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6 November 2026 · My Store Admin

Cuisinart Solo Scoops recipes: 10 single-serve ice creams (ICEM10U)

Last updated 6 November 2026. Written by the Clean Smile Home team. We sell the Cuisinart Solo Scoops, so we have an interest in you enjoying it. The specifications here come from Cuisinart and its manual, the hands-on impressions come from the reviewers named in the sources, and the recipes are our own, built on the proportions Cuisinart uses in its Solo Scoops recipe book.

The short answer

The Solo Scoops ICEM10U holds up to 475 ml, so the sweet spot is about 250 to 300 ml of well-chilled base, which churns up to roughly two servings in 20 to 25 minutes. Below are ten recipes sized for that: four creamy ice creams, two seasonal ones, two sorbets, a frozen yoghurt and a proper egg custard.

Every recipe follows the same pattern. Freeze the bowl for at least 12 hours, chill the base for at least two hours, start the paddle before you pour, add mix-ins in the last five minutes, and eat it soft or firm it up in the freezer for an hour or two.

Why small-batch recipes matter for the Solo Scoops

Most ice cream recipes online are written for a litre or more. Halve one and you still end up with too much for a machine that holds 475 ml in total, and overfilling is the most common reason a small freezer-bowl machine gives you slush instead of ice cream.

The reason is simple. A freezer-bowl machine has a fixed amount of cold stored in the bowl. Once that cold is used up, freezing stops, however long the paddle keeps turning. Woman & Home's reviewer found the bowl gives you a window of roughly 25 minutes before it starts to thaw, and that filling past the eight-scoop mark with sorbet left her with a slushy. Ice cream also grows as it churns, because the paddle folds air in. Commercial makers call this overrun, and you need headroom for it.

So the recipes below all use between about 250 ml and 300 ml of liquid base before mix-ins. That's in line with the most common base in Cuisinart's own Solo Scoops recipe book, which comes to roughly 285 ml. Cuisinart's book also has a few bigger bases of 400 ml or more. They can work, but in our view the smaller amount is the safer bet, especially when your kitchen is warm or your freezer isn't very cold.

Cuisinart Solo Scoops at a glance

Spec Cuisinart Solo Scoops ICEM10U
Capacity 475 ml, which Cuisinart says is about 8 scoops
Bowl freezing time At least 12 hours, at -18°C or colder
Churning time About 20 to 25 minutes
Power 12 W (Currys listing)
Size About 25 x 21 x 21 cm and 1.38 kg (Currys); Woman & Home lists 20 x 20 x 17 cm
Makes Ice cream, gelato, sorbet and frozen yoghurt
In the box Motor unit, freezer bowl, paddle, lid, storage lid, recipe booklet
Cleaning Lid and paddle are dishwasher safe (top rack); freezer bowl by hand only
Guarantee 3 years, according to Cuisinart UK
RRP at launch (November 2024) £39.99
Price at Clean Smile Home £24.37

Price checked on 6 November 2026. If you want the full rundown on the machine itself, read our Solo Scoops introduction.

Before you start: the method that works for every recipe

  1. Freeze the bowl properly. Cuisinart says at least 12 hours at -18°C or colder. The manual's test is to shake the bowl: if you can hear liquid moving, it isn't ready. Most people just keep the bowl in the freezer permanently so it's always good to go. Woman & Home mentioned 18 hours in one place, so if your freezer is crowded or opened a lot, longer won't hurt.
  2. Make the base the day before, or at least two hours ahead. Cuisinart says chill for at least two hours. Its larger machines' manuals suggest overnight. The colder the base when it hits the bowl, the more of the bowl's cold goes into freezing it rather than cooling it down.
  3. Dissolve the sugar fully. Undissolved sugar makes a gritty texture. Whisk until you can't feel grains when you rub a drop between your fingers.
  4. Assemble, switch on, then pour. Put the frozen bowl on, fit the paddle and lid, start the motor, then pour the base in through the funnel. Both the Cuisinart recipe book and Woman & Home stress this: base poured into a still bowl can freeze to the sides and stall the paddle.
  5. Don't stop and restart. The manual warns that the mix can freeze to the bowl if you stop mid-churn.
  6. Add mix-ins in the last five minutes. Chop them small, about the size of a pea, and drop them through the funnel a little at a time.
  7. Eat it soft, or firm it up. Straight from the machine it's soft-serve. For scoops, move it to a small airtight tub and freeze for one to two hours. Don't store it in the freezer bowl.

