11 Ways To Use Your Ice Cream Maker

As far as versatile countertop appliances go, you probably don't think of your ice cream maker as one of them. It's not like an Instant Pot that can slow cook, steam, pressure cook, and more. It's not a stand mixer with myriad attachments to make pasta, grind meat, and spiralize vegetables. It's designed for one sole purpose: making ice cream.

Regardless, you may have bought it thinking that you'd make ice cream on a very regular basis. Then, as time's gone on, you've realized that making ice cream at home can be a bit of a time-intensive process, even if hands-off. Additionally, given the price of dairy and eggs, many can agree that this is one item you shouldn't make from scratch just for the cost savings alone (because there really aren't any). As such, oh so slowly, you've used that ice cream maker less and less, and it's found a hidden spot at the back of the pantry or a kitchen closet. It's gathering dust, and you may have even considered getting rid of it completely.

Not so fast, though. Before you take any drastic measures, consider breaking out that ice cream maker again, and putting it to good use. Instead of ice cream, you're going to explore all the other ingenious ways you can use this appliance, even above and beyond just desserts. There are plenty of ways this gadget can come in handy and prove its value once again, and here are just a few favorites.

If you're in the habit of buying one-purpose kitchen gadgets, you may already have a dedicated margarita machine in your kitchen. If not, when you're craving a frosty glass of tequila goodness, you probably reach for the blender or food processor — but what if you don't have a food processor, or the blender's on the fritz? What if you don't have enough ice to make margaritas like you normally might in either of those appliances?

No, don't run out to the store. You can make margaritas in your ice cream machine with no ice necessary. All you have to do is combine all your typical margarita ingredients (to make a perfectly passable margarita, you'll need tequila, either orange liqueur or agave nectar, limes, and salt) in the ice cream machine's bowl, and then let the machine get to work freezing it all until it's reached a slushy consistency. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so. Just note that, because you're not using any ice for your margaritas and just freezing the margaritas directly, they will taste stronger than usual. If that's a worry, you can add a little water to dilute the mixture.

Want to add a little Southern flair to margaritas that you've made in your ice cream machine? Consider adding a bit of sweet tea to the mix. Note that the sweet tea will also dilute the mixture, just like water.

Don't relegate yourself to only making one type of frozen treat in your ice cream maker, especially if you're nostalgic for that moment in time around 2010, wherein there was a frozen yogurt shop on every corner. Making your own frozen yogurt in an ice cream maker is a relatively simple process.

To start, you'll need to decide what kind of yogurt you'd like to use. You can make your own, but it needs to be thick, like Greek yogurt. If you don't want to do the extra work of making your own yogurt, you could use store-bought Greek yogurt; however, if you're making a large quantity of frozen yogurt, that's going to add up, as Greek yogurt is usually more expensive. For a blend of convenience and affordability, you can go with regular yogurt but strain it overnight to give it a texture closer to that of Greek yogurt. If you don't have an official yogurt strainer, you can strain the yogurt through coffee filters lining a colander.

From there, blend your yogurt with your sweeteners and any flavorings, and freeze and churn it in your ice cream machine's pre-chilled bucket. In about half an hour, you'll have frozen yogurt. Prevent your homemade frozen yogurt from turning icy by ensuring you're adding enough sugar — about a cup of sugar for every three to four cups of yogurt. The sugar binds with the water molecules in the yogurt, preventing ice formation and improving the final texture.

When you think about it, slushies aren't all that different from frozen margaritas, so you could easily make any kind of slushie you like — both boozy and non-boozy — using your ice cream machine. You'll just want to follow a few simple guidelines for the best results.

For one, choose the right ingredients and make sure that everything is chilled, including the ice cream maker's bowl, before you start the process. If you're making an alcoholic slushy, chill the alcohol as well. If you're sweetening the slushy, avoid adding sugar directly to the mix, as this can make the final product grainy. Instead, opt for a liquid sweetener like simple syrup. There's no need to buy a bottle of simple syrup at the grocery store. You can easily make some at home by combining equal parts sugar and water, and ensuring the sugar dissolves, either through heating the combo on the stove or just mixing it. Since ice cream machines don't require ice, and therefore make stronger drinks, consider cutting your boozy slushies with a little water.

