The Verdict
The Whynter ICM-201SB is a professional-grade compressor ice cream maker that eliminates the need for pre-freezing by using an internal cooling system. It is a reliable, high-capacity choice for anyone looking to produce large batches of custom frozen desserts without sacrificing freezer space.
Why We Love It (Key Features)
- Built-in Compressor Freezer: You no longer need to plan ahead or clear out your freezer to chill a mixing bowl; the machine provides continuous cooling so you can make batch after batch whenever inspiration strikes.
- Extended Cooling Function: This thoughtful feature prevents your ice cream from melting if you aren't ready to scoop it immediately, maintaining the perfect texture after the cycle finishes.
- Motor Protection System: The unit automatically stops the motor if the mixture becomes too solid, ensuring the machine stays protected from overheating or potential mechanical damage.
- Generous 2.1 Quart Capacity: With a capacity that surpasses many standard models, you can easily prepare enough ice cream, gelato, or sorbet to share when entertaining guests.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Self-cooling technology removes the hassle of pre-freezing.
- Large 2.1-quart capacity is ideal for families and hosting.
- Durable stainless steel finish and upright, space-efficient design.
- Includes convenient accessories like a BPA-free churn blade and ice cream scoop.
Cons:
- The footprint requires dedicated countertop space for setup.
- As a high-performance compressor unit, it commands a premium price point compared to simple canister-based makers.
Who Should Buy This?
This appliance is perfect for the serious home cook or entertainer who values convenience and professional results. If you enjoy experimenting with custom ingredients and want to create gelato or sorbet on demand without waiting hours for a freezer bowl to chill, this compressor ice cream maker is a highly capable addition to your kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this machine require me to put the bowl in the freezer beforehand?
No. One of the primary advantages of this compressor ice cream maker is that it has a built-in freezer, meaning you do not need to pre-freeze the bowl or clear extra space in your home freezer.
What types of desserts can I make with this?
This unit is versatile enough to handle your favorite recipes for traditional ice cream, rich and creamy gelato, and refreshing sorbets.
What happens if the ice cream gets too hard while churning?
The machine features a built-in motor protection function. It will automatically stop the churning process if the mixture reaches a consistency that would otherwise put the motor at risk of overheating or damage.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic-why didn't I start making homemade before now? I’ve had mine for a couple of weeks too, and I think it’s fantastic. A couple of things— I know it shows in the manual that the mixture should not go above these things on each side of the churner, BUT I found it better be a half inch BELOW that. It still gets on the underside of the plastic cover as it churns, but then at least it keeps the mix a bit lower and stops any chance of overflowing the bowl. I actually think it wouldn’t matter anyway as the bowl seems to sit in a pretty tightly gasketed ring, so maybe I’m being overly cautious.Either way, I’m still quite happy to get 2 Qts (4 pints) of really good ice cream instead of the 2.5 Qts it claims to make.To get the most actual ice cream out of it, add any mix-ins (choco chips, nuts etc) into it AFTER it has finished freeze churning. When it’s done churning, it is soft serve consistency… so I turn it out into a big bowl, THEN I mix in the mix ins (gently so as not to incorporate a lot of ice crystal forming air into it). Then I pack it in pint containers tightly, (using the handy plastic flat spatula thing that came with the machine), cover with a circle of parchment paper against the top of the ice cream, and put them all away in the freezer at least overnight.— If your ingredients are cold (should not be frozen) when they go into the churn bowl, it can take substantially less time than the 60 minute timer is set to default for. If you come back in 60 minutes and the machine is not still churning, it has probably stopped churning and already gone into ‘just chill’ mode. This will make it more difficult to get the churn bowl out.That plastic spatula thing that comes with the machine is handy here. First try to hold the handle on both sides of the bowl close to the bowl’s top (instead of at the top of the handle) at both of the handle’s hinges. Try to pull straight up wiggling a tiny bit. If your churning stopped minutes before and it went into keep cold mode, that bowl will be really tightly held to the frozen sides of the machine. Take the flat spatula thing