After testing the Ninja Creami Deluxe, I know exactly why it's a viral favourite - get it for £50 off this weekend

The Ninja Creami Deluxe is a step up from the super-viral Ninja Creami ice cream maker, which captured shoppers' imaginations last year. We gave the original an easy five stars in our Ninja Creami review, and couldn't wait to try out this levelled up version.

The Deluxe keeps the features that make creating your sweet treats easy and bolts on a whole host of new functions. Unlike the usual run-of-the-mill best ice cream makers, the Creami Deluxe has frozen drink settings, as well as double the capacity of the original.

I've seen the Ninja Creami Deluxe touted as a 'healthy' ice-cream maker, which I always find odd. Much like the claim that the best air fryers are 'healthy', it all depends on what you're putting into this appliance as to whether the results are good for you or not.

Sure, the 'Light Ice Cream Mode' is tailor-made for anyone who wants to make desserts with protein powder, but the Ninja Creami Deluxe is equally suitable for anyone who wants to make triple chocolate brownie ice cream too. Here's what I thought after I tested the functions that the Ninja Creami Deluxe has to offer, trying out a range of different recipes.

Ninja Creami Deluxe | was £249.99, now £199.99 at Ninja

The Ninja Creami Deluxe is £50 cheaper than usual thanks to Ninja's summer sales event. Grab it for less while you can!

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Ninja Creami Deluxe Ice Cream Maker product specs

• Pre-freeze or self-freezing: pre-freeze
• Accessories: three 709ml pots with lids
• Functions: Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Gelato, Sorbet, Milkshake, Mix In, Frappe, Frozen Drink, Slushi, Frozen Yoghurt
• Dimensions (cm): H42.4 x W30.5 x D21.4 cm
• Bowl capacity: 709ml

Unboxing and setting up the Ninja Creami Deluxe Ice Cream Maker

The Ninja Creami Deluxe was delivered to my door in a fairly compact box which details everything new and exciting about this ice cream maker. It claims to be 'completely customisable' with options to make indulgent, low sugar, keto, dairy free or vegan ice creams, depending on what you fancy.

The tagline on the box promises that you can 'turn almost anything into ice cream' with the Creami Deluxe, and that there's those 4 new functions bolted on (frappe, frozen drink, frozen yoghurt and slushi).

Happily, the Ninja Creami Deluxe arrived packaged in entirely sustainable materials, with cardboard and paper bags protecting the appliance. There's no real set up required. Once you have the machine upright and unwrapped, you'll need to insert the blade and paddle and then you're pretty much ready to go.

The part you'll need to put work into is freezing your chosen ice cream mix once you've made it, as well as resisting temptation to check in on it for the next 24 hours. Yes, the Ninja Creami Deluxe is an ice-cream maker that requires pre-freezing, unlike other favourite options out there like the Sage's the Smart Scoop (£348.00 at Amazon) which includes self-contained freezing elements.

The Deluxe is taller than the original Creami, and stands at 42cm tall, which might tower too high for those with overhanging cupboards. It has an updated interface too, with controls that allow you to mix the top, bottom or the full pot of ingredients separately. This is essential for that two flavours mix in feature.

The functions on the machine are divided into 'scoopable' and 'drinkable', and there's the option for mix-ins and re-spins too. The timer element is another great addition.

To use the Creami, you insert your pre-frozen ingredients in the bowl into the bottom element. You'll know you've done the process right by hearing a series of satisfying clicks. You then select whether you want a full mix or not, turn the dial to the function you need, and press the middle silver button to begin. It's all very simple to operate, something that you always find with Ninja appliances, whether one of the best Ninja air fryers or the Ninja Woodfire range.

Using the Ninja Creami Deluxe

Making sorbet

I started out with one of the easiest recipes I could find in the recipe book that comes with the ice cream maker, which was a lemon sorbet. I combined the juice of fresh lemons with warm water, sugar and corn syrup. I love that the pots are actually big enough for multiple portions - they're 50% bigger than the type you get with the original Creami.

24 hours later I returned and plugged the bowl into the Creami, selecting the 'full' and 'sorbet' options. I watched as the blade from the Creami made its way down into the sorbet and creamified the mix. The resulting dessert was wonderful, and the texture was really impressive, reminding me of sorbets I've had when dining out.

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While the texture was wonderful, I was anxious to return the mix to the fridge as the sorbet was a little less solid than I was expecting. On later eatings of this sorbet (and trust me, I could not stop eating it) I had no problems with the consistency, so it probably just needed a little more time to freeze.

Making vegan ice-cream
My partner is an ice-cream lover, but as a vegan, his options can be limited at times, so when he finds the plant-based Ben & Jerry's in a supermarket, you best believe he's clearing the shelf.

