KitchenAid
Ice Cream Maker Attachment
- Bottom Line
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If you've got a KitchenAid stand mixer, all you need is this handy attachment to start making ice cream.
- Pros
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Makes roughly 2 quarts of ice cream in 20-30 minutes. Enjoy delicious homemade ice cream quickly without the use of ice and salt. Attachment comes with a range of recipes. Attachment fits majority of KitchenAid stand mixers.
- Cons
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Mixing bowl must be stored in the freezer for 24 hours prior to use.
About the product
A solid ice cream maker if you own a KitchenAid stand mixer
A countertop ice cream maker lets you enjoy delicious homemade ice cream whenever you want, but it can take up valuable counter space. If you already own a KitchenAid stand mixer, however, the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment allows you to make homemade ice cream without requiring any additional countertop space.
The KitchenAid attachment is like other electric ice cream makers — it consists of a double-walled freezer bowl with coolant inside and a dasher that connects to a KitchenAid stand mixer with a drive assembly. When you pour your ingredients inside the bowl, it freezes the mixture and churns it to make smooth, creamy ice cream. The open design of the bowl also makes it easy to add mix-ins like chocolate chips or nuts.
To see how the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment compares to other ice cream makers, the BestReviews Testing Lab made several ice cream recipes and evaluated the flavor and texture of each. We found that if you already own a KitchenAid stand mixer, it’s a fun way to make delicious ice cream without investing in a separate machine.
What is the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment?
Product specifications
Churning Time: 20 to 25 min | Maximum Yield: 2 qt | Dimensions: 9” L x 7” W x 11” H | Weight: 7 lb | Ease of Cleaning: The drive assembly and dasher are dishwasher-safe, but the freezer bowl requires hand-washing
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment is similar to many electric countertop ice cream makers. It consists of a bowl with coolant that must be frozen in advance and a dasher or mixing paddle to churn the ice cream. However, unlike other models with a built-in motor, the bowl and dasher connect to a KitchenAid stand mixer and use its motor to move the dasher. But because it uses the stand mixer instead of a standalone base, the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment doesn’t require additional counter space if you keep your mixer out permanently.
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment is extremely easy to use. Once you have the freezer bowl in the base and the dasher attached, you only have to turn on the mixer and pour in your ingredients. That also means it doesn’t have settings for specific desserts, but it can make different frozen treats, including ice cream, sorbet and gelato, based on the ingredients you add. It doesn’t take longer to make the desserts, either — all our testing recipes took less than 25 minutes to churn. Its freezer bowl can produce up to 2 quarts of ice cream, so it was one of the largest-capacity ice cream makers we tested, making it perfect for larger households.
To see how the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment compares to other products in its space, check out our reviews for the best ice cream makers.
Price and where to buy
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment typically retails for $99.99. It’s available at Amazon and Best Buy. However, the attachment requires a KitchenAid stand mixer to operate, which is usually at least a $300 investment.
Why we like it
Ease of use
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment couldn’t be easier to use — basically, if you can turn on your stand mixer, you can make ice cream.
Excellent ice cream flavor and texture
We made three different recipes with the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment, and all three were creamy and delicious. The texture was excellent, too — just slightly firmer than soft serve.
Efficient
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment was one of the most efficient ice cream makers we tested, needing less than 25 minutes to churn all our recipes.
Generous capacity
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment’s freeze bowl can make up to 2 quarts of ice cream, making it one of the largest ice cream makers we tested. That’s more than 10 servings of ice cream per batch.
Space-saving
If you keep your KitchenAid stand mixer on your counter, the Ice Cream Maker Attachment won’t take up any additional space in your kitchen. The drive assembly and dasher are compact enough to store inside the mixer’s bowl, too, though you’ll need to find a spot for the freezer bowl if you don’t keep it in the freezer.
What we don’t like
Requires a KitchenAid stand mixer
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment costs nearly $100 on its own, but it also requires a KitchenAid stand mixer. That’s a serious investment on its own.
Prep time
Like similar ice cream makers, the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment’s bowl must be frozen for at least 16 hours before making ice cream. That means you always have to plan ahead if you want to make ice cream — or permanently store the bowl in your freezer.
Can get messy
Just as when you use your KitchenAid stand mixer to mix cake batter or cookie dough, ingredients can splash against the top edge of the freezer bowl when they’re added unless you pour them very carefully.
KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment setup
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment came in a branded box, and all the components were secured in styrofoam. We washed the freezer bowl, drive housing and dasher in warm, soapy water and then chilled the bowl in the freezer overnight.
Once the bowl was completely frozen, we attached the drive assembly to the mixer shaft on the KitchenAid Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer in our testing area. We then placed the freezer bowl on the base and set the dasher inside. We tilted the mixer’s motor head down and were ready to make ice cream. Not counting the time the bowl needed to freeze, it took us less than five minutes to set up the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment.
