Nutribullet Chill Ice Cream Maker: This is the best alternative to Ninja Creami

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I am very loyal to my Nutribullet mixer, which is now over a decade old and survived my college years and multiple apartment moves. I wasn’t surprised to see the brand expand its horizons in the ice cream maker space. Fast ice cream makers, like Ninja Creami, are different from traditional ice cream makers who focus on bursting, furious, making homemade ice cream a breeze. No more cooking custards on the stovetop or worrying about hours of skiing.

But can a blender product fit into an ice cream parlor? These instant ice cream makers are not much different from blenders, they use blades to break up frozen confections to create delicious homemade creamy treats. But how does Nutribullet’s Chill ice cream maker fare in a crowded market already dominated by Ninja Creami? Pretty cool, if I do say so.

Nutribullet Chill at a glance:

Nutribullet, the brand behind the beloved mixers, has debuted the Chill ice cream maker. A simple yet powerful ice cream maker with five presets that produces creamy, smooth frozen desserts in minutes. For those looking for mix-ins, the machine doesn’t have its own presets, and it’s ideal for audio, as it’s very loud.

It’s not too big for small spaces and it’s thoughtfully designed

The blade block attaches to pint containers and slides into the Nutribullet Chill ice cream maker.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

As a product reviewer with access to the entire world of kitchen gadgets, I have to choose what lives in my kitchen because there is so much counter and cabinet space. Although I love the Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl, it sits in storage most of the time because I just don’t have room for it. But the Nutribullet Chill ice cream maker might just be the device that earns a kitchen nook.

The entire device comes in three parts: the ice cream maker base, the blade block, and the blade cover. The base is smaller than the kitchen stand mixer, taking very small square footage as it is taller than it is wide. It’s reasonably high at 10.5 pounds, but it’s easy to maneuver on the kitchen counter. When not in use, I can easily remove it from the counter without losing much space.

The Nutribullet Chill takes up less space on my counter than my stand mixer.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The blade is a type of plunger shape and screws into the top of pint containers. The blade attachment and pint cup are then placed on the base, upside down, as the blade rises and rotates through the ice cream.

It’s an interesting design choice compared to other fast ice cream makers I’ve tried, like the Ninja Creami or the Cuisinart FastFreeze, which have a blade that turns from the top. However, its unique design definitely works.

Perfect creamy texture on first try

The efficiency of an ice cream maker ultimately comes down to how well you spin the ice cream, and the Nutribullet Chill does an exceptional job. I made four different mixes in this machine: classic vanilla ice cream, dairy-free protein ice cream, chocolate hazelnut frozen yogurt, and strawberry frozen yogurt with fresh fruit.

The vanilla ice cream seemed a little melty while the dairy-free chocolate had a similar texture to Wendy’s Frosty.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

In many Nutribullet recipes, they recommend blending your concoctions before freezing – not entirely surprising for a blender company.

Across the board, the machine processed all the flavors I did well. The texture was smooth and creamy, but with varying degrees of success. The vanilla ice cream was not as successful as it was incredibly melty and runny; however, I’m not bashing the machine, it might have been a matter of the recipe, as other recipes work much better.

Nutribullet Chill makes unique frozen yogurt.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The dairy-free protein ice cream had a nice, soft texture, almost like a Wendy’s Frosty. The frozen yogurts were the standouts, however, improving the texture between the hard and soft servings. As someone who loves frozen yogurt, I’m so happy with the results, I’m excited for my next batch.

No mixes need respin, and they’re ready after just one spin cycle, which is better than most ice cream makers I’ve tested. But it’s also the best since it doesn’t have a respin option.

Five pre-built settings — but no option to combine or reset them

The Nutribullet Chill comes with five preset settings: ice cream, sorbet, gelato, smoothie bowls, and frozen yogurt.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Preloaded with five settings, the Nutribullet Chill comes ready to make ice cream, sorbet, gelato, smoothie bowls, and frozen yogurt. The different settings worked well for their chosen genres, but I felt that a few were noticeably lost.

I’m expecting a respin sitting on pre-programmed devices in case it doesn’t come out right. However, the Nutribullet may not need it, because all the recipes went well. But the most missing setting was the blending setting, which is recommended by most of the ice cream mixers I tested.

Testing the brand’s recommendations, Nutribullet says to add it to your mix-ins before they are frozen, blended and added on-the-go. I’ve taken that route with strawberry frozen yogurt, with fresh fruit mixed into the fully blended one. If you want the pieces to be mixed into your ice cream, you will have to fold them afterwards.

Sound like a truck and hot?

One thing I expect from instant ice cream makers is the capacity of the machines – they are very noisy. The Nutribullet Chill is the loudest ice cream maker I’ve ever tested, and while I can’t measure its specific decibels, I can say it freaked me out, it sounded like a garbage truck in my house, and made me wonder if I should wear earplugs while using it. Apartment dwellers, beware – I’m lucky to have understanding neighbors.

Be careful, the blade shaft is hot to the touch after use.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The biggest shock was that in the ice cream maker, it was very hot. The blade block has a metal shaft that slides into the machine, and after use, the shaft gets very hot. The ice cream maker has a lot of “shaft hot” warnings (I know, I know), but I was still surprised at how warm it was, and I wondered how that heat might affect the texture of the frozen stuff, especially since the vanilla ice cream just melted.

A cool breeze is blowing

Maybe I’m a bit salty about cleaning the Cuisinart FastFreeze, but cleaning the Nutribullet Chill parts is a breeze. Fortunately, nothing on the base of the motor needs cleaning, but the blade block, blade cover, and pint containers are all top-rack dishwasher safe. This was a pleasant surprise, considering that many parts of the ice cream are unsafe.

But if you don’t have a dishwasher, fear not. I hand washed all the parts and found them very easy to clean.

Is Nutribullet Chill right for you?

The Nutribullet Chill ice cream maker is a worthy competitor to the Ninja Creami.
Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The Nutribullet Chill ice cream maker is a worthy competitor to the Ninja Creami. It whips up a creamy, smooth ice cream with no ice or water build-up. Be prepared for the noise, as it’s the loudest ice cream maker I’ve tested, but it’s a great option for people in small spaces, too.

If you just want the basics, to make ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurt, then the Nutribullet Chill is a great machine and is $30 cheaper than the Ninja Creami. But if you’re looking for mix-ins or a milkshake option, Creami might be more your speed.