Ninja Creami or Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker?

 Ninja Creami or Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker?

 By Megan Clausen

 July 23, 2025

Have you ever wanted ice cream, but ice cream doesn't fit into your diet plan? With a Ninja Creami, you can have healthy ice cream that you can eat every day. Recently, the Ninja Creami has gone viral. Many influencers have posted recipe videos for the Ninja Creami. So, what is the Ninja Creami? It is most popular for making homemade ice cream. Is there an alternative machine? Another less popular option for making homemade ice cream is the Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer. If you have been wondering how these machines compare in price, the length of prep time, special features, the size of the bowls, how they work, and their pros and cons, then you have come to the right place! Going through the details might help you make a more informed decision. Many of your questions will be answered below as we dive into the details of each machine. 

Type of machine

This ice cream maker from Kitchen Aid isn't an appliance, but simply an attachment bowl for the Kitchen Aid mixer. It is a bowl with a freezing liquid trapped in the walls. When the liquid inside the bowl is frozen, it slowly freezes your liquid ingredients into ice cream during the churning process. 

On the other hand, the Ninja Creami Deluxe is a countertop appliance. It works by using a special blending technique that blends your frozen mixture into ice cream. 

Price

The going rate for Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl is $119.99. The Kitchen Aid stand mixer is sold separately for between $349.99-$499.99,  depending on the model. If you already have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, this would be the cheaper route to take. Be aware that the ice cream bowl is only compatible with certain model of the stand mixer. You should check your model of stand mixer before purchasing. the ice cream bowl to make sure that it is compatible. If you don't already have the Kitchen Aid mixer, then you will need to buy one. 

The Ninja Creami, on the other hand, retails for $249.99. It comes with everything you need. If you would like to purchase extra storage pints, you can get a 2-pack for $35.99 on the Ninja website. 

What's included

The Kitchen Aid mixer bowl includes a dasher (that spins and churns the ice cream) and a hub assembly.

In the Ninja Creami box, you get 3 deluxe pints, the Ninja Creami machine, the outer lid, the outer bowl, and the creamerizer paddle. 

Either option you choose, you will get a limited one year warranty. 

Directions

The Kitchen Aid mixer bowl must be placed in the freezer for 24 hours before use. When you are ready to make the ice cream, pour your ingredients into the already pre-frozen bowl. Set up the bowl with the stand mixer. Turn the Kitchen Aid mixer on and let it churn consistently for around 30 minutes. This should result in the completion of your homemade ice cream. 

To make ice cream with the Ninja Creami, first, you need to mix up your ingredients inside the included pints. Let your mixture freeze for 24 hours. The Ninja Creami will blend your frozen mixture into ice cream within 2-4 minutes. 

Total time

It takes 24 hours to freeze the Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl before you can use it. Then it will take another 30 minutes of churning the ice cream before you can have your treat. 

With the Ninja Creami, it takes 24 hours of freezing your ice cream ingredients, and then between 2-4 minutes of blending your ice cream before you can have your treat. The turnaround time is slightly faster for the Ninja Creami. 

Size/space

The bowl size for the Kitchen Aid is 2 quarts/1.9L. The pint size included with the Ninja Creami is 24oz. The size of the Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl has it's benefits and it's drawbacks. It's nice because you can make a larger amount of ice cream. The negative aspect is needing to keep the bowl stored in the freezer if you want to be able to spontaneously make ice cream. This means the big bowl will be continuously occupying a lot of freezer space. The ice cream bowl for the Kitchen Aid is bigger, but it only comes with one bowl. 

The Ninja Creami doesn't take up freezer space, but rather countertop space. This appliance is large, so you will need to find space on your counter for it. The containers for the Ninja Creami are smaller, but it comes with 3 containers. 

Features

While comparing the two ice cream makers, the biggest thing to consider is that the Kitchen Aid only makes classic-style ice cream. It doesn't have any settings or special features. It is simply a bowl that attaches to the Kitchen Aid mixer, so it doesn't have a screen or fancy settings. 