Prep time
KitchenAid recommends chilling the Ice Cream Maker Attachment’s bowl in the freezer for at least 16 hours. However, we typically chilled the bowl for 20 to 24 hours in an upright freezer before churning our ice cream. The freezer was nearly empty and wasn’t opened often, so it was particularly cold, hitting approximately -2 degrees. The bowl was completely frozen every time we made ice cream, which allowed the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment to produce completely smooth, creamy ice cream that was slightly firmer than soft serve. We never experienced any issues with our ice cream freezing inconsistently, either.
All ice cream makers with this type of freezer bowl require overnight chilling, so we weren’t surprised. However, the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment requires planning ahead when making ice cream unless you can store the bowl in the freezer when not in use. That way, the bowl is always ready when you want to make ice cream. It’s fairly large, though, so it takes up significant freezer space.
Churning time
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment was one of the most efficient ice cream makers we tested. It needed just 21 minutes to churn our chocolate ice cream, 23 minutes for strawberry ice cream and 24 minutes for vanilla ice cream, so all our recipes took less than 25 minutes to make. Many of the ice cream makers we tested took 25 to 30 minutes to churn ice cream to a soft-serve consistency, but the KitchenAid produced slightly firmer ice cream in less time.
Flavor and texture
With the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment, we made chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream.
The chocolate ice cream had a deliciously rich flavor. We added half of a chopped dark chocolate bar to the bowl when it was nearly finished, which definitely added to the intensity of the chocolate flavor. It was slightly firmer than soft serve but not as firm as store-bought hard ice cream right after churning. Our vanilla ice cream had a sweet, simple flavor that we loved as big fans of vanilla ice cream. Its texture was also firmer than soft serve but not quite as hard as the chocolate straight from the machine. The strawberry ice cream was also delicious, with the sweetness and fresh berry flavor balanced perfectly. Its texture was similar to the vanilla — firmer than soft serve but not as firm as the chocolate ice cream.
After we made all three ice creams, we transferred them to the freezer for an hour to see how chilling them affected their texture. All the flavors became firm enough for us to scoop them into a bowl, which was typical of other ice cream makers we tested.
Redesigned dasher
The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment features a redesigned dasher, which is supposed to ensure that any mix-ins are evenly distributed throughout the ice cream. We added chopped chocolate to the chocolate ice cream and found that the dasher did an excellent job incorporating the pieces evenly into it — nearly every spoonful we took had a piece of chocolate in it.
We also found that the dasher effectively moved the ice cream throughout the bowl as it churned. We didn’t observe any of the ice cream become frozen to the sides of the bowl, which happened with some of the other ice cream makers we tested.
How does it compare to other ice cream makers we’ve tested?
Like the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence, Cuisinart ICE021 Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt and Sorbet Maker and the Ninja Creami Deluxe, the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment requires 16 to 24 hours of preparation before it can make ice cream. Its freezer bowl must be frozen for at least 16 hours just like the two Cuisinart machines, while the Ninja Creami Deluxe requires freezing the base ingredients for at least 24 hours. Only the Breville Smart Scoop allows for making ice cream without any prep work because it has a built-in condenser that lets it chill and churn the ice cream at the same time.
When it comes to capacity, the KitchenAid is also one of the largest ice cream makers we tested. Like the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence, it has a 2-quart capacity, so it can make enough ice cream for the whole family. The Cuisinart ICE-021, Breville Smart Scoop and Ninja Creami Deluxe all make 1.5 quarts or less. The flavor and texture of the ice cream we made with the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment was similar to the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence, Cuisinart ICE021 and Breville Smart Scoop, so it had a soft-serve consistency. The Ninja Creami Deluxe made firmer ice cream straight from the machine, allowing us to scoop it.
The KitchenAid attachment is the same price as the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence. However, it requires a KitchenAid stand mixer to operate, so it isn’t accessible to everyone.
Testing the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
We started testing the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment by setting it up on our KitchenAid Artisan Series Tilt Head Stand Mixer and recording the time it took to complete the process. We also noted how much space the bowl took up in our freezer and how easy the attachment was to store when not in use.
To see how well the attachment performed, we made vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. We noted how long the machine needed to churn for each recipe, as well as the texture and flavor directly from the machine. Afterward, we transferred the ice cream flavors to the freezer for one to two hours and observed any changes in the texture and flavor.
After making our ice cream, we cleaned all the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment’s components, washing them by hand and recording how much time it took. We also examined the pieces afterward to see if there were any signs of wear and tear.
Should you get the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment?
If you already own a KitchenAid stand mixer and mainly want to make ice cream, sorbet and gelato, the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment can be an excellent addition to your kitchen. We especially recommend it for those who keep their mixer out on the counter permanently because the dasher and housing assembly are small enough to store in the standard mixer bowl, where they won’t take up any additional counter space. But you will have to find a place to keep the freezer bowl, whether in a cabinet or your freezer so you’re ready to make ice cream whenever you want.
For those who don’t own a KitchenAid stand mixer, though, the attachment is obviously a poor option because it also requires purchasing a mixer. Even stand mixer owners who don’t make ice cream often may prefer a less expensive model like the Cuisinart ICE021 Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt & Sorbet Maker.