A clever £159.99 dessert maker that turns freezer space into gelato

Yes — the Ninja CREAMi NC300UK is worth buying if you want proper homemade ice cream, gelato and frozen desserts with very little fuss. At £159.99, down 20% from a £199.99 RRP, it has a strong 4.4/5 rating from 1,097 reviews and is currently at its all-time lowest price, which makes this a particularly attractive buy.

First impressions: compact, but not tiny

The CREAMi is designed for UK kitchens where worktop space matters. Its footprint is 40.5cm high, 16.5cm wide and 27cm deep, so it is slimmer than many multi-cookers, but it still needs a dedicated spot because you’ll be freezing tubs before processing them. It comes with a UK plug, three tubs and lids, a Creamerizer Paddle, a motor base and a recipe guide, which makes the box feel complete rather than stripped back.

What does the Ninja CREAMi actually do?

This machine is more than an ice cream maker. It has 7 preset programs for ice cream, gelato, milkshakes, sorbet and smoothie bowls, plus the ability to customise treats to be low sugar, dairy free or vegan. That flexibility is one of its biggest strengths: you’re not locked into one style of dessert, and you can mix in chocolate chips, sweets or nuts after freezing for a more textured result.

The process is simple: fill a tub with ingredients, freeze it for 24 hours, then process it in minutes when you’re ready to serve. That means it is not a last-minute machine; it rewards planning. If you want instant desserts, this is the wrong category. If you like prepping ahead and then turning a frozen base into something creamy and fresh, the workflow makes sense.

How well does it perform?

Performance is where the CREAMi earns its reputation. The ability to make up to 1.4L of ice cream across three dessert tubs is useful for families or for making different flavours at once. That “three flavours at once” approach is a real advantage if your household has mixed tastes, because you can keep one tub dairy-free, one indulgent and one fruit-based without compromise.

The seven programs also make it more versatile than a basic churner. Smoothie bowls and milkshakes widen its use beyond traditional ice cream, while sorbet and gelato let you tailor texture and richness. The key benefit is control: you can make desserts that suit your preferences rather than buying whatever a supermarket offers.

Is the build quality good?

The machine comes with dishwasher-safe tubs and removable parts, which is a practical win for everyday use. Ninja also includes a 2-year guarantee upon registration with Ninja (UK & ROI only), which adds reassurance for a countertop appliance that will be used with frozen ingredients and moving parts.

There is one important warning, though: the CREAMi is not a compressor-style ice cream maker, so it does not make frozen dessert on demand from warm mix. The 24-hour freezing step is essential, and buyers expecting immediate results may be disappointed. That expectation mismatch is one of the main reasons some reviews turn negative.

Is it good value for money?

At £159.99, the Ninja sits well above the competition on price, but it is also doing a different job. The Morphy Richards 3.5L Sear and Stew Slow Cooker costs £38.99, and the Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 is £79.99, but neither is a dessert specialist. Even the Instant Pot DUO MINI at £59.59 is a multi-cooker, not a frozen treat maker. If your goal is ice cream, gelato and sorbet rather than stews, rice or yoghurt, the CREAMi’s premium is easier to justify.

The fact that it is the UK’s No.1 blender brand by value also helps its case, because buyers are clearly trusting Ninja’s kitchen hardware. The current price being the all-time lowest makes the value argument stronger still.

Should you buy it over alternatives?

Buy the CREAMi if you specifically want frozen desserts with customisation, multiple tubs and better control over ingredients. Skip it if you mainly want a general-purpose appliance, because the Instant Pot and Morphy Richards options offer far more day-to-day cooking versatility for less money. In short, this is a specialist machine, and specialist machines only make sense when you’ll use the speciality often.

Final take

The Ninja CREAMi NC300UK is one of the most appealing dessert makers for UK homes because it combines flexibility, decent capacity and a genuinely useful tub system. Its biggest weakness is the required 24-hour freeze time, but that is part of the design rather than a flaw. If you want homemade frozen treats and you’ll use it regularly, this is a strong buy at £159.99.