and (GENTLY) put it between the very top of the bowl and the side of the machine it’s against (BUT ONLY about 1/4 inch down!!) and move it back and forth. It will sort of break a vacuum hold. Do it 4 or 5 more times in different places around the bowl and then try again to pull it up. Just be careful not to jam that thing down too far or back and forth to hard. This has always worked for me with no apparent damage to anything.Most of my ice cream recipes include 2 TBS of some kind of liqueur (raspberry, hazelnut, coffee, cherry etc) which will help it from getting so rock hard. It shouldn’t be added until the last few minutes of churning, as it can affect the freezing too early) OR after churning and after it’s gone into another bowl to add mix ins to, before packing (my preferred method).Commercial ice cream has up to 25 percent more air whipped into it- more money for the manufacturers for less actual product- which makes it more ‘fluffy’ and also less hard in storage. You can leave the liqueur out of course- either way your homemade will be more dense (more flavorful if you ask me). As to the hardness- 2 things can help- keep it in a freezer that’s part of your fridge as opposed to an upright or chest type freezer. Or…. don’t worry about any of it, and just leave the pint out on the kitchen counter to soften a tad, for 10 minutes, before you dig in. OR dig it out when rock hard, put in a bowl and microwave for 10 seconds or so. You really can’t go too wrong, right?The very few recipes that come with the machine (in the manual) are pretty useless to me (for the egg reason). I went on their web site but couldn’t even find any there.I got 5 books from Amazon for ice cream recipes (and sorbets, sherbets, etc). Since I make egg free ice creams only (since ‘custard-style’ recipes are WAY TOO MUCH work with the cooking and tempering the eggs with the dairy), I have found only one book that has more great egg free (also known as ‘Philadelphia style’) recipes. That was the ‘Perfect Scoop’ by David Lebovitz. Very nice book, great recipes, great photos.A favorite recent recipe I made was Peach, Vanilla, Pecan ice cream-1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk; 1 pint (16 oz) of half and half; 3 cups of uncooked peach puree made from unpeeled (but washed), pitted & chopped peaches pureed in a bowl using an immersion blender; 1 TBS vanilla; 2 TBS raspberry liqueur (added along with the nuts AFTER it came out of the churning bowl into another bowl before packing); 1 cup chopped pecans. I’m sorry to say I don’t remember how much this made (ounce wise), or whether I might have also added al cup of whole milk to it also. But the combo of sweetened condensed milk, half and half and whole milk is a great EASY way to get ice cream fast.For chocolate= instead of the peaches- add 4-5 TBS dutch process (dark, european-style) cocoa and 1/4 cup of hersheys syrup, with 2 teaspoons of vanilla, to the dairy combo. Instead of nuts, add in (after freezing & churning and turning out into another bowl) 1/2 to a cup of mini chocolate chips and instead of raspberry liqueur add 2 TBS of Kalua (coffee liqueur) either a few minutes at the end of churning, or with the chips.Don’t be afraid to TASTE the mix before you freeze/churn it!! There are no eggs so it’s safe to taste- it can then be most to your liking (less vanilla etc).I must say this taller machine fits much better in my kitchen than the wider would. It is quite heavy (as all compressor machines are), so it’s not something you want to put on a lower shelf to pull up to the counter to use. But all summer long, this sucker will be sitting on my counter and will be keeping me in ice cream heaven. It appears to be well made, quiet enough when in use, easy to clean, easy to use and I only need to make 16 batches of 4 pints each to pay for itself (our favorite was 5$ a pint before).I think this machine will have no trouble managing that (certainly better than my husband and I can manage eating it all- so it’s been a great summer gift to friends !!)Variation: Size: 2.1 QuartColor: Stainless Steel
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth it if you REALLY like making ice cream We had a “freezer bowl” style ice cream maker for 10 – 15 years. We used it a lot. We did the whole “science it” thing to determine exactly what ice cream base we thought was best. We had fun riffing off of flavor combos that we liked (coconut chocolate chip and peppermint candy cane chocolate chip being our favorites).We enjoyed it so much that after a while I got it in my head that I wanted to upgrade. Why? Sometimes, we forgot to put the bowl in the freezer. Or I wanted to make more batches at a time (note: you can always buy a 2nd freezer bowl, if you have the space in the freezer). In the end, we enjoyed making it enough that we thought it was worth the splurge on the chance that the