By estherdidsang@gmail.com 
CNET’s key takeaways
- The seven-in-one Ninja Creami is my favorite frozen dessert maker because of its size, versatility and overall value.
- After testing newer Ninja dessert makers, the seven-in-one still beats them.
- The only drawback is that you have to freeze your pint of ingredients the night before spinning them into deliciousness, so plan ahead.
There’s one thing I look forward to most nights, and that’s a little sweet treat. With the sweltering heat we’ve been experiencing lately, that treat must be cold, and luckily, my Ninja Creami has the job covered. But even when summer ends, the seven-in-one Ninja Creami remains one of my most-used kitchen appliances.
I received a Ninja Creami last May as a wedding gift, and my husband and I immediately began making frozen treats nearly every night. More than a year later, it’s still one of my favorite kitchen appliances because it’s incredibly easy to use, and just as effortless to clean.
One of my favorite hacks is simply pouring in a can of fruit cocktail, freezing it overnight and spinning it into sorbet the next day. It’s one of the simplest recipes you can make with the machine, but if you want to get a little more creative, a spoonful of pudding mix and a handful of common household ingredients go an incredibly long way, too.
Why I still prefer the Creami over more advanced models
Although newer Creami models have more functions, such as a frappe function on the Ninja Creami XL, I’ve never felt like I was missing anything with what the Creami offers. Its seven functions – ice cream, sorbet, lite ice cream, smoothie bowl, gelato, milkshake and mix-in – cover every dessert I want to make and then some. I especially like the mix-in function, which lets you fold in chunks of cookie dough, fruit, chocolate chips or whatever else you can think up.
I’ve since tested the Ninja Creami Swirl and the Ninja Slushi Twist, and while both machines function well, I prefer the Ninja Creami. Although the Swirl’s soft-serve function is fun, especially for birthday parties or group events, it isn’t a strong enough draw to justify the storage space needed for the larger machine in my already cramped kitchen.
The same can be said for the Slushi Twist. It can make up to 144 ounces of frozen drinks at once and would be a great appliance to have for summer parties, but for a two-person household, that’s much more capacity than I need. The Ninja Creami, on the other hand, is compatible with 16-ounce containers.
The Creami also has a much more appealing price. While the Swirl costs around $350 and the Slushi Twist starts at around $400, you can often find the Creami for around $200 at certain retailers.
The sweet spot
In my eyes, the Creami is still the gold standard for dessert makers thanks to its size, versatility and price. The only upgrade I’d even consider is swapping my standard silver model for one of the five new fun colors that the brand recently released. I mean, have you seen how gorgeous the plum version is?
Regardless, after consistently using my Creami for more than a year and testing newer Ninja dessert makers, I still haven’t had the desire to replace it, and I don’t think I ever will.
But that doesn’t mean I’m saying Ninja should stop trying to top it, because I, for one, will happily keep testing each and every one to compare them to my tried-and-true, seven-in-one Creami.
