The moment even the essence of warm weather hits my skin, it becomes ice cream season. After a sweltering day when the temperature finally breaks, there's nothing like the ritual of getting ice cream as a cold, sweet treat. However, like all little treats, they add up, even when buying pints at the corner store.
So what are you to do? Get a time-extensive ice cream machine that requires long churning? Maybe. But the internet's favorite option offers a more accessible shortcut.
I can't tell you exactly the first time I saw the Ninja Creami on my TikTok feed, but all I know is that my feed is inundated with recipes for this sort of instant ice cream maker. It's unsurprising that it coincides with social media's current obsession with protein, as users are making high-protein ice cream concoctions. The hours I've spent watching people make cottage cheese ice cream are more than I'd like to admit.
So, in the thick of ice cream season, I wanted to get my hands on the Ninja Creami. Not because I'm ready to get my protein ice cream on, but because who doesn't like ice cream on demand?
The Ninja Creami is a 7-in-1 or, in the case of the Ninja Creami Deluxe, 11-in-1 ice cream maker. It makes ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and smoothie bowls with just the press of a button. It even includes the option to add mix-ins. In the case of the Ninja Creami Deluxe, there are also a variety of options to make frozen drinks, a perk if you can't get your hands on the perpetually sold-out Ninja Slushi.
With each Ninja Creami, you receive at least two 16-ounce pints that you fill and freeze. The Ninja Creami comes with a recipe book to get started; however, a simple search of Ninja Creami recipes will provide you with endless inspiration.
Once you've prepped your bases, which can be crafted from fruit, yogurt, dairy, or alternative milk bases, put them in the freezer to get solid. Ninja recommends freezing your mixes for at least 24 hours, which is more flexible than they imply. I tried pints frozen for eight and 24 hours, and both worked well. The pint frozen for less time was closer to a Frosty texture than classic hard ice cream.
After freezing, the pints are put into a machine, where a blade comes down and spins through the mixture to churn or whip it into the classic ice cream texture. That process takes anywhere from three to six minutes. Once spun, the ice cream should be scoopable, ready to eat, or add mix-ins.
When starting with the Ninja Creami, I nearly had decision paralysis because there were so many recipes to try. Having received the Ninja Creami Deluxe, I could make ice cream and a bounty of frozen drink options. However, I focused on the ice cream choices that apply to both the standard and deluxe versions for testing purposes.
The three pints I whipped up included frozen yogurt, Ninja's recipe for a perfect ice cream base, and then just a simple base of Fairlife chocolate milk, the latter of which is protein TikTok's favorite base.
Since I was so eager to try out the Ninja Creami, I started with what I had in my house: a base of Greek yogurt mixed with vanilla extract and a little salt. I only let it freeze for about eight hours and had decent results. I used the frozen yogurt setting, which takes the longest out of any of the others I tried at around six minutes. Flavor-wise, it was what I expected, reminding me of my teenage years during the frozen yogurt boom. I mixed in some cookies for a little high protein cookies and cream situation, and the end result was taste and texturally like a tart McFlurry.
I was more by the book with the Ninja ice cream base and chocolate milk, letting them freeze for over 24 hours. At my partner's request, I made a salted caramel base to add cookie dough as a mix-in. After giving it one spin, I pulled it out, and it had a weird, almost pebbly texture — think Dippin' Dots type of look. I could smooth it out with a spatula to make it more creamy, but I gave it another spin after noticing that the bottom half of the pint didn't really get spun. To finish it, I added the cookie dough and used the mix-in setting. The cookie dough didn't leave chunks as I had hoped. Instead, it was fully blended into the ice cream, but only the top half. It was still delicious and scooped beautifully. However, texturally, I felt it was a little icy and not as creamy as classic ice cream.
The chocolate milk, on the other hand, was fabulous texturally. It also needed two spins, and the texture turned out like a homemade soft serve, creamy and smooth. However, in terms of flavor, the freezing made the mix lose some flavor, similar to what fellow Mashable reporter Leah Stodart experienced when putting a White Claw into the Ninja Slushi.
Each mix had its ups and downs, none of which were perfect, but all were tasty and good enough.
After making three batches of ice cream, there are endless ways to use the Ninja Creami. However, with as many options as possible, Ninja also cautions against using specific ingredients.
According to Ninja, the number one no-go is using non-fat dairy products. It's not that they won't mix — they will, as evidenced by plenty of Creami users who use non-fat products with success. However, they will be harder once frozen, take longer to spin, and ultimately be less creamy and more icy than full-fat mixes.
Additionally, unlike pints of your favorite Ben and Jerry's, you can't create ripples of peanut butter, caramel, or fudge sauce throughout. Because of the blending mechanic used by the Creami, it would just get blended throughout. This is the same with soft mix-ins, which I found to be true. Things like sandwich cookies and cookie dough just get mixed into the ice creams or frozen yogurts rather than leaving chunks.
The main thing to consider with the Ninja Creami is its loudness. It's so loud. I'd heard so many people say this about the Creami, so I was prepared, but it was still a bit of a shock when I turned it on for the first time. It's better on shorter cycles, but longer cycles, like frozen yogurt, felt extensive. My cat freaked out as if we'd just turned on the vacuum, and I almost expected a text from my upstairs neighbor asking me to keep it down.
The volume of the Ninja Creami is definitely a huge drawback, especially if you're trying to mix up a late-night batch. However, in addition to being loud, it's pretty inconsistent. I had a different experience with each batch, some mixing easily, others only mixing in the top half. Due to those inconsistencies, I always had to re-spin, making the process (and sound) go on for longer.
Plus, you're not done once you spin your pint and get it to the texture you want. If you don't finish the pint and instead put it back in the freezer, you need to re-spin it every time you want a scoop. Don't be like me and try to scoop a refrozen pint—you'll nearly bend a spoon in half.
The Ninja Creami is a dream for meal preppers who want to cook for the week ahead to avoid takeout or convenience foods. This is because the Ninja Creami requires a bit of prep work. Don't expect to want ice cream and have it ready within the hour (just go to the corner store in that case).
To use the Ninja Creami, you need at least eight hours of freezing time, so you need to think ahead. For the average person, this might be fine. For the meal preppers, this won't be an issue at all; instead, it's just another thing to add to your routine: prepping your points for the week. The spontaneous among us? Maybe not the best fit.
The Ninja Creami is fun to use; I get the hype. Rather than going on a trip to get ice cream, you're having a little adventure in your kitchen. If you're a planner and/or an ice cream fanatic, the Creami will be a delightful addition as you plan your pints of the week.
On the other hand, the ice cream from the Ninja Creami will not deliver the rich results you get from classic ice cream. The texture could be a lot better, and you can't get the fun chunky mix-ins or fudge ripples you may expect. It's loud and takes up counter space, and since it is so heavy, it's hard to store.
The Ninja Creami starts at $199.95, the cost of approximately 29 pints of Ben & Jerry's, so it will take quite a while to offset its cost, especially when you consider all the ingredients you need to go into it. However, if you're making several pints a week and you're keen to create pints catered to your diet's needs, it will become worth it far sooner.
For me? I just think it's a fun time.
