Ninja Creami NC300UK Review: Brilliant Texture, but Plan a Day Ahead
The Creami does not churn ice cream, it shaves a frozen block into it — which is why testers rave about the texture and why every single batch needs a full day in the freezer first. It is also loud: two editorial tests measured it at 86 and 88.4 dB. Here is what that means in a real kitchen, and what you actually get in the box.
Where the reviews line up
Our evidence comes from three places: the hands-on test at Expert Reviews (cross-checked against TechRadar’s), the owners’ forum r/ninjacreami on Reddit, and 146 buyer reviews at Marks Electrical. They agree on the good news and the bad.
The good news is the texture. Expert Reviews called it quick and easy, with one-touch programmes and two to two-and-a-half minutes per tub; TechRadar praised “creamy smooth desserts” and singled out dairy-free results. Owners on the forum go further, using it for high-protein and lactose-free recipes that shop-bought tubs cannot match. Buyers rate it 4.7 out of 5.
The bad news is just as consistent. Every base must freeze for 24 hours, flat and below the max line, so spontaneity is out and freezer space matters. It is loud — 86 dB at one metre (Expert Reviews) and 88.4 dB peak on sorbet (TechRadar), which TechRadar likened to a vacuum cleaner. And the first spin is often powdery: the Re-spin button, with a little extra liquid, is part of the routine rather than a fix for a fault.
The real buying question is whether you will plan ahead. If you keep two or three frozen tubs on the go, it makes outstanding single-tub batches for about a penny of electricity (our sum). If you want ice cream this afternoon, a churn-style machine suits you better.
The three reviews this summary is built from
- Expert ReviewsHands-on test, measured 86 dB at 1 m. Rated “Recommended”. TechRadar’s 88.4 dB test as a cross-check.
- r/ninjacreamiOwners’ forum — 50,000 members in October 2024 by the forum’s own milestone post. Where the recipe and re-spin know-how lives.
- Marks Electrical buyers4.7/5 from 146 reviews on the NC300UK page, checked 6 October 2026. On a page that sells it.
Before the review: which Creami is current?
The original NC300UK is still on sale new — Marks Electrical lists it in stock — but Lakeland now shows it as discontinued, and Ninja’s own shop currently sells it as the NC300UKCP (black and copper, three tubs, same 800 W base and seven programmes). The bigger Creami Deluxe NC501UK is the newer model: 710 ml tubs, ten programmes including Frozen Drink and Slushi, and 9.5 kg against 6.4 kg. This review covers the NC300 family; if you see an NC300UK and an NC300UKCP side by side, the motor and programmes are the same — check the tub count.
Specification at a glance
| Spec | Figure | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Motor | 800 W | Ninja; Marks Electrical agrees |
| Programmes | 7: Ice Cream, Light Ice Cream, Gelato, Sorbet, Smoothie Bowl, Milkshake, Mix-In — plus Re-spin | Ninja’s product page |
| Pre-freeze | 24 hours, flat, below the max fill line | Ninja; both editorial tests |
| Tub capacity | 500 ml (Ninja UK page) · 473 ml / 1 US pint (Euronics, TechRadar) | Sources disagree — 473 ml is the US pint; treat it as roughly half a litre |
| Tubs in the box | 2 (Ninja’s NC300UK page) · 3 (Marks Electrical, Euronics, both reviews; Ninja’s NC300UKCP) | Check the listing in front of you |
| Spare tubs | £16.99 for two with lids, from Ninja | Checked 6 October 2026 |
| Time per spin | About 2–2.5 minutes | Expert Reviews |
| Noise | 86 dB at 1 m (Expert Reviews) · 88.4 dB peak, sorbet (TechRadar) | Two independent measurements; Ninja publishes none |
| Running cost | About 0.9p per spin, about 1.2p with a re-spin | Our sum: 800 W at the 26.32p/kWh Ofgem cap; excludes the freezer |
| Dimensions | 40.5 × 16.5 × 27 cm (H × W × D) | Ninja, Lakeland and Expert Reviews agree |
| Weight | 6.4 kg | Ninja |
| Cleaning | Tubs, lids and paddle are top-rack dishwasher safe | Ninja; Expert Reviews says the blade detaches easily |
| Guarantee | 2 years on registration (Ninja) · within 28 days of purchase (Marks Electrical) · “1 year plus 1 year” (Euronics) · 3 years (Lakeland, now discontinued there) | Register it — see below |
| UK price | £146.99 at Marks Electrical (was £199.99) · £179.99 at Euronics · £189.99 for the NC300UKCP at Ninja (RRP £209.99) | Checked 6 October 2026 |
Expert Reviews
The Expert Reviews test is the most useful single read because it puts numbers on the things that decide the purchase. It times each programme at two to two-and-a-half minutes, measures 86 dB from a metre away during an ice cream cycle, and lists the machine as quick and easy to use, with dairy-free and vegan recipes handled well. Against it: expensive for what it does, noisy, bulky at 16.5 × 27 × 40.5 cm, and you need some trial and error to get recipes right. It also flags a freezer-space detail that buyers miss — the base cannot be processed if it has frozen above the max fill line, so tubs have to sit level.
