Ninja ice cream machines,
compared
What is a
Ninja CREAMi?
With the Ninja CREAMi you don't churn: it shaves. Instead of chilling a liquid mix while it stirs, it works on an already frozen block: the base spends twenty-four hours in the freezer inside its tub and then a blade shaves it at high speed until it turns to cream.
Hence its two traits: it works one tub at a time, because every flavour needs its own tub and its own overnight freeze, and it cannot run batches back to back the way a compressor machine does.
The minimum we ask
of a CREAMi
Not all CREAMis do the same thing, even if they look alike. What really makes the difference is how much mix fits in the tub, whether it lets you do two flavours in the same batch and whether it adds the swirl serve. The number of programmes is less impressive than it seems: nearly all of them start from the same blade, and what changes is the script, not the machine. The finish changes nothing at all.
Which Ninja CREAMi
to buy
You don't need the dearest one. There are really only three decisions, because the two Deluxe models are the same machine with a different finish at the same price.
Basic CREAMi (NC299AMZ)
- 7 programmes, from gelato to milkshake
- 2 tubs of 473 ml
- The best seller of the range
The best seller
CREAMi XL Deluxe (NC501)
- XL tubs of 710 ml each
- Two flavours in the same tub
- 11 programmes
The best rated in the range
Scoop & Swirl (NC701)
- 13 functions
- Soft-serve style swirl
- The dearest of the three
Only if you want soft-serve
What texture
it actually gives
Shaving is not churning, and the difference underneath is air. A batch freezer churns a liquid mix and aerates it while freezing; the CREAMi only scrapes a block that is already hard, so it barely works in any air.
That explains its texture. What comes out of the tub is more a cold, very fine emulsion than churned ice cream: it leans towards a frozen mousse and away from ice cream or sorbet as we know them. And since air insulates, the less there is the colder it feels in the mouth: well-churned ice cream sits around 30 to 40% air, and here you do not come close.
The CREAMis and their alternatives,
head to head
Swipe the table to see them all →
| Model | The best sellerNinja CREAMiNinja · NC299AMZ | ★ Our pickNinja CREAMi XL DeluxeNinja · NC501 | The soft-serve oneNinja CREAMi Scoop & SwirlNinja · NC701 | The one with the most programmesRellytech 12 en 1Rellytech · CE0237 | The single-tub oneKIKIELF 10 en 1KIKIELF · KF-2501 | The big-brand oneBLACK+DECKER Perfect PintBLACK+DECKER · IC002-21BD |
| Who it is for | The original CREAMi | XL tubs and two flavours in one | If you want soft-serve | Twelve programmes with Re-Spin | A single tub, and it takes up less room | A brand you know, and a three-year warranty |
| Programmes | 7 programmes | 11 programmes | 13 programmes | 12 programmes | 10 programmes | 6 programmes, Mix-In and Re-Spin |
| Tubs | 2 tubs | 2 XL tubs | 2 tubs with a nozzle | 2 tubs | 1 tub | 2 tubs |
| Capacity | 473 ml each | 710 ml each | 473 ml each | 473 ml each | 590 ml | 473 ml each |
| Two flavours in the same tub | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Our rating | 4,5★★★★½ | 4,3★★★★½ | 4,3★★★★½ | 3,9★★★★ | 4,0★★★★ | 4,1★★★★ |
| Price today |
Amazon prices as of today; they may change.
The CREAMis and the ones that
do the same thing
What changes in your
recipes with the Ninja CREAMi
More than half our recipes do not change by a gram: the page readjusts the rest as soon as you pick Ninja CREAMi.
A recipe for the CREAMi
Pre-freezing
24 hours in the freezer
Target PAC
do not go below −10 °C
Stabiliser
20 % less
Solids
the same as its family, unchanged
The base freezes solid
It needs 24 hours at −18 °C. This is not a machine for improvising: tonight's ice cream is decided yesterday, and the mix goes into the freezer already balanced.
The main adjustment
What moves is the stabiliser: down 20%, from 6 g per litre to 4.8. The CREAMi does not take in air the way a batch freezer does, so it needs less stabiliser for the same texture.
And there's no need to run it again
This is where formulating and not formulating part ways. With a balanced mix you run it once and it behaves like normal ice cream. Without technical ingredients, you have to run it again every time.
Scale it to the tub
Our recipes are per litre and the tub does not hold that. You have to scale the formula to the tub and not go past the max fill line, or the blade will not shave properly and the ice cream comes out coarse.
Some people don't want
to wait 24 hours
And it isn't the only one. A compressor machine freezes on its own: you pour in the liquid mix and it is done in half an hour, as many times in a row as you like, with no block in the freezer and no tub-by-tub routine.
But what really separates the two textures is the overrun, the air worked into the ice cream as it freezes. A batch freezer churns and aerates at once, which is how it reaches that 30-40%; the CREAMi shaves a block that is already hard and takes in almost none. That is why its result comes out denser and colder in the mouth.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a real ice cream maker?
It works the other way round from an ice cream maker. It does not freeze by churning: it shaves a block that has been in the freezer for about 24 hours. The result is closer to a frozen mousse than to gelato.
Do I need to freeze the mix first?
Yes, and that is its big difference: the tub has to go in the freezer the day before. There is no improvised ice cream.
Does it replace a compressor machine?
They don't do the same thing. If what you want is ice cream parlour texture, the compressor machine takes another road; the CREAMi plays in its own league.
Do ordinary ice cream recipes work?
They need adapting. Working on a frozen block, the balance of sugars and fat behaves differently than when churning.
Which model should I buy today?
It depends which are still on sale and how many tubs you need; the review lists the models on sale right now and how they differ.
Who is it worth it for?
For anyone who wants variety and small portions without wrestling with formulas: you prepare several tubs, freeze them and shave whichever you fancy.
What changes between the CREAMi and the CREAMi Deluxe?
Three things. The Deluxe brings ten programmes instead of seven, the tubs are bigger — 710 ml each — and it can do two flavours inside the same tub. The basic one makes ice cream, gelato, sorbet, smoothie bowl and milkshake, which is what actually gets used. On ratings the Deluxe is ahead and with many more people behind it. The motor and the technique are the same in both: they shave an already frozen block.
How is it like a Pacojet?
In the principle, which is the same: pacotising. Both start from a block frozen hard and shave it with a blade that comes down spinning very fast, instead of churning liquid mix as it chills. The difference is scale and price: the Pacojet is a professional machine that shaves fine and works at −22 °C, and the CREAMi is its home version. For a well-formulated recipe the results are closer than you would expect.
Is it any good for frozen yoghurt or protein ice cream?
Yes, and this is where its advantage shows most: because it does not churn while freezing, it does not care if the mix is thick or high in protein. What you need to know is that a mix low in sugar and high in protein freezes harder, so it nearly always asks for a second pass, and sometimes a splash of milk before shaving again. With the formula balanced from the start, none of that is needed.
Is it very noisy?
Yes, quite: it is shaving a solid block of ice with a blade at full speed. It is a short but loud noise, different from the steady hum of a compressor machine.
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