I’ve always loved investing in new kitchen appliances and gadgets, even from a young age. My birthday gift at 13 years old was a cobalt blue KitchenAid stand mixer, which has traveled with me over the years from my childhood home to three apartments. And some of my more recent essentials include a nugget ice maker and an espresso machine—both of which I use daily for my morning lattes.
There’s one kitchen appliance that I have yet to try out, and that’s the Ninja Creami. The “7-in-1” ice cream maker even has an upgraded counterpart called the Ninja Creami Swirl, which makes soft-serve ice cream from the comfort of your kitchen. For as much as I love homemade ice cream, the machine is a bit pricey. What’s more, it requires you to freeze your ice cream base at least 24 hours ahead of time, which can be a bit tedious.
Fortunately, there’s a new product at Costco that is giving the Ninja Creami some tough competition.
Costco Introduces the Gourmia Automatic Soft Serve Ice Cream & Frozen Drink Maker
Allrecipes / Gourmia
As I previously mentioned, one of the major drawbacks to the Ninja Creami is that you need to pre-freeze your ice cream mix ahead of time. Good news: The newest ice cream maker to hit the shelves at Costco eliminates that step.
Gourmia, a kitchen appliance brand known for items like air fryers and coffee makers, just released its new 2-Quart Automatic Soft Serve Ice Cream & Frozen Drink Maker. The Costco-exclusive product goes beyond ice cream, boasting six presets: Soft Serve, Slush, Spiked, Milkshake, Frappe, and Sorbet.
Thanks to its built-in cooling system, the dreaded pre-freezing step is a thing of the past. Just add your ingredients, select the desired preset option, and you’ll have a delicious treat in as little as 30 minutes. “After pouring the mix into the churner and letting it run, I was impressed with how smooth and high-quality the finished ice cream turned out,” notes one customer. Plus, the machine can keep your finished product cold for up to three hours, so you don’t have to worry about melted ice cream or drinks. From start to finish, Gourmia makes it easy to enjoy your desserts without breaking a sweat. “The process was simple and hassle-free. The unit is easy to assemble, disassemble, and clean, which makes regular use practical,” the shopper adds.
It’s also easy to customize your treats with the new Gourmia Automatic Soft Serve Ice Cream & Frozen Drink Maker, thanks to the topping dispenser. It’s designed to hold sprinkles and candy, as well as a topping warmer, which is perfect for hot fudge and caramel drizzles. And if you prefer your soft-serve ice cream on a cone, then you’ll love the built-in cone holder.
Don’t forget to check out these popular ice cream recipes for more inspiration on how to get the most out of the machine. Or you can whip up a batch of boozy slushies using one of the drink presets. The possibilities are endless with this handy kitchen appliance.
The Gourmia 2-Quart Automatic Soft Serve Ice Cream & Frozen Drink Maker is now available at Costco warehouses across the country and on Costco.com. For just $199.99, it’s a more affordable and efficient alternative to the Ninja Creami line, especially if you want to enjoy a frosty dessert that doesn’t require a full day of planning. Make sure to grab one while they’re available, as I suspect they’re bound to be in high demand.
