![The Best Ice Cream Makers for Summer 2025 [Tested and Reviewed]](/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/The-Best-Ice-Cream-Makers-for-Summer-2024_TKP22_Ice-Cream-Makers_DR_05_10_2b_FT.jpg?resize=72,72)
Make milkshakes, ice cream, sorbet, slushies and more with the Cuisinart FastFreeze.
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If you ask me, ice cream is the perfect dessert. It’s sweet, creamy and flawlessly elevates all my favorite things: cake, coffee, soda, you name it. As someone with piles of pints in my freezer, I’m essentially the person ice cream subscriptions are made for. However, as much as I loved my cold treats, I knew there was a more cost-effective and customizable way to enjoy my favorite dessert. Cue the start of my ice cream maker era!
Originally I tried the Ninja Creami, but I ended up giving it away after just a few uses. It was loud—and I mean loud—and way too cumbersome for my already overflowing countertops. When I saw the new Cuisinart FastFreeze, it felt too good to be true. An ice cream machine that fits in a drawer? And it offers settings for other frozen desserts? I had to get my hands on it—and I’m so glad I did.
On Sale
Cusinart FastFreeze
Calling all ice cream lovers! With a little prep ahead of time, the Cuisinart FastFreeze can whip up any ice cream flavor in mere minutes.
What is the Cuisinart FastFreeze?
The Cuisinart FastFreeze is a non-freezing ice cream maker similar to the Ninja Creami or Ninja Creami Swirl. It effectively cream-ifies bases that you make and freeze ahead of time, meaning that there’s no bulky onboard cooling equipment required. Better still, this ice cream wand comes apart into several small profile pieces that stash away inside a drawer. This saves so much space, especially considering the mini half-pint servings it makes!
How We Tested the Cuisinart FastFreeze
I used the Cuisinart FastFreeze as my exclusive dessert provider for a full month in the summer. That gave me and my cold treat-loving family plenty of time to fully enjoy everything the FastFreeze has to offer—which is a lot.
The FastFreeze comes with all the ice cream accessories you need to get started, minus the ingredients. The ice cream maker comes in two pieces: a wand with a manual power button, release button, power handle and preset dial, and a mixing assembly with an attached spinning blade. The presets are ice cream, sorbet, mix ins, slushie and milkshake. Each machine arrives with three dishwasher-safe half-pint dessert cups with lids. It also has a very thorough user manual with several handy recipes to get started.
Ice Cream
My first test was, of course, a classic half-pint of vanilla. I mixed up the simple recipe in the back of my manual, popped the liquid base into one of the tiny dessert cups, and froze it overnight. In the morning (I told you I was ice cream crazy), I craved a classic affogato, so I brewed up a beautiful espresso using my De’longhi Dedica Duo and got to work spinning my first half-pint.
Using the wand is really, really simple. As in, the machine is almost goof-proof. All you have to do is twist the dessert cup onto the bottom of the mixing assembly to lock it into place. Then, insert the wand into the top of the mixing assembly until it clicks.
From there, just use the dial to choose your preset, then use your thumb to hold down the manual power button as you press down on the wand. Once the wand reaches the bottom of the cup, it lights up red. Continue to hold down the power button as you pull it up. That counts as a single pass.
It only took me three passes with the ice cream setting to get the vanilla to a texture I was happy with, but you can spin it for longer if you like a more soft serve consistency. The ice cream was delicious, quick, and the sound it makes didn’t even startle my timid cat. Considering she used to flee the second she saw me fiddling with my Ninja Creami, I’d call this a win!
Sorbet
Sorbet was the setting my husband was most excited for. To test it, I mashed up a cup of mango, then added a few tablespoons of lime juice and simple syrup. I also sprinkled in a little pink salt to taste before freezing the base overnight. The next day, I used the sorbet setting to blend everything together. My husband loved how it turned out—creamy, tart and fruity. While I’m not the biggest sorbet fan, he is a very tough critic and gave this setting a 9/10 score.
Mix Ins
This is one of my favorite settings—it’s where all the magic happens! I first tried peanut butter cups, then graduated to cookie dough bites, cheesecake pieces, Oreos and even a glob of peanut butter. I love that the smaller serving size means I only need a couple of cookies or peanut butter cups to get a nice, chunky consistency. It also just takes just a few passes to incorporate all the goodies throughout the ice cream!
One thing I’ll note about the mix ins setting is that I like to take a couple of bites of the ice cream before I pop in my treats—not that you need to twist my arm to taste my creations. It seems to help the wand run a bit smoother when the ice cream doesn’t exceed the max fill line.
Slushie
This setting is one that I personally don’t think I’ll use much, but it’s a nostalgic option for kids. Freezing and spinning a diet cola gave me a dusty texture not unlike a snow cone. If you want something more akin to a slushy, I recommend doing a second spin after adding a bit more liquid. While it’s not something I plan on using often, I appreciate the option!
