There’s a good chance you’ve heard of the Ninja Creami by now. The original version of the ice cream maker has been around since 2021, but thanks to TikTok, it’s been one of the buzziest kitchen appliances lately. In fact, it was practically impossible to get your hands on one last summer because it was sold out everywhere. Now that it’s more readily available, I got to try the Ninja Creami to see if it’s really worth the hype.
The latest version of the Ninja Creami, this viral ice cream maker has 11 functions (including ice cream, lite ice cream, sorbet, gelato and frozen drink) and comes with two 24-ounce ice cream containers. After testing it at home for the past three weeks, I can finally see why everyone is obsessed.
What I liked about it
It’s super customizable
The Ninja Creami Deluxe has 11 functions: ice cream, lite ice cream, gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt, milkshake, Italian ice, frozen drink, Slushi (the brand just launched a machine just for slushies), Creamiccino (a frozen coffee drink) and mix-in. You might not need them all, but it’s nice to have options —?and all those options provide plenty of room for creativity.
I never realized how nice it would be to customize your ice cream down to the exact ingredients, whether for flavor preferences or dietary needs. The ice cream maker comes with a recipe booklet to get you started, and most of them require just a few ingredients. But there are tons of additional recipes floating around on food blogs and Facebook groups — I joined one called Healthy Ninja Creami Recipes and have found lots of inspiration there.
In fact, the very first recipe I made in the Ninja Creami was a chocolate protein ice cream, simply because I’m a vegetarian who will take any chance I get to up my protein intake. I used a chocolate Fairlife shake, a scoop of peanut butter powder, a scoop of chocolate protein powder and some chocolate instant pudding mix. I completely winged this recipe, but it came out better than I expected. The consistency and flavor reminded me of a chocolate Frosty from Wendy’s, and I loved it.
Most recipes I made came out great
Over the three weeks I spent testing the Creami, I made several other types of recipes, including Bon Appétit’s True Vanilla Ice Cream, The Kitchn’s dairy-free ice cream with coconut milk, sorbet using canned fruit and more protein ice cream.
The traditional vanilla and dairy-free coconut milk ice creams were by far the tastiest. They also required the most prep time —?but it was 100% worth it for the super-creamy results. I used the appliance’s “mix-in” feature to turn my vanilla ice cream base into cookies and cream with a few crushed Oreos. The Oreos were mixed pretty evenly throughout the pint, with some chunks bigger than others.
And I wasn’t expecting to love the coconut milk ice cream so much, but it had an amazing texture that was equal parts indulgent and refreshing. You’d never know it was vegan! I even found myself having the leftovers during work to get over an afternoon slump one day. I processed the leftover coconut ice cream using the “bottom” function (since I only had half left) and the ice cream setting I originally used, and it tasted just as good as the first time.
Surprisingly, sorbet might be my favorite thing to make in the Ninja Creami. You can pour a can of fruit directly into the container and freeze it — no prep required. I tried this with canned peaches, pineapples and mangoes; all three were delicious, but the pineapple was my favorite because it reminded me of Dole Whip.
Even though I was overall satisfied (honestly, impressed) with the texture of most of my creations, true ice cream connoisseurs might notice some icy bits. This is likely because the Creami’s blades don’t fully reach the sides of the container, so the mixture right on the walls won’t get creamy unless you scrape the sides after the initial spin and then respin.
Speaking of respinning, don’t be afraid to use that feature. At first, I worried my recipes were slightly off because I had to respin everything I made at least once, but then I found out that this is normal. Your ice cream can come out crumbly or icy when your freezer is very cold or when you’re making low-fat or low-sugar recipes. For this reason, Ninja actually encourages respinning in the booklet that comes with the machine. Most of the recipes I made came out crumbly — kind of like Dippin’ Dots — with just the initial spin. But after a respin or two, everything had a much creamier consistency.