You don't really even need a recipe to make slushies in your ice cream machine, if you're not getting fancy. Any favorite beverage can be poured directly into the machine, and it'll be frozen into slushy form in about 20 minutes.

If you love iced coffee, you've probably tried to make it at home, and there are a few waysyou can go about it. You could make coffee like you normally would, hot, then refrigerate it. You could pour your coffee over ice. You could mix instant coffee with water and cold milk. You could also, though, make a batch of iced coffee in your ice cream maker.

You don't even need to turn the ice cream maker on for this. Instead, just chill the machine's bowl in the freezer, then pour your (hot) coffee into it and give it a swirl. The bowl's superior chilling properties will take the coffee down to a low temp fast, without diluting it the way that adding ice might, and without having to wait for hot coffee to cool down in the fridge. You can literally go from coffee maker to ice cream maker bowl to glass within minutes.

However, it's worth clarifying that if you actually prefer cold brew coffee instead of iced coffee, this method won't work, as iced coffee and cold brew coffee are not made the same way. Cold brew coffee is always made by steeping coffee in cold water. Iced coffee starts hot, always, but then is chilled.

So, you just got home with a bottle of bubbly or a nice, crisp white wine. You want to drink it right away, but not at room temperature — because, after all, chilling your wine properly can make even the cheapest wines taste better. You could let the wine chill in the fridge for a bit, or even in the freezer. (Just don't forget about it, and leave it long enough for the bottle crack.) You could toss in some ice cubes. (Just don't tell the hardcore wine-lovers in your life about it.) This is another scenario, though, wherein your ice cream maker can come in handy: Use that ice cream maker bowl as an ice bucket.

If you already store the bowl in your freezer, then it's cold and ready to chill things fast. When chilling wine in your ice cream maker bowl, either fill the bowl with ice or a mix of cold water and ice to speed the process along. If possible, given the sizes of both the bowl and your bottle of wine, fully submerge the bottle until it's completely covered. If the top of the bottle is left exposed, that means that at least the first glass of wine poured from the bottle is going to still be warm.

Do you have someone in your crew who can't do dairy? There's no need to toss the ice cream maker to the curb. You can make a delicious sorbet that's 100% dairy-free using whatever fruit puree or juice you have on hand, plus some water and your preferred sweetener. 

Grab that fruit that's been languishing in the crisper drawer for far too long, or the berries that you expect may go bad sooner rather than later. You can go beyond fruit, too, to make sorbet out of all sorts of interesting produce, including vegetables and herbs. While making sorbet does not require an ice cream maker, using one can certainly make for a sorbet with a better texture than what you might get with a blender alone, closer to what you might find in a store-bought product. This treat's texture is made possible by the air that's infused into the fruit puree during the freezing and churning process, and an ice cream maker is perfect for the job.

To make sorbet using your ice cream maker, blend your chosen fruit, sweetener, and any other flavorings to form a puree. Strain the puree, chill it, and then add it to your ice cream maker. Churn away, and then freeze it for a few hours before devouring.

Ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and, yes, gelato — your ice cream maker can do it all when it comes to sweet frozen treats. So, what's the difference between gelato and ice cream? Gelato has less milk fat, so it's softer and often denser. Additionally, gelato sometimes includes eggs, but if you don't want to use any eggs, you can swap them out for other ingredients that will have a similar binding effect, such as sunflower or soy lecithin powder, locust bean gum, or guar gum.

To make gelato in your ice cream machine, you'll first cook your dairy ingredients and eggs to form a very thin custard. Then, that custard goes into the ice cream maker for about half an hour, where it's mixed via the machine's slow churn setting for the ideal texture. After that, toss it into the freezer before serving. 

