Ninja Creami vs. traditional ice cream makers

The Ninja Creami Deluxe is more versatile than traditional ice cream makers, but it’s not for everyone

Since its introduction in 2021, the Ninja Creami has been the favorite ice cream maker on TikTok, Instagram and other social media, with countless videos sharing tips and recipes for making delicious desserts. The Creami Deluxe has improved the original’s versatility, adding five extra frozen treat options.

Like traditional ice cream makers, the Ninja Creami Deluxe can make ice cream, sorbet and gelato. However, it also has programs for light ice cream, frozen yogurt, Italian ice, milkshakes, frozen drinks, slushies and “Creamiccinos,” similar to Starbucks’ Frappuccinos. In addition to its increased options, the Ninja Creami Deluxe differs from traditional ice cream makers in the prep required to make desserts and the time each recipe needs to fully process. Its yield is also smaller than most traditional ice cream makers, but you can purchase additional pint containers to increase the overall capacity.

The BestReviews Testing Lab tested the Ninja Creami Deluxe and traditional ice cream makers like the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence and KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment by making basic ice cream flavors like vanilla and chocolate, as well as other frozen treats like gelato, sorbet, Italian ice and slushies.

Ultimately, we loved the Ninja Creami Deluxe for its versatility, ease of use and shorter processing times. Considering its price, though, it’s not necessarily the best choice for every home. If you only want to make ice cream, sorbet or gelato, a more affordable traditional ice cream maker like the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence is a better option.

Ninja Creami Deluxe vs. traditional ice cream makers: What they do well

The Ninja Cream Deluxe’s display counts down how many minutes are left in the processing cycle, so you know exactly when your dessert will be ready.

During testing, we were impressed with the quality of the desserts made by both the Ninja Creami Deluxe and the traditional ice cream makers. Both are pretty user-friendly, but they excel in different areas.

Ninja Creami Deluxe benefits

Excellent ice cream and other desserts: In the Ninja Creami Deluxe, we made several different types of desserts, including ice cream, sorbet, Italian ice and slushies, all of which had wonderful texture and flavor.
Versatility: Unlike traditional ice cream makers, which usually make only ice cream, sorbet and gelato, the Creami Deluxe can make a wide range of frozen treats, including light ice cream, frozen yogurt, Italian ice, milkshakes and frozen drinks, making it much more versatile.
Ease of use: The Ninja Creami Deluxe is pretty easy to use, with a simple interface and dial to choose the settings.
Processing/churning time: Depending on the program you choose, the Ninja Creami Deluxe needs between just two and five minutes to process its recipes. Sometimes, you may also need to use the Respin or Mix-in feature, adding another one to five minutes to the processing time. However, even at a max of 10 minutes, the Creami Deluxe makes frozen treats in approximately a third of the time as traditional ice cream makers.
Ease of cleanup: The Ninja Creami Deluxe fully disassembles, and all the components are dishwasher-safe, so cleanup is a breeze.

Traditional ice cream maker benefits

Excellent ice cream: We made ice cream, gelato and sorbet in the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence and KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment, and all of the desserts were delicious and had a rich, creamy texture.
Ease of use: Most traditional ice cream makers are very simple to use because they only have an on/off button. We simply had to turn on the machine, pour in our ice cream base and let the ice cream maker go to work.
Capacity: The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence and KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment both have a 2-quart capacity, while other traditional ice cream makers usually make at least 1.5 quarts per batch.
Mix-in distribution: Traditional ice cream makers are highly effective at distributing mix-ins like chocolate chips, nuts, candies or cookie pieces throughout the ice cream, so there is some in each scoop.

Their drawbacks

The main downside to both the Ninja Creami Deluxe and traditional ice cream makers is the prep involved in making a batch of ice cream.

