TikTokers Are Obsessed With the Ninja CREAMi, Is It Worth the Price Tag?

It seems like the Ninja CREAMi has become the hot appliance of the summer for many TikTokers. Dozens of popular food influencers have shown off their recipes — from strawberry cheesecake ice cream to piña colada sorbet — in the Ninja CREAMi. And the hashtag "ninjacreami" has over 55 million views.

But with a hefty price tag of nearly $230, we had to wonder if the ice cream machine is actually worth it. So, we tried it, and here's what we found out.

What is the Ninja CREAMi?

First and foremost, if you've never heard of it, the Ninja CREAMi is a seven-in-one ice cream maker. The kitchen gadget came out in July 2021, but it has really taken off this year 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. The CREAMi's blades break down a solid block of frozen ingredients to give the ice cream a smooth and creamy consistency.

This means that instead of freezing your ice cream machine's bowl and refrigerating the custard that will make the ice cream, you actually freeze the custard base itself and the CREAMi turns the pre-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

Making the base is really easy. You just prep everything in the included pints the night before. 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 in the machine.

Simply pour the ingredients into the pint container, pop it in the freezer overnight, 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. The first time through mostly just breaks up the chunks so the ice cream comes out a little bit icy. So, either 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 get back to its original consistency even 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).

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 the regular ice cream machine produces a velvety texture because the churning ensures no ice crystals form.

The CREAMi is the clear winner when you're making ice cream with chocolate chips, cookie dough pieces, nuts, etc..., mixed in. It automatically mixes the ingredients into the ice cream — and 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 really surprised us, in the best possible way, was the difference in each setting. We made the ice cream first, so we kind of 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 your mouth. While the sorbet was light and refreshing.

"Nice" Cream

If you watch any TikTok videos about the CREAMi, you'll see that most of them are praising its ability to make "nice" cream. Nice cream is typically dairy-free and sugar-free version of traditional ice cream — though sometimes people refer to keto and protein ice creams as nice cream as well. 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 because a lot of them 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 both a blender and the CREAMi to see if there really was a difference.

The first thing we noticed is that you can 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, we did notice a huge difference in the blending process. While the blender was struggling to crush up the ice, dates, and nuts, the CREAMi was blasting through it with ease. We did have to add more milk to both mixtures to get our desired consistency, but the CREAMi had a better consistency all around. Because the blender had a hard time pureeing everything, the nice cream was a little bit grainy. Whereas, in the CREAMi it was the perfect ice cream consistency even without any actual cream.

The Cons

Truthfully, there aren't too many drawbacks when it comes to the Ninja CREAMi — aside from, maybe, the price. However, our biggest complaint is that you have to wait 24 hours for the mixture to set up. Sure, when making frozen desserts that's not a huge issue because 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.

For example, Ninja has a whole line of frozen cocktail recipes that you can make in the CREAMi with Truly hard seltzers, but why would we freeze that mixture overnight when we could just throw it in a blender with frozen fruit in less than 10 minutes? So, if you want instant gratification, either the CREAMi may not be for you, or you should only use it for certain features.

This next point might only be a con because we were trying to test the machine's functions using a bunch of different recipes. However, the number of pints that come with the CREAMi can be an issue. Because you have to keep the ice cream stored in the pints 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 pints and while you can purchase a single pint, a two-pack, and a four-pack on Ninja's site, it's hard to get excited about trying new flavors when you run out of containers.

Is the CREAMi Worth It? The Bottom Line

The CREAMi works exceptionally well to make ice cream and other frozen treats. The seven different functions really make it a kitchen wizard.

We would use the Ninja CREAMi 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.

However, if you are a fan of the velvety texture of churned ice cream, then 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 nearly half the price, but you'd be missing out on some functions and a different consistency in the ice cream.

We wouldn't say this is the kind of ice cream machine that you impulse buy. 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. Plus, we have seen the CREAMi on sale at a ton of different places, so you should never have to pay full price for it.

Just make sure you do your research to find the best price on the gadget — we've seen it for less than $200 at Amazon, Walmart, Costco, and Sam's Club.