The ten recipes at a glance

Recipe Type Cooking needed? Base volume Good for
1. No-cook vanilla Ice cream No About 285 ml First go, toppings
2. Proper vanilla custard Ice cream Yes About 290 ml The richest result
3. Double chocolate Ice cream Light heating About 290 ml Chocolate lovers
4. Coffee Ice cream No About 285 ml Affogato fans
5. Salted caramel Ice cream No About 280 ml Pudding with no fuss
6. Strawberries and cream Ice cream No About 300 ml Summer fruit
7. Mince pie Ice cream No About 285 ml Christmas
8. Lemon sorbet Sorbet (dairy-free) Light heating About 290 ml Palate cleanser, vegan
9. Mango and lime sorbet Sorbet (dairy-free) No About 280 ml Vegan, fruity
10. Honey frozen yoghurt Frozen yoghurt No About 300 ml Lighter, tangy

Volumes are approximate and before mix-ins. All recipes make roughly two small servings or one generous one.

1. No-cook vanilla

This is the base most of the other recipes build on. The condensed milk does two jobs: it adds sweetness without any cooking, and its thick body makes the result smoother than cream and sugar alone. It's close to the base Cuisinart uses in its own recipe book, and it's the one we'd make first.

Ingredients

  • 150 ml double cream
  • 75 ml whole milk
  • 60 ml sweetened condensed milk
  • 30 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract, or the seeds from half a vanilla pod
  • A small pinch of salt

Method

  1. Whisk the milk, condensed milk, sugar and salt in a jug until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Whisk in the cream and vanilla. Don't whip it, just combine.
  3. Cover and chill for at least two hours, ideally overnight.
  4. Start the machine and pour the base in through the funnel. Churn for 20 to 25 minutes.

Make it your own: in the last five minutes add 40 to 60 g of chopped cookies, crumbled brownie, chocolate chips or fudge pieces. That's enough to taste in every spoonful without overfilling the bowl.

2. Proper vanilla custard ice cream

If you want the dense, rich texture of a good scoop shop, you need egg yolks. A cooked custard base (crème anglaise) is more work than the no-cook version, but the yolks help it set smooth and stay scoopable for longer in the freezer.

Ingredients

  • 150 ml double cream
  • 120 ml whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 45 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or half a vanilla pod
  • A pinch of salt

Method

  1. Warm the milk, cream and vanilla pod (if using) in a small pan until steaming but not boiling.
  2. Whisk the yolks, sugar and salt in a bowl until pale.
  3. Pour the hot milk slowly onto the yolks, whisking all the time, then tip everything back into the pan.
  4. Stir over a low heat with a spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you have a thermometer, King Arthur Baking suggests 77 to 82°C. Don't let it boil or it will scramble.
  5. Strain into a clean jug, add the vanilla extract if using, and cool. Press cling film onto the surface and chill overnight.
  6. Churn for 20 to 25 minutes.

About raw and lightly cooked eggs: because this custard is cooked, it's the safest egg-based option. NHS advice is that British Lion-stamped hen eggs are safe even lightly cooked for most people, including in pregnancy, but anyone severely immunocompromised should follow their medical team's advice on eggs.

3. Double chocolate

Cocoa gives the deep chocolate flavour. Melted dark chocolate gives body. Using both is the trick to chocolate ice cream that doesn't taste thin.

Ingredients

  • 150 ml double cream
  • 100 ml whole milk
  • 50 ml sweetened condensed milk
  • 15 g cocoa powder
  • 30 g dark chocolate (about 70%), chopped
  • 25 g caster sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 30 g chocolate chips or chopped milk chocolate, for the end

Method

  1. Warm the milk in a small pan, then whisk in the cocoa, sugar and salt until smooth.
  2. Take off the heat and stir in the chopped dark chocolate until melted.
  3. Whisk in the condensed milk and then the cream. Cool, cover and chill for at least four hours. Chocolate bases thicken as they chill, which is a good sign.
  4. Churn for 20 to 25 minutes, adding the chips in the last five.

Dairy-free version: swap the cream and milk for 150 ml full-fat coconut milk and 100 ml coconut cream, and leave out the condensed milk (or use a coconut condensed milk). Expect a slightly softer, icier result. Woman & Home found a vegan mix needed about ten minutes longer to churn.

4. Coffee

Instant espresso powder is the easiest way to get a strong coffee flavour without adding extra water, which would make the ice cream icier.

