Even Oprah Is Obsessed With the Ninja CREAMi, but Is It Worth the Price Tag?

The Ninja CREAMi has been the hot appliance of the summer for a couple of years, thanks to all the TikTokers. Popular food influencers show off their recipes regularly — from strawberry cheesecake ice cream to piña colada sorbet — in the Ninja CREAMi and the hashtag "ninjacreami" now has over 28 thousand posts. Oprah admitted she's also a Ninja CREAMi fan with the 2024 release of Oprah's Favorite Things.

But with a hefty price tag, we had to wonder if the ice cream machine is actually worth it. So, we tried it, and here's what we found out.

Ninja Creami 7-in-1 Ice Cream Maker

$230 $180 at Amazon $230 at Target $230 at Kohls.com

What is the Ninja CREAMi?

First and foremost, if you've never heard of it, the Ninja CREAMi is a 7-in-1 ice cream maker. The kitchen gadget came out in July 2021 and has really taken off, thanks in part to TikTok.

It does seem like a lot of popular TikTokers, including Nicole Renard, Shereen Pavlides, and My Nguyen, were sent the CREAMi to try and post about because all their videos (and many more) have the hashtag "SponsoredbyNinja." However, that's not to discount its popularity with the TikTok community.

The CREAMi boasts seven presets for frozen treats, including Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Milkshake, Lite Ice Cream, Smoothie Bowl, and Mix-In, which allows you to add additional ingredients to the ice cream to be automatically mixed in.

How Is the CREAMi Different Than a Traditional Ice Cream Maker?

Besides the fact that it has seven functions, the CREAMi uses its own "creamify" technology. Its blades break down a solid block of frozen ingredients to give the ice cream a smooth and creamy consistency.

This means instead of freezing an ice cream machine's bowl and refrigerating the custard to make the ice cream, you freeze the custard base and the CREAMi turns the frozen ingredients into ice cream. So, just like a traditional ice cream machine, you will need to make the custard or other base ahead of time — it should at least freeze overnight, but 24 hours is better.

With that being said because the ingredients are already frozen, the CREAMi takes mere minutes to work its magic. It's ready in about five minutes, whereas most ice cream machines need about 15 or 20 minutes of churn time.

Putting the CREAMi Ice Cream Maker to the Test

Now the fun part: the tests! We used the CREAMi to create a few fun and delicious flavors:

• Vanilla ice cream with the Ice Cream function
• Rocky road ice cream with the Ice Cream and Mix-In functions
• Pineapple sorbet (a.k.a Dole Whip) with the Sorbet function
• Hazelnut gelato with the Gelato function
• Chocolate chip "nice" cream with the Ice Cream and Mix-In functions

You can use any ice cream or frozen treat recipe you like, but the CREAMi also comes with a recipe book filled with tested recipes that will definitely work with the machine.

Making the base is easy. Simply pour the ingredients into the pint container and pop it in the freezer overnight. The next day, you place the frozen pint into the outer bowl, attach the lid with the blade, and insert it into the CREAMi motor. Then select the function you want and the CREAMi will do the rest for you.

The most important step is to always Re-Spin the ice cream. When I tested and when our testing lab did an official CREAMi test, we noticed the first spin mostly breaks up the chunks so the ice cream comes out slightly icy. You can use the Mix-In button (if you're adding additional ingredients) or the Re-Spin button to give it another mix. This will ensure a creamy consistency no matter what you're making.

Additionally, the Re-Spin button helps the ice cream return to its original consistency after it's refrozen. So you can keep your ice cream in the freezer without fear that it will become hard as a rock (as long as you keep it stored in the CREAMi pint). A tester mentioned that, after a few hours in the freezer, it reminded her of ice cream from her favorite parlor.

Ice Cream and Mix-In

In comparing the traditional vanilla ice cream to an ice cream machine, the CREAMi is definitely faster. However, the consistencies are a little bit different. The CREAMi has more of a harder store-bought ice cream consistency, while a regular ice cream machine produces a velvety texture because the churning ensures no ice crystals form.

