Which Ninja Creami Is Best? Answer Five Questions

Six Ninja Creami models share one idea: freeze a base solid for 24 hours, then shave it into ice cream with a spinning paddle. Beyond that they differ in tub size, program list, noise and shape, and those differences are enough to make one of them clearly right for your kitchen and the others clearly wrong. We bought all six on Amazon, tested them on the same four bases at 0 F, and found that five questions settle the choice. Answer them in order and you will land on one model. The finder gives the quick version; the sections below give the measurements behind each answer. If you want the whole range in one table, the products hub has 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

Question 1: How many people are you feeding?

Decision: one or two people means a 16 oz pint; three or more means a 24 oz XL tub.

A 16 oz pint gave us four scoops of full-fat vanilla, which is enough for two desserts two nights running and fits in a freezer door shelf. A 24 oz XL tub gave six scoops, enough for a family of four with one left over. Capacity is the one difference you cannot work around after purchase, because the pint systems do not interchange and you cannot buy bigger tubs for a Creami or smaller pints for a Deluxe.

For one or two, this question points to the NC351. It is the Gen 2 Creami with 7 programs, two 16 oz pints in the box, and the smallest footprint we measured at 6.4 by 12.0 in. Our vanilla base scored 5 for texture with no re-spin and the Ice Cream cycle ran 142 seconds.

For three or more, it points to the NC601 Deluxe. Two 24 oz XL tubs come in the box, the full tub processed to a dense, glossy scoop in 175 seconds, and its score of 8.9 is the highest of the six. The NC501 has the same tubs but ran 182 seconds at 86 dB and needed two re-spins on our oat base. Our Deluxe family page lays the two side by side.

Question 2: Will you make protein ice cream most days?

Decision: if yes, you want a machine with CreamiFit, which means the NC601 or the NC701.

Protein bases are low in fat and sugar, so they come out of the freezer harder and shave into powder on the first spin. On the Lite Ice Cream program, our Fairlife and whey base was crumbly after spin one on the NC301, NC351 and NC501 and creamy after one re-spin, with a texture score of 4. That re-spin adds 70 to 85 seconds and a second trip to the machine.

On CreamiFit, the same base scored 5 on the first spin on both the NC601 and the NC701, with zero re-spins. After 30 days with the NC601 we had stopped using Lite Ice Cream for protein entirely. If protein is the reason you are buying, this question points to the NC601, and it also answers question 1 for most protein users because an XL tub holds six portions, which is a week of post-workout servings from one freeze. Our protein recipe category has the base ratios we used.

If you only make protein occasionally, the NC351 does the job with one re-spin and you can stop reading here.

Question 3: Do you want soft serve from a dispenser?

Decision: if yes, the NC701 Scoop and Swirl is the only option; if no, skip it and save counter space.

The NC701 is the one Creami with a nozzle, a handle and dedicated Soft Serve, Soft Serve Lite and Fruit Whip programs. Our vanilla base swirled cleanly from the star tip, the protein base dispensed on Soft Serve Lite, and the Fruit Whip version of mango sorbet was airy and held its shape in a cone. It also runs all the scooped programs, including CreamiFit, so it loses nothing against the NC601 on texture, scoring 5 on vanilla, protein and sorbet.

What it costs you is footprint and upkeep. The NC701 is 10.1 in wide against 6.4 to 7.0 in for every other model, weighs 19.2 lb, measured 85 dB, and the nozzle needs a brush after every soft serve run. The silicone gasket also needs reseating by hand after each dishwasher cycle. Our oat base was too soft to dispense without a 10 minute refreeze. It uses its own Swirl pints, so none of the pints from a previous Creami carry over. If you have read this far and shrugged at the word dispenser, the answer to this question is no, and the NC601 versus NC701 comparison explains why we rank the NC601 higher overall despite the NC701’s extra programs.

Question 4: How much counter and cabinet clearance do you have?

Decision: measure the gap under your upper cabinets; under 19 in means the Creami series, 20 to 21 in means any model.

Every Creami loads from the top, so the height with the lid open is the figure that matters. We measured 18.2 in for the NC351, 18.4 in for the NC301, 20.1 in for the NC601, 20.3 in for the NC501 and 20.8 in for the NC701. A typical 18 in cabinet gap clears the Creami series only if you slide the machine forward to open the lid, and does not clear a Deluxe or Swirl without pulling the machine out each time.

Width matters less, except for the NC701. The NC351 sits in 6.4 in, the NC601 in 7.0 in, and the NC701 in 10.1 in, which is close to the width of a stand mixer. Depth is similar across the range at 11.4 to 12.6 in. If your space is tight, this question points to the NC351 and overrides question 1 for anyone who would otherwise have picked a Deluxe; a 16 oz pint spun twice a week still feeds a family, it just takes more pints in the freezer, and the 4-pack of original pints covers that.

Question 5: Gen 1 or Gen 2?

Decision: buy Gen 2 unless you want a specific Gen 1 color or the Italian Ice and Slushi programs.

The Gen 2 machines are the NC351 and NC601. Against their Gen 1 siblings they measured two to three dB quieter (82 against 84 for the NC351 and NC301; 83 against 86 for the NC601 and NC501), finished the Ice Cream cycle 7 to 8 seconds faster, and showed no paddle or lid lock wear after 30 days. The matte housing hides fingerprints better than the Gen 1 gloss. On the Creami side, the NC351 also needed one fewer re-spin on our oat base than the NC301.

The NC601 goes further than a refresh. It drops Slushi, Italian Ice and Frozen Drink and adds CreamiFit, Frappe and Dairy-Free. CreamiFit changed our protein result from one re-spin to zero, and Dairy-Free took the oat base from two re-spins and a texture of 3 on the NC501 to zero re-spins and a texture of 4. On the NC501 the Slushi program got used twice in a month and then forgotten, so unless Italian Ice is a weekly habit the trade favors the NC601.

The Gen 1 machines still have a place. The NC301 comes in silver, rose gold and red, where the NC351 is navy, mocha, purple, green or blue, and performance is close: the same 7 programs, texture 5 on vanilla and sorbet, 84 dB. The Amazon exclusive NC299AMZ is the NC301 in silver with a quick start card and matched it within one second per cycle. If either is the one listed when you shop, you lose little. The NC301 vs NC351 and NC501 vs NC601 pages have the full 12 row tables.

The three models the questions point to

Almost every path through the five questions ends at one of three machines. Here they are on our standard table, with the measured noise and the score from our rubric.

If you answered one or two people, no daily protein, no dispenser, buy the NC351. If you answered three or more, or daily protein, buy the NC601. If you answered yes to soft serve, buy the NC701 and measure your counter first. If you are still unsure whether any of them earns its space, our Is the Ninja Creami worth it? page covers who should not buy one.

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