Once you start the CREAMi Deluxe it now asks you to select whether you’re processing the top half, bottom half, or full pint. From there you rotate the dial to select which program you want and press the dial to start the machine. One helpful convenience is that the Deluxe will tell you how many minutes a program will take before you run it and then count down the number of minutes left as it runs. By contrast, the original CREAMi had a simple four step progress indicator that let you know approximately how close the CREAMi was to being done but not how much actual time was left. Ninja Creami Deluxe (left) counts down the minutes for a program while the original Ninja Creami (right) does not Upgrading to the Ninja CREAMi Breeze may be worth it if you have a small kitchen and want to save valuable kitchen counter space. With the Ninja CREAMi Breeze, you get all the features of the 7-in-1, but with a smaller footprint. Last year, Ninja came out with the CREAMi Deluxe (NC501), which promises more features and larger capacity. More recently, Ninja released the Ninja CREAMi Breeze 7-in-1 (NC201), which promises to be more space efficient. The Ninja CREAMi Breeze also comes in a 5-in-1 version. But is it really worth upgrading to these new Ninja CREAMi models? Ninja has made four different versions of the popular CREAMi ice cream maker since it was first released on National Ice Cream Day in July 2021.

Frozen Yogurt: While folks have used yogurt in the original CREAMi with good results, this program is custom tuned for making frozen yogurt from store-bought yogurts. Design-wise it’s a weird one. It looks a lot like a classic filter coffee machine and, as such, it’s a tad bulky. It measures 16.5 x 27 x 40.5cm (WDH) so you’ll need a lot of vertical space above it, and you’ll probably want to avoid lugging it around too much as it weighs nearly 6.5kg. If you do have the space though, it’s a good-looking machine and one you’ll be happy to have on display. Slushi: This program is designed for turning sweetened and fruity-flavored water into a drinkable frozen dessert. Unlike Italian Ice, which is scoopable, a slushie is designed to be sippable.As you can tell from the image above, one consequence of the larger capacity is that pints, blades, lids, and bowls are larger and, unfortunately, not interchangeable between the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe and those of older models. This is important if you’ve already invested in purchasing extra Ninja CREAMi pint containers. A less obvious but important incompatibility is that most recipes you’ll find online were written for the original CREAMi’s 16 ounce pints. You can still use those recipes unchanged in the Deluxe but they won’t fill the Deluxe’s 24-ounce pints which defeats one of the Deluxe’s signature benefits. If you want to adapt a regular CREAMi recipe to fill a Deluxe pint, you’ll need to multiply the ingredients by 1.5. We’ve updated all of our Ninja Creami recipes to have a 1.5x button to make the recipes easier to adapt, as seen in the image below. READ NEXT: Best freestanding dishwashers Ninja Creami Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Maker review: What could be improved? One last thing to note about the Creami is that it’s easy to clean. The blades detach from the lid with relative ease and these, along with all the other detachable parts are dishwasher-safe. Even if you don’t own a dishwasher, the parts are still very easy to clean by hand. So, the bottom line is if you don't already own a Ninja CREAMi then it's definitely worth spending a little more to get the Ninja CREAMi Deluxe.

Italian Ice: This program turns sweetened, fruit-flavored water like lemonade into scoopable, frozen Italian Ice.

The names “5-in-1”, “7-in-1”, and “11-in-1” refer to the number of one-touch programs the model supports. For example, the 5-in-1 has 5 programs for different types of functions: Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Sorbet, Milkshake, and Mix-in. The 7-in-1 added new programs for Gelato and Smoothie Bowl to the original 5. The 11-in-1 adds programs for Frozen Yogurt, Creamiccino, Frozen Drink, Slushie, and Italian Ice to the CREAMi’s repertoire while removing the Smoothie Bowl program. For most of this review, we’ll be comparing the Deluxe 11-in-1 to the 7-in-1 since the 7-in-1 is the most common model at the time of writing and it’s also the other model of CREAMi we own. One of the common surprises with the CREAMi is how loud it gets when processing a pint. To our ears, the Deluxe does sound slightly different than the original CREAMi but both seem equally loud. Which Ninja CREAMi Should You Buy? In the Deluxe model, Ninja removed the Smoothie Bowl (personally, our least used feature, so will not be missed) and added 5 new programs: Another issue is that the Deluxe version is a little taller as you can see in the image below, although it still fits under the cabinets on our counter. This ease of use means it’s not only good for beginners but that it’s less likely to end up gathering dust on your counter because it’s too much effort. What’s more, with three tubs included in the box, it’s really easy to make ice cream in bulk and store in the fridge for several weeks to enjoy – Ninja recommends you store it for no longer than two weeks but we got away with longer without seeing too much crystal formation.

The Ninja CREAMi 5-in-1 (sometimes labeled NC300) is hard to find and often sold with a steep discount. I love my Ninja CREAMi. It makes homemade ice cream making a breeze! Not only is it easy to use, but it creates a dense and creamy texture that I have not been able to replicate on other consumer ice cream makers. In our opinion the Ninja CREAMi is a must-have device for keto and low-carb ice cream fans. The Ninja CREAMi Deluxe adds a lot of refinement and conveniences to the original but none of them are must-haves. Operating the Deluxe is very similar to the original CREAMi with only slight changes. For example, the process of inserting the outer bowl into the CREAMi is easier. Instead of inserting the bowl diagonally as you had to do with the original CREAMi, on the Deluxe the insertion is straight from the front. One wonders if this change was inspired by the on-air QVC situation where the hosts had issues inserting the bowl, but it’s easy to get the hang of the insertion process on the original once you’ve tried it a few times.The Deluxe model also makes more ice cream per batch. Instead of the 16 ounce pints of the original model, the Deluxe model makes ice cream in 24 ounce containers that Ninja refers to as “Deluxe pints” (even though a pint is technically 16 ounces). The Ninja CREAMi is essentially a Pacojet at a tenth the cost and designed for occasional use in the home. The Pacojet was designed for use in a professional kitchen like a restaurant where durability and reliability during repeated constant use are important.