Quick answer
The Creami Deluxe NC601 is our pick for most households, 8.9 to 8.6. It holds 24 oz per tub against 16 oz, is 3.1 in narrower and has the only Dairy-Free program. Buy the Scoop and Swirl NC701 if you want real soft serve from a dispenser; it is the only Creami that makes it, and its 13 programs include everything else except Dairy-Free, Frappe and Smoothie Bowl. The single deciding question is scoop or swirl.
The Ninja Creami Deluxe NC601 and the Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl NC701 are the two top-of-range machines and they answer different questions. The NC601 is a scooped-ice-cream maker with the largest tubs in the range. The NC701 is a scooped-ice-cream maker with a soft serve dispenser bolted on, in a housing 3.1 in wider. We tested both on the same four bases, frozen 24 hours at 0 F, and then ran the NC701’s dispenser on the same bases to see what the extra width buys. Full write-ups are in our NC601 review and Scoop and Swirl review.
Creami Deluxe · Gen 2
Ninja Creami Deluxe 11-in-1 Gen 2 (NC601)
Model NC601 · Our score 8.9/10
- 11 programs including CreamiFit and the only Dairy-Free program
- Two 24 oz XL tubs, about 6 scoops each
- Oat base needed zero re-spins on the Dairy-Free program
Scoop and Swirl · Gen 1
Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl 13-in-1 (NC701)
Model NC701 · Our score 8.6/10
- 13 programs, the only Creami with a soft serve dispenser
- Two 16 oz Swirl pints, a separate pint system
- Measured 85 dB; tallest and widest Creami at 10.1 in wide
| Feature | NC601Creami Deluxe NC601Review | NC701Scoop and Swirl NC701Review |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Families and daily protein users who want the largest tubs plus the CreamiFit and Dairy-Free programs | Anyone who wants real soft serve from a dispenser plus every scooped program |
| Generation | Gen 2 | Gen 1 |
| Programs | 11 Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Milkshake, Smoothie Bowl, Mix-In, Frozen Yogurt, CreamiFit, Frappe, Dairy-Free | 13 Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Milkshake, Mix-In, Frozen Yogurt, CreamiFit, Fruit Whip, Frozen Custard, Soft Serve, Soft Serve Lite, Scoop |
| Programs only on NC601 | Smoothie Bowl, Frappe, Dairy-Free | – |
| Programs only on NC701 | – | Fruit Whip, Frozen Custard, Soft Serve, Soft Serve Lite, Scoop |
| Pints included | 2 x 24 oz | 2 x 16 oz |
| Capacity per pint | 24 oz, about 6 scoops | 16 oz, about 4 scoops |
| Soft serve | – | Yes |
| Dairy-free program | Yes | – |
| Noise measured | 83 dB at 1 m | 85 dB at 1 m |
| Footprint | 7 x 12.5 x 17.4 in | 10.1 x 11.4 x 17.9 in |
| Our score | 8.9/10 | 8.6/10 |
| Check price | Check price on AmazonPrice and delivery shown on Amazon | Check price on AmazonPrice and delivery shown on Amazon |
Soft serve: the NC701 dispenses, the NC601 scoops
The NC701 is the only Creami with a soft serve dispenser. After a Soft Serve or Soft Serve Lite program, you fit the pint into the dispenser housing, pull the handle and the base extrudes through a star tip into a cone or bowl. We ran our vanilla base through the Soft Serve program and got a true dispenser swirl that held its ridges; our protein base through Soft Serve Lite dispensed cleanly; and our mango sorbet through the Fruit Whip program came out airy and dispensed.
The NC601 does none of this. It processes a tub to a scoopable texture and you serve it with a scoop. That is not a shortcoming for most households, but it is the whole reason the NC701 exists, and no program or technique on the Deluxe reproduces the aerated swirl.
The dispenser has a cost beyond width. The nozzle needs a brush after every soft serve run or dried base blocks the star tip, and the silicone gasket needs reseating by hand after each dishwasher cycle. Our oat base was too soft to dispense without a 10 minute refreeze. Soft serve on the NC701 is real, and it is also a small daily chore the NC601 owner never has.
