I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream. And we all scream the loudest for homemade ice cream because it's so much tastier than the store-bought stuff. Unfortunately, making homemade ice cream can take a lot of time and effort. To help you spend less energy on making ice cream, think about using an ice cream mix. These concoctions have just about everything you need to whip up a delicious batch in no time. You'll just need to add a couple of wet ingredients and put everything into the correct type of ice cream maker. They're a great item to keep in your pantry, so when the hankering for ice cream hits you can get started right away. To help you stock up, here are five of our favorite types of ice cream mixes. Frostline Vanilla Soft Serve Ice Cream Mix Soft Serve PerfectionYou don't need an ice cream maker to enjoy this delicious ice cream. Best OverallFind on Amazon Soft serve ice cream is so good. The texture is wonderful and it mixes up much more quickly than traditional hard ice cream. Even if you don’t have a soft-serve ice cream machine at home, you can still use this ice cream mix to create delicious ice cream. That’s because there are directions for firming it up in a bowl as well as in the machine. With either method, all you have to do is add water and give it a good mix before you process it. This bag contains six pounds of vanilla ice cream mix. If you aren’t having a large gathering, you’ll want to reduce the recipe and make just a partial amount. Either way, before you know it, you’ll have plenty of tasty ice cream that’s ready to serve. Pros Three flavors available, vanilla, chocolate, and salted caramel No heavy whipping cream required, so it’s fairly inexpensive to make The 6-pound bag, which turns into almost 90 servings, is perfect for a get-together with friends Cons You’ll have to do the math to scale down the recipe, which can be time-consuming. This ice cream mix will develop an icy texture if you put it in a traditional ice cream machine. Triple Scoop Ice Cream Mix Simple Ingredients, Superb Taste You won't have trouble pronouncing any of the ingredients in this ice cream mix. Best Without Artificial ColorsFind on Amazon There’s a lot of junk in most ice cream mixes, but not in this one. The ingredient list is short and sweet and there’s nothing artificial about it. When you’re ready to turn it into sweet ice cream, you’ll need to add half and half and whipping cream. Each pack makes a quart of ice cream. You can whip it up in any ice cream maker that can accommodate that capacity. It’ll be fluffy, soft, and out-of-this-world delicious. Pros Great texture in the finished ice cream that you and your family will enjoy eating Premium ingredients with no GMOs, artificial flavors, or colors, so you can feel good about consuming it Turns into ice cream quickly so you can be eating it in no time The directions are clear and easy to follow Cons Each pack only makes a quart, so if you have a two-quart machine you’ll need to double everything and use the whole box at once By The Cup Sprinkles and Soft Serve Bundle Comes with SprinklesThis vegan-friendly pineapple ice cream tastes delicious and it's even better with sprinkles on top. Best Fruity FlavorFind on Amazon Do you prefer fruity ice cream flavors? You have to try this pineapple-flavored soft serve. It’s a delicious flavor that has a bit more pep to it than plain old vanilla. And because it’s dairy- and lactose-free, people with lactose intolerance can still enjoy it. This ice cream mix is also vegan-friendly since there is no milk or cream needed. You just add water and put it in your soft serve machine. If you don’t have one of those, don’t worry. You can also whip it up in a regular ice cream maker. However, the texture will be a little different if you do that. It’ll still taste great but it won’t be as soft. Pros Unbeatable pineapple flavor that will remind you of the tropics The large bag that makes two gallons of ice cream (you can break it into smaller portions to make less at a time) Vegan-friendly ice cream so it’s a good dessert option for almost everyone Cons It’s a whip, so the flavor and texture will not be identical to ice cream. But, it’s still a really good frozen dessert. Junket Ice Cream Mix Bundle Three Different Flavors When you want chocolate ice cream, vanilla isn't going to do. Thankfully, you get three different flavors of ice cream mix in this set, so you can quickly satisfy your cravings. Best Variety Find on Amazon What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? With this variety pack, you don’t have to pick just one. You get three different popular flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. You can enjoy them individually, or combine them to make homemade Neapolitan. For each of the flavors, the process is simple. There are even instructions for making this ice cream without an ice cream maker. It’ll take a little longer that way, but it’ll still be tasty ice cream. Pros 6 Boxes, 2 each of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry so you can make 6 quarts in total Good price point per box so you can spend less on the dessert Easy to follow directions, allowing you to quickly get a batch in the ice cream maker Cons You may want to add a bit of vanilla extract to the vanilla flavor, as it’s a bit bland as-is. The other flavors are great though, and if you mix them into Neapolitan you won’t even notice. Frostline Lactose-Free Soft Serve Mix Variety Perfect for PartiesYou'll get 12 pounds of ice cream mix in this set, enough to feed a crowd. Best in BulkFind on Amazon Do you need to make ice cream for a crowd? With this set of ice cream mixes, you can. It comes with two 6-pound bags, so you can mix up gallons of wonderful ice cream. All you need to do is add water and put it in a soft-serve machine, so the process couldn’t be simpler. And if you don’t have a soft-serve machine, that’s okay. You can let it sit in the fridge to thicken up. This set comes with a bag of chocolate and a bag of vanilla, so your guests will have options. You also get a large bag of rainbow sprinkles, which you can set out for people to add to their ice cream. It’s really the perfect addition to any party. Pros Simple to mix, you just add water (or milk for a fluffier texture) and pour it into your machine Lactose and gluten-free, so it’s safe for many people with allergies to enjoy Two huge bags that’ll either feed a bunch of people or give you the chance to stock your pantry for quite a while Cons The directions are for a commercial unit. If you have a smaller one, you’ll need to do the math to scale it down. Frequently Asked Questions How do you make ice cream with an ice cream mix? When you’re ready to mix up a batch of ice cream, you’ll need to follow the directions on your specific bag of ice cream mix. Otherwise, you may end up with ice cream that is too runny or hard. Typically, you will combine the powdered mix with liquids. Often this is whipping cream or half-and-half, though many brands you simply mix with water. You need to really stir the mixture to get any clumps out. It will take some arm power to get it mixed properly. When it’s ready, you add the mixture to your ice cream maker and follow the directions on that to freeze it. How do you store ice cream mix? You’ll want to store your ice cream mix in a cool, dry place. If it gets wet, it could develop mold. Ice cream mix typically has a shelf-life of one year. However, once you have mixed the mix with liquids, you’ll need to keep it in the fridge or freezer. It will need to be used much more quickly at that point (often within 24 hours). Once you’ve turned it into ice cream, you can safely store it in your freezer for a few days.