Ninja Creami Black Friday 2026: What to Expect and Which Model to Buy

Black Friday is the one week of the year when every current Ninja Creami tends to discount at the same time, and it is the one week we tell readers to wait for if they are close to it. This page is updated daily from November 20, 2026 with which models and colors have moved on Amazon. We never print prices, because they change by the hour and Amazon’s rules require live figures; each card below opens the current listing instead. What we can give you is the timeline from past years, the model we would buy for each household, and the habit that tells a real cut from a bump. If you have not yet decided which Creami fits you, start with the products hub and come back.

Updated daily from November 20. Before that date, the cards and the timeline reflect the pattern from previous years rather than live changes.

The six listings we are watching

Badges are ours. Each note says what we expect from that listing this November and what to compare it against.

Which Creami to buy on Black Friday

The mistake we see every year is buying the model with the largest cut rather than the model that fits the household. A Creami that is the wrong size gets used less, and a machine that sits idle is a poor buy at any discount. So the first decision is the same one as on any other day of the year.

For one or two people, buy the NC351. It has the 7 programs that cover more than 90 percent of what we spin, it is the quietest Creami we measured at 82 dB, its Ice Cream cycle runs 142 seconds, and it needs only 18.2 in of clearance with the lid open. On Black Friday the NC351 has historically discounted in two or three of its five colors rather than all of them, so if color does not matter, open all five listings. The Gen 1 NC301 is the same 7 programs in the older housing and has been the deepest cut in the range; it runs 84 dB and needed one more re-spin on our oat base, and it is the right buy if the NC351 listing you want has not moved.

For three or more people, or for anyone making protein ice cream daily, buy the NC601 Deluxe. It scored 8.9, the highest of the six machines we tested. Its 24 oz XL tubs hold about six scoops, its CreamiFit program produced a creamy protein pint on the first spin with zero re-spins, and its Dairy-Free program took our oat base to a texture of 4 with no re-spin, a result no other Creami matched. In past Novembers the Deluxe has moved on the Friday itself rather than in early access, and the navy listing has sold through first. The Gen 1 NC501 is the alternative if the NC601 holds: the same tubs, 11 programs including Italian Ice and Slushi, 86 dB, and one extra re-spin on protein. The NC501 vs NC601 comparison shows what the Gen 1 discount gives up.

If you want soft serve, buy the NC701 Scoop and Swirl and measure your counter first. It is the only Creami with a dispenser, it ran all our scooped programs at a texture of 5 on vanilla, protein and sorbet, and it is 10.1 in wide, 19.2 lb and 85 dB. As the newest format it has been the slowest to discount, and when it has moved it has been one or two colors out of five. If no NC701 listing drops by Cyber Monday, the NC601 covers everything except the dispenser, and our Deluxe vs Scoop and Swirl comparison explains the trade.

Whichever machine you order on the Friday, plan to buy pints on the Monday. Every base needs 24 hours in the freezer at 0 F, so a second set of pints is what turns a Creami from a weekend toy into a daily habit. Original 16 oz pints fit the NC301 and NC351, XL tubs fit the NC501 and NC601, Swirl pints fit the NC701, and nothing crosses over; our pint compatibility guide has the full list.

Black Friday timeline

Dates for 2026, with what has moved in each window in previous years. We fill in the right-hand column with live notes from November 20.

How to check a real discount

A Black Friday figure means nothing on its own. The habit that protects you takes two minutes per listing.

First, open the listing’s price history on a tracker such as camelcamelcamel and look at the previous 90 days. A real discount sits below the level the listing held through September and October. A figure that only looks low against a number raised in early November is not a cut, and we see that pattern on at least one Creami color every year. The Thanksgiving Thursday, when listings are usually quiet, is a good day to record the baseline before Friday.

Second, confirm what you are buying. Check the model number in the title, because the NC301, NC299AMZ and NC351 all describe themselves as a 7-in-1 Creami and the NC501 and NC601 both as an 11-in-1 Deluxe. Check that the listing is sold or fulfilled by Amazon and that the box contents include two pints, the outer bowl and the paddle; renewed and third-party listings sometimes ship without a pint. Check the color, since each color is a separate page with its own figure.

Third, compare bundles honestly. The NC301 bundle adds two pints and the NC501 bundle adds four XL tubs. Open the plain machine and the matching pint pack, add them, and buy the bundle only if it is lower on the same day. On Cyber Monday the pint packs often drop on their own, which can flip that comparison.

Fourth, ignore star ratings and review counts when comparing listings for the same model in different colors. The machine is identical; the ratings differ only because the listings launched at different times.

Fifth, remember that Amazon’s holiday return window runs into January. If you buy during early access and a deeper cut appears on the Friday, you are not stuck.

If you are reading this after December 2, the window has closed and the next reliable one is the spring sale in late March, with Prime Day in July for Gen 1 machines. Our deals hub keeps the year-round calendar, and the NC301 vs NC351 comparison will help if a late Gen 1 discount tempts you.

Frequently asked questions