Ninja Creami drawbacks

Prep involved: Unlike traditional ice cream makers, which require freezing their bowls, the Ninja Creami Deluxe calls for freezing the ice cream ingredients for at least 24 hours, so you can’t make ice cream on the spur of the moment.
Smaller capacity: The pint containers that come with the Ninja only hold 16 ounces, which is only a half-quart. The Deluxe includes two pint containers for processing, so you can make a whole quart. However, if you want to make larger batches of ice cream, you’ll need to purchase additional pint containers.
Uneven mix-in distribution: The Ninja Creami doesn’t consistently distribute mix-ins like chocolate chips and cookie pieces throughout the entire dessert, so you may wind up with scoops that don’t have any.
Price: The Ninja Cream Deluxe costs $249, which is considerably more expensive than traditional ice cream makers.

Traditional ice cream maker drawbacks

Limited functions: Unlike the Ninja Creami Deluxe, which can make additional treats like frozen yogurt, milkshakes and Italian ice, traditional ice cream makers typically only make ice cream, gelato and sorbet.
Prep time: Traditional ice cream makers usually have a freezer bowl that must be frozen for at least 16 hours before you can make ice cream.
Churning time: Most ice cream makers take between 20 and 30 minutes to churn a batch of ice cream, considerably longer than the Ninja Creami Deluxe.
Cleanup: The freezer bowls for most traditional ice cream makers aren’t dishwasher-safe, so they usually take longer to clean than the Ninja.

A closer look at the Ninja Creami Deluxe

The pint containers that come with the Ninja Creami Deluxe are clearly marked with a max fill for both the scoopable and drinkable recipes.

Product specifications

Churning Time: 2 to 5 min, depending on program | Maximum Yield: 1 pt | Dimensions: 12.01″ L x 8.42″ W x 16.69″ H | Weight: 14.44 lb | Ease of Cleaning: Dishwasher-safe components

The Ninja Creami Deluxe was the most versatile ice cream maker we tested by far — and it was excellent at every function we tried. We made ice cream, lite ice cream, sorbet, Italian ice and slushies, and all had delicious flavor and a fantastic texture. The Creami Deluxe requires freezing the ingredients solid before making ice cream, so it meant we had to plan ahead. However, that also reduced the processing times, allowing us to enjoy creamy, rich vanilla ice cream in just five minutes.

The ice cream we made in the Ninja Creami Deluxe also had the best texture among the ice cream makers we tested, so it was scoopable right after processing without any additional time in the freezer. It was easy to set up, just over five minutes, and we also found the simple interface intuitive to operate. There was a bit of a learning curve to figure out whether we needed to use the Respin feature, but after a few batches, we got the hang of it. But best of all, the Creami Deluxe was also the easiest ice cream maker to clean because all the components are dishwasher-safe. Even when we washed it by hand, it took less than 10 minutes because it fully disassembled for quick, thorough cleaning.

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Top traditional ice cream maker models

Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker

The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Automatic Ice Cream Maker has a transparent lid that allows you to watch the churning process.

Product specifications

Churning Time: 25 to 30 min | Maximum Yield: 2 qt | Dimensions: 11.25″ L x 8.25″ W x 11.5″ H | Weight: 13.4 lb | Ease of Cleaning: The lid and mixing arm are dishwasher-safe, but the freezer bowl requires hand-washing

From the moment we took the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Automatic Ice Cream Maker out of its box, we were impressed with its compact, sleek look and stainless steel finish. Its design is also user-friendly, with just a simple on/off dial at the front. We especially appreciated the spout in the lid, which allowed us to pour in our liquid ingredients without spilling them all over. We made vanilla ice cream, cookies and cream ice cream, blueberry sorbet and vegan coconut ice cream, which all tasted delicious. We loved the creamy, soft-serve-like texture of all the ice creams, though the vegan recipe was a bit softer than the others.

Each recipe took approximately 25 to 30 minutes to churn, about average for a traditional ice cream maker, so we didn’t have to wait too long to enjoy our frozen treats. Its bowl made a full 2 quarts of ice cream without overflowing, the same amount you’d find in a half-gallon at the grocery store. That makes it ideal for families or entertaining, especially since it’s pretty easy to clean, despite the bowl requiring hand-washing.

