The Best Ice Cream Makers
Verified by
Ryan V. Editor-in-Chief
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The Whynter ICM-201SB wins because it removes the single biggest chore in homemade ice cream without giving up texture. Its built-in compressor chills the bowl for you, so there is no 24-hour freezer-bowl wait and no rationing your freezer space. You decide to make ice cream, and about 40 minutes later it is ready, then you can run another batch right after.
America's Test Kitchen put it through their compressor testing and came away with very even, rich ice cream and sorbet that showed zero ice crystals. They credited the low-set paddle, which scrapes the sides of the bowl so nothing freezes into a grainy layer, and they liked the short, wide bowl that makes scooping the finished batch easy. At 2.1 quarts it makes enough for a party, and the stainless housing feels built to last.
It is not the cheapest way to great ice cream, and ATK is honest that the taste is close to a $70 Cuisinart. What you buy at this price is freedom from planning: spontaneous batches, back-to-back flavors, and no freezer real estate lost to a canister. For anyone who churns often or hosts, that convenience is the whole point, and no other machine here delivers it with this texture.
What It Won't Do
You pay a real premium for convenience rather than better taste. America's Test Kitchen found the Whynter's ice cream almost indistinguishable in blind tastings from a $90 Cuisinart canister machine. The compressor also makes it heavy at over 24 pounds, so it claims permanent counter space, and a batch takes about 10 minutes longer than a pre-frozen canister. If you rarely make ice cream, that money is better saved.
The Cuisinart ICE-21P1 is the value pick because it delivers the same texture as machines costing five times more for around $70. In America's Test Kitchen's blind tastings its vanilla was as smooth and creamy as their $400 compressor winner, and Pro Picks pointed to independent lab tests where it matched $700 artisan machines.
The reason is clever design. The small, deeply frozen bowl pulls heat out of the base fast, which forms tiny ice crystals and a remarkably smooth result in 15 to 20 minutes. Instead of spinning a paddle, the machine rotates the entire bowl, which removes gear slippage and motor burnout; reviewers report these machines lasting well past a decade. The submerged paddle also keeps the base from clumping at the top.
You trade away convenience, not quality. If you can freeze the canister a day ahead and only need one flavor at a time, the ICE-21P1 gives you premium ice cream for the price of a nice dinner out.
What It Won't Do
The canister must live in your freezer for 16 to 24 hours before every use, so there is no spontaneous churning, and you can only make one batch per frozen bowl. A second flavor means buying a second canister and finding freezer room for it a day ahead. Pro Picks also likened the running noise to a blender on medium, loud enough to make conversation in the same room difficult.
Who Should Buy Which
Whynter ICM-201SB Upright Compressor
Premium texture with zero pre-freezing, from a self-chilling compressor.
- Frequent churners who make ice cream weekly or more
- Party and gathering hosts who need back-to-back batches
- Small freezers with no room for a bulky canister
- Anyone who wants zero planning and spontaneous batches
- Buyers with dedicated counter space for a 24-pound unit
Cuisinart ICE-21P1
A $70 canister maker that matches the smoothness of machines costing five times more.
- Budget-minded buyers who want premium texture for around $70
- Planners who can freeze the bowl a day in advance
- Households that make one flavor at a time
- First-time ice cream makers testing the hobby
- Anyone who values a simple machine with a decade-long lifespan