Ingredients

  • 150 ml double cream
  • 75 ml whole milk
  • 60 ml sweetened condensed milk
  • 30 g light brown soft sugar
  • 2 tsp instant espresso powder (or 1 tbsp strong instant coffee)
  • Half a tsp vanilla extract

Method

  1. Warm the milk until just hot, then whisk in the coffee and sugar until dissolved.
  2. Whisk in the condensed milk, cream and vanilla. Taste: it should be a little stronger than you'd like, because cold dulls flavour.
  3. Chill for at least two hours, then churn for 20 to 25 minutes.

Serving idea: put a scoop in a small glass and pour a fresh espresso over it for an affogato. If you add a splash of coffee liqueur, keep it to about a tablespoon, added in the last couple of minutes. Alcohol lowers the freezing point, and too much stops ice cream setting. David Lebovitz suggests no more than about three tablespoons of spirits per litre of mix, which is less than one tablespoon for a batch this size.

5. Salted caramel

This one swaps condensed milk for a ready-made caramel such as dulce de leche or a tin of caramel, which saves you making caramel from scratch in a pan of hot sugar.

Ingredients

  • 150 ml double cream
  • 75 ml whole milk
  • 70 g dulce de leche or tinned caramel
  • 10 g light brown soft sugar
  • A quarter to half a tsp flaky sea salt, to taste
  • Half a tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp extra caramel for rippling (optional)

Method

  1. Warm the milk slightly and whisk in the caramel, sugar and salt until smooth.
  2. Whisk in the cream and vanilla. Taste and add salt in tiny amounts. You want it to taste a little too salty at room temperature.
  3. Chill for at least two hours, then churn for 20 to 25 minutes.
  4. To ripple, spoon the soft ice cream into a tub in layers with small dots of caramel, then swirl once with a knife and freeze for an hour.

Caramel-heavy bases stay softer in the freezer because of the extra sugar, which is useful if you like to scoop straight from the freezer.

6. Strawberries and cream

Fruit brings water, and water makes ice cream icy. The fix is to cook the strawberries down briefly to concentrate them, and to keep the cream content high.

Ingredients

  • 150 g ripe strawberries, hulled
  • 35 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 150 ml double cream
  • 40 ml sweetened condensed milk

Method

  1. Chop the strawberries and put them in a small pan with the sugar. Simmer gently for five minutes until soft and syrupy.
  2. Blend until smooth (or leave a little texture), add the lemon juice and cool completely.
  3. Whisk in the cream and condensed milk. You should have about 300 ml. If you have more, set the extra aside rather than overfilling.
  4. Chill for at least two hours, then churn for 20 to 25 minutes.

Tip: out of season, frozen strawberries are fine. Thaw them in the pan with the sugar.

7. Mince pie ice cream

A November and December favourite, and a good way to use the last mince pie in the box. Serve it with a warm mince pie for something close to a hot-and-cold pudding.

Ingredients

  • The no-cook vanilla base from recipe 1
  • A quarter tsp ground cinnamon
  • A pinch of mixed spice
  • Finely grated zest of a quarter of an orange
  • 1 shop-bought mince pie, chilled and crumbled into small pieces (about 50 to 60 g)
  • 1 tbsp brandy (optional)

Method

  1. Make the vanilla base, whisking in the cinnamon, mixed spice and orange zest with the sugar.
  2. Chill for at least two hours.
  3. Churn for about 20 minutes, add the brandy (if using) through the funnel, then add the crumbled mince pie over the last few minutes.

A cold mince pie crumbles more neatly than a warm one, and it won't melt the ice cream as it goes in. Grinding the spices fresh in a small grinder, such as our Cuisinart spice and nut grinder, makes a noticeable difference to cinnamon in particular.

8. Lemon sorbet

Sorbet is just sugar, water and fruit, so the balance matters more than in ice cream. Edd Kimber suggests aiming for roughly 20 to 30% sugar in a sorbet base. Too little and it sets hard and icy. Too much and it never firms up. This recipe sits at around 23%.

Ingredients

  • 140 ml water
  • 70 g caster sugar
  • Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 90 ml fresh lemon juice (about 2 to 3 lemons)
  • 1 tsp liquid glucose or golden syrup (optional, for a smoother texture)

Method

  1. Heat the water, sugar and zest in a small pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in the lemon juice and glucose or syrup. Strain if you want a smooth sorbet, or leave the zest in for more flavour.
  3. Chill for at least four hours. Sorbet bases benefit from being very cold.
  4. Churn for about 25 minutes.

Sorbet comes out softer than ice cream. Give it an hour in the freezer before serving if you want neat scoops.

9. Mango and lime sorbet

Mango is naturally sweet and thick, which makes it one of the easiest fruits for sorbet. It also happens to be vegan and needs no cooking.

