Holy McFlurry, the Cuisinart Soft Serve Maker Is Legit. An Honest Review from an Ice Cream Fanatic

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Total: 90/100

To say I have a weakness for soft serve is an understatement. I’ll choose Carvel over cake any day; my whole Airbnb journey started when I got a hair-brained idea to convert a cone-shaped Twistee Treat into a vacation rental (Spoiler: I couldn’t get my hands on one, let alone afford it). But! After owning two ice cream makers that churned out desserts the consistency of a Wendy’s Frosty left in the sun for half an hour, I was convinced that at-home machines couldn’t replicate the real deal.

Then I saw all the buzz on TikTok about the Cuisinart Soft Serve Mix-it-In Ice Cream Maker. It was like having a McDonald’s in your living room! My dream of living in an ice cream shop could come true! But would it break down constantly, like Mickey D’s machines? Was it TikTok hype that’d produce more watery pseudo-Frostys? I had to find out, and find out I did.

How I Tested the Cuisinart Soft Serve Mix-it-In Ice Cream Maker

I vetted the $180 machine based on three rounds of testing, all following the maker’s instructions (and using its recipes). Here were my criteria:

Setting It Up Is Easy—Waiting Is Hard

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Putting the machine together took minutes, but making the first batch of ice cream is a commitment. Like many at-home machines, you need to stick the mixing bowl in the freezer to chill for at least 24 hours. In the meantime, it’s worth flipping to the recipe section of the instruction booklet and getting started, because the batter itself needs to be “well chilled, preferably overnight.”

Given all the planning required, this isn’t an impulse treat, which is a bit of a bummer. (The brand does not recommend storing the freezer bowl in the freezer long-term, foiling my plan to always have it chilled and ready to go.)

Here's How It Works

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The ice cream maker is a fully outfitted sundae machine, with a 1.5-quart capacity, a stand on one side to hold a stack of cones, and a heating plate on the other for keeping hot fudge or another sauce warm and ready to pour. Beyond that, there are three compartments for toppings, and when you twist a dial outside of each one, they slide down a chute and into your ice cream below. They’re all pretty intuitive to use.

Making the ice cream is easy: Pop in the mixing bowl from the freezer, make sure the churning paddle is secure and the dispenser handle is pointing up (so it doesn’t dump ice cream onto the table), and turn on the machine. Then, pour in the ice cream base—for chocolate ice cream, for example, it was a mix of cocoa powder, granulated and brown sugar, salt, whole milk, heavy cream and vanilla extract—and let it churn for 20 to 30 minutes.

Once the time is up, you’re ready to pull the lever and start swirling your own cups and cones. (BTW, you’re not just limited to ice cream here. The machine makes gelato, sorbets and slushies too, and includes recipes for those. They all require “preferably overnight” chilling though.)

What Was the Ice Cream Like?

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Holy McFlurry, it’s good. It’s surprisingly delightful to see the ice cream come out with the same swirled ridges you’d expect from a classic Mister Softee cone, and the texture is as smooth and creamy as the $6 treat. It’s immediately humbling, making you realize it takes practice to perfect your technique, but I’m willing to put in the hours (and pre-planning).

For a family of four, the machine made plenty of ice cream for everyone, and we had enough for two cones left over to use the next day. For a party, however, you may find yourself having to triple the recipe and pop the bowl back in the freezer for—ahem, hours—to accommodate everyone. Or everyone gets sample cups? Or maybe you buy three machines and have an ice cream wall at home, because you’re not a regular grownup, you’re a cool grownup? IDK.

The Bottom Line

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If you love the idea of curling up with a bowl of soft serve at the end of a long day—without having to get in the car—or you simply love a surprise and delight moment, this ice cream maker is for you. If you have a large family or tend to spring for dessert spontaneously, you might want to stick to the drive thru—or listening for that twinkly little ice cream truck’s siren’s call.

The 8 Best Low-Sugar Ice Creams, Taste Tested

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