Capacity: 24 oz XL tubs vs 16 oz Swirl pints
The NC601 ships with two 24 oz XL tubs that gave us about six scoops each. The NC701 ships with two 16 oz Swirl pints that gave us about four scoops each. The Deluxe holds 50 percent more per container, and for a family of four that is the difference between one tub per dessert and two pints.
The two pint systems do not interchange, and neither accepts Original 16 oz pints from the NC301 or NC351. Swirl pints fit only the NC700 series; XL tubs fit only the NC501 and NC601. Spare containers are a separate purchase for either machine, and our pint compatibility guide lists them all.
Capacity scores reflect the gap: 9.0 for the NC601 and 7.5 for the NC701. The NC701 pint is the same volume as the NC351’s, so you are paying for the dispenser in counter space and weight rather than in servings.
Footprint: 7.0 in wide vs 10.1 in wide
The NC601 measures 7.0 in wide, 12.5 in deep and 17.4 in tall, rising to 20.1 in with the lid open. The NC701 measures 10.1 in wide, 11.4 in deep and 17.9 in tall, rising to 20.8 in open. The Scoop and Swirl is the widest and tallest Creami, and 3.1 in of extra width is roughly a third more counter frontage.
Weight is 14.2 lb for the NC601 and 19.2 lb for the NC701, a 5 lb difference that makes the NC701 a machine we leave in place rather than lift into a cupboard. The NC701 also draws 900 W against the NC601’s 800 W; both use a 36 in cord.
Neither opens under a standard 18 in cabinet gap. Both need just over 20 in of vertical clearance, so the placement decision is width and whether you are willing to give the dispenser a permanent spot.
Programs: 11 on the Deluxe, 13 on the Scoop and Swirl
Both share Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Milkshake, Mix-In, Frozen Yogurt and CreamiFit. The NC601 adds Smoothie Bowl, Frappe and Dairy-Free. The NC701 adds Fruit Whip, Frozen Custard, Soft Serve, Soft Serve Lite and Scoop.
CreamiFit on both machines took our protein base to 5/5 on the first spin, 158 seconds on the NC601 and 145 on the NC701, so the daily protein result is a draw. The programs that separate them are Dairy-Free on the NC601 and the dispenser cycles on the NC701. Fruit Whip was the surprise keeper of the NC701 set; Frozen Custard needs an egg base we rarely make. On the NC601, Frappe is the program we stopped using because Milkshake does the same job with less liquid.
Program scores are 9.5 for the NC601 and 9.0 for the NC701. The NC701 has more cycles, but the NC601’s Dairy-Free program fixed a base that no other machine handles well, and that weighs more in our rubric than two soft serve variants. Our programs explained guide covers every cycle.
Dairy-free oat: zero re-spins on the NC601, one on the NC701
Three bases were a draw. Vanilla, protein and mango sorbet all scored 5/5 on both machines with no re-spins. The NC701’s vanilla and sorbet then went on to dispense; the NC601’s went into a bowl.
The oat base split them. On the NC601 Dairy-Free program it came out creamy on the first spin, slightly soft at the center, 4/5. On the NC701 there is no Dairy-Free program, so it ran on Lite Ice Cream, needed one 78 second re-spin to reach 4/5, and was then too soft to dispense without a 10 minute refreeze. The final texture score was the same; the route there took one re-spin and 145 seconds longer on the NC701.
Noise followed the Deluxe too. The NC601 measured 83 dB from 1 m during the Ice Cream program and the NC701 measured 85 dB, with dispenser noise on top during a swirl. Noise scores are 7.0 for the NC601 and 6.5 for the NC701. If you make oat or coconut bases most days, the NC601 is the clear choice; our re-spin guide covers the one re-spin the NC701 needs.
