Ninja CREAMi and similar machines

You freeze the base in a tub into a solid block, and the machine shaves and whips it into a cream in two minutes. Excellent for single portions, different flavours and healthier recipes.

The Ninja CREAMi and similar machines work in a completely different way from a classic ice cream maker. They do not churn the base while it freezes — first you freeze it in a tub into a hard block, and then the machine shaves it with a sharp blade and whips it into a cream in two minutes. It is the home equivalent of the professional Pacojet used by restaurants.

How it works

You pour the base into a container (tub), close it and freeze it for 24 hours. You put the frozen block into the machine. A rotating blade gradually bores down from the top, shaving thin layers off the block while working air into them. Ninja calls this process “Creamify”. The professional Pacojet works the same way: it shaves a base frozen at −22 °C with a blade spinning at 2,000 revolutions per minute without thawing it.

Competing machines on the Slovak and Czech market use the same principle, for example the Tefal Dolci and the Sencor SIC 5050WS Gelateria.

Step by step

1. Make the base and pour it into the tub no higher than the MAX line. Less is fine; more is not.
2. Freeze it for 24 hours with the lid on, on a level surface. If the tub freezes at an angle, the blade will hit a “hill”. The freezer should be at roughly −13 to −22 °C; this is the range the manufacturer gives for processing.
3. Take out the tub and process it straight away: put it into the outer bowl, fit the lid with the blade and choose a program (e.g. Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Gelato, Sorbet).
4. Processing takes 1–2.5 minutes. The tester measured 1 min 46 s for the Ice Cream program.
5. Check the texture. If it is crumbly or powdery, run Re-spin — once, sometimes twice.
6. Add mix-ins with the Mix-in program: use a spoon to dig a hole about 4 cm wide in the centre, all the way to the bottom, put the pieces in and start the program.

So the active work takes a few minutes, but you need to plan a day ahead.

Capacity

Spare tubs can be bought separately, but not all of them are interchangeable between models — check which model they are made for when buying.

What kind of ice cream it makes

According to measurements by an independent tester (Ice Cream Science), the ice cream is at roughly −9.7 °C after processing, with an overrun of around 20 %. It is dense, with very small crystals — with a good recipe, one of the finest textures you can achieve at home.

The catch is the recipe. According to the tester, some of the no-cook recipes from the manual give dry, crumbly and unpleasantly cold ice cream, and greasy ice cream when the fat content is high. With a very cold freezer the base comes out powdery and cannot do without a Re-spin.

The CREAMi is particularly strong with lighter recipes: less sugar, less fat, more protein. It has the Lite program for these, and the Swirl model also has CreamiFit. It suits cream ice cream, gelato, sorbet and frozen yogurt. Try protein ice cream with tvaroh (quark) and skyr, reduced-sugar vanilla ice cream or pistachio gelato.

How to adapt a recipe

• Sugar: the recipe should be a little sweeter than for a classic ice cream maker. You can replace part of the sugar with dextrose, which lowers the freezing point almost twice as much as ordinary sugar — the ice cream will be less crumbly.
• Fat: at most around 16 % of the base. Above that, the fat clumps as the blade whips it and the ice cream feels greasy.
• Light recipes: with low fat and sugar, add a little thickener (guar gum, xanthan gum) and expect to re-spin.
• Fruit: do not put loose pieces of frozen fruit in the tub. Blend the fruit first and freeze it as part of the block.

Maintenance and hygiene

• Remove the blade from the lid before washing.
• Rinse the openings in the lid thoroughly — remnants of the base collect in them.
• Tubs, lids and the blade can go in the dishwasher on the top rack. With the Swirl model, the dispensing parts too.
• Handle the blade with care; it is very sharp.

Typical mistakes

• Base frozen for too short a time (less than 24 hours): the manufacturer requires a full day of freezing; a shorter time gives a worse result.
• Filling above the MAX line: the manual explicitly forbids it.
• Tub frozen at an angle: the blade hits the raised edge of the block.
• Hard loose add-ins before processing: ice cubes, whole nuts, loose frozen fruit. The manual forbids them — they belong in the Mix-in program.
• Unbalanced recipe: without enough sugar and solids, the ice cream will be crumbly even after a Re-spin.

What to look for when buying

• Tub size: basic models have 473 ml, the Deluxe about 710 ml. For a family, a larger tub is more practical.
• Programs: they vary by model and country. For a recipe, the program your machine has always applies.
• Number of tubs included and the price of spares.
• Freezer space: each flavour needs its own tub standing level in the freezer.
• Noise: processing is short but loud.

Approximate prices as of 9/2026

The lowest offers on zbozi.cz and heureka.sk in September 2026; prices change quickly.

Overall, expect roughly CZK 4,600–8,400 (€195–370).

Safety

The blade is sharp; handle it carefully when removing and washing it. Only run the machine with the tub and lid correctly fitted. Do not put ice or the hard pieces the manual forbids into the tub.