[Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with Very.co.uk]
As ever, I’m late to the party on the Ninja Creami hype. Later than usual, given it’s now got a successor in the form of the Ninja Creami Deluxe. A quick look online and you’ll find a gazillion Ninja Creami Deluxe recipes, from Ninja Creami Deluxe smoothie bowls to Ninja Creami Deluxe ice cream recipes.
I guess one excuse might be that I’m often hunting for the healthier option and spent most of 2024 on a super strict bodybuilding diet – but it turns out the Ninja Creami Deluxe might have been the answer to all my prayers. Not only is it the go-to for a hell of a lot of bodybuilders for healthy frozen protein-heavy treats. There are also a tonne of other options, from frozen yogurt to vegan desserts.
Still, gadgets always have me a bit sceptical, so I’m here to give you the full lowdown on whether the Ninja Creami Deluxe is indeed the answer to our dessert dreams, or style over substance and another gadget that will clog up your worktop and never get used.
What features does the Ninja Creami Deluxe have?
In short, a fair few. According to Ninja, its ‘advanced Creamify Technology’ allows it to turn all sorts of ingredients into everything from smooth, creamy ice cream to sorbet, gelato, milkshakes, smoothie bowls, and more (as I discovered).
Back in the day, before ice cream machines, making ice cream meant making up custard then having to visit it in the freezer every hour to stir it and break up the ice crystals. Labour intensive for sure. Then ice cream makers arrived, simplifying things slightly, but it still took a fair while to churn the mixture.
The Ninja Creami Deluxe changes all that. You make up your mix, freeze it for 24 hours, and its thick blade churns the mix into ice cream in literally minutes. Game-changing, as its popularity proves.
It also doesn’t stop at ice cream. It’s got 12 one-touch programs, which means as well as making gelatos and sorbets too, but allows you to mix in extra bits and bobs – think chocolate chip ice cream, sorbets with extra fruits in them.
You can customise the consistency to get your creation to exactly how you want it. There are also ‘drinkable’ settings, so you can turn ice creams into milkshakes, sorbets into slushies, and all sorts, and you can even customise the consistency of.
And let’s not forget the healthy side of this gadget too, with options to make lite ice creams, frozen yoghurt, and the aforementioned protein alternatives that I’m most excited about.
Basically, it’s a versatile old gadget, and far more than a bogstandard ice cream machine.
How to use Ninja Creami Deluxe
Like most Ninja products, once you’ve used it once the Ninja Creami Deluxe is fairly easy to get to grips with. The important thing to know is that you need to freeze your mix for 24 hours before churning, so if you’re planning some kind of ice cream feast or treat you need to be prepared.
Mixing up the mixture is pretty easy and it comes with a book containing plenty of recipes, or you can find a bucketload of easy Ninja Creami Deluxe recipes online. Then it’s simple a case of freezing it in one of the three containers that the Creami comes with.
Wait 24 hours then you pop it in the machine, scroll to the setting you want, and watch the blade work its magic. There are all sorts of ways you can play around with it, adding ‘add ins’ – choc chips, fruit, cookies and similar stuff – or adding milk to turn ice cream into milkshake. There’s also a ‘re-spin’ button which allows you to make it even smoother if it’s a bit too crumbly for your liking.
In short, it’s pretty easy to use and after a few goes you’ll find you don’t really need the instruction manual and can just play around with various settings.
Perhaps the only downside is it’s not a quiet machine while churning. But let’s be honest – that takes a matter of minutes so it’s no big deal. And worth it for ice cream that’s easily as smooth as shop-bought stuff, and probably far healthier given there will be way less preservatives and additives in it.
What can you make with the Ninja Creami Deluxe?
As mentioned above, there’s a whole lot of fun to be had with the Ninja Creami Deluxe – for adults, kids and the whole family.
Someone suggested to me that a Ninja Creami would only really be a hit with kids, and I hasten to disagree. Since when did anyone grow out of loving ice cream? And since you can pimp stuff up with the Ninja Creami Deluxe, or go for a more healthy option, it means you can make crowd-pleasing desserts and drinks all year round, for whoever fancies them.
For our first go, we opted for simple chocolate and vanilla ice creams, then pimped them up with the ‘add-ins’ option – adding choc chips to the vanilla and Oreos to the chocolate. As slight sceptics given the 24-hour advance you need to create ice cream at home, we confess to being impressed by the sheer level of creaminess this thing manages to produce.
We also turned some of the chocolate ice cream into an easy chocolate milkshake which Jamie has decided may even rival a Maccies milkshake, and I’ve got my eye on some other ice cream flavours – especially a strawberry version which might be perfect for summer. You could also go bougee with a savoury ice cream to accompany a starter if you were entertaining – one for my list!
Since we’d tried one of the ‘drinkables’, it seemed wrong not to embrace the adult possibilities, so decided to create a Ninja Creami Deluxe G&T slushi. Possibly the easiest thing ever – freeze gin and tonic (the pre-canned stuff or homemade), then 24 hours later, pop it in on the slushi setting, and you’ve got a great cocktail for spring or summer. I’m sold.
Next on my list are some protein creamis, which I hear you can make super simply using protein, water and Xanthum gum. Watch this space and my social media for the results!
The verdict on the Ninja Creami Deluxe and where to get it
Like most Ninja products, the Ninja Creami is designed well, does exactly what it says on the tin, and has a sleek efficiency that probably explains why it’s becoming ‘the’ go-to brand in kitchen appliances.
If you’re looking for a gadget to make great ice cream and frozen treats, either indulgent or healthy, this is not just easy but really does do its job well. I was endlessly impressed by how smooth it gets things, from creamy ice cream to super-smooth slushies.
It’s versatile, easy to clean, easy to use, and will undoubtedly inject a bit of fun into your kitchen – whether you’re catering for adults or feeding a family.
You can buy the Ninja Creami Deluxe as well as the Ninja Slushi from Very.co.uk,
