Ninja are the ultimate brand for kitchen tech and gadgets - from blenders and food processors, to air fryers and coffee makers.
And now, it’s never been easier to make your own frozen desserts from scratch with the Ninja Ice Cream and Dessert Maker.
Launched in October, the product quickly became popular with food bloggers and influencers, and makes perfect ice cream in as little as five minutes.
Ninja said: “Create and customise delicious homemade treats, exactly as you like them. Enjoy indulgent ice cream, creamy gelato, luxurious milkshakes, soft fruit sorbets, frozen yoghurt, guilt-free smoothie bowls and more.”
Now, the gadget is on the higher end of the price scale with an RRP of £199 - but it's definitely an investment piece.
Unboxing the gadget, I noticed that it’s very heavy, which wasn’t a bad thing - it just meant it was nice and sturdy.
As well as the appliance itself, it also comes with three BPA-free dessert tubs, an outer bowl and lid, a dessert paddle and recipe guide.
The Ninja Ice Cream Maker was so easy to set up, with clear instructions often printed directly onto the machine. All that really needed to be done was insert the paddle into the lid, and work out what clicks in where as you use it.
Flicking through the recipe guide for inspiration, it was interesting to see that most of them used a scoop of cream cheese to achieve that super creamy texture, however the method I decided to follow was a nut-spread ice cream, which didn’t require it.
As I’m currently obsessed with caramalised biscuits and Biscoff, I mixed 150g of the Aldi own-brand biscuit spread, with 100ml double cream and 250ml whole milk and that’s the hard bit done.
All I had to do was pour the combined liquid into one of the dessert tubs, and pop it in the freezer for 24 hours.
The next day, I added the tub into the outer bowl, lidded it up and twisted the handle to lock it into the appliance before hitting the ice cream setting.
Other presets on the gadget include gelato, sorbet, smoothie bowls, light ice cream, milkshake and mix-ins, each with varying freeze times and ingredients.
The rotating dessert paddle did all the work to quickly transform the solid block into a thick, creamy ice cream.
While the machine is quite loud when it's on, it’s only for a short period of time. I was stunned when the cycle was complete - it took less than five minutes to do.
When my ice cream was ready, I decided to add some crushed Lotus biscuits to mix in and add a bit of crunch before popping it back into the machine and pressing the Mix-in button, which distributed the biscuit evenly throughout my dessert.
I’ve eaten plenty of ice cream in my 24 years, and this was by far the best. It was the perfect consistency, texture and flavour, and it’s made me so excited to get in the kitchen and experiment with more flavours.
It was no mess, no fuss, no faff - the hardest part was the washing up, and even that was a doddle.
I love how you can fully customise your treat with your favourite toppings, but it’s also amazing for people with intolerances to dairy, or who follow a vegan diet.
The ‘light ice cream’ setting is ideal for those on a keto or paleo diet, with lots of recipes and alternative ingredients included in the free guide.
I can’t wait to experiment further with the Ninja Ice Cream maker to create delicious smoothie bowls and frappuccinos to save me money on my weekly Starbucks!
You can buy the Ninja Ice Cream Maker here.
