine whose handles are easy to carry and it can make four quarts within a few minutes. It has a transparent lid and functions well with any ice cream Nostalgic kits. Its features include a motor mount, a plastic bucket, and an aluminum canister. All you need to do is add ingredients in the canister, put it in the center of the bucket and layer it with salt and ice. The rest of the work will be done by the motor.
This model offers the fastest and easiest way of making four quarts of ice cream.
Pros
- Its four quarts makes it perfect for parties
- Cleaning it is easy. It has a plastic bucket which cleans dirt easily making your cleaning later easier
- It has an easy to carry handle making it convenient to move around with
- No manual effort needed. The electric motor performs all the churning
Cons
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Two quarts maker - Cuisinart Electronic Ice Cream Maker Review
This is an electric ice cream churner which has a timer and a control panel with LCD display and three settings multiple speeds. It makes two quarts of ice cream. It has settings where you can select either to make sorbet, gelato or frozen yogurt. You can even adjust its speed manually and it automatically shuts down once it finishes churning. The other interesting feature in this unit is the measuring cup which is used for add-ins. There is also a recipe book to guide you.
This is a wonderful unit; it takes out your guesswork and produces the best ice cream.
Pros
- Its paddle is enhanced. It can process faster
- It has a countdown that shuts off automatically
- Its capacity is two quarts
- It has an enhanced paddle for quick processing
- It has three settings with several speeds and its control panel has an LCD display
Cons
- It is expensive
- Its capacity is not that big
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High quality compressor - Cuisinart Compressor Ice Cream and Gelato Maker Review
This is a completely automatic soft ice cream machine that makes 1.5 quarts of frozen yogurt. It has two paddles, the gelato paddle for the ice cream paddle. It has a powerful motor and high quality compressor that whips frozen yogurt in a few minutes. And since there is no freezer bowl, it is possible to make several batches of frozen yogurt fast. The unit looks professional with brushed stainless steel and dark plastic housing. It also features a timer.
This unit is perfect for making a lot of frozen yogurt, you can make several batches in a day.
Pros
- Its capacity is 1.5 quarts and has both gelato and ice cream paddle
- Has a commercial quality compressor
- Has a sixty minutes timer
- Its materials are free of BPA
- Ten minutes' cool feature keeps your frozen yogurt cool when the timer is off
Cons
- It is more costly than most models
- Cannot be used in case of many people, its capacity is quite small
Fully automatic - Hamilton Beach Automatic Ice Cream Maker Review
Traditional units do not always require physical labour. Hamilton is the best example. It is a four quarts ice cream maker machine that is completely automatic. With it, you can make frozen yogurt without a lot of hand-cranking since its motor can do that. It does not need freezing before use. You only need to have ice and rock salt with you. It also comes with a recipe book. So, if you do not know where to begin, the recipe book will be useful.
This unit is perfect for soft ice cream and keto ice cream.
Pros
- Delicious versatility: It can prepare frozen yogurt, sorbet, custard, sherbet and gelato
- It is automatic: You will not need to stir, just add your ingredients, rock salt, and ice. It will do all the work and stop once ready
- More than twenty recipes are included
- The four quarts capacity is enough for big families
- Its lid is easy to lock.
Cons
The most reliable - White Mountain Electric Ice Cream Maker Review
This is an electric small ice cream maker which has an Appalachian series wooden bucket. It is a 6 quart ice cream maker that takes forty minutes to produce frozen yogurt. It features a triple-motion dasher system which produces the creamiest frozen yogurt that has a smooth consistency. Its powerful 12,000 rpm electric motor offers powerful churning and blending. Its canister and lid are made of stainless steel thus offering years of reliable use. And since it is designed using pine wood and connected with strong galvanized hoops, it is likely to last for long.
This is the best unit to use if you want to make frozen yogurt for a lot of people.
Pros
- It has a triple motion dasher that produces smooth and creamy consistency
- It has twelve thousand rpm electric motor for the best churning and blending
- The lid and canister are made of stainless steel which is durable
- The wooden bucket is connected with powerful hoops making it durable
Cons
- The wooden bucket dries out faster letting the brine run out
Manual maker - Donvier Manual Ice Cream Maker Review
This is a hand crank ice cream maker that makes one quart of ice cream. You will not need to add ice or salt, the paddle and the freezer will do everything for you. And since it is a freezer bowl, you will have to freeze it for at least seven hours. It produces soft frozen yogurt that can be eaten immediately. Another good thing about this manual frozen yogurt making unit is that it is fun for children to use.
This is the best unit to buy if you want a little exercise before you start making frozen yogurt.
Pros
- It has a n aluminum bowl that is easier to clean
- Recipes are included
- It does not require electricity to function. It has a crank that is turned occasionally for fifteen to twenty minutes
- Fast operation
- It is affordable
Cons
- Its capacity is quite small
- Since it does not use electricity, more effort is needed to prepare frozen yogurt
Buyer’s Guide: All You Need to Know About the best ice cream maker
How does an ice cream maker work?
