Best overall
Ninja · NC501UK
Ninja CREAMi Deluxe
Best for: Families, and anyone who wants ice cream and frozen drinks
Head to head
Ninja CREAMi vs Ninja SLUSHi
They’re both Ninja frozen-treat machines, but they do very different jobs. Here’s the quick answer, then the detail.
Get the CREAMi if…
you mainly want ice cream: scoops, gelato, sorbet, protein ice cream and thick milkshakes. You’ll need to freeze bases 24 hours ahead.
Get the SLUSHi if…
you mainly want drinks: slushies, frozen cocktails, frappés and frozen juice, in big batches, with no planning ahead.
Want a bit of both?
The CREAMi Deluxe is the all-rounder. It makes ice cream plus Slushi and Frozen Drink programs, one tub at a time. For soft serve, look at the Ninja Swirl.
Side by side
How they compare
| Ninja CREAMi | Ninja SLUSHi | |
|---|---|---|
| What it makes | Ice cream, gelato, sorbet, lite ice cream, milkshakes, smoothie bowls (plus frozen yoghurt & drinks on the Deluxe, soft serve on the Swirl) | Slush, frozen cocktails, frappés, milkshakes, frozen juice |
| How it works | Shaves and whips a base you’ve frozen solid | Built-in cooling chills and churns liquid into slush |
| Planning ahead | Freeze each base for 24 hours | None. Just pour in a chilled drink. |
| Time to treat | A few minutes (once the base is frozen) | As little as 30 minutes on the original, faster on XL/MAX* |
| Batch size | One tub at a time (473ml–709ml) | 7 to 12 drinks per batch, depending on model |
| Sugar needed? | No. Great for low-sugar and protein recipes. | Yes. Sugar is needed for slush texture. |
| Noise | Loud for a couple of minutes while processing | Fridge-like hum while it chills |
| Models | CREAMi, Deluxe, Swirl | SLUSHi, XL, MAX, Twist |
*Ninja’s figures. Times vary with your ingredients and how cold they are to begin with.
Our picks
The best of both ranges
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Best slushie machine
Ninja · FS301UK
Ninja SLUSHi
Best for: Slushies, frozen cocktails and frappés, with no ice needed
Best for soft serve
Ninja · NC701UK
Ninja Swirl by CREAMi
Best for: Soft-serve cones at home. Kids love the handle.
Best for parties
Ninja · FS601UK
Ninja SLUSHi XL
Best for: Hosting, big families and less guesswork
The detail
Who should buy which?
Health-conscious and gym-goers: CREAMi
The CREAMi’s big trick is turning almost anything frozen into something creamy, including protein shakes, Greek yoghurt and low-sugar bases. The SLUSHi needs sugar to work, so it’s less suited to low-sugar diets.
Families with kids: either, or both
Kids love both. The SLUSHi is the bigger “wow” at parties because it makes lots of drinks at once and they can pull the handle themselves. The CREAMi is better for an everyday after-dinner scoop. The Ninja Swirl adds soft-serve cones, which tends to go down very well.
Entertainers: SLUSHi
For BBQs, garden parties and frozen cocktails, the SLUSHi wins. A whole jug of drinks comes out ready to serve, and the SLUSHi Twist does two flavours at once.
Short on space: CREAMi
Every model in both ranges is a sizeable worktop appliance, but the original CREAMi is the most compact. Remember the CREAMi also needs freezer space for its tubs.