Ninja NC301 CREAMi Ice Cream Maker for Gelato Mix-ins Milkshakes Sorbet Smoothie Bowls More 7 One-Touch Programs with

I've had this Ninja Creami for a few weeks now and have made about two dozen recipes with it - sorbet, lite ice cream, ice cream (I haven't tried gelato or milkshakes). So far, I have no complaints at all. I'm not understanding the negative reviews, other than to assume that people aren't following the recipes, tips and instructions from Ninja, or they are expecting a perfect commercial-like appearance. Anything I've made that came out "crumbly", as most of the recipes I've made did on the first spin, instantly became smooth just by waiting for a minute and then stirring it up a bit. Doing a re-spin will make it 'creamy' 99% of the time. Even if it's "crumbly" it instantly feels like 'silk' and melts in your mouth, and in this case the texture doesn't affect the taste at all. To be honest, this stuff is good no matter how it looks. I started with the basic recipes in the book that came with the unit, and followed them to the letter before exploring substitutions/additions or other adjustments. Chocolate ice cream was the first one I tried. I have to say, it makes the best chocolate ice cream I've ever eaten in 60+ years, hands down, no kidding. My husband, an ice cream fanatic, agreed. Although he isn't wild about chocolate anything, he said it was the best ice cream he's ever had and would eat it anytime. The sorbets are a breeze to prepare and come out great. They're even better if you take the time to chop up the ingredients/fruit first, but it's not necessary. I use a blender if I feel like going to the trouble, and blending say canned pineapple with a touch of coconut cream is worth doing. It's worth making that combo even if you don't blend it first, trust me. If you're using canned fruit you don't have to chop or blend anything (I guess there could be a rare recipe that specifically calls for it), but I find it makes it even better if you do. If your fruit has any pulp, the Ninja does a really good job of pulverizing 99.9% of it. Everything about the specific ingredients you use determines the outcome regarding texture - for example, a can of pineapple or mandarin orange slices by themselves will be more icy/sorbet-like than creamy, and canned pineapple tidbits with coconut cream or heavy cream will be extra creamy and not icy. I think it's of key importance to follow the instructions & recipes from Ninja first, not 'the internet', until you know what works, what can be substituted (successfully) for what, etc. As far as quantity and leftovers: Clearly, this processes one pint of ice cream at a time - you mix your ingredients, pour them into the Ninja pint and freeze for 24 hours. Yes, you have to freeze it for 24 hours, but you can prep and freeze multiple pints (I recommend buying extra Ninja pints) and have them ready. After 24 hours (or days/weeks later) you take it out of the freezer and process it in literally 2 minutes and it's ready to eat. If you should have any leftover, you can either let it melt in the pint container (so it will refreeze evenly), refreeze, and then reprocess it in the machine whenever you want, or, you can put it into any container you have, refreeze, and just let it sit out for a minute or two before eating it with no need to use the machine. It may not 'look' as good, but it certainly will taste as good (**note that if you do this you should do it in individual serving sizes because when it refreezes it's hard as a rock and probably won't scoop out of your container like commercial ice cream will). Just be certain that if you refreeze the recipe in the Ninja pint container that it refreezes such that the top of it is level (as all recipes should be). Otherwise you can damage the blade of the machine. As far as cleaning, I get what people say about the lid. It doesn't come apart to clean and has working parts inside that can be exposed to the ingredients. I haven't had it happen that I can tell, and I just don't see it as a big issue, unless you're letting the lid sit around for hours with stuff drying up on it. I immediately rinse mine, and after eating I soak the lid for a bit, rinse it well and let it dry. It's definitely not a deal breaker for me, and I'm pretty sure if any microscopic bits do get in there I'll survive it just fine. That said, I think Ninja could create a sealed unit that would make everyone happier. Otherwise, cleaning is a breeze. The pint container and lid/blade are the only things that need washing; I think they're dishwasher safe but I hand wash mine. If the machine holds up over time, I give it 5+ stars. Follow the instructions & recipes from Ninja kitchen before you experiment on your own and I think you'll be happy with this purchase. Read more

If you love frozen treats, stop what you're doing and get the Ninja CREAMi. The XL Capacity is perfect for making family-sized batches (and the two included 24 oz. tubs are a huge bonus), meaning everyone can get exactly what they crave. I've made everything from rich, creamy ice cream and tangy sorbets to thick, perfect milkshakes and even decadent "lite" ice creams using protein powder. The texture is consistently smooth and professional-quality, even with challenging ingredients. The "Mix-in" feature is a dream for adding crushed cookies or candies right at the end. It's straightforward to use, surprisingly easy to clean, and the results are infinitely better and more customizable than anything you can buy pre-made. This is more than just an appliance; it's a license to create healthy, delicious, and perfectly textured frozen treats right in your own kitchen. Read more

This is now the third time in my life I've tried a home ice cream maker. Well, third time is the charm! This machine is AMAZING! The chocolate hazelnut gelato you see pictured above is made with skim milk and sweetened with allulose, making it low calorie while still completely delicious and creamy. How the machine gets skim milk so creamy I have no idea! It's even better if you use a little half and half. The pint I made tonight was 315 calories for the whole pint, and it has exactly what I want in it. I hate all other non-sugar sweeteners, and I prefer not to have tons of fat and sugar. Here are the advantages of the Creami over my discarded ice cream makers of the past: --it seems to be nearly fool proof. You won't always get a great result if you're just winging it, but you do generally end up with actual ice cream. In the other ice cream makers, if you got the proportions wrong, it would sometimes not really freeze or it would get icy. --It's so much easier to get the ice cream out and to clean! The ice cream maker I had with a compressor was such a pain--you had to get the ice cream out around the paddle, or dig the paddle out of the ice cream, and invariably you end up making a mess. The Creami pints are so much easier to deal with. Even the lid, which is a little more annoying, is pretty easy to clean once you know what to do. (Read the manual, even though you have to go online to get it--it's important to take out the rubber gasket and clean under it.) --It doesn't matter if you have leftovers that freeze hard as a rock. We never enjoyed eating ice cream from our other makers on the next day, because they always hardened so much in the freezer. (And you had to make so much we always had leftovers.) With the Creami, if the leftovers freeze hard, you can just process them again and have just as good an experience the next day. The only real downsides I can see are 1) you have to wait 24 hours for your pint to freeze before you can make it into ice cream, and 2) the horrendous noise the machine makes. It's seriously loud, and the sound changes in alarming ways as the blade makes its way down and back up. The first few times I ran it, I was afraid something was going to break or blow up or something. I am now starting to get used to it and know the weird noises are normal. Dealing with the racket is totally worth it! If you've tried an ice cream maker before and decided it wasn't worth the hassle, give this one a try. It's wonderful! Read more