The Ninja Creami is popularly known as a delicious ice cream maker – but that’s not all it can create. From a variety of gelatos, milkshakes, sorbets and smoothies, the Ninja Creami makes creating your favourite frozen desserts easy.
If you’re wondering how to make ice cream at home with the Ninja Creami, below you can learn how it works and all the exciting choices that come with it. Whether you’re making dessert with the family or feel like a solo treat – read on, for a range of recipes.
How does the Ninja Creami work?
The Ninja Creami remains simple to use - while the recipes you choose can be as complex as you want. We’ll breakdown how to use a Ninja Creami to create frozen treats below.
- Place your ingredients of choice into a CREAMi tub.
- If you’re making a frozen treat (i.e. ice cream, sorbet or frozen smoothie), the tub will need to be placed in your freezer for 24 hours prior.
- The tub is then placed in an outer bowl and the outer bowl lid with the Creamerizer paddle is placed on top and locked in place.
- Place the bowl into your Ninja Creami.
- Turn the Ninja Creami on and select your program of choice. This can be ice cream, lite ice cream, sorbet, milkshake or mix-in.
- Once complete, remove the outer bowl.
- Take off the lid and remove the CREAMi tub from the bowl.
- Enjoy your creamy treat!
How is the Ninja Creami different to an ice cream maker?
Like a lot of Ninja appliances, the Ninja Creami is unique in the way it operates and the recipes it can create. The obvious difference being that the Ninja Creami makes more than only ice cream. Below, we’ve listed what sets it apart from your usual ice cream maker.
1. Variety of choices
It’s in the name - ice cream makers are only focused on ice cream, while your Ninja Creami can also make sorbet, smoothies, gelatos and milkshakes. The ‘mix in’ option allows you to add toppings to your creations – with complete ease. More options mean you can satisfy your cravings and have more flexibility in creating recipes for your next event or get together. You also have the option of creating
healthy, guilt free frozen treats – whether that be dairy-free or protein focused for an everyday desert.
2. Creates multiple recipes in one go
When learning how to make ice cream at home, an ice cream maker is usually limited to one large mixing bowl, allowing you to make one to two litres of ice cream. This is great if you want a large batch but is not ideal when serving people with different tastes and dietary requirements. On the other hand, the Ninja Creami comes with three CREAMi tubs, so more people can enjoy their preferred dessert and flavours.
3. Convenience
Once you’ve discovered how to use an ice cream maker, you’ll realise the one inconvenience – freezing your creation. With the Ninja Creami, you must freeze all ingredients in a CREAMi tub – rather than a usual mixing bowl. Placing ingredients into a CREAMi tub does make the process easier, as the mixing bowl alternative would require multiple adjustments and refreezes.
The Ninja Creami is also smaller than most ice cream makers, and because it also acts as a blender, you save on bench space.
4. Easier to clean
Part of knowing how to use a Ninja Creami is cleaning it, and you’ll be glad to know that the CREAMi tubs, Creamerizer paddle, outer bowl and lids are all dishwasher friendly. If you don’t have access to a dishwasher, the same components can be cleaned in a sink, and your appliance can be wiped down with a clean, damp cloth.
Weekly treats you can make with the Ninja Creami
You already know how versatile the Ninja Creami is, now it’s time to enjoy it. At Ninja Kitchen, there are a range of recipes you can enjoy with each kitchen appliance. There’s also room to get creative with a range of tasty and unique recipe ideas out there to enjoy.
Ahead, discover an assortment of frozen treats you can enjoy with the Ninja Creami.
Ice cream
While the Ninja Creami does perform other functions – it is known for being an
excellent ice cream maker. With the in-built ‘ice cream’ and ‘lite ice cream’ function, you can create both sugar free, low calorie, protein and keto ice cream – while also creating more traditional ice cream flavours. Here’s how to make our famous death by chocolate ice cream.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese
- 67g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 180g heavy cream
- 240g whole milk
- 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons of brownie chunks
To make:
- Mix together your cream cheese, cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla in a microwave safe bowl.
- Mix in the heavy cream and milk until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a CREAMi tub and place in the freezer for 24 hours.
- Place your tub into your Ninja Creami and select ‘ice cream’.
- Once finished, place the chocolate chips and brownie chunks in the tub and select ‘mix-in’.
Sorbet
Perfect for cooling off on a summer’s day, a Ninja Creami sorbet is a refreshing and bright option. Sorbet is great when learning how to use a Ninja Creami, as the ingredients are minimal. Learn how to make coconut pineapple sorbet below.
Ingredients:
- 280g frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 small frozen ripe banana
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
- 250ml light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons of agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons of grated ginger
To make:
- Place all ingredients in a CREAMi tub, you may have to push the ingredients down with the back of a utensil.
- Place the tub in your Ninja Creami and press ‘sorbet’.
Smoothie bowls and smoothies
Smoothies are all about achieving a balanced texture. Use the ‘smoothie bowl’ function to create healthy mixtures that you can top with fresh fruit, nuts and yoghurt. Follow the steps ahead to make an acai berry bowl.
Ingredients:
- 100ml of acai puree
- 200g of frozen mixed berries
- 100ml of almond milk
- Sweetener of choice
To make:
- Place all ingredients into a CREAMi tub.
- Place your tub into your Ninja Creami and select ‘smoothie bowl’.
Gelato
Like ice cream, but more decadent. The difference between gelato and ice cream is that gelato will usually include egg yolk, and equal parts cream and milk, making the flavour extra rich. To wow the crowd, try this raspberry and basil gelato.
Ingredients:
- 355ml of plant-based milk
- 76 grams of raspberries
- 1 teaspoon of basil (chopped)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
To make:
- Place ingredients in a CREAMi and combine.
- Freeze the tub for 24 hours.
- Place your tub in your Ninja Creami and select ‘gelato’.
Milkshakes
Milkshakes are an awesome comfort food and can be made as thick as you like – depending on your ingredients. Many milkshake recipes include ice cream in the recipe, so you may have to learn how to make ice cream at home first. Here’s the instructions for a classic strawberry milkshake.
Ingredients:
- 100g of strawberries
- 200ml of milk
- 75g of vanilla ice cream
To make:
- Place all ingredients into a CREAMi tub.
- Place your tub in your Ninja Creami and select ‘milkshake’.
Frozen Yoghurt
If you want even more functionality there is also the Ninja Creami Deluxe, which can also make frozen drinks, slushies, Italian ice and frozen yoghurt. Here’s how to make a blueberry frozen yoghurt with the Ninja Creami Deluxe.
Ingredients:
- 350g of natural yoghurt
- 100g of blueberries
To make:
- Place all ingredients into your CREAMi deluxe tub.
- Freeze for 24 hours.
- Place your tub into your Ninja Creami Deluxe and select ‘frozen yoghurt’.
Learning how to use a Ninja Creami opens you up to all kinds of creamy goodness. And to create even more taste sensations, see Ninja’s full range of blenders and food processors.