Ingredients

  • 200 g ripe mango flesh (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
  • 40 g caster sugar
  • 40 ml water
  • Juice of 1 lime, plus a little zest
  • A tiny pinch of salt

Method

  1. Warm the water and sugar just until the sugar dissolves, then cool.
  2. Blend with the mango, lime juice, zest and salt until completely smooth.
  3. Taste. It should be quite sweet, because cold dulls sweetness. If your mango is underripe, add a little more sugar.
  4. Chill for at least two hours, then churn for 20 to 25 minutes.

If you don't have a blender, a stick blender in a tall jug is fine for a batch this small. If you have a personal blender like the Ninja Blast, that works too.

10. Honey frozen yoghurt

Lighter than ice cream and pleasantly tangy. Greek yoghurt has enough body to set well, and honey helps keep it softer than sugar alone would. Cuisinart's own book has a honeycomb version; this one is simpler.

Ingredients

  • 200 g full-fat Greek yoghurt
  • 60 ml whole milk
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • 20 g caster sugar
  • Half a tsp vanilla extract

Method

  1. Whisk the milk, honey and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Whisk in the yoghurt and vanilla until smooth. Chill for at least two hours.
  3. Churn for about 20 minutes. Frozen yoghurt often thickens faster than ice cream, so keep an eye on it from about 15 minutes.

Variations: add crushed honeycomb, a few raspberries or a handful of chopped toasted nuts in the last five minutes. Low-fat yoghurt works but freezes noticeably harder and icier, because fat is a big part of what keeps ice cream soft.

How to adapt any recipe for the Solo Scoops

Once you've made a few of these, you'll want to try your own. A few rules of thumb keep things working in a 475 ml bowl.

  • Scale to about 250 to 300 ml of base. For a recipe that makes a litre of base, use roughly a quarter to just under a third of each ingredient.
  • Keep the fat up. David Lebovitz points out that fat doesn't freeze, so more fat means creamier ice cream. Swapping cream for semi-skimmed milk gives you something icy.
  • Don't cut the sugar too far. Sugar lowers the freezing point. Less sugar means harder, icier ice cream, not just less sweet ice cream.
  • Use honey, golden syrup or glucose for a softer set. Swapping a little of the sugar for these keeps the texture smoother.
  • Go easy on alcohol. A tablespoon at most for a batch this size, added near the end.
  • Keep mix-ins small and cold. About 40 to 60 g, chopped pea-sized, added in the last five minutes.
  • Chill everything. A warm base uses up the bowl's cold before it starts freezing.

Making more than one batch

The freezer bowl only has enough cold for one batch. Once it's thawed, it needs another 12 hours in the freezer before it can make the next one. If you want two flavours on the same evening, Cuisinart sells a replacement freezer bowl (part CEM10400Z) directly. Keep both bowls frozen and you can churn one flavour straight after another.

The machine itself is cheap to run. At 12 W, a 25-minute churn uses about 0.005 kWh of electricity, a fraction of a penny on any UK tariff. The real cost is the ingredients and a corner of freezer space for the bowl.

Storing homemade ice cream

Homemade ice cream has none of the stabilisers in shop-bought tubs, so it gets harder and icier over time. Our tips:

  • Use a small, shallow, airtight tub. Small batches freeze faster and evenly.
  • Press a piece of baking paper or cling film onto the surface before putting the lid on, to cut down on ice crystals.
  • Eat within about a week for the best texture. Nigella suggests it's best within a week and keeps up to a month. Other sources say around two weeks.
  • Let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping.
  • Never refreeze ice cream that has fully melted.

Common problems and how to fix them

"It's still liquid after 25 minutes"

Almost always the bowl wasn't cold enough, or the base was warm. Check your freezer is at -18°C or colder, give the bowl at least 12 hours (longer if the freezer is packed), and chill the base for at least two hours. A handful of buyers in retailer reviews report watery results, and this is the usual reason.

"It's soft-serve, not scoopable"

That's normal for this kind of machine. Reviewers consistently describe the result as soft-serve straight from the bowl. Transfer it to a tub and freeze for one to two hours.

"The paddle stopped turning"

The base probably froze to the sides because it went into a still bowl, or the machine was stopped and restarted. Always start the motor before pouring, and don't pause halfway.

"It's icy or crunchy"

Too much water, too little fat or sugar, or a base that wasn't cold enough. Fruit-heavy recipes are the usual culprits. Cook fruit down first and keep the cream in.

"It overflowed or stayed slushy"

Too much base. Stick to about 300 ml and remember that mix-ins take up space too.

"It's rock hard the next day"

Homemade ice cream does this. Leave it out for 5 to 10 minutes, and next time try swapping a little of the sugar for honey or golden syrup.

