I tried Cuisinart's new frozen treat maker. It's the perfect small-space alternative to the Ninja Creami

CNN

14 hours ago

If you enjoy dessert content like I do, then you know the Ninja Creami has been dominating social media the past few years. Not only does the countertop frozen treat maker regularly pop up on my TikTok For You page but plenty of my colleagues rave about both the original appliance and its newer iterations, like the soft-serve Ninja Swirl by Creami. Upon reading their glowing reviews, I was tempted to get my own Creami. The only issue was, I wasn't willing to sacrifice all that counter space for an appliance I probably wouldn't use every day.
I'd resigned myself to passively consuming ice cream maker content (without the actual ice cream) until Cuisinart launched its own ice cream maker this summer: the FastFreeze. When I saw the device's compact 'wand' design, I felt seen. Finally, I could make my own customized frozen treats at home without having to worry about where I'd store yet another bulky appliance. For the past three weeks, I have been using it to whip up ice cream, sorbets, slushies and milkshakes. Now that I've emerged from my sugar-filled stupor, it's time to tell you what I think about the release.
Cuisinart FastFreeze Ice Cream Maker
The Cuisinart FastFreeze is a quick, easy-to-use and space-saving ice cream maker that creates the perfect-sized half-pint servings. The device comes in a standard white, though if you want to jazz it up, QVC has eight exclusive colors like Jade, Amethyst and Daffodil, all of which are on sale for $20 off. It's fast and easy to use
The FastFreeze couldn't be easier to use. It comes with a manual that explains all five presets, which are located right under the manual power button at the top of the wand. There's a setting for each type of treat the device can make (ice cream, sorbets, slushies and milkshakes), as well as one for mix-ins (think nuts, candy and cookie dough). To use this product, you just set it to your desired preset, lock the wand in on top of the mixing assembly and press the power button. When it turns on, simply push the wand down slowly. Once the mixture is fully blended, the green sensor turns red, at which point you stop pushing down and guide the wand to slowly come back up. The process does require a little bit of elbow grease, but I wouldn't say it's hard.
The brand claims this device makes ice cream in just three minutes, but I'd say mixing one container takes no longer than a minute, so it's even faster. Of course, the time depends on the treat. Slushies take longer because you're essentially mixing a solid chunk of fruit juice as opposed to a mixture of fruit and milk.
Cuisinart's other ice cream makers feature freezable bowls in which you place non-frozen ingredients for mixing. In contrast, the FastFreeze uses a process similar to the Ninja Creami. Essentially, you place ingredients in the three included half-pint (and dishwasher-safe) dessert cups, freeze the cups for at least 24 hours and then use the device to blend the frozen mixtures. This obviously requires anticipating what desserts and flavors you'll want in advance, but I liked being able to create the mixtures and forget about them until I found myself craving something sweet within the next couple of days. And honestly, you could get away with freezing mixtures for less time, like 12 or even eight hours.
The serving size is perfect
Whereas the Ninja Creami uses pint-sized containers (or 24-ounce containers for the Creami XL Deluxe), the Cuisinart FastFreeze's containers are half pints. Unless I'm really indulging, I rarely eat a full pint of ice cream at once, but a half-pint is perfect for one sitting.
During testing, I found myself looking forward to coming home from work, mixing whatever flavor I'd prepared the night before and enjoying a container of ice cream before getting ready for bed. It became my fun little end-of-summer ritual. What's more, the small containers don't take up a ton of space in my freezer, even when all three are in there at once. They fit nicely inside the small drawer next to my ice trays, keeping the two larger drawers underneath free for other frozen foods.
I can create my dream ice cream flavors
As soon as I knew I'd be receiving a sample of the FastFreeze, I opened Pinterest and TikTok to search for recipes. All the recipes I saved were for the Ninja Creami but still suitable for this appliance; you just have to slightly adjust the ingredient ratios. That said, the FastFreeze manual also provides good recipe inspo, like blueberry cheesecake frozen yogurt, a dulce de leche milkshake and a pink lemonade slushy.
Up first, I was most excited to make my own mango ice cream. I love mango-based desserts, but most ice creams taste artificial or way too syrupy and not creamy enough. As a result, one of the first mixtures I made included mango chunks, a splash of cream, milk and a tablespoon of sugar. The final product was perfectly creamy and not too sweet — exactly what I've always wanted from mango ice cream. I also made a banana and protein powder ice cream, using the 'mix-in' preset to add mini Reese's peanut butter cups after the first mix.
