You know I love using kitchen appliances to make my life easier. My latest gadget, the Ninja Creami is the one I go to again and again to make healthy frozen treats.
You can make one-of-a-kind creamy treats made from ingredients that fit in with your dietary requirements with little effort. And I’m talking really good ice cream!
I have been prepping a week’s worth of vegan smoothie bowls at a time, as well as making whole food plant-based ice cream with an amazing creamy texture.
More Ninja Creami & Vegan Frozen Treat Recipes
- Healthy Ninja Creami Dole Whip Recipe – best first recipe to make!
- Vegan Homemade Strawberry Shake Recipe (No Ice Cream Needed!)
- Vegan Frozen Yogurt With Bananas
- Chocolate Pecan Vegan Ice Cream
- Pina Colada Ice Cream
- Banana Avocado Mint Ice Cream – No Ice Cream Maker Needed!
Can you make your own homemade ice cream that’s plant-based?
Of course, you can! I’ve been making plant-based ice cream, sorbet, sherbet, and other compliant treats
I’ve had a Yonana, Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, and even got an ice cream appliance with a compressor to freeze my homemade vegan ice cream. But right now the Ninja Creami is my favorite way to make no fat low sugar treats.
With the Creami you make a recipe in your blender, pour it into a Ninja pint container, freeze for 24 hours, spin it, then eat it!
What is the Ninja Creami ?
The Ninja CREAMi is a kitchen appliance that makes ice cream treats using what they call Ninja Kitchen’s “creamify” technology with a touch of a button.
It comes with a blade attachment that finely shaves the contents of the frozen pint into a very creami treat. You can see that below.
The interface has processing buttons for various frozen treats: Ice Cream, Sorbet, Lite Ice Cream, Smoothie Bowl, Gelato, and Milkshake.
So, basically, you can freeze any smoothie or vegan ice cream mix in one of the special plastic pints for 24 hours, then you can “spin” it into a thick and smooth creamy treat.
I like it better than the Yonnana and the freezer bowl ice cream models. Keep reading for more details on why.
Can I add things into the ice cream after it’s “spun”?
There is also a “mix-in” button that does what you’d expect. To incorporate 1/4 cup of minced nuts or cookies into your dessert:
- make a tunnel in the middle of the pint and drop your favorite mix-in
- then reassemble the pint in the outer bowl with the outer lid locked
- and lock into the main machine
- press the mix in button
- then enjoy!
Should you buy the Ninja Creami?
The Ninja Creami impressed me with its wide range of recipes, the ability to work on numerous recipes at once, and how quickly it turns frozen ingredients into ice cream and frozen desserts.
The ‘Creamerizer Paddle’ does not churn but rather shaves ingredients so finely that it creates a very smooth consistency. It’s not conventional but it works.
If you get frustrated, like I do, cleaning up a mess in your food processor or Yonnana, the Creami is a no-brainer.
I have made dozens of pints and I would whole-heartedly buy it again.
Why Is the ice cream so smooth?
Ninja creami ice cream is the perfect texture from the shaving blade being run through the pint. It actually make the ice crystals smaller than a regular ice cream maker. THe blade starts at the top of the pint and it spins all the way down.
It was first released in July 2021.
Once a pint is frozen for 24 hours it only takes mere minutes to spin it into creamy vegan ice cream.
You can, but you would have to fill up the container with nondairy milk. There can be no spaces and it’s not my first choice because it can put extra wear on your machine.
It’s better to blend the frozen fruit with the rest of your ingredients or let it thaw out and mash it in the pint.
Instead of blending from the bottom, a blade shaves the frozen block from the top. So it’s not like a blender at all.
It is loud, about like a Vitamix, but it only processes for 2 to 3 minutes at a time.
Is the Ninja Creami worth it?
It costs between $159 – 229 depending on the model, where you buy it, and how many pint containers come with it. (Hint: you want at least 2 to 3, but you can buy extras to add to your collection later.)
The machine requires advanced preparation and planning, but it’s a great way to create rich flavors without fat and make your own ice cream that can even include your favorite mix-ins.
Advance prep looks like throwing things in a blender to mashing bananas in a pint, so it’s much less intimidating than it sounds. Planning is freezing it 24 hours before you spin it, but you can batch prep for the week!
I love the way that Ninja Creami transforms basic ingredients into scoopable frozen treats and you have total control of your ingredients. That means they can easily be oil-free and low sugar or you can use unrefined sugars like dates, maple syrup, or coconut sugar.
Pros
What I love most about the Ninja Creami is just how creami and ice cream-like it makes no added oil and low or no sugar added frozen scoops.
Since you aren’t refreezing it like a regular ice cream machine it doesn’t freeze hard as a rock. And if you don’t eat the whole pint, you can smooth the top and put it back into the freezer to spin another time.
- Ice cream comes out ready to eat
- Easy clean-up – can use the top shelf of your dishwasher even!
- Can batch prep, so you can choose from multiple flavors.
- No waiting to spin another pint or flavor.
Cons
Honestly, none of these cons keep this from being my new favorite appliance. But your mileage may vary.
The biggest complaint on the Amazon reviews is that you have to freeze the ice cream in the pints for 24 hours. But you have to either freeze the container or chill the mixture no matter what ice cream method you are using.
- The machine is loud when spinning, but it’s only for about 3 minutes.
- It does take some trial and error to make your own recipes, but I’ve done some of that for you!
- You need to plan ahead to freeze your recipe for 24 hours.
What Do You Get inside the box?
Once your Ninja Creami arrives and you open the box, you should find:
- The main Creami Machine or motorized base with cord
- an outer bowl to put your pint in to process it
- an outer bowl lid that holds the metal paddle
- creamerizer paddle
- 1 – 3 or more pints and lids depending on the package you buy
In addition to the machine, it also comes with a recipe booklet and a quick start guide. Just be aware that the vegan ice creams included are not fat or sugar free, but I will be adding tons of healthy recipes here!