quality of ice cream will be better.So, I sat on this idea for about a year. It is just the way we work – we are not impulsive. I did my research, learned about compressor models, and focused on this one. Then I pulled the trigger a few weeks ago.Enough background, here are my thoughts:1. Using the exact same recipes, the ice cream is an upgrade. It isn’t night and day or anything. But it is definitely there. The ice cream is just … creamier. Say like a 10 – 20% improvement.2. The thing is stupid easy to use, at least for ice cream (I haven’t tried the other features yet). Make your mix, dump it in, press start. That is it.3. Cleaning is relatively easy. The parts are not dishwasher safe, which is a bummer. And when you hand wash you cannot just rinse things off – the fat content won’t let you get away with that. But everything comes out pretty easily and it isn’t too much of a chore to get them cleaned up. Oh, and it is possible to overfill the bowl, in which case the mixture runs down into the freezer chamber in which the bowl sits. Not a big deal, but you do have to wait until the freezer chamber warms up to clean it properly.4. Coming from a freezer bowl model, the bowl looks very small at first. I did worry that there was no way that thing was going to hold a full batch. But relax, it still makes the same amount of ice cream.5. I find the timer kind of strange. I mean, it is really easy to read – it starts at 60 minutes and counts down. Simple. But I haven’t figured out why it counts down from 60 minutes. The ice cream is usually ready w/in say 35 – 40 minutes. I guess the extra time is so that it can firm up a little bit more (even after the dasher stops moving, the machine keeps freezing the ice cream).6. There is also not any sort of indicator that the ice cream is ready for mix-ins (nuts or chips or whatever). And if you put it in too early, it falls to the bottom and jams up the dasher. I have figured out – wait until between the 30 – 35 minute mark. At that point the mixture will look like ice cream. Do not put in mix ins until the ice cream looks like that. Also, do not wait too long because when the ice cream starts to get too stiff the dasher will stop turning. At that point, you will have to put in the mix ins manually when you move the ice cream to its container. Not the end of the world, but not as easy as letting the machine do it either.7. I do find the clear lid kind of finicky to close. You have to put it on and twist it but it usually takes me several tries to get it lined up correctly. Maybe there is a trick I haven’t figured out yet.8. If you let the machine run to the end of the 60 minute timer, the ice cream is firmer than it is as the end of a cycle in a freezer bowl machine. It is still soft – I wouldn’t immediately scoop it and put it on a cone – but it is firmer. But the question is: since a freezer bowl machine is done in about 30ish minutes, would that ice cream be just as firm after 30 minutes in the freezer? I am not sure.Bottom line: Do I like it? Yes. Do I regret buying it? Nope. Do I think it is for everybody? Nope. You have to really enjoy making ice cream to spring this much on a machine and have one of these things on your countertop. If you are just dipping your toes in or think you will just make it once every few months, go for a freezer bowl machine. If you fall in love with it like we did, you can save up and buy one of these.Variation: Size: 2.1 QuartColor: Stainless Steel
5.0 out of 5 stars UPDATED! Customer Service saved the day! Best Ice Cream Machine ever! Variation: Size: 2.1 QuartColor: Stainless Steel
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ice Cream Maker with Great Customer Service It took me a couple of years to decide on buying the machine and I wish I hadn’t hesitated for so long. I’ve made multiple batches of ice cream since receiving it and they’ve all been delicious and creamy. Everything from standard chocolate gelato to vanilla, banana butter pecan, peach and pistachio. I’m looking forward to summer for cantaloupe or lemon sorbet. More flavors to follow I’m sure. I’m allergic to soy and almost all commercial ice cream makers use gums derived from soy or guar gum which is a close relative of soy and can cause digestive issues. Now that I have my own machine I have total control over the ingredients so I can safely eat ice cream made with fresh organic ingredients , soy and gum free. My family has been thrilled with the ice cream too.The machine is small enough to store in the pantry and move to the counter when needed, it runs quietly and finishes in an hour or less. On top of that it’s very easy to clean, I can’t ask for more.I found Wynter’s customer service to be excellent. When I first got the machine I had a small issue. I contacted the company asking for advice and spoke with a very nice and knowledgeable woman who resolved my issue immediately. No fuss no muss.Variation: Size: 1.28 QuartColor: White
