These 20-minute ice cream maker mugs are just $24 a pair ahead of Prime Day

When you think of the word “mug,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Coffee? Tea, perhaps? How about homemade ice cream? Wait — before you question my sanity, hear me out. There’s an adorable invention called the Dash My Mug Ice Cream Maker that, yes, is a pint-size (well, half-pint-size) frozen treat churner — and you can snag a pair on sale for a cool $24 (down from $40) ahead of Prime Day.

No, Amazon’s sales extravaganza doesn’t officially kick off until July 16, but there are a slew of early Prime Day deals you’d be wise to check out before the masses pounce. To help you weed out the not-so-great sales, our team of shopping experts has been tracking prices all week — and if you’re looking for early Prime Day kitchen deals, yours truly (a former professional baker) has rounded up the best of the bunch.

Alright, back to ice cream! With several more months of summer ahead of us, this nifty set is well worth making room in your cart for — but there’s no telling how long this sweet deal will last, so milk it for all it’s worth while you can.

Why is it a good early Prime Day deal? 💰

We consulted our price trackers, and this early Prime Day sale brings the duo close to as low as it’s ever been. It’s only dipped lower once, and that was back in September, so our hunch is you’d be wise to scoop it up while it’s 40% off. Plus, it’s way more affordable than, say, the Ninja Creami, which also takes up way more space.

Why do I need this? 🤔

If the thought of making ice cream at home is intimidating to you, the Dash My Mug Ice Cream Maker has your name on it. Really, it couldn’t be easier to use — just make sure your mug(s) are frozen for at least 24 hours, then mix up your ice cream base (there’s a recipe book included). Once your mug is sufficiently chilled (you want it to be really cold!), you’ll add your base to the mug, turn it on and it’ll start churning away. You can also add mix-ins of your choosing via the pour chute while it’s running, and in about 20 minutes, you’ll have ice cream.

Depending on your ingredients, you might need to churn it a bit longer if you prefer a harder texture over a soft serve-like consistency. Either way, this little gizmo takes up way less space than many ice cream makers on the market, and because there are two mugs, you can always keep one in the freezer so you’ll be able to whip up ice cream at a moment’s notice.

What reviewers say 💬

I scream, you scream … and these Amazon shoppers scream for Dash ice cream mugs.

Pros 👍

“This is great,” raved one impressed buyer. “You don’t have to make a ton of ice cream. Just enough for one person. … Storage is easy; you can leave the mugs in the freezer if you want and they will always be ready to go whenever you want to make some ice cream. This was a great buy.”

“I froze the mugs right out of the box and the next day made my first batch, which turned out amazing!” gushed another. “I don’t like any store-bought sugar-free or dairy-free ice creams, but mine turned out amazing! I will be using this little machine a lot!”

“Very easy way to have a frozen treat,” shared a third. “I usually use yogurt and add flavorings to my taste. All [of the] features work great. The cups don’t take up a lot of space in the freezer.”

Cons 👎

“The lid is a bit hard to get into place sometimes and [I] have had it come off, so I’m very careful,” wrote an otherwise happy shopper. “So glad it came with two cups! … I use it to turn my protein drinks into ‘ice cream!’ Great for when others are having desserts.”

“It’s perfect for making homemade protein ice cream that’s cheaper than name-brand protein ice creams,” said a final fan. “My only complaint is it’s too small (but that’s really a personal problem … I can eat a lot of ice cream in one sitting).”

Want to get fancy? How about homemade waffle cones to go with your handcrafted ice cream:

If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

Looking for more great Amazon home deals? Check these out:

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Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for Prime Day tech deals. Hear from Autoblog’s experts on the best Amazon Prime Day deals for your car, garage, and home, and find Prime Day sales to shop on AOL, handpicked just for you.