Quick answer
Every Creami has Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Milkshake and Mix-In. The NC301 and NC351 add Smoothie Bowl for 7. The NC501 and NC601 run 11 with different extras, and the NC701 runs 13 including Soft Serve. Use Ice Cream for full-fat bases, Lite or CreamiFit for protein, and Sorbet for fruit.
Every program on a Ninja Creami is a different paddle speed and depth profile applied to the same frozen pint. The machine does not change the temperature; it changes how fast and how deep it shaves. Across the five current models there are 20 distinct program names, and no single machine has more than 13 of them. We have run every one of them at least once during testing, and the matrix below tells you which model has which and what we found it good for.
The program matrix
Six programs are on every model; the other 14 are what separate the series. The What it does column is our description after testing, not the box copy.
| Program | NC301/NC351 | NC501 | NC601 | NC701 | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Cream | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Full-speed shave and blend for full-fat dairy bases; the default program |
| Lite Ice Cream | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Gentler profile for low-fat, low-sugar and protein bases; expect one re-spin |
| Sorbet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dense, slow pass for fruit bases with no fat |
| Gelato | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Slightly slower than Ice Cream for cooked, yolk-rich bases |
| Milkshake | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short blend of processed ice cream plus added milk |
| Mix-In | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Slow fold that distributes chunks without crushing them |
| Smoothie Bowl | Yes | – | Yes | – | Spoonable frozen fruit and yogurt; Lite Ice Cream plus a re-spin gives the same result |
| Frozen Yogurt | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | Tuned for cultured dairy bases with yogurt protein |
| Creamiccino | – | Yes | – | – | Frozen coffee base processed to a thick, spoonable texture |
| Slushi | – | Yes | – | – | Coarse, icy texture for juice and soda bases |
| Italian Ice | – | Yes | – | – | Finer than Slushi, firmer than Sorbet, for sweetened fruit water |
| Frozen Drink | – | Yes | – | – | Pourable blended drink from a frozen base plus liquid |
| CreamiFit | – | – | Yes | Yes | High-protein profile; our protein base needed zero re-spins |
| Frappe | – | – | Yes | – | Coffee or milk frappe; Milkshake does the same with less liquid |
| Dairy-Free | – | – | Yes | – | Tuned for oat, coconut and nut bases; our oat base needed zero re-spins |
| Fruit Whip | – | – | – | Yes | Aerated fruit base light enough to dispense |
| Frozen Custard | – | – | – | Yes | Dense profile for egg-based custard bases |
| Soft Serve | – | – | – | Yes | Processes a full-fat base and dispenses it through the nozzle |
| Soft Serve Lite | – | – | – | Yes | Soft serve profile for protein and lite bases |
| Scoop | – | – | – | Yes | Standard scooped output on the NC701 without engaging the dispenser |
The six programs every Creami shares
Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Milkshake and Mix-In are on all five machines, and between them they cover about 90 percent of what we make. The NC301 and NC351 also have Smoothie Bowl, which the NC601 shares.
- Ice Cream: the default. Our full-fat vanilla scored 5/5 with zero re-spins on every model, from 142 s on the NC351 to 182 s on the NC501.
- Lite Ice Cream: for protein and low-sugar bases. Runs about 15 seconds shorter than Ice Cream and expects a re-spin; ours needed one on the NC301, NC351 and NC501.
- Sorbet: for fruit with no fat. Our mango base was 5/5 everywhere with zero re-spins.
- Gelato: a touch slower than Ice Cream for cooked yolk bases. We stopped using it on the NC351 after week two because Ice Cream handles the same base.
- Milkshake: add about half a cup of milk to a processed pint first. It is the only program that wants liquid before you start.
- Mix-In: dig a hole to the bottom of the pint, drop in up to a quarter cup of chunks, run it. It folds rather than blends.
NC501 extras: Frozen Yogurt, Creamiccino, Slushi, Italian Ice, Frozen Drink
The Gen 1 Deluxe leans toward drinks and ices. Frozen Yogurt is the one we use weekly; the other four are occasional.
- Frozen Yogurt: a cultured dairy profile. Our Greek yogurt base runs here on the NC501, NC601 and NC701; on the NC301 and NC351 we use Ice Cream instead.
- Creamiccino: frozen coffee with milk, processed to a spoonable texture.
- Slushi: a coarse, icy result from juice or soda. We used it twice in 30 days and then forgot it.
- Italian Ice: finer than Slushi, for sweetened fruit water. Our lemon Italian ice was built for it.
- Frozen Drink: a pourable drink from a frozen base plus liquid, closer to a blender result.
NC601 extras: CreamiFit, Frappe, Dairy-Free and Smoothie Bowl
The Gen 2 Deluxe trades the drink programs for the two settings that changed our test results. It keeps Frozen Yogurt and brings back Smoothie Bowl from the 16 oz machines.