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KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment

The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment easily attaches to most 5- to 6-quart KitchenAid stand mixers.

Product specifications

Churning Time: 20 to 25 min | Maximum Yield: 2 qt | Dimensions: 9″ L x 7″ W x 11″ H | Weight: 7 lb | Ease of Cleaning: The drive assembly and dasher are dishwasher-safe, but the freezer bowl requires hand-washing

The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment is one of our favorite ice cream makers, provided you already own a KitchenAid stand mixer. We found its design very convenient and easy to use because it attaches easily to the mixer. We stored the bowl in our testing area’s freezer, so we were always ready to make ice cream. The dasher and drive assembly could be tucked into our mixer’s bowl with its other attachments, taking up very little storage space in the kitchen.

The taste and texture of the ice cream it produced was impressive. We made vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream and strawberry ice cream, and all were delicious. They weren’t quite as scoopable as the ice cream made in the Ninja Creami Deluxe, but they were firmer than the ice cream from the Pure Indulgence. The KitchenAid also churned more efficiently than the Cuisinart — it needed 21 minutes for chocolate ice cream, 23 minutes for strawberry and 24 minutes for vanilla. Like the Pure Indulgence, it made 2 full quarts of ice cream at a time, so each batch was large enough for a group. Cleanup was fairly easy, too, though the freezer bowl required hand-washing.

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Ninja Creami Deluxe vs. Cuisinart Pure Indulgence

The Ninja Creami Deluxe and Cuisinart Pure Indulgence both made delicious ice cream during testing, but the Creami Deluxe’s ice cream had a firmer texture that made it scoopable right out of the machine. The Pure Indulgence’s ice cream had more of a soft-serve texture, so we had to place it in the freezer for an hour or two before we could scoop it.

The Ninja Creami can make ice cream, lite ice cream, sorbet, gelato, frozen yogurt, Italian ice, Creamiccinos, frozen drinks, slushies and milkshakes, while the Pure Indulgence can only make ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and frozen drinks. It can make up to 2 quarts at a time, while the Creami Deluxe only produces a pint per batch.

The Ninja Creami Deluxe certainly beats the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence when it comes to versatility, but it costs more than double the Pure Indulgence. That’s why the Pure Indulgence is usually a better option if you only plan to make basic ice cream and sorbet recipes. The Creami Deluxe is best if you want to make a wider range of desserts. It’s an especially appealing choice for families since you can make treats like slushies, milkshakes and Italian ices for your kids in addition to traditional ice cream.

Ninja Creami Deluxe vs. KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment

Like the Ninja Creami Deluxe, the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment made delicious, creamy ice cream when we tested it. However, its texture wasn’t as firm as the Creami’s. We couldn’t scoop it right after churning, so its texture was more like a firm soft-serve. After placing it in the freezer for an hour, though, it reached a scoopable consistency. On the other hand, the Creami Deluxe made firm ice cream that we could easily scoop right out of the machine.

While the Creami Deluxe can make 10 different frozen treats, including ice cream, lite ice cream, Italian ice and slushies, the KitchenAid attachment can only make ice cream, gelato and sorbet. Like the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence, though, it can make up to 2 quarts per batch, while the Ninja Creami Deluxe only produces a pint.

The KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment is cheaper than the Ninja Creami Deluxe, but it requires having a KitchenAid stand mixer, which is a pricey investment on its own. That’s why the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment is best for those who already own a stand mixer and only plan to make ice cream, gelato and sorbet. The Ninja is a better option for those who don’t have a KitchenAid stand mixer or want to make more than ice cream recipes.

Ninja Creami Deluxe vs. ice cream maker functionality

The Ninja Creami Deluxe and traditional ice cream makers can both produce delicious ice cream, but they differ in key areas, including the number of desserts they can make and the amount of ice cream they make per batch.

