The Best Ice Cream Makers of 2026

• Type: Freezer pint
• Capacity: 16 ounces
• Dimensions: 6.52 x 12.07 x 15.95 inches
• Weight: 13 pounds

Ultra versatile and extremely easy to use, the Ninja Creami was a delight to use from the very beginning.

Beyond ice cream alone, this appliance can make anything from milkshakes and smoothie bowls to gelato and sorbet. And it does so fuss-free; all it requires is the press of a program button on its one-touch interface to get your sweet treat started.

The appliance itself is unique from other ice cream makers in that there are no compressor pumps or bulky bowls to freeze—just a motor base with digital control panel, a paddle, pint containers, and an outer bowl for processing.

All you have to do is freeze your liquid base in one of the provided pint containers ahead of time, and you can always opt for extra pint containers to make ice cream prep easy. Plus, smoothie bowls, milkshakes, and soft serve recipes don't require pre-freezing at all.

We found that this machine performs well in transforming everything from canned pineapple chunks to frozen berries into creamy desserts—making eating more fruit an easy feat. There's also a mix-in function that allows you to personalize your ice cream with toppings like candy, nuts, or chocolate chips.

Even cleanup with the Creami is a delight, since the bowls, lids, and paddle are all dishwasher-safe.

The one downside: this machine is pretty noisy. (So if you're trying to secretly whip up a dessert without your housemates knowing, get ready to share.)

But if you're already used to appliances like blenders and food processors making noise in your house, you shouldn't have an issue with the Creami.

• Type: Freezer bowl
• Capacity: 1.5 quarts
• Dimensions: 9.5 x 9 x 11.25 inches
• Weight: 9 pounds

Easy to use, reasonably priced, and small enough to live on the counter during the summer, the Cuisinart ICE-21 can create a smooth batch of classic vanilla ice cream as well as a well-mixed rocky road.

The simple design—a single switch to turn on and off, plus an open top to facilitate pouring in chocolate chips and scooping out taste tests—meant that we could focus on flavors and fixings. Also, the low price may have already inspired our tester to buy one for her sister’s birthday.

The cherry on top of this fudge sundae is that the Cuisinart ICE-21 was the quickest product we tested (minus freezing the canister). In about 20 minutes, I went from having a sugar-and-cream mixture to a bowl of ice cream.

To be fair, there are downsides: It only makes 1.5 quarts of ice cream—just enough for four small-ish servings (we admit, we overfilled it once, but luckily the design saved us from creating much of a mess). Also, you have to freeze the canister overnight before you can make a batch of ice cream.

The canister is full of refrigerant, which is what chills the ice cream, and takes about 12 hours to freeze. This just means that you need a bit of forethought before indulging. That said, many recipes suggest ice cream base chill overnight in the fridge for the best flavor, so I didn’t find a night of pre-planning to be much of a downside.

Ultimately, we would aim to stash the canister in a corner of the freezer during the summer, to use whenever you want ice cream or frozen yogurt in less than 30 minutes.

• Type: Compressor
• Capacity: 1.5 quarts
• Dimensions: 15.75 x 11 x 11 inches
• Weight: 30 pounds

The wonderful thing about this product was never having to worry about pre-freezing the canister. This meant we could make multiple batches in a row during the same evening. And the machine’s “keep cool” mode let us leave our finished ice cream in the appliance while we were eating and entertaining—a very handy feature.

It also has settings for different hardness levels and an option for both an automatic and manual mode. These fancy features come at a price, though. This ice cream maker costs more than a KitchenAid mixer!

Despite all of these excellent features, the ice cream batches weren’t always consistent (the vanilla was overly soft despite being on the hardest setting, while the berry fro-yo was rather icy). This ice cream machine is also heavy and huge. It took up a solid half of the available counter space, and we have no idea where we would put it if it wasn’t out on the counter.

• Type: Freezer bowl
• Capacity: 0.5 quarts
• Dimensions: 13.5 x 7.48 x 5.39 inches
• Weight: 4.81 pounds

The Dash My Mug Ice Cream Maker looks more like a nostalgic ice cream bowl than a countertop appliance. And that's because it functions as both a bowl and a machine, churning out desserts in the same bowl that you can eat out of once it's ready.

During testing, we loved how convenient this machine was to use; it comes with a handy manual and recipes to get you started right away, and the single-button interface means there's no learning curve.

Unfortunately, the texture of most ice creams we tried with this machine was extremely soft. We recommend leaving them to harden in the freezer for a few extra hours before enjoying them, which means this ice cream maker requires extra patience.

But if you prefer to make ice cream in small batches, or just can't find space for a large appliance in your kitchen, this is an affordable option that can deliver great results (with the right technique).

Read the full Dash My Mug Ice Cream Maker review.

• Type: Freezer pint
• Capacity: 16 ounces
• Dimensions: 10.04 inches W x 17.52 H x 15.16 L
• Weight: 20.8 pounds

The Ninja Swirl by Creami is the latest countertop ice cream machine that turns almost any mixture you can create into ice cream—and now, soft serve! The Creami Swirl uses the same technique we know and love from the original Creami to churn delicious ice cream, frozen yogurt, and milkshake concoctions, but adds a twist, literally. The new Swirl pints have a dispensing feature that works with the Swirl dispenser to dole out frozen treats into perfect soft-serve swirls.

As with the original Creami, all you have to do is combine your ingredients into the pint container 24 hours before you want your treat, and freeze it solid. The churning mechanism on the machine will then blast your creation into scoopable or swirlable consistency.

This machine will take up a bit more space on your counter, and the proprietary pints are new so pints from the original Creami or the now-discontinued Creami Breeze won’t work here. But if you’re addicted to soft serve and looking to skip a few trips to your local creamery, the Ninja Swirl just may be the perfect solution.