Our Ninja Creami review – does it live up to the hype? Capsule investigates, one frozen marg at a time…
I always have visions of being a domestic goddess – homemade bread, organic condiments on-hand, freshly-baked biscuits in a glass jar, that kind of thing.
Then I remember how much time and effort all of those said things actually take, and I very quickly appreciate shop-bought sourdough, that nice jam that comes in the jar with the red and white chequered lid and the stash of Cookie Time cookies I’ve managed to scrounge from various Air New Zealand flights.
Still, there’s something about making your own ice-cream that absolutely vibes with me because in our house ice-cream is an all seasons, any-time kind of treat and it simply must be on-tap.
But when you’re kind of trying to shred for a wedding, nightly scoops of the usual chocolate Tip Top are simply out of the question, so I was in search of a healthier option – enter the Ninja Creami Deluxe.
This bad boy has gone VIRAL online for its ability to make a whole host of frozen treats from scratch – so much so there are dedicated facebook fan pages, where people share their triumphs and fails (some people really love a good experiment…) but does it live up to the hype? Here’s our Ninja Creami review!
What is a Ninja Creami?
In a nutshell: it’s a frozen dessert maker that churns out soft serve, ice cream, sorbet, gelato, milkshakes, slushies and even frozen cocktails (!!) from a frozen pint of whatever-the-hell you put in there. You freeze your mixture in the pint overnight, pop it into the machine the next day, hit a button, and boom—dessert wizardry. The “Deluxe” version that we’re working with has more functions than the original (hello, slushie mode!).
You can make almost anything in the Ninja Creami – well, technically 11 things – and the whole ideas is that you’re able to customise your creations to make them as healthy or decadent as you like.
Here’s what I loved about my Ninja Creami:
1. It makes legit, scoop-shop-level ice cream and frozen yoghurt
I’m not talking icy weird homemade freezer soup. This is creamy, smooth, “did I just make this in my house??” good. I made a basic but delicious vanilla ice cream that had me questioning why I’ve ever paid $8 for a scoop at a fancy place. But my favourite thing to make – and the flavour that’s on the heaviest rotation at our place – is strawberry frozen yoghurt because it’s INSANELY good and so healthy. I add Kalo Vanilla Bean yoghurt, frozen strawberries, a splash of vanilla extract and a tablespoon or two of honey and we’re away laughing for a week and I’ll tell ya, I’m bloody smug about it. (One thing to remember is that you do need to add some form of sweetener, as the frozen mixtures always taste far less sweet than the liquid).
2. It’s customisable AF
Want dairy-free? Easy. Want high-protein? Just add your fav protein shake or Greek yoghurt. Keto? Knock yourself out. You do have to stick to some science-y stuff to make sure it freezes, but other than that, you can experiment away.
3. Mix-ins
You know how Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has entire chunks of cookie dough or brownies in it? You can do that. After the first spin, you add your mix-ins (Oreos, crushed pretzels, peanut butter cups, whatever chaos you crave) and hit “Mix-in” mode. It’s wildly satisfying.
4. It’s not just for ice cream
Hot tip: the frozen drinks setting is ELITE. I made a mango frozen margarita that could win awards. Plus: smoothies, frozen coffees, frozen yoghurt parfaits, and a shockingly good pina colada slushie. Also, you can actually just put fruit in for super-healthy sorbets – we did it with oranges and grapefruit (although trust me and add a tablespoon of strawberry jam in with the grapefruit to balance out the savoury!). I also made an amazing lemon sorbet as a palette cleanser for a dinner party that made me feel like Martha F-ing Stewart.
Things to keep in mind about the Ninja Creami:
1. The freezing time can annoying if you’re impatient
You do have to freeze your base mixture for 24 hours, so it’s not a spontaneous snack machine (unless you’re someone who preps in advance, which, to be fair, is made easier with the fact you get three pints, so you can always have some stored and ready to go, and you can buy extras too).
2. It’s kind of loud
Like, you can’t exactly whisper-spin a batch of gelato while someone’s napping. It’s a solid 7.5/10 on the appliance noise scale. Not unbearable, but you’ll know it’s working.
3. You might need to re-spin your creations
This isn’t actually a big deal at all, but sometimes if your base mixture is too cold, your first spin will come out powdery. It’s fine, you just add in a splash of liquid like milk, and re-spin and you’re away laughing, so don’t be discouraged.
The Ninja Creami Deluxe is one of those appliances that actually lives up to the hype. If you love frozen treats and want the power to whip up custom creations like a dessert wizard, this thing will deliver. Yes, it has a few quirks (don’t we all?), but once you’ve had homemade pistachio gelato at 10pm in your pjs, there’s no going back. So yes, the Ninja Creami is worth it! I am kid-free but I can only imagine the creations your children would make with this (and at least you can decide what’s going in there!).
CAPSULE’S STRAWBERRY FROZEN YOGHURT
500g Kalo vanilla bean yoghurt
250g frozen strawberries
1-2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method: Literally just dump it into a blender, whizz until blended and the pour into the Ninja pint. Freeze for 24 hours, and then process on the frozen yoghurt setting. If it’s powdery after the spin, add more yoghurt. Enjoy!