As for the other presets, the slushy and sorbet settings work fine, though I personally am not a fan of either type of treat. To make milkshakes, you just mix store-bought ice cream and milk, plus any other add-ins you want, so that one doesn't have to be frozen in advance. Truth be told, I found myself using the 'ice cream' preset most of the time because I found the results to be the tastiest. (Pro tip: I recommend using a teaspoon of Jell-O powder for creamier results and adding graham crackers as a mix-in for texture.)
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It has a small footprint
I was actually surprised by how small the Cuisinart FastFreeze is, even when fully assembled. The widest part of this countertop device measures a little over 4 inches wide, and it's not even as bulky as my bullet-style Ninja blender. During testing, I've been storing the FastFreeze on a 2-foot-long shelf in my kitchen, and I can still fit both my blender and mini juicer on the same shelf. In short, this item is delightfully compact and the perfect size for my tiny galley kitchen.
The initial results were too icy
Of course ice cream is icy, but most of the time, my creations had way too many ice crystals after the first mix. When I'd try a bite, the texture was borderline powdery. I easily fixed this by adding a splash of milk and mixing again, but I kind of wish the results were perfect the first time around. This even happened with my milk-heavy mixes, so it's just something to be aware of.
The container is a bit too small for blending
Although half a pint is the ideal size for eating, the small containers are a bit cumbersome when it comes to blending the frozen mixtures. Each container has an interior 'max fill' line, and if you fill the cup even a little bit above that line, the mixing assembly doesn't properly lock over the cup. Whenever this happened, I'd have to take a spoon and chip away at the top layer of the frozen mixture to get it down past the line.
Additionally, the small capacity means you can't use a lot of each ingredient. I quickly realized this after cutting up a handful of strawberries, only to find that about half of them fit inside the container. On the bright side, though, you won't run out of ingredients too fast.
I won't lie, I've had a lot of fun making my own ice cream these past couple weeks. My sugar intake increased drastically, but at least I had a valid excuse ('It's for work!'). Going forward, I probably won't use Cuisinart FastFreeze as frequently because, realistically, I only eat ice cream at home once or twice a month. Even still, I'm not upset because I can stow away the compact device in my kitchen cart so my counters stay clear. I think if I owned a larger frozen dessert maker like the Ninja Creami, I'd feel obligated to use it all the time because of how much space it takes up. But I don't feel that way with the FastFreeze.
Despite the minor hiccups I encountered using this product, I'd say it functions very well overall. It's fast, the presets work as intended and you can literally make any flavor of ice cream — and other frozen desserts — you might want.
What is the difference between the Cuisinart FastFreeze and the Ninja Creami?
What is the difference between the Cuisinart FastFreeze and the Ninja Creami?
The Ninja Creami and Cuisinart FastFreeze work similarly in that you have to freeze your dessert mixes for at least 24 hours (though you can get away with freezing them for a shorter period of time) before blending them. But while the Creami is a larger, stationary appliance that mixes on its own, the compact FastFreeze requires you to press down on the wand as it powers the mixing assembly's blades to blend the ingredients.
Additionally, the Creami has more presets than the FastFreeze. Depending on the model, it can make treats like gelato and Italian ice in addition to your standard ice creams and sorbets.
How much ice cream does the Cuisinart FastFreeze make?
How much ice cream does the Cuisinart FastFreeze make?
The FastFreeze makes half a pint of ice cream in one go, and it comes with three dessert cups.
How long does the Cuisinart FastFreeze take to make ice cream?
How long does the Cuisinart FastFreeze take to make ice cream?
Cuisinart claims that the FastFreeze takes three minutes to make ice cream. Although the mixing time depends on the ingredients in your mixture and whether you add mix-ins later, I found it to work faster in most cases, blending my creations in under a minute.
CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors who have many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products, and they ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item. For this story, associate home and gifts editor Nikol Slatinska tested the Cuisinart FastFreeze over the course of three weeks to see if it's worth buying.