"It's noisy"

Woman & Home measured about 60 dBA, quieter than a Ninja Creami but still noticeable. It's only running for 20 to 25 minutes, so it's not a big problem for most kitchens.

Cleaning up

Let the freezer bowl come up to room temperature before washing it by hand in warm soapy water. The manual says not to put it in the dishwasher. The lid and paddle can go on the top rack of the dishwasher. Wipe the motor unit with a damp cloth and never put it in water. Dry the bowl completely before it goes back in the freezer, or you'll get a layer of ice inside.

Our verdict

The Solo Scoops is at its best when you treat it as a small-batch machine and stop trying to scale down big recipes. Keep the base to about 300 ml, keep it cold, and it turns out soft, smooth ice cream for one or two in the time it takes to eat dinner.

If you only try two recipes from this list, make the no-cook vanilla first, because it shows you what the machine does with no fuss, and then the mango sorbet, which is almost impossible to get wrong. The custard is the one to make when you want to impress someone.

It's not a machine for a family of five or for big parties. For that, you need a larger bowl machine or something like the Ninja Creami, which costs several times as much. For a household of one or two, or as a gift, it's hard to argue with at £24.37. It's also on our list of Christmas gifts under £60.

Frequently asked questions

How much ice cream does the Cuisinart Solo Scoops make?

Up to 475 ml, which Cuisinart describes as about eight scoops. In practice that's two small servings or one generous one. We recommend starting with about 250 to 300 ml of base, because ice cream expands as it churns.

How long do you freeze the Solo Scoops bowl?

At least 12 hours, in a freezer at -18°C or colder, according to Cuisinart. Shake the bowl before using it. If you can hear liquid moving, it needs longer. Many owners simply keep the bowl in the freezer all the time.

How long does the Cuisinart Solo Scoops take to make ice cream?

About 20 to 25 minutes of churning, according to Cuisinart's manual. Frozen yoghurt can be quicker, and dairy-free mixes can take longer. Allow time beforehand to chill the base for at least two hours.

Why is my Solo Scoops ice cream not freezing?

Usually the bowl wasn't fully frozen, the base was too warm, or there was too much base in the bowl. Freeze the bowl for at least 12 hours at -18°C or colder, chill the base for two hours or more, and keep to about 300 ml.

Can you make sorbet in the Cuisinart Solo Scoops?

Yes. Cuisinart lists sorbet as one of its uses, and its recipe book includes a berry sorbet. Aim for roughly 20 to 30% sugar in the base, and don't overfill, because sorbet can turn slushy if the bowl is too full.

Can you make dairy-free ice cream in the Solo Scoops?

Yes. Full-fat coconut milk and coconut cream work well, and fruit sorbets are naturally dairy-free. Expect dairy-free mixes to churn a little longer, around ten minutes more in Woman & Home's experience, and to set slightly softer.

When do you add mix-ins to the Solo Scoops?

In the last five minutes of churning, according to Cuisinart's manual. Chop them small, about pea-sized, and add 40 to 60 g gradually through the funnel so the paddle can fold them in.

Can you put the Solo Scoops bowl in the dishwasher?

No. The manual says to wash the freezer bowl by hand, as a dishwasher can damage it. The lid and paddle can go in the dishwasher on the top rack. The motor unit should only be wiped with a damp cloth.

Can I make two batches in a row?

Not with one bowl, because it thaws after one batch and needs another 12 hours in the freezer. Cuisinart sells a spare freezer bowl, so with two bowls you can make two flavours on the same day.

Why is my homemade ice cream so hard?

Homemade ice cream has no stabilisers, so it sets harder than shop-bought. Let it sit out for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping. Recipes with more fat, more sugar, honey or a little alcohol stay softer.

Do I need eggs to make ice cream in the Solo Scoops?

No. Most recipes in Cuisinart's own book are egg-free, using condensed milk for body. Egg custard gives a richer texture. If you use eggs, cook the custard and use British Lion-stamped eggs.

How long does homemade ice cream keep in the freezer?

It's best within about a week. Sources vary on how long it keeps safely, from around two weeks to a month. Store it in a small airtight tub with paper pressed onto the surface to limit ice crystals.

Is the Cuisinart Solo Scoops better than a Ninja Creami?

They're different machines. The Solo Scoops is small, quiet and costs £24.37 with us, but needs a frozen bowl. The Ninja Creami freezes the base itself in a tub for 24 hours and processes it, and costs several times more.

Shop the machine and the extras

For more from the brand, see our Cuisinart brand guide.

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