Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker vs Ninja Creami: Which Is the Best Ice Cream Maker for Home Use?

If you're looking to enjoy delicious frozen desserts at home, two of the top contenders are the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker and the Ninja Creami. Both machines offer unique benefits, but if you’re after a fun, efficient, and fully customisable experience, the Cuisinart slightly edges ahead. In this guide, we compare the two across a range of features, from ease of use and dessert quality to serving capacity and customisation options, to help you choose the right ice cream maker for your kitchen.

Soft Serve vs Scoopable Ice Cream: What's the Difference?

The biggest distinction between these two machines is the type of dessert they produce. The Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker churns out true soft serve, the creamy, swirled texture you’d expect from an ice cream parlour. It’s ideal for cones, sundaes, and frozen yoghurt. On the other hand, the Ninja Creami creates a denser, scoopable dessert similar to traditional tub ice cream. If your goal is to make real soft serve at home, Cuisinart delivers a more authentic experience.

Speed and Ease of Use

The Cuisinart offers a much quicker and simpler preparation process. You freeze the 1.42L bowl overnight, pour in your mixture, and you’ll have soft serve in just 20 minutes. There’s no complicated interface, no need for reprocessing, just press a button and enjoy.

With the Ninja Creami, the workflow is a bit more involved. First, you must blend and freeze your mixture for a full 24 hours. Then you process it in the machine, and depending on the texture, you may need to re-spin the mixture one or two times. While the Ninja is capable of making a range of dessert types, it takes more time and effort to get the texture right.

Built-In Toppings & Heated Sauce: The Cuisinart Advantage

One of the standout features of the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker is its fun, integrated design. It includes three topping dispensers built right into the unit, allowing you to add sprinkles, chocolate chips, or nuts directly as you serve. It also features a heated sauce plate, which can warm up to 800ml of chocolate or caramel sauce to drizzle over your dessert, making every serving extra indulgent. The foldable cone holder adds a charming touch and makes serving easy and mess-free.

By contrast, while the Ninja Creami does let you add mix-ins using a separate function, it’s a more manual process. You have to pause, open the container, and stir in your toppings. There’s no integrated dispensing or heating system, which means you miss out on the immersive dessert-bar experience that the Cuisinart provides.

Serving Size and Convenience

Another key advantage of the Cuisinart is its larger capacity. With a 1.42L bowl, it can produce enough soft serve for up to six people in one go, making it perfect for family gatherings, kids’ parties, or spontaneous dessert cravings. Meanwhile, the Ninja Creami is designed around individual 470ml pints. This setup works well for solo servings or couples, but can be limiting if you're entertaining or serving a group.

Design and User Experience

The Cuisinart features a compact, upright design that fits easily on most countertops and is specifically built for dessert-making. It looks inviting, functions intuitively, and feels like a dedicated treat-making appliance. In contrast, the Ninja Creami resembles a kitchen blender in style and size. While powerful, its design is more utilitarian than playful, and some users may find it less appealing to use with children or guests.

Final Thoughts: Which Ice Cream Maker Should You Choose?

Both the Ninja Creami and the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker are strong choices for making frozen desserts at home. The Ninja is incredibly versatile, handling everything from sorbet to smoothie bowls. However, the Cuisinart Soft Serve Maker stands out for its ease of use, authentic soft serve texture, and unique built-in features like topping dispensers and a heated sauce plate. It's more engaging, faster to operate, and perfect for anyone who wants to bring the full ice cream parlour experience into their kitchen.