Which Ninja Ice Cream Maker Should You Buy?

We own all six Ninja Creami machines, bought on Amazon with the site’s own money, and we have run the same four bases through each of them: full-fat vanilla, a Fairlife protein base, mango sorbet and a dairy-free oat base, all frozen 24 hours at 0 F. This page puts the results side by side so you can pick in a few minutes. If you want the short version, the finder below gives a one-line answer; if you want the reasoning, the guidance section covers household size, protein, soft serve, footprint and the Gen 1 versus Gen 2 question. For a longer walk through the decision, read Which Ninja Creami is best? or, if you are still deciding whether to buy at all, Is the Ninja Creami worth it?.

Just me or two of usFamily of 3 to 4I want soft serveProtein ice cream dailySmallest footprint

The NC351 gives one or two people the full set of seven programs in the quietest Creami housing we measured, at 82 dB.

2nd Gen

Creami · Gen 2

Ninja Creami 7-in-1 Gen 2 (NC351)

Model NC351 · Our score 8.4/10

• Same 7 programs as the NC301 in the 2026 housing
• Measured 82 dB, two decibels quieter than Gen 1
• Uses the same 16 oz pints as the NC301

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Read our full review

Every current model

Three series, each with its own pint system. The Creami series (NC301, NC351 and the Amazon exclusive NC299AMZ) uses 16 oz pints and 7 programs. The Deluxe series (NC501 and NC601) uses 24 oz XL tubs and 11 programs. The Scoop and Swirl NC701 uses Swirl pints, runs 13 programs and adds a soft serve dispenser.

Full comparison

Every figure in this table is ours: dB measured at 1 m during the Ice Cream program, cycle time by stopwatch, and the overall score from a rubric that weights texture at 30 percent, programs at 20, capacity and ease at 15 each, and noise and value at 10 each.

Which should you buy

The six machines split into three decisions: how much you make at once, which programs you will actually use, and how much counter you can give up. The sections below take each in turn with the measurements that settled it for us.

Household size

For one or two people, a 16 oz pint is the right unit. Our full-fat vanilla base in a 16 oz pint gave four modest scoops, which is two desserts for two nights, and the pint goes back in the freezer flat with its lid on. The NC351 is our pick here: 7 programs, 82 dB, a 142 second Ice Cream cycle and no re-spin on vanilla or sorbet. For three or more people, move to the 24 oz XL tubs of the Deluxe. Six scoops per tub covered a family of four with leftovers in our testing, and the NC601 processed the full 24 oz vanilla base to a dense, glossy scoop in 175 seconds with no re-spin. The NC501 holds the same 24 oz but ran 182 seconds at 86 dB, and its oat base needed two re-spins, so the NC601 is the Deluxe we recommend unless you specifically want Italian Ice and Slushi. Our Deluxe family page covers that trade in detail.

Protein users

If you make protein ice cream most days, the program list matters more than the pint size. On the Lite Ice Cream program, the NC301, NC351 and NC501 all produced a crumbly or powdery first spin from our Fairlife and whey base, then turned creamy after one re-spin. That is a 70 to 85 second extra step every single day. The NC601 and NC701 both carry CreamiFit, and on both machines the same base came out creamy on the first spin, texture 5 out of 5, zero re-spins. The NC601’s XL tubs also mean one freeze gives six portions instead of four. If protein is the main reason you are buying, the NC601 is the answer, and the NC701 is the alternative if you also want Soft Serve Lite, which dispensed our protein base cleanly.

Soft serve

Only one Creami dispenses soft serve. The NC701 Scoop and Swirl has a nozzle and handle built into the base, plus Soft Serve, Soft Serve Lite and Fruit Whip programs that the scooped models do not have. Our vanilla base produced a real swirl from the star tip, and the Fruit Whip version of the mango sorbet was airy and dispensed. The cost is size and upkeep: 10.1 in wide, 19.2 lb, 85 dB, and a nozzle that needs the included brush after every soft serve run or dried base blocks the tip. The oat base was too soft to dispense without a 10 minute refreeze. If you do not care about a dispenser, every other model gives you the scooped programs in a smaller, lighter box. Our Deluxe versus Scoop and Swirl comparison sets the NC601 against the NC701 directly.

Footprint

Measure the gap between your counter and your upper cabinets before you order. Every Creami loads from the top, so the lid-open height is the number that counts. The NC351 needs 18.2 in open and the NC301 18.4 in; both are about 6.5 in wide. The Deluxe pair needs 20.1 in (NC601) and 20.3 in (NC501) open and are 7.0 and 6.9 in wide. The NC701 needs 20.8 in open and is 10.1 in wide, which pushed it to the end of our counter run. A standard 18 in cabinet gap clears the Creami series only if you slide the machine forward to open it; the Deluxe and Swirl models want the machine pulled out or a taller gap. Weight follows the same order: 12.8 lb for the NC351, 14.2 lb for the NC601, 19.2 lb for the NC701.

Gen 1 vs Gen 2

The Gen 2 machines (NC351, NC601) keep the programs count and the pint system of their Gen 1 siblings (NC301, NC501) and change the housing, the noise and the cycle time. We measured the NC351 at 82 dB against 84 for the NC301, and the NC601 at 83 dB against 86 for the NC501. Ice Cream cycles shortened by 8 and 7 seconds respectively. The matte Gen 2 housing shows fewer fingerprints and the lid lock clicks more positively after 30 days. The NC601 also swaps Slushi, Italian Ice and Frozen Drink for CreamiFit, Frappe and Dairy-Free, which changed our protein and oat results more than any other single difference. The Gen 1 machines are not bad buys: the NC301 comes in silver, rose gold and red where the NC351 is navy, mocha, purple, green or blue, and the NC501 is the only way to get Italian Ice. Our NC301 vs NC351 and NC501 vs NC601 pages carry the full tables.

Amazon exclusive

The NC299AMZ is the 7 program Creami sold only through Amazon. We tested it against the NC301 and the two are the same machine in practice: 800 W, 84 dB, Ice Cream in 151 seconds against 150, the same crumbly-then-creamy protein result after one re-spin, and the same faint pint cloudiness after 20 dishwasher cycles. It comes in silver only and ships with a quick start card instead of the recipe guide. Buy whichever of the two is listed at the time; our score of 7.8 against 7.9 for the NC301 reflects the narrower color choice and the thinner box contents, nothing about performance. For the broader Creami against Deluxe decision, see Ninja Creami vs Deluxe.

Every comparison

Each comparison runs the 12 row table, five difference sections with photos and the test results for both machines.

Frequently asked questions