Making homemade ice cream can be a lot of fun — the excitement of putting in your desired ingredients, watching the machine at work and looking forward to enjoying your favourite flavours. But before you buy, deciding which ice cream maker works best for you can be intimidating. Do you need an ice cream maker to make treats for the whole family or do you need a smaller machine to make just your favourite? All of our Hamilton Beach® ice cream makers make delicious ice cream, so your decision depends on what will serve you and your family best. Follow this guide to help you decide:

Quick and Delicious Frozen Treats

Whether you’re sweltering through summer or just looking for a sweet treat, no excuse is needed to indulge in delicious frozen treats. It’s easy to get out your ice cream maker and mix up a batch of your favorite ice cream, custard, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet or gelato. You can use your homemade creations as a base to the perfect milkshake, make a sundae with your favourite toppings or eat it straight out of the ice cream maker container.

Basics of Making Ice Cream

Our smart design touches make ice cream makers easy to use, even if you’re a beginner. Easy Vanilla Ice Cream can be made with just 4 simple ingredients: milk or half n’half, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and granulated sugar- no eggs required! For most ice cream makers, you just combine all the ingredients in a bowl, start the ice cream maker, pour in the mixture and wait for it to reach your desired consistency. You can easily change up the flavor by adding in cocoa powder to make Chocolate Ice Cream, or add in your favourite mix-ins like candy chunks, cookie pieces, fruit, nuts or other flavour extracts (like mint).

Beyond Ice Cream

With the same simple ice cream maker, you can switch things up and easily make healthier or even non-dairy desserts. You also can take advantage of seasonal fresh fruit by incorporating it into your sweet treat. Using coconut milk, fresh peaches, a tiny bit of sugar and vanilla extract, you can make the most delectable Non-Dairy Peaches and Coconut Frozen Dessert. Watermelon Lime Mint Sorbet is a vibrant and refreshing choice when you pair lime juice and mint leaves with fresh seedless watermelon, water and sugar. Or, enjoy the refreshing and tangy brightness of Strawberry Lemon Frozen Yogurt when you combine greek yogurt, fresh strawberries, sugar and a little lemon juice and zest.

If you need help picking out the best ice cream maker for you or your family, our side-by-side comparison should help get you started. For more homemade ice cream and frozen treat inspiration, check out our recipes below that pair perfectly with our ice cream makers.

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