I tested the Ninja Creami to find the best ice cream maker
After I tested the Ninja Creami against its top rivals, the Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl stands out as the best overall ice cream maker for National Ice Cream Day. It delivers ultra-creamy texture in one spin, while the NutriBullet Chill is a strong mid-priced pick and the Cuisinart FastFreeze is the budget option. Homemade soft serve used to mean custard pots, churn time, and a lot of patience. Instant machines have flipped that script, and Mashable senior shopping reporter Samantha Mangino put three of the buzziest models through real kitchen tests so you do not have to guess.
If you are here for nostalgia as much as for gear, this moment sits neatly in our Nostalgia: Then & Now coverage: the old-school ice cream maker has gone from weekend project to freezer-to-pint appliance. According to Mashable’s hands-on roundup, the winners for any occasion are clear.
Key Takeaways
- The Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl is Mashable’s best overall pick after side-by-side home testing.
- The NutriBullet Chill is the also-great alternative for creamy results in a smaller footprint.
- The Cuisinart FastFreeze is the budget pick for tight spaces, though texture trails the leaders.
- All three need pints frozen solid for about 24 hours before processing.
- Instant makers spin a blade through a frozen mix rather than chilling and churning like classic machines.
What happened when testers compared the top ice cream makers?
For National Ice Cream Day, Mangino compared the famed Ninja Creami lineup to the competition after whipping up frozen desserts at home. She has used the Ninja Creami and Ninja Slushi for years and also tried the newer Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl. The goal was simple: find which countertop machine is really worth it in 2026.
Her favorites land in three clear slots. Best overall is the Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl, listed around $279 at Walmart. Also great is the NutriBullet Chill at about $149.99 on Amazon. The budget pick is the Cuisinart FastFreeze, seen near $98.69 on Amazon and described as a fraction of the price of the other two.
That ranking matters because these tools are back on trend as people chase protein-packed desserts and fill TikTok with Creami-style recipes. The review frames them as blender-like machines that break up a frozen base into a fluffy scoop, not as old churners that freeze while they mix.
Which machine won after I tested the Ninja Creami and rivals?
The Scoop and Swirl takes the crown. It builds on Creami tech to process homemade pints of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and fruit whip, then adds a soft-serve dispenser for swirls. Mangino prefers it over the Deluxe Creami after testing both. Ease of use is a standout: mix a base, freeze the pint for 24 hours, then let the blade spin it into a smooth texture.
Texture is the main reason it wins. On chocolate hazelnut frozen yogurt, the Swirl needed only one spin for a light, spreadable result. On the Deluxe, the same style of treat often needed several spins. Mashable also notes ultra-creamy ice cream, dishwasher-safe parts, and simple operation among the upsides.
Trade-offs are real. The machine is still very loud, takes a lot of counter space, and is not built to serve a large crowd. Soft serve also lacks mix-ins on this model. Capacity is 16 ounces, with settings that include soft serve, scoop, ice cream, frozen yogurt, fruit whip, frozen custard, Creamifit, lite ice cream, milkshake, sorbet, and gelato. Prices cited include about $279 at Walmart, $299.95 at Amazon, and $349.99 at Ninja Kitchen.
How do the NutriBullet Chill and Cuisinart FastFreeze compare?
The NutriBullet Chill is called a worthy rival. It makes creamy, smooth ice cream without an icy or watery feel and fits smaller kitchens better than a stand mixer footprint. It includes two 16-ounce pint containers and five presets: ice cream, sorbet, gelato, smoothie bowl, and frozen yogurt. Dairy-free ice cream came out fluffy with no icy texture, and it nailed results on the first pass.
Limits are part of the story. It is the loudest of the three tested. There is no mix-in setting and no re-spin cycle, so a second pass means a full new cycle. Mix-ins must go into the base or be added after processing. Still, Mashable calls it an exciting mid-priced option that is easy to use and clean, with dishwasher-safe parts.
The Cuisinart FastFreeze is the compact, lower-cost path. At roughly $100, it stores easily and even breaks into two pieces for cabinet storage. Processing is unusually fast, but you push the unit down by hand, more like an immersion blender than a set-and-forget Creami. Capacity tops out at 8 ounces, so it is closer to single-serve.
Texture is where it loses. Mashable says results are edible but not as smooth or light, with ice bits as if the mix is not getting enough air. Cleaning is harder too: pints can go in the dishwasher, yet the blade is awkward to hand-wash. Settings include ice cream, sorbet, slushy, milkshake, and mix-ins.
How do these instant ice cream makers actually work?
All three follow the same basic method. You freeze the mix ahead of time, then a blade spins through the solid pint, whipping in air, breaking ice crystals, and creating the soft texture people expect. That is the opposite of a traditional maker, which chills and churns a custard base at the same time so large crystals never form.
Every model on the list needs those pints frozen for 24 hours so they stay solid and do not melt mid-process. Mashable’s testing scored texture first, then versatility across dairy ice cream, dairy-free ice cream or sorbet, and frozen yogurt. Ease of use, cleaning, presets, and overall value rounded out the scorecard.
For National Ice Cream Day shoppers, the practical answer is unchanged from the review’s verdict: buy the Scoop and Swirl if you want the best scoop and soft-serve fun, choose the NutriBullet Chill if you want creamy results for less money and less space, and only go Cuisinart if budget and storage matter more than silkiness.