It’s easy — and a lot of fun —?to use
I don’t think I’ve made homemade ice cream since I was a little kid, but now that I have the Ninja Creami, I’m obsessed with making everything from indulgent desserts to healthier frozen treats. My fiancé and I have been enjoying two-part ice cream dates — the first part is prepping the ice cream and the second part is enjoying our creations 24 hours later.
The ice cream maker is pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it. But I’ll admit, I was slightly intimidated by all of the instructions and rules to follow at first (more on that later). Simply prepare your ice cream base, pour it in the provided container and freeze it on a flat surface for at least 24 hours. The next day, place the container into the outer bowl, pop on the lid with the blade and click it into the Creami’s base. From there, you just choose the right settings and push a couple buttons. You’ll probably have to respin your ice cream, and you can also add mix-ins at this point. The best part, though? Cleanup is incredibly easy because all of the parts are dishwasher-safe.
It’s also worth talking about noise. I knew the machine would be loud because most reviewers mention it, but it’s honestly not as loud as I expected. I think the volume is similar to using a blender and a vacuum at the same time. So it’s definitely loud, but I think it’s reasonable for an appliance that only runs for a few minutes at a time. And in terms of size (because counter space is often a concern), the Creami is a bit bigger than my Nespresso Vertuo coffee maker. When not in use, I store it on a bottom shelf in my kitchen.
What I didn’t like about it
You have to plan ahead
The biggest downside to the Ninja Creami is that you have to freeze the ice cream base 24 hours in advance. You won’t get the instant gratification of enjoying your ice cream after you mix your base, and you can’t indulge in ice cream whenever a craving hits.
I already meal prep for the week on Sundays, so I just need to get in the habit of prepping my Creami bases ahead of time too. The machine comes with two containers, but you can buy more on Amazon to keep your freezer stocked (though they’re definitely pricey at $30 for two).
There are a lot of ‘rules’ to follow
The ice cream maker comes with a few different booklets, and it can feel like a lot of information at once. It’s frustrating having to reference so many different papers, especially when you’re looking for clarification on something specific.
There are also a lot of “rules,” but it’s up to you whether you actually follow them. For example, if your ice cream base freezes unevenly, the instructions say to let it fully melt and then refreeze it to avoid damaging the machine. But I found that if you let the pint sit out for a few minutes, you’ll be able to scrape off any lumps to make it flat enough. There were also confusing rules regarding the order of respinning and using the mix-ins feature, and about using specific types of canned fruits and avoiding nonfat yogurt.
How it compares
The Ninja Creami works differently than other ice cream makers on the market. Instead of a frozen bowl or a compressor, the Creami uses a blade that shaves and mixes your frozen ingredients. For comparison, our testing team’s favorite ice cream maker uses a bowl that you freeze overnight, while the compressor ice cream maker we recommend requires no prep (although it’s more expensive than the Ninja Creami). Another Underscored staffer recently tested this Hamilton Beach model, which uses none of those methods;?instead, it relies on salt and ice.
It’s also worth noting that all of those machines have much bigger capacities, ranging from 1.5 to 4 quarts. The capacity of a Ninja Creami Deluxe “pint” is 24 ounces, which is 50% bigger than your standard pint. That said, I appreciate the smaller size since there are only two people in my household and we like to try new flavors all the time.
Bottom line
I’ve been thinking about getting the Ninja Creami since last summer when it was constantly out of stock. And now that I finally have one, I just wish I had gotten my hands on it sooner! It’s a fun and convenient way to make all types of frozen desserts,?from classic ice cream to refreshing sorbet to slushies and more. I love that you can customize the ingredients and play around with recipes, turning practically anything into a creamy frozen treat. Even though it requires planning ahead and there can be a bit of a learning curve, everything I’ve made has come out better than expected — even with little effort.
As long as you have the counter or cabinet space to spare, this ice cream maker would be a great investment for people who want to experiment with making all kinds of frozen desserts at home.
