I won't say any more!

So, in general, I used to make protein ice cream which was delicious BUT its texture was below average, and after a lot of searching I put my hopes in this machine here, and in the end I was justified! The ice cream I make is in no way inferior to store-bought, and I don't mean supermarket but pastry shop quality.

The machine simply gives you the texture, whether the ice cream is tasty or not depends on what you freeze.

Essentially, it's a powerful blender that can grind frozen mixtures.

Recipe for my ice cream:

- 600 grams cottage cheese (I use Alpiland which has no fat at all)
- a relatively ripe banana (yellow, not green)
- 6 tablespoons agave syrup
- two scoops strawberry protein
I put all these in a food processor, blend them well until creamy,
place them in containers,
freeze for 24 hours,
and whenever I'm hungry I take out a container, put it in the Ninja machine,
press light ice cream and it's ready.
I didn't need to press respin, the texture was perfect from the start.

tip for an upgrade: when you take it out of the Ninja, make a hole in the middle with a spoon, add one or two tablespoons of chocolate chips, and then press extras.

*The device is VERY NOISY, I don't care, just saying

In general, I am a person who rarely finds things I buy to be worth the money. I have had this particular machine for many months and I haven't regretted a single euro I spent. I won't dwell on recipes and the advantages of the machine over others since many others have already mentioned them. I will leave some general tips that I wish I knew when I first got it to make creamy ice cream without crystals for all of us who bought it to make low-calorie ice creams with protein from YouTube.

1. Whole milk. Unfortunately, I have tried every variation of almond milk and 0% milk but nothing compares to whole milk. In my opinion, the extra 30-50 calories from the fat in whole milk help incredibly to make authentic pastry-shop ice cream without it turning into sand or crystallizing.

2. Xanthan Gum/Guar. These are thickening agents used in pastry shops that make the ice cream as we know it. Be careful, you need very little, like 1/4 teaspoon, because otherwise the ice cream will turn into jelly.

3. 2 minutes thawing with lukewarm water in the sink and 15 minutes defrosting. This will help the ice cream not come out incredibly frozen and inedible and also not come out like snow.

4. For those making low-calorie ice creams with protein powder, use the Light ice cream setting and not regular ice cream because it comes out like snow. Press the light ice cream button once, respin once and take it out, add whatever you want on top (small or ground pieces of chocolate and not whole cookies) and put it back in on +extras to mix all the ingredients evenly everywhere, and it's ready.

At first, the price seemed expensive to me. I also had doubts about whether it was worth the money. If you love ice cream, then yes, it is worth it. You need to experiment until you find the right ice cream consistency according to your preferences. It really makes ice cream out of anything you put in the bowl. However, the better the ingredients you use, the better the result will be. Observations:
1. You need to add a good amount of sweetener (even though I’m not into very sweet things)/because the mixture is frozen, the result tastes less sweet than the initial mixture. Once I made peanut ice cream and because the peanut spread was unsweetened and I didn’t add enough sweetener, the final result was almost bitter. The sweetener can be sugar (which gives the best result in terms of taste), honey, agave/maple syrup, dates, etc.
2. The richer in fat the initial mixture is, the creamier the result will be.
3. I bought xanthan gum and with a very small amount, the final result comes out more cohesive.
4. It also makes perfect sorbet with any fruit you put in.
5. The classic recipes given in the book are very good as a guide. My favorite is the gelato. It really gives a result of a very good ice cream.
6. I make ice creams with plant-based milks, plant-based cream (cashew cream is very good), and the result is very good even without the classic dairy taste of traditional ice creams.

Now I have an issue buying commercial ice cream. Some seem too sweet to me, others I can’t even eat because I now understand the difference in the quality of the ingredients, and while they are nicely creamy, they have that dairy taste (and then I can’t even digest them).

I will buy it as a gift for my nephews.

It literally turns anything you put in it into ice cream. The secret, which took me a while to figure out, is that whatever you make should have no water or as little as possible, because otherwise it forms crystals. Many people might not mind them, but they made it too icy for me. I ended up using recipes with just milk, cream, and sugar, and the ice creams come out amazing. For flavor, I use either fruit puree or spice drops (extracts), which are also fantastic. I got it to make less unhealthy ice cream than the fake, store-bought ones, which are now also extremely expensive, and it does exactly what it promises. I don't think it's worth €200 since all it does is change the texture of the ice cream, but there's nothing better at a lower price, so that's that. Anyway, I used to spend €25 on ice cream every week, so I'll recoup the cost very quickly. Overall, I recommend it because it works wonders—even if you just put in plain fruit with a bit of milk, it will make it creamy. Just, for those of you who get cold easily like I do, remember to use ingredients without water and with enough fat (more cream, for example).

After years, the dream finally came true and the viral Ninja CREAMi NC300 ice cream maker is in my hands!

For the past 3 weeks, I’ve been making, testing, and eating homemade ice cream non-stop, and now it’s time for you to find out if it’s worth it! How did the Ninja CREAMi NC300 do?