Dessert functions

The Ninja Creami Deluxe is one of the most versatile ice cream makers on the market, with 10 dessert options and another setting for adding mix-ins to each type of dessert. Its dessert functions include Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Frozen Yogurt, Italian Ice, Creamiccino, Frozen Drink, Slushi and Milkshake. During testing, we made vanilla ice cream, cookie butter ice cream, lemon Italian ice, pineapple sorbet and a blue raspberry slushie, all of which were delicious and had the texture we desired right from the machine. This versatility is particularly handy if you don’t have a blender since the Creami Deluxe can also make drinkable treats like frozen drinks and milkshakes that you’d typically make in a blender.

Traditional ice cream makers usually don’t have specific dessert functions. Instead, you can prepare different desserts by switching up the ingredients you add. However, the lack of settings means you can usually only make ice cream, sorbet and gelato. The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Automatic Ice Cream Maker can make ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and frozen drinks, but the KitchenAid Stand Mixer only produces ice cream, sorbet and gelato.

Capacity and size

Traditional ice cream makers usually offer a larger capacity than the Ninja Creami Deluxe. Most produce between 1 and 4 quarts of ice cream at a time. We made 2 quarts of ice cream per batch in the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence and 2 quarts per batch with the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment, so in both cases, we had enough ice cream to feed a group.

The Ninja Creami Deluxe makes a pint of ice cream at a time, though it comes with two plastic pint containers, so we could make 2 pints of the same flavor in one freezing section. That means the maximum amount of a single flavor you can make at once is 1 quart, or half as much as the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence or KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment. If you want to make larger batches of ice cream in the Creami Deluxe, you must purchase additional pint containers separately, which adds to the overall cost.

Churning time

Because the Ninja Creami Deluxe calls for freezing your dessert ingredients before processing them in the machine, its churning times are much shorter than those of a traditional ice cream maker. When we made classic vanilla ice cream, the Ninja needed just five minutes to process it to a creamy, scoopable texture. Our cookie butter ice cream was a bit crumbly after the five-minute Ice Cream setting, so we used the Respin feature to churn it for another two minutes. After seven minutes, it had a smooth texture that was easy to scoop, too.

Those churning times are significantly shorter than the traditional ice cream makers we tested. The Cuisinart Pure Indulgence needed between 25 and 30 minutes to churn ice cream, while the KitchenAid Mixer Attachment required 21 to 24 minutes, depending on the flavor.

Ease of use

Traditional ice cream makers are usually straightforward to use because most only have an on/off button. Once the bowl is frozen, you turn on the ice cream maker, pour your ingredients in, and the machine takes care of the rest. Both the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence and KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment were extremely intuitive to use, so we really only consulted their instruction manuals for recipe ideas.

The Ninja Creami Deluxe is pretty easy to use, too, but it’s slightly more complicated because it has more settings and features. It took us a minute to understand the interface and its features during testing, and we consulted the manual on a couple of occasions to ensure we understood all the settings. However, once we used the machine several times, its operation was straightforward. We also appreciated how easy the interface made it to customize our ice cream with easy-to-use Mix-in and Respin settings. The Creami even allowed us to choose whether we wanted the mix-in ingredients mixed throughout the ice cream, just the top or just the bottom, so we could make two flavors at once if desired.

Pricing

The Ninja Creami Deluxe is one of the priciest ice cream makers, retailing for $249.99 at Amazon and Best Buy.

Traditional ice cream makers typically cost between $45 and $100. Both the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence Ice Cream Maker and KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment regularly retail for $99.99. You can find the Cuisinart at Amazon and Best Buy and the KitchenAid at Amazon.

Bottom line

The Ninja Creami Deluxe is the clear winner when it comes to versatility among ice cream makers. It can make nearly any frozen treat you can imagine, and its desserts had the most scoopable texture right after churning among the ice cream makers we tested. However, its price and limited capacity don’t make it a must-have for every kitchen. If you only want to make ice cream, sorbet and gelato and prefer larger batches of your chosen dessert, a traditional ice cream maker like the Cuisinart Pure Indulgence is a more affordable choice that still delivers delicious creamy ice cream.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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