I love trying different flavors (whether it's a viral TikTok product or something as unique as Jeni's Everything Bagel ice cream). The thing is, I wouldn't say I like shelling out big bucks for a singular pint. (Doesn't anyone like that?) So when I walked past the Ninja™ Creami™ ice cream machine ($199, originally $229) at amazon, I immediately backed away, realizing that this might be the answer to paying $10 for fancy ice cream at my nearest Whole Foods. Noticing that the Ninja Creamy was on sale, I did a Google search on my phone and was delighted to see that it had excellent five-star reviews. I needed to understand the hype, so I bought it and put it to the test. I'm sharing my experience of using this ice cream maker for the first time with photos and lots of mouth-watering details.
What I like about this ice cream maker
What I like about this ice cream maker, for starters, is that it is compact. It's tall, sure, but not wide or bulky, which saves a lot of counter space. But the most significant advantage is that it's as easy to use as the brand claims. It comes with a booklet containing over 15 recipes for ice cream, "lite" ice cream, sorbet, and milkshakes. After looking at all the options, the low-fat vanilla chocolate chip ice cream caught my eye. The hardest part was gathering the ingredients, and even that was a breeze. The recipe only called for four: fat-free half-and-half, stevia cane sugar mix, vanilla extract, and sugar-free mini chocolate chips. Here's what the process looked like from start to finish:
1. Gather the ingredients
Below, look at all the ingredients I used to make the chocolate mentioned above chip ice cream.
2. Whisk the ingredients to create the base
The next step, per the instructions, was to mix all of the ingredients (except for the chocolate chips, which are considered a mixture and added later in the process) in a medium bowl until the sugar was dissolved. Then, I let the mixture sit for five minutes, so the foam disappeared.
3. Pour the mixture into an empty "Creami" pint
I carefully poured the mixture into one of the two pitchers with the machine. Then I secured it with the included storage lid and stored it upright in the freezer for 24 hours.
4. Churn the ice cream, then stir in the chocolate chips.
Once the 24 hours were up, I removed the lid from the pint containing the frozen base, placed it in the "outer bowl," and closed it with the "outer bowl lid." Once it was locked, I pressed "Lite Ice Cream," which within 90 seconds turned the base into supermarket-worthy ice cream.
Next, the recipe says to "create a 1.5-inch wide hole that reaches the bottom of the pint," but that wasn't easy because the ice cream texture was relatively soft. I took a chance and poured in the chocolate chips without making a hole (spoiler alert: it still turned out fantastic).
Next, I put the "outer bowl" back on the pint and repeated the lock-in process, but this time I selected "Mix-in" instead of "Lite Ice Cream." I'm happy to reveal that it still mixed the chocolate chips well, although I recommend trying to punch a hole in the ice cream as advised, if possible.
5. Serve!
Not to be too dramatic, but I couldn't help but smile after diving into this ice cream. While I expected this ice cream maker to meet my expectations based on its five stars, it exceeded them - and I'm sure it will do the same for you as well.
What's Worth Noting
This ice cream maker is undeniably expensive, but that's because of its competitive features. For example: unlike competing brands, you don't have to freeze the ice cream maker's footprint 24 hours before making ice cream. Instead, you must freeze the base (the essential ingredients of the recipes) for at least 24 hours before you can turn it into an ice cream texture. Another nice feature is the presets, such as those for ice cream or smoothie bowls.
My only complaint about this machine is that it is undeniably loud. I don't have a problem with this, but some may find it distracting.
Does this ice cream maker work best for you?
This ice cream maker is great for ice cream lovers of all kinds. My fiancé and I are very excited to create healthy ice cream alternatives that don't cost $10 a pint. After devouring our vanilla chocolate chip ice cream, we decided to get a little more creative with a can of pineapple (leaving the juice on). We proceeded the same way as with our original cream-based ice cream and were surprised to see that the result was like a gourmet sorbet. We expected the texture to be fibrous, but it was just the opposite: decadent, creamy (despite the lack of cream), and just plain delicious.
Additional details
This machine has seven functions designed for ice cream, sorbet, milkshakes, and desserts.