Test results for both
| Base | NC601 program | NC601 re-spins | NC601 texture | NC701 program | NC701 re-spins | NC701 texture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-fat vanilla | Ice Cream | 0 | 5/5 | Ice Cream | 0 | 5/5 |
| Protein (Lite) | CreamiFit | 0 | 5/5 | CreamiFit | 0 | 5/5 |
| Mango sorbet | Sorbet | 0 | 5/5 | Sorbet | 0 | 5/5 |
| Dairy-free oat | Dairy-Free | 0 | 4/5 | Lite Ice Cream | 1 | 4/5 |
Cycle times: NC601 Ice Cream 175 s, CreamiFit 158 s, Sorbet 164 s, Dairy-Free 160 s, re-spin 80 s. NC701 Ice Cream 160 s, CreamiFit 145 s, Sorbet 150 s, Lite Ice Cream 145 s, re-spin 78 s. The NC701 runs each program about 15 seconds shorter because its pint is 8 oz smaller. Average texture was 4.75 on both machines; the NC601 needed zero re-spins in total and the NC701 needed one.
Who should buy the NC601
- Families of three or four who want about six scoops per tub instead of four.
- Anyone making oat, coconut or other dairy-free bases, for the only Dairy-Free program in the range.
- Buyers with 7 in of counter width to give, not 10.1 in.
- Readers who want the quieter machine, 83 dB against 85 dB.
- Anyone who wants a machine light enough to put away at 14.2 lb.
- Households that eat ice cream from a bowl with a scoop and have no use for a dispenser.
Who should buy the NC701
- Anyone who wants real soft serve from a dispenser; no other Creami makes it.
- Households with children who will use the handle and the cone.
- Readers who want Fruit Whip, which turned our mango sorbet base into an airy dispensed whip.
- Protein users who want CreamiFit results dispensed through Soft Serve Lite.
- Buyers with 10.1 in of counter width and 20.8 in of clearance who will leave the machine in place.
- Anyone who wants the widest color choice at the top of the range: Silver, Black, Mocha, Purple and Ivory.
Verdict
The Deluxe NC601 is the machine we recommend to most readers, 8.9 against 8.6, and the reasoning is simple: on the four scooped bases it matched or beat the NC701 while holding 50 percent more per tub, using 3.1 in less counter and running 2 dB quieter. Its Dairy-Free program took the oat base to 4/5 with no re-spin where the NC701 needed one. The Scoop and Swirl scored 8.6 on texture and programs that are every bit as good, and it earns that score by doing something no other Creami does. If you want soft serve, buy the NC701 and do not look back. If you want ice cream, buy the NC601. Our which Ninja Creami guide and products hub cover the rest of the range.
Frequently asked questions
The Scoop and Swirl NC701 has a soft serve dispenser and 13 programs including Soft Serve, Soft Serve Lite, Fruit Whip and Frozen Custard; the Deluxe NC601 has no dispenser, 11 programs, and 24 oz XL tubs instead of the NC701’s 16 oz Swirl pints. The NC601 is 7.0 in wide and 14.2 lb; the NC701 is 10.1 in wide and 19.2 lb.
No. The NC601 processes a tub into scoopable ice cream and has no dispenser or soft serve program. You can serve a Lite Ice Cream result soft straight from the tub, but it is not the aerated swirl the NC701’s Soft Serve program dispenses through a star tip. If soft serve is the reason you are shopping, only the NC701 delivers it.
No. The NC601 uses Deluxe 24 oz XL tubs and the NC701 uses Swirl 16 oz pints, a separate system that fits only the NC700 series. Neither accepts the Original 16 oz pints from the NC301 and NC351 either. Whichever machine you choose, buy spare containers from its own pint family; see our pint compatibility guide.
The Deluxe. Each NC601 XL tub holds 24 oz, about six scoops in our testing, while each NC701 Swirl pint holds 16 oz, about four scoops. Both ship with two containers. For a family of four the Deluxe serves everyone from one tub; the NC701 usually needs both pints frozen for the same sitting.
The NC601, by two decibels. We measured 83 dB from 1 m during the Ice Cream program on the NC601 and 85 dB on the NC701, which also draws 900 W against 800 W. The NC701 adds dispenser noise when it swirls, a lower hum that lasts about 15 seconds per serving. Neither is quiet, and both run with the kitchen door closed in our house.
Only if you want it dispensed. Both machines have CreamiFit and both took our protein base to a 5/5 texture on the first spin with no re-spin. The NC701 then dispensed the same base cleanly through Soft Serve Lite. If you eat protein ice cream from a bowl with a spoon, the NC601 gives the same result in a larger tub and takes up less counter.