TechRadar’s Carrie-Ann Skinner, testing in December 2021, backs it up. She recorded a maximum of 88.4 dB on sorbet — “the equivalent of using a vacuum cleaner” — and lists “noisy in use”, “can only make small quantities” and “base mix must be frozen completely flat” as the cons, against “creates creamy smooth desserts” and “impressive results when making dairy-free ice cream”. Both are older tests of the same NC300 design; the measurements still apply because the motor has not changed.
Watch: Before You Buy a Ninja Creami, Watch This
A buyer’s-eye look at the trade-offs the editorial tests raise. Likely a US channel showing the US-spec machine; the design is the same.
Watch on YouTube ↗r/ninjacreami
A forum this size tells you something on its own: people keep using the machine long after the novelty wears off. The milestone thread is dominated by owners making lactose-free and high-protein desserts — one calls it “so much cheaper (and fun!)” than buying in — and enjoying the customisation. The most-used post tags are recipe inspiration, recipe questions and machine troubleshooting, and the troubleshooting includes at least one owner whose blade cut into the tub on the very first pint.
The lesson owners learn fastest is the re-spin, and “icy” is one of the forum’s most common words. Lower-fat and protein bases often come out powdery or crumbly on the first spin. Tasting Table’s October 2025 guide gives the standard fix — add a little more liquid and press Re-spin once or twice until it is spoonable — and suggests switching to the Light Ice Cream programme if a recipe always needs repeated re-spins. Budget the extra minute and the extra noise into your expectations.
Watch: A Very Honest Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Maker Review - 2 Years Later
The long-term owner view that matches the forum: what you still use after two years. Probably the US-spec model.
Watch on YouTube ↗Marks Electrical buyers
A 4.7 average across 146 reviews is a strong result for an appliance this divisive on noise, and it tells you that people who bought one knowing the trade-offs are mostly happy. Treat it as owner satisfaction, not testing — and remember this is the shop’s own review block. Ninja’s pages show a five-star badge with no sample size, which we have not counted as evidence.
The listing is also where the practical details surface: it is in stock at £146.99 (from £199.99), includes three BPA-free tubs with lids, and Marks Electrical states the 2-year parts-and-labour guarantee is subject to registration within 28 days. That last point is the one to act on the day it arrives. A cautionary note from elsewhere: Tasting Table’s September 2026 round-up reports broken blades and motor failures repeating across platforms, which is exactly when that registration matters.
Watch: Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker - Unboxing and First Try
What comes out of the box and what a first, unpractised batch looks like — useful for checking the tub count and the outer bowl and lid.
Watch on YouTube ↗Strengths and weak points
What holds up
- Texture: smooth, scoopable results that testers and owners agree on, including dairy-free.
- Two to two-and-a-half minutes per tub once the base is frozen.
- Works from almost anything you can freeze — protein shakes, fruit, yoghurt.
- Tubs, lids and paddle go in the dishwasher; the blade detaches easily.
- Cheap to run: around a penny of electricity a tub (our sum).
- Spare tubs are cheap at £16.99 a pair, so you can keep a rota in the freezer.
What people complain about
- Every batch needs a 24-hour freeze, flat and below the max line.
- Loud: 86–88.4 dB in two separate tests.
- Small batches — one tub of roughly half a litre at a time.
- First spins are often powdery; re-spinning with a little extra liquid is routine.
- Tall and bulky at 40.5 cm, so check the space under your wall cupboards.
- Reports of broken blades and motor failures; register for the guarantee promptly.
Who it actually suits
Buy it if you want ice cream, sorbet or protein desserts made to your own recipe, you have freezer room for two or three flat tubs, and you are happy to plan a day ahead. At £146.99–£189.99 it sits alongside other Ninja kitchen kit such as the Ninja Foodi AF400UK air fryer and the Ninja Blast portable blender — the Blast is the better buy if smoothies are all you really want.
Look elsewhere if you want a family-sized batch or ice cream on the same afternoon, if your freezer is a small under-counter drawer, or if a vacuum-cleaner level of noise for two minutes would bother your household. If you bake as much as you freeze, a stand mixer such as the KitchenAid Artisan does more jobs. If you want bigger tubs and slushies, compare the newer Creami Deluxe NC501UK.
What we could not check
- The videos. All three were confirmed by search listing, not by opening them — YouTube does not load from our research setup. None of the listings named the channel, and all three are probably US-spec machines.
- Tub footprint in the freezer. Neither Ninja nor any retailer publishes the tub’s outer dimensions, so measure a drawer against one before you buy a rota of spares.
- Tub capacity. Ninja’s UK page says 500 ml; Euronics and TechRadar say 473 ml. We print both.
- Tubs in the box. Ninja’s NC300UK page says two; every retailer and both reviews say three. Check before ordering.
- The guarantee. Four retailers state it four ways. Ninja’s own two years on registration is the baseline we would rely on.
- Real power draw. Our running cost assumes the full 800 W for the whole spin; real draw is probably lower. It ignores the freezer’s own cost.
- Deluxe pricing. Ninja’s NC501UK page showed £153.89 from £259.99 when we fetched it, but £218.99 from £249.99 in a search listing the same day. Check it live.
- Forum size. The 191,000 member figure is from a third-party tracker, not Reddit; the 50,000 figure is the forum’s own, from October 2024.
- Which? We found no public Which? figure to quote.
Sources last checked 6 October 2026. Prices, tub counts and guarantee terms change — check them against the listing in front of you before ordering.