Unboxing
Like most of the company’s products, this one also has excellent build quality and is a sturdy device. It consists of the main body with the screen and buttons, and the basket that holds the container with its lid and the stainless steel blade.

The Ninja Creami NC300 has 6 preparation options and 2 additional functions. For preparations, there’s classic ice cream, sorbet, light ice cream for low-fat recipes, smoothie bowl, gelato for more authentic Italian flavors, and milkshake.

There are also the Re-Spin function if after preparation the mixture hasn’t reached the right texture and consistency, and +Extras for adding other ingredients to mix into the ice cream, like fruit, cookies, or nuts.

The container has a capacity of 473ml and the package includes 3 with their lids. The Ninja Creami has a power of 800W and the cord is 85cm long.

All parts can be washed by hand or in the dishwasher.

How the Ninja CREAMi NC300 ice cream maker works:
You make the recipe you want, put the contents in the container, and freeze it for 24 hours. When it’s well frozen, let the container sit for 10 minutes to thaw slightly or use a little warm water, put it in the machine, and select the type of ice cream, usually according to the recipe. The blade comes down, crushes and mixes the mixture, and it’s ready!

Testing:
So, I’ve had the Ninja Creami NC300EU for three weeks and I’ve made A LOT of ice cream! I tried to make many recipes and types with different ingredients to see what it can do. The only thing I didn’t try is the smoothie bowl function, but let’s be honest, I don’t think anyone who bought it has ever made a smoothie bowl.

How did it do? EXCELLENT! I honestly regret not buying it all these years since it came out. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a device and a review so much! Okay, I’m also a huge ice cream fan, extremely fanatic I’d say. The worst thing I hear is, “Now that the weather is getting warmer, let’s start having ice cream.” WHY? WHAT DO YOU DO THE REST OF THE YEAR? FLY KITES? DOES ICE CREAM HAVE A SEASON? Please! Anyway!

What did I make? A lot! And it didn’t disappoint in any of them. At least in terms of texture and consistency. For the ones I didn’t love or didn’t like, it was my fault, the recipe, or the choice of ingredients. Let’s look at some of them:

Chocolate ice cream: My first attempt with the Ninja Creami was a recipe from the recipe book, with milk, cream, sugar, and cocoa. I used chocolate drink powder from the famous Parisian café Angelina, because it’s amazing in flavor. But this particular powder contains milk proteins and dehydrated milk, so the ice cream turned out much milkier than I would have liked.

I repeated the recipe, but this time as a gelato from the corresponding recipe in the booklet (it has egg yolks and a mixture that needs boiling), added crushed almonds, and it came out perfect!

Forest fruit ice cream: It started as strawberry ice cream, but I had cherries and blueberries, so I added those too, along with cream, sugar, and honey. Guys, it turned out like a dream!

Melon sorbet: In the same vein as the strawberry one, I had two melons cut in the fridge, a regular one and a pineapple melon which has a deeper and sweeter flavor, so I decided to make them into sorbet, along with a bit of vanilla. The texture was excellent but I didn't like the taste. It needed something more, but I didn't try it again, I'm not the biggest fan of melon in ice cream.

Mango sorbet: Here again, I initially made a mistake, because the two mangoes I bought weighed 450g or so, but the actual flesh was 250g, so I added peach. The peach overshadowed the mango and the sorbet was kind of meh, neither peach flavor nor mango flavor. BUT, I tried it again with only mango and it turned out divine, it's one of my favorite ice creams anyway!

Bueno ice cream: My eldest son's favorite, with milk, Nutella, and Bueno chocolate. It's not my favorite flavor, but the texture and consistency were right, the Bueno with the +Extras mixed very nicely into the ice cream, it was very tasty and my eldest went crazy for it, it's his.

As you can see, there are also failures but I repeat this depends on my own choice of ingredients. You need to make quite a few to get exactly what you want, I don't say this negatively because it happens with all ice cream makers if you want to experiment. Let me mention that I also made the same ice creams and fruit sorbets with frozen fruits like strawberries and mango and they turned out about the same, it works with such ingredients too, in case something is out of season.

Ice cream cost:
Someone might say “Why should I waste ingredients and money and not just buy ready-made and better ice cream/gelato from a shop?”. Ok, I get it, let's make a small comparison, for 450g of ice cream:

Mango sorbet:

400g fresh mango: €5
Sugar or honey: €0.5
Total: €6.5
Strawberry ice cream:

250g fresh strawberries: €4
250ml cream 35%: €2.5
Sugar and honey: €0.4
Total: €7
Bueno ice cream:

3 tablespoons Nutella 100g: €1
1 Kinder Bueno: €1
400ml fresh milk: €0.8
Total: €3
A 100g scoop costs €2.5 – €3.5, half a kilo of gelato from a decent shop €10-14

Regardless of whether it costs more or less, there is always the opportunity cost between buying it outside VS making it at home to save money, but it's not exactly the same. And this happens in many cases, like with budget espresso machines and Nespresso compared to cafes. Here, the freedom it gives you to create and choose whatever you want to make is unbeatable.