The CREAMi is the clear winner when making ice cream with chocolate chips, cookie dough pieces, or nuts mixed in. It automatically mixes the ingredients into the ice cream. As long as you make a big enough hole in the center, it will evenly disperse the pieces throughout. No more hand mixing and swirling just to find pockets of boring plain ice cream.

Plus, because the CREAMi produces thicker ice cream, it's like an at-home Blizzard! And, yes, you can flip it upside down just like they do at DQ.

Gelato and Sorbet

What genuinely surprised us was the difference in each setting. We made the ice cream first, so we expected the sorbet and gelato to all have similar consistencies to that. However, they were both so different and accurate to their respective textures. The gelato was rich, soft, and melted in the mouth, while the sorbet was light and refreshing.

"Nice" Cream

If you watch any TikTok videos about the CREAMi, you'll see that most praise its ability to make "nice" cream. Nice cream is typically dairy-free and sugar-free ice cream though sometimes it can also refer to keto and protein ice creams. To make a good nice cream, you still want the creamy consistency of ice cream with a different set of ingredients.

Most people make nice cream in a food processor or blender when they can contain fruits, nuts, dates, and other ingredients that you can't churn in an ice cream maker. We made the same nice cream recipe in a blender and the CREAMi to see if there was a definitive difference.

We noticed that you immediately produce your nice cream in the blender because all you need to do to "freeze" it is add ice cubes. Of course, the CREAMi takes hours to set up before you can actually make and enjoy your nice cream.

However, there was a huge difference in the blending process. The blender struggled to crush the ice, dates, and nuts, but the CREAMi blasted through them with ease. We did have to add more milk to both mixtures to get our desired consistency, but the CREAMi had a better all-around consistency. Since the blender had a hard time pureeing everything, the nice cream was a little bit grainy, whereas, the CREAMi created the perfect ice cream consistency even without any actual cream.

The Cons

Truthfully, there aren't too many drawbacks to the Ninja CREAMi, aside from maybe the price. Our biggest complaint is that you have to wait 24 hours for the mixture to set up. Sure you have to wait that long with an ice cream machine anyway, but if you want a smoothie bowl, "nice" cream, and even sorbet, those are things that you could immediately whip up in a blender if you have the right frozen ingredients. So, if you want instant gratification, the CREAMi might not be for you or you should only use it for certain features.

This next point might only be a con because we tested the machine's functions using recipes for regular ice cream machines — the number of pints that come with the CREAMi can be an issue. Since you have to keep the ice cream stored in CREAMi's pint jars if you want to be able to Re-Spin them, you can only have as many desserts as you have pints. Our CREAMi came with three and, while you can purchase a single pint, a 2-pack, and a 4-pack on Ninja's site, it's hard to get excited about trying new flavors when you run out of containers.

Is the Ninja CREAMi Worth It?

The CREAMi works exceptionally well to make ice cream and other frozen treats. The seven different functions make it a kitchen wizard. We would use it to make ice cream with mix-ins, gelato, sorbet, and especially "nice" cream. While the smoothie bowl and milkshake features are a nice addition, we would not buy the machine just for those features — that's where a good blender comes in handy.

If you are a fan of the velvety texture of freshly churned ice cream, you might want to find another machine. While the CREAMi does make creamy ice cream, it's not the same texture as a traditional ice cream machine. But that's what makes it a good machine for adding mix-ins because it produces thicker ice cream, almost like a Ben and Jerry's pint or Dairy Queen Blizzard.

If you're on the hunt for an ice cream machine that can do it all, this is certainly the one. However, you have to be willing to pay the price. You could easily get a traditional ice cream machine for less than $100, but you'd be missing out on some functions and a different consistency in the ice cream. But, if you've been searching for a machine, or are looking for a great gift to add to your list, then this might be a good purchase for you.