Milkshake
This setting requires zero prep—just a store-bought ice cream and milk. I used about 2/3 cup of ice cream with a few tablespoons of milk, which gave me a lighter texture that resembled soft serve. Adding more milk and re-spinning created a texture that was far closer to a traditional milkshake.
Cleaning
Cleaning the machine is very, very simple. The dessert cups are dishwasher-safe, so it’s just a matter of rinsing and loading them when I’m finished. The wand easily wipes down with a damp cloth, as does the exterior of the mixing assembly. The blade also rinses off easily, and you can push the blade out a bit to really get in there for cleaning.
Safety
I definitely feel more comfortable letting my little niece and nephew use this machine with supervision compared to other ice cream makers I’ve tried. Because of the way the wand works, you can’t detach the half-pint cups before you use the button on the back of the wand to separate it from the mixing assembly. This is essential for safety, and I appreciate the design. It’s also not super difficult to achieve the required pressure when pushing down, in part due to how small the dessert cups are.
Pros
- Small; fits in a drawer
- Creates half-pint single serving sizes
- Capable of several other frozen desserts
- Fast; most spins take less than a minute
- Super easy to use
- Comparatively quiet
- Dishwasher-safe dessert cups
Cons
- Not for large servings
- Blade can be difficult to clean
- Requires base prep ahead of time
Comparison: FastFreeze vs. Ninja Creami vs. GreenPan Frost
The Cuisinart FastFreeze most closely resembles the viral Ninja Creami, which also uses pre-frozen bases. Is it worth the hype? According to former editor Annamarie Hugley—heck yes. “If you ask me, the gripes I’ve seen on the internet regarding the gadget’s noise levels, price, etc., all come out in the wash,” she says. “That’s just how fun this product—and its creations—are.”
I’ve owned both, and in my opinion the Cuisinart FastFreeze is much more user-friendly than the Creami. Not only is it quieter, but it’s also faster, and it comes apart for easy storage, which was my biggest critique of the Creami. That said, the Creami does offer larger serving sizes and even a soft serve maker if you opt for the Swirl.
Editor Mary Henn tried the GreenPan Frost, which is a soft serve and frozen drink machine that offers onboard freezing. This means that there’s no need to freeze bases ahead of time! “So far, I’ve only used the Frost for soft serve, and the results have been consistent and delicious,” says Mary. “There’s no prep time (apart from mixing the ingredients to pour in), and the machine churns out ice cream in as little as about 45 minutes! One downside is that you can’t add solids (like fruit or candy) to the mix. The machine can’t handle it. But I just add whatever toppings I want at the end!”
Final Verdict
Overall, the Cuisinart FastFreeze completely surpassed my expectations. During my first month of use, I went absolutely feral with flavors and made at least four half-pints per week. Some of my favorites were iced matcha latte, peanut butter protein, coffee chip, Greek vanilla froyo and iced pineapple sunrises for a small get-together. There’s so much potential with this little machine, and it fits right in a drawer when I’m done. What’s not to love?
While the smaller dessert cups may be a con for some, I personally love that they function as individual servings. With my Ninja Creami, both my husband and I had to commit to a full pint of a single flavor and also refreeze and respin the pints each time we wanted to have more. The smaller cups allow us to create our own single servings, making it possible to try new flavors each night!
Where to Order the Cuisinart FastFreeze
On Sale
Cusinart FastFreeze
Make milkshakes, ice cream, slushies, sorbet and more with the small-but-mighty Cuisinart FastFreeze.
The Cuisinart FastFreeze retails for around $120—or about half the price of the Ninja Creami. Those that want to enjoy fast, fuss-free ice cream nightly can snag their own from Cuisinart’s website, Williams Sonoma or Amazon. Trust me—you’ll be sold on your first bite.
FAQ
Which is better, Ninja ice cream maker or Cuisinart?
Whether the Ninja Creami or Cuisinart FastFreeze are better ultimately depends on preference. While the Cusinart option is cheaper and more storage-friendly, the Ninja Creami makes larger servings and offers additional settings, such as soft serve.
How do you use a Cuisinart ice cream maker?
How to use a Cuisinart ice cream maker depends on the model. The Cuisinart FastFreeze is very simple to use. Just prepare a base ahead of time and freeze it. Then, twist the dessert cup onto the bottom of the spinner and use the wand to push up and down until the desired texture is achieved.
How long does a Cuisinart ice cream maker take?
It only takes a few minutes to make ice cream with the Cuisinart FastFreeze. That said, the ice cream bases require at least 24 hours to freeze prior to use.
Do you have to pre-freeze the base to use the Cuisinart FastFreeze?
Yes, you do have to pre-freeze bases to make ice cream with the Cuisinart FastFreeze. However, you can use store bought ice cream and milk to make milkshakes, no pre-freezing required!
Why You Should Trust Us
Our Taste of Home team are huge ice cream fans. We’ve not only tried every Ninja Creami model, but we’ve also reviewed ice cream clubs along with some of the best ice cream brands. As for myself, I’m a huge ice cream fan and former Ninja Creami user who has also made ice cream the traditional way.
