The Ninja Creami Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Maker has been one of the most popular kitchen appliances in the world. social media. That’s because they aim to simplify the process of making customizable frozen treats that taste even better than those you can buy in a store. I can’t seem to escape Creami’s grasp: dozens of videos of frozen treat-filled creations have taken over my TikTok account. Meanwhile, my gym friends bombard me with protein ice cream recipes.
But does the Ninja Creami live up to the hype? I spent a few weeks testing it to find out. I’ve reviewed several of Ninja’s other kitchen appliances over the years, from the Foodi Indoor Grill to the recent Foodi DualZone Air Fryer, and found the Creami to be just as easy to use; What’s more, it produced delicious results—two things that came in handy, since making ice cream is admittedly outside my culinary purview.
Making ice cream isn’t something you do every day, so is this $229 gadget a must-have for every kitchen or just a novelty food processor? Continue reading my Ninja Creami review below to find out.
Ninja Creami Review: Price and Availability
He Ninja Creami is priced at $229 and includes the machine itself, two pints to process your ice cream (or other treats), as well as a helpful recipe guide. While it is not cheap, it can be argued that it is not that expensive for an ice cream machine with competitors like the Whynter ICM-201SB, which costs $333 on Amazon.
That said, the Creami makes some sacrifices to hit this price point; Most obviously, it lacks a built-in compressor like the Whynter, meaning you have to pre-freeze the base or dough for 24 hours before using it. Compressor-based models allow you to churn and prepare your ice cream immediately in one to two hours.
Ninja Creami Review: Design and Setup
At 12.1 inches wide and 16 inches tall, the Ninja Creami takes up a good amount of counter space. I would compare it to the size of two single-serve coffee makers stacked on top of each other. Despite being made of plastic, its all-black body doesn’t look cheap at all. Not only does it hide spills, but it also keeps the machine surprisingly lightweight at just 13 pounds, so you can move it around easily.
To use Creami, simply untangle the plug from the back, plug it into the outlet and turn it on with the power button on the front. You’ll see the control panel light up with one-touch button operation for each of the seven functions; ice cream, sorbet, gelato, milkshake, milkshake, light ice cream and combinations.
In the box, you’ll find two reusable pint containers, an outer mixing bowl that these containers sit in once frozen, as well as a lid for this outer container that holds the detachable metal Creami paddle. Overall, the setup is pretty sturdy and designed to avoid clutter – each of these pieces tie together to provide a consistent, effortless experience. It’s the hassle of having to make the ice cream a day in advance that can make the Creami experience a problem.
Ninja Creami Review: Performance
You’ll start by preparing your own recipes in a large bowl and then pour your work into Creami’s pint containers. Most of the desserts in Ninja’s included recipe book call for milk, heavy cream, cream cheese, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract or cocoa powder. However, when you expand to ice cream or sorbet, you’ll move on to more complex bases that introduce more steps, such as adding egg yolks and fresh fruit.
Ninja’s Creami requires you to mix your frozen dessert ingredients together and then pour them into the pint container. You must then freeze this container for a full 24 hours before you can use it with the machine. Trust them in that time frame: I eagerly tried to make my first quart of ice cream after 14 hours, and while it was delicious, its consistency was like melted frozen yogurt.
This pre-freezing wait time is not ideal for those who need instant gratification. I’ve had to explain to friends who just want to come make ice cream that this isn’t a one-day activity. If you want something in that area, you need to buy a more expensive ice cream machine with a built-in compressor. Outside of the lengthy prep time, Ninja effectively streamlines the entire process.
Simply place your frozen pint in the larger outer container, lock this container into the base of the machine, and then seal it with a lid that holds the Creami paddle that mixes and processes. Then, select one of seven preset functions that control pressure and motion to move the paddle up and down as it rotates for different periods of time.
I primarily used Creami as an everyday ice cream and smoothie blender, as these functions quickly provide smooth and consistent results. You can see the difference in the results of each of these functions. While both start out as a block of ice, the ice cream turns into a smooth cream that is easy to scoop but firm. The smoothies come out thick but runny, making them easy to suck through a straw.
Ice creams and protein shakes and coffee are where the machine really shined; These more granular and complex additions usually end up being chalky or gritty in the standard blenders and food processors I’ve used over the years. In Creami, these powders were evenly distributed to create soft and tasty snacks.
If you like your ice cream fluffy but a little more icy, the Lite Ice Cream feature has the fastest spin speed, creating a mixture more like frozen yogurt. I really wanted to make ice cream, although it required a lot more work, like breaking egg yolks and working the seeds. This setting has the slowest spin speed which agitates the paddle for a longer period of time.
Honestly, the improvement in flavor from the basic ice cream wasn’t that noticeable. It was still just as creamy and delicious, but the ice cream had a softer, putty-like texture. The surface was less porous overall, but eating it felt like you were crushing shavings of clay rather than getting a smooth, filling scoop like ice cream.
My blueberry and watermelon sorbets came out deliciously fruity, but the textures felt crumbly, like I had taken a popsicle off a stick and tossed it into a bowl. The smoothie bowls were the consistency I expected from sorbet, so overall I find the sorbet feature redundant.
The final feature of the mixes is where you can get really creative: I felt like I was working at Dairy Queen adding Reeses, Oreos, and chocolate chip cookies and then swirling them into a smooth serving. It’s a fun family activity to work on recipes and enjoy the hard work together, but I don’t see a single person or even a couple who wants to make this every week. This is where the ability to purchase extra pints comes in handy: You can batch-make your flavors so you can spend a day making ice cream, then leave pints on hand for when you want them.
Ninja Creami Review: Verdict
Ninja’s Creami is not an essential appliance, but it is not new either. If you like healthy foods or follow a special diet, such as eating keto foods, avoiding allergies, or making sugar-free desserts, you won’t find an easier way to prepare frozen treats.
If you buy Creami, it all comes down to how often you can actually see yourself making homemade ice cream. Considering prep time, it’s worth calculating the cost of simply leaving pints of Ben & Jerry’s in the freezer. Among other refrigerators we tested, the Whynter ICM-201SB ($333, Amazon) churn and freeze ice cream so you can have it in just two hours. However, Creami becomes more useful as an all-in-one machine for frozen treats with its seven versatile functions.
While it’s not a game-changer every day, the Creami hasn’t lost its charm in my home and will get plenty of use throughout the summer.