Just like ice cream, gelato can be personalized however you like. (After all, if Taco Bell can make Baja Blast gelato, then who's stopping you from doing whatever you want?) After you've mastered the process, consider using your homemade gelato to make another Italian treat: affogato. Enjoy the classic combination of gelato and espresso as-is, or add a shot of hazelnut liqueur to give your affogato a boozy twist.

Yes, the list of frozen treats that your ice cream machine can make continues. Sherbet is like sorbet, but with some dairy added in. Like sorbet, sherbet keeps its fruity flavor front and center — but then the dairy comes in with all its creamy, fatty goodness.

You can make sherbet in your ice cream maker by simply combining dairy like heavy cream or milk with your fruit juice, sugar, and any other flavorful ingredients. You'll whip the heavy cream until you get soft peaks, and then combine it with the fruit juice, milk, and sugar, before chilling it all and then churning it.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, but you're still tempted by the idea of a sherbet, you can try to make it another way: Combine guava nectar, cream cheese, corn syrup, and salt to create guava cream cheese sherbet. Pour this mix into a blender, blend, and then freeze it before adding some whipped cream. Freeze it all again for another six hours, and you're golden.

Okay, so a frozen hot chocolate is kind of an oxymoron. However, we can't deny the appeal. The chocolate-y goodness of hot chocolate, but in a frozen, almost milkshake-like form? Count us in. Making frozen hot chocolate in an ice cream machine couldn't be easier. It's literally as straightforward as mixing milk, heavy cream, chocolate syrup, and simple syrup before placing it all in your ice cream machine and letting the appliance do all the other work.

What if you're craving a hot chocolate that's actually hot, though? Your ice cream maker can still come in handy. Go ahead and make a batch of your favorite ice cream — because, believe it or not, the creamiest hot chocolate starts with ice cream — and then pour your favorite hot chocolate over a scoop of that ice cream to make an affogato of sorts. You could also melt your ice cream on the stovetop before adding some milk and your hot chocolate mix (or cocoa powder, sugar, milk, and salt for a from-scratch route). Try equal parts milk and ice cream, or use double the amount of milk if you'd prefer a drink that's thinner.

While açai bowls — which are basically just smoothie bowls made specifically with açai berries or açai-derived ingredients — no longer hold quite the grip on the online health and foodie communities that they once did, if you're still enjoying this nutrient-dense breakfast or snack regularly, consider bringing your ice cream maker into the process. If your ice cream maker has a smoothie function, your next açai bowl is only a few steps away. Just combine all your normal ingredients — like frozen fruit, açai powder, sweetener, and some kind of liquid like milk — in the maker, and then let it do its thing. When it's done, you'll have the perfect base for your açai bowl, ready for topping.

Want to make your smoothie a complete breakfast? Ensure that it's filled with plenty of healthy proteins and fats, as well as fiber and complex carbs. Toppings that add a nutritional boost include flax seeds, chia seeds, nuts, and shredded coconut, as well as fresh berries or pomegranate seeds. You can also add an extra protein boost to your smoothie or açai bowl by adding silken tofu. Just blend the tofu before adding it to your other bowl base ingredients. 

Last but certainly not least, consider simply using your ice cream maker's bowl as a makeshift cooler. After all, that metal bowl is designed to keep things as cold as possible, as long as possible, so if you're running out of space in the fridge or you just don't have an extra cooler handy, enlist your trusty ice cream maker. You can even use the bowl as a serving dish for items that need to stay cool at a party or dinner.

Just keep in mind that even with the ice cream maker bowl's superior keep-it-cold abilities, basic food safety rules still apply. You don't want to risk a food-borne illness, and both pathogenic and spoilage bacteria grow faster when the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Fahrenheit. 

So, how long exactly will food stay safe in a cooler or, in this case, a makeshift cooler? As long as the temperature within the cooler stays at less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, then the food will remain safe to eat. However, once the temperature goes above that, the food is only good for two hours. Fun fact: You can extend the amount of time a cooler stays cold by using commercial ice versus ice from your home freezer, as it's colder!