The Ninja Creami Deluxe, on the other hand, has 11 one-touch settings to make a variety of treats. The options for your sweet treats are not limited to standard ice cream but also include the options of light ice cream (soft serve), frozen drinks, slushy, frozen yogurt, italian ice, gelato, creamiccinos, and milkshakes. Another setting called "mix-in" allows you to turn regular ice cream into a blizzard treat. If you don't like the texture of your ice cream after the first cycle of blending, there is a re-spin button that will fix the texture. The Ninja Creami Deluxe also has a display screen that tells you the remaining time. 

Meal Prep

As a mom who makes ice cream for multiple people, it's beneficial to me if I can make multiple flavors of ice cream. With the Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl, you can only make one flavor of ice cream per day. This is because once you are done making the first flavor of ice cream, the bowl must go back in the freezer for 24 hours before you can use it again. This means you can't meal prep ice cream with this machine. 

Since the Ninja Creami comes with 3 storage containers, you can meal prep enough ice cream for yourself for a few days, then blend it up whenever you are ready! You could also make seperate flavor for your family members to serve all in one day, or different flavors to try for yourself. 

Versatility of recipes 

The Kitchen Aid mixer was designed for making classic, thick homemade ice cream using heavy cream. Although some sources say that you can substitute the heavy cream with other kinds of milk, but with the addition of another thickener, or by adding cream cheese. If you are simple and love the thick, rich, and creamy classic ice cream recipe, then the Kitchen Aid will do the trick.

With the Ninja Creami, the options are endless. You can use whatever milk you want, with sweetener and vanilla extract, and you are good to go! I have even heard of people throwing mashed-up fruit in the Ninja Creami with yogurt to get a delicious frozen yogurt recipe. Any ice cream flavor you have ever dreamed of trying, the Ninja Creami makes it possible. If you are like me and want the lowest calorie ice cream as possible, then the Ninja Creami would be the right choice for you. 

Sound

A major drawback of the Kitchen Aid is that you have to listen to the non stop noise from your Kitchen Aid mixer while it's churning your mixture into ice cream for 30 minutes. While the long duration of the consistent noise is dreadful, it's not as loud as the Ninja Creami. 

The Ninja Creami machine is extremely loud, but only for a couple of minutes.

Experience

My main goal while testing these ice cream makers was to make the lowest calorie, fat-free, sugar-free, ice cream. My experience using the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker wasn't a good one. I followed the directions. I used my healthy fat-free recipe using fat-free milk instead of the recommended high-calorie recipe made with heavy cream. I mixed my ingredients well. After 30 minutes of churning, there wasn't ice cream at all. Instead, I was left with a big, bubbly liquid mess. It is recommended that you use heavy cream, so I assume my bad experience was due to my choice of ingredients that had a thinner consistency. For my purposes, the Kitchen Aid was a failure. 

My experience with Ninja Creami was a positive one. I used the same recipe as I used with the Kitchen Aid. I finished the process with success this time. I haven't tried the other modes on the Ninja yet, but I plan to do so in the future. 

Taste

I can't comment on the taste of the ice cream produced by the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker since I wasn't successful in making ice cream with it. 

The Ninja Creami ice cream was amazing. I wasn't even able to tell that my recipe was so low in calories. It tasted just like regular ice cream. 

Bottom Line

Since I didn't get a successful tub of ice cream from the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker, this is going to be a biased conclusion. The Ninja Creami has way more options and benefits. You can do so much more with a Ninja Creami. If you are trying to save money, only want basic ice cream, and you already have the Kitchen Aid stand mixer, then the Kitchen Aid ice cream bowl might be a better option for you. If you want to explore a bunch pf recipes ranging from unhealthy, to healthy, and can afford to spend a little bit of extra money, then the Ninja Creami is worth the splurge, in my opinion.