Easy Steps to set up and use your Ninja Creami the first time:
Then you can choose a recipe from the Creami cookbook or make my simple 2-ingredient Vegan Dole Whip that I think taste better than Disney’s.
My choice would be to simply fill the pint with crushed pineapple in juice to the max fill line, or mash ripe bananas in it with some unsweetened nondairy milk and a teaspoon of vanilla extract, powder, or vanilla bean paste to reach the max fill line.
Top with the included lid and freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Note: it’s really important to not have the pint tilted as it will cause problems with the machine.
- Then when you are ready to enjoy it, take the lid off the pint container.
- Sometimes the top will not be level and have a hump. I just use a tablespoon to scrape it off and then smooth to level it.
- Place the pint into the outer bowl with the handle so that the parts fit tightly. This keeps the pint in place as the blade spins.
- Put the outer lid on tight and listen for it to lock. You may have to jiggle it a bit to get it lined up, but the machine will not work if the lid is not locked on.
- Now place the pint setup into the main base, starting with the handle to the front. It will catch to the side and as you turn it to the right, it will raise up and lock-in with an audible click.
- Turn on the machine, then pick the setting the recipe recommends. For the banana or pineapple, you can use smoothie or sorbet setting.You will see a series of dashed lines appear as it starts.
- There are 4 and they show the progression of the blade. The 4th one blinking means that the blade is coming back up into the machine.
- It will take 2 -3 minutes and will be fairly loud.Take the outer bowl out and remove the lid.
- Does it look like powder? You need to respin it again on the same setting. You can even add in a little nondairy milk if needed.
- Once it’s creamy, use a scoop to pile it up in an ice cream dish or cone and enjoy!
Should I buy extra pints?
You can purchase additional Ninja pint containers so you always have a frozen pint ready to spin whenever a craving might hit you. Or you might just like having different flavors to pick from when you want a frozen treat.
I, of course, have way too many because I’m working on a cookbook, but I think you should have a few extras that you pick up when they are on sale.
Right now the 4 pack of pints on Amazon is the cheapest that I’ve seen them.
What kind of RECIPES can I make In the NINJA CREAMI?
You can make smoothie bowls, sorbets, vegan ice cream with different bases like oats, nuts, non-dairy milk or creamers, or even fruit or vegetables like ripe bananas or cooked sweet potato.
There’s no need for whole milk, heavy cream, coconut creme or full-fat coconut milk. You can use almond milk, oat milk, or other prepared non-dairy milks or use cooked veggies or ripe fruit as the base.
DO NOT add just water or unsweetened tea without any added nut butter, protein shale mix, or non-dairy milk. Why? It will freeze as solid ice and break your new appliance.
You can also add in 1/4 cup of mix-ins after the first spin and click the mix-in button. Think chocolate chips, nuts, or other vegan options for your favorite mixins.
Another way to enjoy your first day with your Creami is to make a milkshake by adding scoops of store-bought ice cream and nondairy milk to a pint and spin on the milkshake setting.
For smoothie bowls just make your favorite recipes in the blender and then add them to a pint to freeze for the next day or days.
How much plant-based ice cream can I make at a time?
You can only spin one pint at a time, but you can immediately spin another pint after that and another after that… Unlike a regular ice cream makers with a bowl that you keep in the freezer where you can make one recipe and refreeze for the next one.
You do need to freeze your vegan ice cream recipe in one of the specialty Ninja pints for 24 hours before your process it.
The trick is to have extra Creami pints so you can make a week’s worth of smoothie bowls or healthy frozen desserts for the week.
Where can I buy the Ninja Creami?
The Ninja Kitchens website often has sales on the Creami and usually adds the coupon codes right on the page. So check there first for the lowest price.
My next favorite place to get on is Costco if there’s not a sale at Ninja, but you can also grab one on Amazon.
Check your local Target, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, or Kohl’s for sales too.
NINJA CREAMI BUTTONS
Ice Cream: blade moves slow and advances down fast because it expects more fat and sugar.
Sorbet: blade moves fast and advances down slowly because there may be fruit chunks.
Lite Ice Cream-blade moves fast and advances down slowly expects a higher water content, as well as a harder freeze
Smoothie Bowl: blade moves fast and advances down slowly due to thick mixtures of fruit and veggies
Gelato: blade moves slow and advances down fast because it expects egg content plus fat and sugar.
Milkshakes– for scoops of already made ice cream to be mixed with your favorite non-dairy milk
Mix-ins: uses the mixing part of the blade rather than the cutting/shaving blade – this is what side it uses to come out of the pint on the other settings.
Why is my Ninja Creami ice cream crumbly?
It could be one of a few things, but don’t worry it’s easy to fix.
First your freezer might be extra cold. If you don’t want to lower the temp, just pull your pint out 5 to 10 minutes before you spin or run some water over the pint, dry, then spin.
It could also be that you need a little more liquid, like nondairy milk. After the first spin, pour in a few tablespoons and spin again on the same setting you just used.
Some recipes I expect to spin twice, you’ll get your own flow after you’ve used it a few times.
What Do You Do With Ninja CREAMi Leftovers?
Just store back in the freezer AFTER you have smoothed the top level again. Then just spin another day for the perfect consistency again!
How do I clean the Creami?
All the parts are top rack dishwasher safe, but I always hand wash the outer bowl and lid, plus the metal paddle.
I find that if you are not using coconut milk or cream it doesn’t take much effort to handwash the pints either.
Christine says
I would love a healthy vegan coffee ice cream recipe : )