Independent · sourced · Updated June 2026
Best Ice Cream Makers (2026)
The cheapest ice cream makers is Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker ICMP400WD at $59.99. Best by the numbers — Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker ICMP400WD (lowest price), Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream Maker NC501 (newest). This page compares 12 ice cream makers across 8 brands on price and key specs — every figure sourced, updated June 2026.
12 ice cream makers compared on the specs that matter and US price — ranked cheapest-first. Every spec and price links to its source and the date we captured it.
Key takeaways
- Lowest price: Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker ICMP400WD at $59.99 (Current retail price at Walmart, June 2026).
- Typical price: from $59.99, median $239.99, up to $799.99 — across 12 priced.
- Tracked: 12 products across 8 brands, current through 2026-06-20.
- Compared on: type, capacity qt, build in compressor, wattage w, preset programs, timer.
Best by the numbers
Objective winners — each is the leader on one measured spec, with the figure. No subjective ranking.
- Lowest price: Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker ICMP400WD ($59.99)
- Newest: Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream Maker NC501 (2022)
- Highest capacity qt: Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker ICMP400WD (4 capacity qt)
- Highest wattage w: Ninja CREAMi 7-in-1 Ice Cream Maker NC301 (800 wattage w)
Comparison
Specs are as published by the manufacturer (or a reputable spec source where the official page was unavailable); prices are US launch MSRP. Full per-product records and all spec columns are in our open dataset.
Popular comparisons
- Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker ICE-21P1 vs Ninja CREAMi 7-in-1 Ice Cream Maker NC301
- Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker ICE-21P1 vs Whynter 2.1 Qt Upright Automatic Compressor Ice Cream Maker ICM-201SB
- Ninja CREAMi 7-in-1 Ice Cream Maker NC301 vs Whynter 2.1 Qt Upright Automatic Compressor Ice Cream Maker ICM-201SB
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest ice cream makers?
Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker ICMP400WD is the cheapest at $59.99 (Current retail price at Walmart, June 2026), as of 2026-06-20.
How much does ice cream makers cost?
Across the 12 ice cream makers with a published price, the median is $239.99, ranging from $59.99 to $799.99, as of 2026-06-20.
Which ice cream makers is best by the numbers?
Lowest price: Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker ICMP400WD ($59.99). Newest: Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream Maker NC501 (2022). Highest capacity qt: Nostalgia 4-Quart Electric Wood Bucket Ice Cream Maker ICMP400WD (4 capacity qt).
How many ice cream makers are compared here?
12 ice cream makers across 8 brands, with US price and key specs, current through 2026-06-20.
More hardware comparisons
How we compiled this
Roster covers 12 verified models spanning freezer-bowl, compressor, pre-frozen-pint (Ninja CREAMi), and stand-mixer-attachment types across price tiers, from the budget Hamilton Beach 68330N to the premium Lello 4080 Musso Lussino. Primary sources are manufacturer pages (Cuisinart, SharkNinja, Whynter, Breville, KitchenAid, Nostalgia) plus major retail listings (Target, Walmart, Williams Sonoma, Sur La Table, HomElectrical, Staples, Goods Store) and technical references. Capacity is in quarts (qt); wattage is watts. Booleans are true only when the feature is explicitly documented. For Ninja CREAMi models, type is 'pre_frozen_pint' (not compressor) because they shave a pre-frozen pint via Creamify Technology rather than refrigerate; build_in_compressor is false and capacity_qt reflects combined pint fill volume. Adversarial re-verification (2026-06-20) corrected: ICE-21P1 wattage 60->50W (manufacturer+Target state 50; 60 only on a B2B reseller); ICE-100 wattage null->288W (Target spec table); Ninja NC301/NC501 type compressor->pre_frozen_pint; Nostalgia ICMP400WD price 129.99->59.99 (actual Walmart price); replaced a dead Breville corroboration URL (therisk.global 404) and a wrong KitchenAid source URL (claimed '8-Quart Mixers' — the KICA0WH explicitly excludes 7/8-qt models). accessedAt 2026-06-20.
Last verified 2026-06-20. We re-check published specs and prices on a recurring cadence and update this page when they change.
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