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific and convenient ice cream maker Third time was the charm! I purchased two Whynter ice cream makers through Amazon and neither worked – the first (model ICM-200LS) had a faulty touchpad and couldn’t turn on; the second (ICM-201SB) turned on fine but the compressor didn’t get cold so the mixture never froze. Both times I contacted customer support, and both times they had me take the machine apart to look for loose connections. Nothing loose, so I returned them. Whynter then sent me a third machine directly (the 201SB) (didn’t go through Amazon) and it worked beautifully. Gets cold quickly, churns great, and makes terrific ice cream. The noise level seems appropriate for what it’s doing. It’s easy to clean, as well. I definitely recommend the product, but suggest buying from another retailer. Whatever Amazon is doing to store the machines seems to be causing problems.Variation: Size: 2.1 QuartColor: Stainless Steel
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Indulgence Being somewhat lacking in patience, I wanted a machine that would let me enjoy a frozen treat sooner than later, would be easy to operate, and didn’t require a home equity loan to acquire. This machine meets all my requirements and I’m very happy with it. The set up was easy once I figured out where to put it on my limited counter space. Its base isn’t exactly small but it fits nicely under the cabinets. It’s light enough I can move it around without herniating something. My first attempt was a coffee froYo, did not have to pre-plan or pre-freeze anything and it came out delicious in 60 minutes. Even better, I felt slightly virtuous that it had “wholesome” ingredients and I could control the amount of sugar in it. The texture was good, definitely ready to eat as is, but got firmer after some freezer time. Next was a custard based chocolate mini peanut butter cup ice cream. I used A2 whole milk, egg yolks, vanilla powder and bakers sugar—tasty as it was, then added cocoa powder and a few chocolate chips. It wasn’t surprising it was a little loose when it finished the 60 minute churning, especially after I added the mini cups but it was definitely edible :). Next is a kiwi sorbet.Pros: works reasonably quickly, makes good ice cream, quantity is fine for 2-3 people, size is manageable for a smallish kitchen, easy clean up, price is fair for a pretty fancy piece of equipment.Cons: Over indulgence could lead to aas expansion.Highly recommend! Go get some calcium!Variation: Size: 1.28 QuartColor: White
5.0 out of 5 stars All that I expected. Ordered July 24, arrived July 25. Well packed and everything looks great. High quality, solid and feels like a commercial machine. July 26, followed all instructions, let sit overnight, cleaned everything as suggested. Turned it on and all controls work, very crisp, nice beep. It just feels good. Prepared my first batch using the exact same recipe I used in a freezer bowl style maker so I could compare. I let the compressor run for about 10 minutes to cool the bowl before adding the blended mixture. I liked the temperature readout; it is a good sign that it’s working. Then the magic began avter about 10 minutes it starte to freeze and withing 35 minutes it was almost done. A little sample told me it was delicious and another 5 minutes it was the perfect consistancy. I transfered the ice cream into a container with lid and put it in the freezer, putting the remainer into a bowl whicih I also put in the freezer for testing. This machine, based on my first use is everything I expected. It is a quality build, easy to use and very easy to clean. It is not as heavy as some suggest and it is very quiet, just a low hum if even that, not enough to affect anything. The instruction booklet is very clear and precise and the recipe book, although basic is a good place for beginners. I have an excellant recipe book from which I plan to make the Tiramisu Ice Cream very soon. Definitely recommend this is you want to make several batches for friends or a party. In fact, if you invite people over you can provide a few recipes, have the ingredients for them, and you can make their favorites to order. Quicker than cooking burgers and hot dogs almost. Have fun, and with my grandchildren it will be a fun activity for dinner, or lunch or even breakfast.Variation: Size: 2.1 QuartColor: Stainless Steel
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Homemade Ice Cream Every Time Great ice cream maker! I’ve made several quarts of ice cream so far, and every batch has turned out delicious. Not needing to cool a bowel is incredibly convenient, and the included recipes are excellent. Easy to use, reliable, and worth the investment for ice cream lovers.Variation: Size: 2.1 QuartColor: Stainless Steel