The best ice cream maker works on a simple principle, churning the ingredients until they are thick and creamy. While churning, the frozen yogurt maker also freezes the mixture. This is meant to aerate the mixture and keep the crystals tiny.
How to use ice cream maker
The main parts of the frozen yogurt maker are a dasher, salt, freezer, and a canister. Salt is used for freezing. The dasher is the one that steadily mixes the frozen yogurt. A canister keeps the mixture created by the dasher. When using the frozen yogurt maker, this is what you do:
- Make the frozen yogurt mixture.
- Freeze the freezer bowl.
- Fill the maker to the required point.
- Put in the dasher.
How to Choose the best ice cream maker
Dimensions
Most professional ice cream makers have clean finishes. Also, in most of them, there is a compressor that chills the frozen yogurt. They also feature a screen that has buttons. Depending on the dimensions, you might need a high upper body strength to carry some. They can even consume a lot of space on your counter making it difficult to know where to keep them. This is why it is important to check dimensions first before getting the best ice cream maker.
Power source
Electricity is the main power supply for most models. They have a standard voltage, ensure to check the voltage before buying.
Manual
In the manual ice cream maker, a steel tin holds frozen yogurt. Around it there is a big wooden bucket. Rock salt and ice can be added between 2 tins and then you can use the hand-crank to churn your ingredients. This best hand mixer can be fun to use however it can be less practical than other models.
Electric
The best soft serve ice cream electric makers have a mechanism of freezing which is in-built. This means they do not have a freezing bowl. The electric models are used to make many batches of frozen yogurt at once. These models cost a lot and they are often meant for commercial kitchen.
Maximum capacity
Get the best countertop ice maker which can make enough frozen yogurt for everyone. The model that has a small canister can create tiny batches for occasional use.
Settings
This includes settings such as hardness settings, pre-cooler settings, timer countdown
Churning time
Consider how long the soft serve ice cream machine for home use takes to make your ice cream ready. Consider if it needs pre-freezing, the time it takes to make one batch and whether it can take 2 batches at the same time.
Ease of use
This mostly depends on technology. Do not assume that the highly sophisticated models will be easier to use. To a layman, the hand crank maker is easier to use than the compressor model that has a digital screen. So, go for what you are comfortable with.
Ease of cleaning
If you hate cleaning, consider getting a frozen yogurt maker that will not give you a hard time to clean. Compressor models, for instance, possess removable bowls making them easier to clean than the models whose bowls are installed permanently.
Noise level
All electric appliances have noise. If the noise is too loud and offensive, then you need to consider models that have lesser noise.
Price
This is actually the main factor to consider before buying a frozen yogurt maker. Some cost a lot so ensure you get one that fits your budget.
Best ice cream maker types
Hand-crank
This type of frozen yogurt maker is quite laborious compared to those that use electricity. But they can be easier to work with than other types of models.
The smaller hand-crank models do not always require ice and salt to function. We recommend going for alternatives that can be cleaned easily if you choose to use hand-crank types.
Also, when choosing hand-crank models, consider time as well. Time varies in hand-crank models as per things like tenacity, upper body power and more.
Frozen Bowl
The frozen ice cream makers utilize a double wall bowl which contains fluid in between the walls. The bowl is put in a freezer which is big enough to freeze the gel.
Frozen bowl frozen yogurt makers require pre-freezing the bowl and this process can take some hours. What this means is that you will have to plan before you start making your frozen yogurt.
Built-in freezer/compressor
The compressor ice cream maker brings ingredients below the point of freezing instantly. That is made possible by the in-built compressors for chilling. Pre-freezing is not necessary when using this instant ice cream maker. The components may however be pre-chilled.
Compressor frozen yogurt maker is highly convenient and is the best ice cream maker for kids since pre-freezing is not necessary. Contrary to other models, they cool the bowl to the ideal frozen yogurt creating temperature. So, if you need a frozen yogurt maker that works faster, consider the one with a built-in freezer.
Ice Cream Ball
This is a fun frozen yogurt maker model. You can put sugar, cream and other ingredients on one side, put ice and rock salt on the other side and then roll the ball for like twenty five minutes. You will end up with a frozen yogurt pint.
Verdict and Our Recommendation for 2023
In mykitchenadvisor review, we have analyzed several frozen yogurt maker types. We believe that you found all the information you need to determine the best home ice cream maker to buy. Whether you want traditional makers or you want the self-refrigerated models, ensure you compare their features and their cost as well. Do not ignore the costly models because many at times they are worth their price. And if you are looking for the best ice cream maker 2023, consider Cuisinart Automatic Ice Cream Maker which is our best overall model. Every other best ice cream maker we talked about here is also great. They are made of powerful material and are durable.