Ninja Creami tops ice cream maker test as NutriBullet nips at its heels
Mashable’s National Ice Cream Day test picked the Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl, with the NutriBullet Chill close behind at a lower price.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
The Ninja Creami still has the top spot in Mashable’s latest countertop ice cream maker test, but the NutriBullet Chill made the race a lot less frosty.
In a National Ice Cream Day roundup published July 19, 2026, Mashable senior shopping reporter Samantha Mangino compared three instant ice cream makers: the Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl, the NutriBullet Chill, and the Cuisinart FastFreeze.
Mangino, who said she has used the Ninja Creami and Ninja Slushi for years, named the Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl the best overall pick. The machine was listed at $279 at Walmart, with other listed prices of $299.95 at Amazon and $349.99 at Ninja Kitchen.
The Creami still gets the cherry on top
According to Mashable, the Scoop and Swirl builds on Ninja’s Creami system by spinning a blade through frozen pints to turn homemade mixes into ice cream, frozen yogurt, fruit whip and other desserts. The newer model also adds a soft-serve dispenser.
Mangino reported that users mix their dessert base, freeze the pints for 24 hours, then run them through the machine. She said the Scoop and Swirl did a better job with texture than the Ninja Creami Deluxe she had tested before.
In one test, Mangino said a chocolate hazelnut frozen yogurt reached the texture she wanted after one spin in the Scoop and Swirl. She said the Deluxe Creami had required several spins in earlier use to reach the same whipped consistency.
Mashable’s listed strengths for the Ninja model included very creamy results, dishwasher-safe parts, easy operation and fewer re-spins than previous models. The drawbacks were familiar kitchen-appliance gripes: it is loud, takes up considerable counter space, does not allow mix-ins with soft serve and is not designed for serving a large crowd.
NutriBullet gets the “also great” nod
The surprise challenger was the NutriBullet Chill, which Mashable labeled “also great” and listed at $149.99 on Amazon. The roundup’s subheading went further, saying the NutriBullet Chill was “just as good as the Creami.”
The lower price gives NutriBullet an obvious opening against Ninja’s larger and more expensive machine, though Mashable still placed the Scoop and Swirl in the top slot.
The third model in the test, the Cuisinart FastFreeze, was named the budget pick and listed at $98.69 on Amazon.
Why these machines are having a moment
Mashable described instant ice cream makers as a shortcut around the more involved process of traditional ice cream, which can require custard-making and churning time. These newer machines work more like blenders, using a blade to break up frozen mixes into a smoother, fluffier dessert.
Mangino also pointed to TikTok’s protein-heavy recipe trend as part of the 2026 comeback. According to Mashable, Ninja Creami recipes using protein powder have become common on the platform as people try to work more protein into desserts.
Mashable said its featured products were selected independently by its editors and writers, and disclosed that it may earn an affiliate commission when readers buy through its links.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.