I challenged myself with mixing up a homemade alternative, inspired by Ninja's Vegan Caramel Ice-Cream recipe. The process before freezing was very straightforward, and then it was time to wait another 24 hours before mixing. The day-long waiting process did definitely make me impatient at times, but it also encourages you to be proactive with your prep, especially if you're hoping to serve your frozen desserts at a party.

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After 24 hours, I churned the full container of ice-cream, resulting in a great consistency. The process took longer than with the sorbet, which is when I started to realise this appliance really is pretty loud.

Using the mix-in function
Though my vegan ice cream was now churned up, I wanted to add mix-ins, to create that real Ben & Jerry's effect. I followed the instructions, making a small hole in the top of the ice cream for the extra chocolate, and then popped the tub back into the machine to be processed again.

I was amazed by how adeptly the chocolate chips were blended into the ice cream, with an effect that looks so impressive, especially if you're serving up to guests. The mix-in process takes almost no time at all, too.

Making lite ice-cream

For those who want to cut out some of the sugar out, the lite ice cream setting is going to be your new favourite. I swapped double cream for coconut cream for this test, and sugar for sweetener and agave. I also swapped whole milk for oat milk, meaning this lite ice cream was vegan.

The churning process works the same as for regular ice cream, and the end result had a good texture. Admittedly, it is not the same as full-fat pint of ice cream, but if you want to be able to track exactly what's going into your next dessert, the Ninja Creami Deluxe will allow you to do that and be creative at the same time.

Making a frozen drinks/Slushis
Next up, I was desperate to try out a series of frozen drinks with the Creami Deluxe, and decided to make my first test as easy as possible. I got my hands on MOTH's new Paloma cocktails (available for £3.99 from Waitrose) and simply poured them into one of my tubs, and popped the mix away to freeze.

You will be tired of me saying this by now, but 24 hours later, I returned and fixed the machine into the unit and selected the 'frozen drinks' function. The machine auto-set a 5 minute timer, and the process of making the mix drinkable began. It's quite astounding just how powerful the Creami is, and I could see the mix becoming creamier in an instant.

On this setting though, the Creami is unbelievably loud, so you probably want to keep to using this mode to short bursts to not annoy your neighbours, if like me you live in a flat.

I can't speak more highly of the resulting frozen drinks though, which were absolutely delicious, and had the perfect kind of frosé texture that you get when you're out and about. For a quick win when hosting, these frozen cocktails couldn't have been easier.

From what I understand after perusing Ninja Kitchen's recipes, Frozen Drink and Slushi will yield the same results, but Frozen Drink is the setting you need to use if your drink contains alcohol, and Slushi is the one to go for if it doesn't.

Making a milkshake
This is the only setting on the Creami that doesn't require that 24 hour waiting period. Yep, you can just get stuck straight in. I did so, mixing whole milk and ice-cream as per one of Ninja's recipes. This is definitely not one of those healthy recipes!

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I can't admit to being much of a milkshake fan, but the process was quick and the resulting drink had a nice consistency. This is a setting you could get really inventive with too if you do love this particular type of drink.

Cleaning and maintenance

With the Creami Deluxe, cleaning the external parts is simple. Be careful with the blade when handwashing though. If you'd prefer to pop the parts into your dishwasher then that's fine too.

How does it compare to other ice-cream makers?

Recently we tried out the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker, which has a very cute all-in-one ice cream station design, including space for toppings. Ultimately however, our reviewer didn't see herself using it too often. I think the Ninja Creami Delxue's operation is less gimmicky, and should stand the test of time in your home better.

For me, choosing between the Ninja Creami and the Deluxe comes down to a question of size. If you're a two person household and you just want to make ice cream, go for the Creami. If you want the fun of the drinks options and bigger tubs, splash out on the Deluxe.

Should you buy the Ninja Creami Deluxe?

I love baking and hosting, so the Ninja Creami Deluxe would be a no brainer purchase for me personally. It's so versatile with such a huge number of functions, and is just as good for knocking up a batch of margaritas (next on my list) as it is ice cream.

It's fun to use, given you're prepared enough to combine everything together 24 hours before, and I love how big the portion sizes are with the Deluxe, as it feels capable of catering to a family.

The issues I can see arising with it are that it's quite big, and if you know that you wouldn't be motivated to prep recipes in advance, you might fall out of love with it quickly. It's also noisy in the moment but most appliances with a blade (like a blender) share that problem.

I can see why the Ninja Creami in all of its forms is an enduring viral favourite, and once you get into making desserts with it, I'm sure your algorithm will help you along on social media to stay inspired and try new things with it. As far as TikTok approved products go, it's my favourite.