We all have the option to buy ice cream at the grocery store every time we're there. And sometimes, tiny Jimmy Fallon's unwavering eye contact from the pint of The Tonight Dough works like mind control. But other times, the store-bought route feels tired. The option to make ice cream at home whenever you want, though... now that's a never-ending supply of serotonin with never-ending recipe possibilities.
Plus, with a countertop ice cream machine, you get to be in full control of the ingredients you're using. Instead of staring down an unnervingly long list of ingredients, your own strawberry ice cream could literally just consist of milk, heavy cream, and the strawberries that you trust from the farmers market.
When you think of at-home ice cream makers, the Ninja Creami or Ninja Swirl probably come to mind — and yes, of course, they'll be on this list. But there are other great ice cream makers for home use out there (that are more affordable, too). I'm comparing the top no-ice ice cream makers you can get at Amazon below.
Ninja Creami and Ninja Swirl
Yes, the viral Ninja ice cream makers are actually as worthwhile as the internet makes them sound — Mashable shopping reporter and resident Ninja appliance expert, Samantha Mangino, tested both the Creami and Swirl at home and thoroughly enjoyed both experiences. But there was a favorite between the two.
Either of these will probably give you the most "professional" at-home ice cream-making experience from this list. The main difference between the Ninja Creami and Swirl is that the Creami produces that classic hand-scooped texture, while the Swirl can do that, plus soft serve ice cream (homemade McFlurry loading). Both come with two pint containers, in which you'll pre-mix your base ingredients like milk, yogurt, or fruit ahead of freezing for 24 hours. After freezing, you "re-spin" the pints to create the ideal hard serve or creamy texture. From there, you can add mix-ins or toppings. Both are loud as hell.
Though the premise of frozen desserts on command was a treat with both, Mangino simply enjoyed the Swirl more. "Having tested both the standard Ninja Creami and the Ninja Swirl, the Swirl is the better investment as an ice cream maker. It has improved performance, requiring fewer re-spins to achieve a creamy consistency. Soft serve or froyo fiends will love the new dispensing feature, which is exceptionally easy to use and, not to mention, really fun."
Cuisinart ice cream maker
For an alternative that's less than $100, Cuisinart's ice cream maker has garnered nearly 4,500 five-star reviews at Amazon. Instead of having to fully pre-mix your base before freezing it, the Cuisinart just requires you to freeze the bowl for at least 16 hours. When it's ice cream time, you can add your concoction to the cold bowl and let it churn for around 20 minutes. (You can keep an eye on the consistency through the top to ensure you're getting your desired ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet texture.) There's even a spout to feed mix-ins without fully stopping the process.
Cuisinart also makes a slightly bigger, stainless steel 2-quart version of its ice cream maker.
Dash My Mug ice cream maker
If you just need a personal batch or two, Dash's cute mug-based ice cream maker is actually genius — and under $40. The Dash My Mug comes with two one-cup ice cream bowls (with mug handles) that need to be frozen for 24 hours ahead of ice cream time. You'll also mix your batch of ingredients separately, chill those for two hours, and then pour them into the frozen mug. Unlike the Cuisinart, which turns the container around the motor, the Dash My Mug uses a lid with a hand mixer-like beater to churn the ice cream. You can achieve a soft serve-like consistency after 15 or 20 minutes, or you can put the mug back in the freezer after churning to thicken it up.
KitchenAid ice cream attachment
Anyone who's already in the KitchenAid mixer universe basically has half of an ice cream maker already. The KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment just involves swapping the mixing head for the dasher attachment and using a special bowl. The bowl's freezable liquid insulation needs to sit in the freezer for about 15 hours — it gets so cold that some users don't even feel the need to chill their liquid contents before pouring them into the bowl, though it's technically advised to do so. From there, your KitchenAid's "stir" setting will start thickening your mixture into legit ice cream, taking 20 to 30 minutes to hit that optimal creamy texture. Then, you can mix in any toppings and let the KitchenAid stir them in on the slowest speed.