For three weeks now, we haven't bought ice cream from outside as a family. Well, I won't even discuss the ready-packaged ones that are no longer worth it in any case. Their quality has dropped a lot, their price has gone up, and their size keeps shrinking. I would also like them to be like the ready-made favorite ice creams of our childhood in the 90s and 00s, but I don't think we'll see them again.

About the noise now, I've seen for years on TikTok mainly parents who want to use it at night when the kids are sleeping, and they surround it with pillows, blankets, take it out to the yard, etc. so as not to wake them up. Ok, under normal conditions at normal hours it's not that loud, ok, the mixer is a bit strong but ok. At night though, yes, if someone is sleeping it might be annoying.

Should I buy the Ninja CREAMi NC300? Verdict:
It costs about €200-230. Obviously, that's not a small amount. BUT: It is not something necessary in the kitchen like, for example, a multi, or a toaster, or anything else I don’t know. It is a device for a specific use. There is absolutely no point in comparing it to classic ice cream makers with a 50-70€ bowl. Those also have limitations in preparation time, capacity, and result. I think maybe it does some things the same, some things better, and some not as well. For me, the smaller portions in the containers, the preparation time, and the result were all convenient and enjoyable. Anyway, classic ice cream makers also require the bowl to freeze for 20 hours in the fridge, you can’t easily make smaller quantities, and it takes more time. If you want to see a comparison video of the Ninja Creami NC300 with a classic ice cream maker, write it in the comments. Or if you have experience making ice cream at home.

It’s not something used daily and ice cream is not a basic necessity. Even if it were, there are other alternatives. Just like there are espresso machines for 100€ and for 2000€, kitchen machines for 70€ and for 1500€, and so on.

The cost is the reason I haven’t bought it all these years. But I was never satisfied with a classic one I had 10 years ago either. The process here seems much more fun and controlled. And there are more options. The classic one doesn’t do so well with sorbets and usually comes with one bowl, so you have to make one flavor at a time. If I had to return the one I have here, I would probably buy it.

Honestly, I can’t find anything negative to say. And I repeat, I don’t see its price as a negative, it’s a more premium product at a higher price than something similar. It’s 100% worth every last euro it costs! If you’re also crazy about ice cream and you can afford it, get it yesterday.

Biscoff for 2 pints
• cream: 285g
• milk: 220g
• biscoff spread: 150g (mix until dissolved, it takes a little time but it will happen)
• sweetened condensed milk: 350g
Ice cream is something that comes out of the freezer and is soft, not like a rock. You beat it once and only once, and it never needs to be beaten again, not two or three times to make it look like ice cream (plus it freezes your mouth), and you also ruin the machine, it heats up and the magnets that hold the blade get demagnetized, all the problems come from there... how can it make ice cream from so much water in the recipe and how can the blade not break, we will forget what ice cream is with these TikTok recipes. You never put plain fruit inside, they have 90% water, you have to remove it somehow (boil them with sugar), if you don't add milk powder and dextrose to the recipes, it's hard to succeed in making ice cream (except for the easy recipe I give you because the composition is calculated). Try it and you'll remember what ice cream is and what your machine can do

This particular ice cream maker has been in my hands or rather in my kitchen for 2 months and hasn't taken a day off.

The mechanism is inspired by the professional blender/ice cream maker Pacojet, where the price starts from €6000... This mechanism, which crushes the frozen mixture, allows it to give perfect ice cream texture to almost any mixture. Whether you want to make protein, no sugar, or regular caloric ice creams, it will give you excellent results.

However, be careful, to achieve this result you need to prepare the mixture you want and it must be properly homogenized, so you need a blender. Also, the 3 bowls will not be enough; you will need to grab a few extras and all of these will take up quite a bit of space in the freezer.

Many present it as a negative that you have to prepare the mixture in advance, but I believe it is more of a positive because you can make all the base mixtures beforehand and when you want to eat, you have it ready in 5 minutes and you can add the extras you want. Don't want to eat it all? You flatten it and put it in the freezer, whenever you want you can make it again.

For me, it’s a top machine; it requires a bit of searching and experimenting but gives you a lot of possibilities, just what you need for ice cream lovers.

EDIT 01/03/2025: Well, a little update because I have had it for quite some time now and I use it almost every day regardless of the weather... The lid is very difficult to clean; if you only wash it superficially, it will start to smell, so you need to be careful. You need to occasionally soak it in vinegar and you need a wire brush to clean the inside.

Also, be very careful with the "lump" that forms in the mixture, because it can damage the machine if you put it in as it is from the freezer. You either need to let it sit for 5 minutes to soften a bit or flatten it with a vegetable peeler.

Now for recipes, I believe a good "base" recipe is 333ml Milk (cow's milk for flavor), 2 scoops of whey protein, a few drops of stevia, and a "tick" of xanthan gum (some proteins already have this) for better texture. I have tried with yogurts, cottage cheese, and others, but they need a blender to homogenize the mixture, which gets boring after a while, while with milk, a hand whisk does the job without making too much mess.

It certainly has its downsides, but there’s no way I can NOT give it 5 stars...