Forget the Ninja Creami, Cuisinart's £100 ice cream maker is nothing short of dreamy

Was £99 now £84.99 at Amazon

You're in luck, because this is on sale on Amazon right now. I'd snap it up at that price.

View Deal

There are some kitchen gadgets you buy with the best intentions and then they gather dust. This is not one of them. I’ve been using the Cuisinart Freeze & Mix Ice Cream Maker with Freeze Wand for weeks now, and it’s fast become one of my favourite ways to feel smug and summery, especially when I’m handing out homemade raspberry ripple or lemon sorbet to friends who are convinced I’ve suddenly become a domestic goddess.

If you’re shopping for the best ice cream maker right now, you’ll notice most either need a huge amount of freezer space (we see you, Ninja Creami) or hours of advance planning. This model is neither. It’s slim, quick to set up, and cleverly avoids the clunky compressor unit that other machines rely on.

I went through a phase of being an ice cream maker connoisseur, so when I tell you that I've tested them all, I really mean it: from the Ninja Creami through to KitchenAid's bowl attachment, and Cuisinart's other models. And, after all that, this is the one I want to keep.

Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker specifications

Who would the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker suit?

The Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker is ideal for anyone who wants homemade treats without fuss. If you’re short on freezer space, don’t want to invest in a full compressor model, and love the idea of making healthier, customisable desserts, this is a dream.

It’s also brilliantly beginner-friendly. There's no faffing with settings, no intimidating displays. You just need to chill the containers 24 hours in advance and you can make ice cream in thirty seconds.

Compared to other models, the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker is compact and neat enough to pack into a deep kitchen drawer or cupboard. And it's much much quieter than competitors. At around the £100 mark, it's also much more affordable than premium machines.

Unboxing the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker

I was off to a great start with the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker. As you can see, all the packaging is completely recyclable, which gets a big tick from a sustainability perspective.

The instruction manuals have a QR code for those who are more visual as well as step-by-step instructions written out. Then, if you keep flicking through, Cuisinart has created some recipe suggestions to help you get started. It's a real treat.

What is the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker like to use?

You'll see at the top of the wand that there are a few settings. The icons accurately represent them, but I'll spell them out. From the left across, there's ice cream (for vegan and non-vegan recipes), sorbet, mix-ins, slushie, and milkshake. You twist the top so that it's on the right setting, lock the wand into the base unit and then sit it on top of the pot.

Locking everything into place is easy and then you can press the go button. I held onto the wand and the base to keep it stable and then pushed down until the green light on the wand turned red. This took ten seconds (at the most) and hardly made any noise. That's a stark contrast (in both speed and noise) to every other ice cream maker I've tested, so I was really pleased.

If you want to know the specifics of how each function works, I'll talk you through them below.

Image 1 of 3

I combined the ice cream and mix-in function to one section, because that's how I tested these. Using Cuisinart's recommended recipe, I froze a vanilla dairy ice cream, vegan ice cream mix, and frozen yogurt.

The dairy version easily churned into a silky, glossy ice cream. I was really impressed with the texture. My vegan ice cream and frozen yogurt looked a little crumbly, but this is very normal for alternative recipes (and if you've whipped too much air into your mix). I added some milk to both and they very quicky re-blended into a brilliant ice cream and frozen yogurt. They didn't taste crumbly at all. In fact, my partner remarked that the vegan one was like our favourite gelato place's ice cream. Compliments indeed.

Image 1 of 2

I tried a couple of different mix-in recipes. One was with raspberries and raspberry jam, because I wanted something light and fresh. You can see it has that soft-serve texture, I could taste the vivid flavour, and there wasn't an icy shard in sight.

My other mix in was a little trickier. I crumbled up some biscuits and fruit, to see how the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker tacked different textures. The answer to my challenge is: very well. The biscuit pieces were mixed right through to the bottom of the tub. I don't know how the freeze wand did it, but with the soft, creamy flavour, I won't question it.

Lemon sorbet was my next test and I was so pleased with how this turned out. I froze lemon juice, sugar syrup, and water together overnight and I wasn't sure how it would turn out. The sorbet setting made light, smooth work of the solid lemon block, leaving me with really dense, super simple and zingy lemon sorbet. The Cuisinart kept it light and smooth, not icy. If you like palate-cleansing desserts or summer garden party vibes, this is definitely one to try.

I was in a really zingy mood when I was testing this, because I tested lemonade as my slushie recipe. Cuisinart recommends leaving some extra space in the pot when you freeze lemonade, if it's carbonated, so I followed the instructions. Again, I left this overnight, feeling like this one was a bit of a wildcard.

Yesterday afternoon was actually the first time that I tested the slushie and it worked. You can see that it has the perfect frosty, slushy texture. If I hadn't used up the pot in the afternoon, I could have seen a splash of gin going down really well in there.

I'm ashamed to admit that I neglected to take a picture of the milkshake on its own. I really was that excited to test it out. Cuisinart recommends that you take ice cream (I used some that I had made in our other test) and add in milk. I had frozen some chocolate ice cream, so mixed that into the milkshake and you can see the result in my cup at the back. It gets a chef's kiss from me. The drink was rich and creamy, with a hint of old-school diner nostalgia.

Cleaning the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker

This bit’s refreshingly easy. The wand and bowl rinse clean in warm soapy water and don’t have any fiddly nooks. There are no moving blades or messy lids, which is a blessing. Just remember to refreeze the bowl if you want to do a second batch, you can’t use it back-to-back unless you have three bowls (which Cuisinart does sell separately).

How does the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker compare?

The Ninja Creami has a cult following, and I see why. It makes ultra-smooth frozen desserts with all sorts of extras (nuts, biscuits, swirls). But it’s loud, bulky, and requires 24 hours of freezing time before you can churn. The Cuisinart, by contrast, feels like less of a production. It’s quieter, smaller, and more intuitive, especially if you’re not into food tech.

If you love total control and have freezer space to spare, the Creami is impressive. But if you want a pretty little machine that makes lovely ice cream with far less hassle, I’d choose the Cuisinart every time.

Should you buy the Cuisinart Freeze Wand Ice Cream Maker?

I you’re someone who appreciates the joy of a homemade scoop, but doesn’t want to mess around with timers, tech, or ten-step recipes, this is perfect for you. The Cuisinart Freeze & Mix Ice Cream Maker is fast, tidy, and delivers delicious results. It’s perfect for summer hosting, healthier desserts, or just having a little fun in the kitchen.

It’s not for bulk batch-making or daily use, but for most people, it’s more than enough. If you’ve ever dreamed of being the woman who casually serves homemade sorbet after lunch, this one’s for you.