Whether it’s a real-fruit ice cream on a road trip, or a walk to the dairy after dinner, ice cream goes hand-in-hand with a Kiwi summer. But if you’ve ever attempted your own, you’ll know it can be notoriously fiddly… and can often result in staring at a vanilla puddle, wondering where it all went wrong.
Enter the Ninja Creami. From the brand that bought us the Ninja Woodfire barbeque and outdoor pizza oven, this kitchen gadget allows you to make ice cream from the comfort of your kitchen. As summer cranks up here in Aotearoa, it felt like the perfect time to test it. Here’s our verdict.
NZWW Food’s review of the Ninja Creami
- Our rating: 8 of 10
Pros
- Easy to use
- One-touch programming
- Makes healthy versions of your favourite treats
- Predominantly dishwasher safe
- Makes batch-prepping a breeze
Cons
- Quite loud to run
- Requires ample prep time
What’s so special about the Ninja Creami?
You might have seen it on social media dubbed the “Ninja ice cream maker”. But trust us when we say it’s so much more than that. The Ninja Creami transforms solid bases into ice cream, yes, but also sorbet, milkshakes, smoothie bowls, and even frosty drinks. You can make keto-friendly and low-sugar creations if you’re trying to reduce your sugar intake. Low on ingredients? Try one ingredient sorbet. Make vegan creations for friends and family – or even savoury blends, if that’s your jam.
How does the Ninja Creami work?
Once your base is frozen in one of the supplied containers – which takes 24 hours officially, although some online chatter says at least six should get the job done – the container is clicked into the machine. The Creamerizer Paddle, which is essentially an ice cream drill, churns the frozen base into creamy goodness. Enjoy it then or there, or add delicious extras: chocolate chips, berries or whatever your heart desires. Then select the re-spin function to make your blend softer and creamier.
The official tagline is: Pour it, Freeze it, Creamify it, Scoop it. Straightforward enough, no?
Almost anything frozen can be turned into delicious ice cream. We’re big fans of using that single tin of peaches rattling around in the pantry to make delicious one-ingredient peach sorbet. That is summer sorted, baby.
Oh and did we mention the containers, lids and paddles are all dishwasher-safe?
Results from our test
A NZWW Food office member tested the gadget at the recent birthday party of her 10-year-old twins.
“The kids went wild,” was the verdict.
“We made milkshakes, slushies, ice cream and frozen yoghurt – the only problem was too many choices!”
Our tester pre-made a standard vanilla base for the group. The kids could then select their lollies, chocolate chips and extra treats to pour into the mixture, before it was reblended using the re-spin function to create a personalised soft serve. A thorough judging was had to crown the winner before the kids were sent home to their parents on fairly decent sugar highs. Success!
“It’s officially on the twins’ and all their friends’ lists for Santa,” vows our office member.
What do customers think about the Ninja Creami?
You’re thinking it’s expensive. You’re thinking you don’t really need it. Well my friend, let me reassure you, once you’ve bought it you’ll decide it was worth every penny. You’ll use the twisty logic that actually it is SAVING you money, because now you won’t buy all those sorbets and ice creams (that you weren’t buying to start with). And you know what? You’ll be right.
Five-star review on Ninja website
This ice cream maker is a game-changer. It’s a simple, effective gadget and very straightforward to use. You make your mix, freeze, churn and scoop. The paddle effectively churns your ice cream base to perfection. The great aspect with the ice cream maker is that you can do a smoothie bowl, gelato, milkshakes and it has 7 pre set programmes.
Five-star review on Ninja website
Ninja Creami recipes to try:
Where to buy the Ninja Creami in NZ:
- Ninja New Zealand, $399.99
- Smiths City, $399
- Briscoes, $499
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