- CreamiFit: a protein-tuned profile. Our protein base went from one re-spin on Lite Ice Cream to zero re-spins and 5/5 on CreamiFit, and it has replaced Lite for every protein pint we make.
- Dairy-Free: tuned for oat, coconut and nut bases. Our oat base needed two re-spins on the NC501 and zero on the NC601, 4/5 with a slightly soft center.
- Frappe: a coffee frappe profile. We stopped using it because Milkshake does the same job with less liquid.
- Smoothie Bowl: spoonable fruit and yogurt. Lite Ice Cream plus a re-spin gives the same result, which is why we stopped using it on the NC301 after week one.
NC701 extras: Soft Serve, Soft Serve Lite, Scoop, Fruit Whip, Frozen Custard
The Scoop and Swirl is the only model whose programs route through a dispenser. It also has CreamiFit and Frozen Yogurt, and lacks Smoothie Bowl and Dairy-Free.
- Soft Serve: processes a full-fat base and dispenses it through the nozzle. The same vanilla base that scooped at 5/5 gave a true dispenser swirl.
- Soft Serve Lite: the same path for protein bases. Our CreamiFit protein pint dispensed cleanly.
- Scoop: standard scooped output without engaging the dispenser, so every scooped recipe on this site works unchanged.
- Fruit Whip: aerates a fruit base enough to dispense. The surprise keeper of our 30 days; our mango base came out airy and dispensed.
- Frozen Custard: a dense profile for egg bases, which we rarely make.
Our oat base was too soft to dispense on the NC701 without a 10 minute refreeze, so dairy-free soft serve needs that extra step.
Re-spin and the top/bottom option
Re-spin is on every model and is not counted as a program. It runs a shorter, shallower second pass: 75 s on the NC301, 70 s on the NC351, 85 s on the NC501, 80 s on the NC601 and 78 s on the NC701. Use it once on a crumbly pint; add one tablespoon of liquid before a second. The NC501 also lets you process only the top or bottom half of the 24 oz tub, which is how we keep two flavors in one tub. Our re-spin guide covers the decision in detail.
Model notes: where the NC300, NC500 and NC700 series differ
- NC301, NC351 and NC299AMZ: 7 programs, identical across the three. No Frozen Yogurt, no CreamiFit, no Dairy-Free; use Ice Cream, Lite and a re-spin.
- NC501 and NC601: 11 programs each but only six in common. Pick the NC501 for Italian Ice and Slushi, the NC601 for CreamiFit and Dairy-Free.
- NC701: 13 programs. Every scooped program plus the five dispenser-related settings; no Dairy-Free.
Prevention: choose the program before you freeze
- Decide the program when you build the base, because the ratio depends on it. Our base ratio cheat sheet pairs each style with its program.
- Use the specialist program where your model has one: CreamiFit beats Lite for protein, Dairy-Free beats Lite for oat.
- Add liquid only for Milkshake, Frappe and Frozen Drink before starting, and only a tablespoon before a second re-spin on anything else.
- Keep the 24 hour, 0 F freeze and the flat-top rule the same for every program.
When to contact SharkNinja support
A program that produces a different texture than you expected is a base or freezer issue, not a fault. Contact SharkNinja if a program light will not select, if the machine starts a program and stops within a few seconds on a correctly frozen pint more than once, or if the motor sound changes sharply from the 82 to 86 dB we measured. All five models carry a 1 year limited warranty; have the model number from the label under the base and your Amazon receipt ready, and see our manuals page for where the full guide lives. Confirm you are using the right pint first with our pint compatibility guide.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
Ice Cream runs a full-speed shave for bases with plenty of fat and sugar. Lite Ice Cream runs a gentler profile for low-fat bases that would otherwise shave to powder. Our full-fat vanilla scored 5/5 with no re-spin on Ice Cream; our protein base on Lite needed one re-spin on the NC301, NC351 and NC501.
The NC601 Deluxe Gen 2 and the NC701 Scoop and Swirl. CreamiFit is a protein-tuned program and it is the one setting that changed our results: the same protein base that needed one re-spin on Lite Ice Cream came out creamy, 5/5, on the first spin on both machines.
No. Dairy-Free is on the NC601 only. On the NC351 we run oat and coconut bases on Lite Ice Cream and they needed one re-spin plus a tablespoon of oat milk to reach 4/5. On the NC601 the Dairy-Free program got the same base to 4/5 with zero re-spins.
It is a button on every model, but it is not counted in the program totals. Re-spin runs a short second pass, 70 to 85 seconds depending on the model, without the full shaving depth. Use it once on a crumbly pint, and add one tablespoon of liquid before a second re-spin.
SharkNinja swapped five programs between generations. The NC501 has Creamiccino, Slushi, Italian Ice and Frozen Drink; the NC601 drops those and adds Smoothie Bowl, CreamiFit, Frappe and Dairy-Free. In 30 days we used the NC501’s Slushi twice; the NC601’s CreamiFit now runs every protein pint.