I’m a fiend for a dessert after dinner. If I don’t get my nightly sweet treat, you best believe I’ll be in a foul mood when I’m hopping into bed. And the amount of Yo-Chi I consume is beginning to become a bit unhealthy, not just for me, but for my bank account, too. So when I was given the opportunity to review the Tefal Dolci, a new frozen dessert maker, I leaped at the chance.
The Tefal Dolci is a dupe for the Ninja Creami ($449.99), which went viral on social media late last year. It comes in two colours, Rise and Dark Knight is priced at $349.95, making it $100 cheaper than it’s competitor.
But does it meet the Ninja Creami’s popular reputation?
Keep on reading to find out, folks.
Features Of The Tefal Dolci
The Tefal Dolci has 10 settings, including six scoopable frozen desserts and four different types of frozen drinks:
- Ice cream
- Sorbet
- Gelato
- Frozen yoghurt
- Light ice cream
- Frappé
- Milkshake
- Slushy
- Cocktail
- Mix-in
The Ninja Creami has 11 different frozen dessert settings, so the Tefal Dolci falls short on the ‘Italian ice’ setting. But TBH, I can’t really tell how a slushy is any different other than a slight texture dissimilarity.
The Dolci comes with three 500mL containers to make desserts in, a blending attachment and slot-in jug, and an ice cream scoop. Tefal is also doing a limited-time collaboration with Nesquik, wherein you’ll get a free bonus chocolate, strawberry and banana Nesquik tin to help you start making ice cream or whatever frozen treat you please.
A bonus feature of the Tefal Dolci is its rinse function that the Ninja Creami lacks. Once you’ve gobbled up your ice cream and emptied the container (or grabbed a fresh container to rinse the Dolci’s blades), you can partially fill it with water, a drop of dishwashing detergent and the ice cream maker will rinse itself clean. All you’ve gotta do is empty the water and dry it off.
There’s also a plastic door that seals shut to keep the ice cream — and your kitchen — nice and safe while it’s blending. It won’t work without the door being shut, but in the off chance anything goes wrong with your dessert-making (which it shouldn’t, since it automatically shuts off if it can’t complete the mixing), you won’t end up with cookies and cream covered walls.
Tefal Dolci Road Test: Ice Cream, Frozen Yoghurt, Light Ice Cream And Frappés
Tefal Dolci Ice Cream
I was so excited to start making ice cream with the Tefal Dolci once it arrived, that I completely forgoed a recipe or the instructions and decided to raw dog it by mixing some Nesquik, thickened cream and milk in one of the containers with the full intention of devouring it straight away.
But so I didn’t break the machine on the first go, I checked the instruction manual to ensure I was doing everything right. To my dismay, I found out that you had to freeze the ice cream for 24 hours before blending it — it doesn’t just magically turn into a smooth, creamy ice cream texture straight from liquid.
Cue the Spongebob narrator voice.
It was finally time to blend my chocolate ice cream. I locked the jug into place, and with the push of a button, it was slowly lifting up into the machine. But when the Dolci started churning the ice cream, I quickly pressed the off button. It sounded like the frozen block of ice was damaging the machine?!
After a quick Google, I found out that wasn’t the case, the Tefal Dolci is just LOUD — not unlike the Ninja Creami. So, if you’re thinking of whipping up some ice cream for a midnight snack, may I suggest blending it before your housemates go to bed, unless you want to be the most hated member in the house.
It only took a couple minutes before my chocolate ice cream was ready. And let me tell you, that shit was creamy. It tasted fresh out of an ice creamery, if I do say so myself.
Tefal Dolci Light Ice Cream
Next up? Light Ice Cream.
While I know the difference between ice cream, sorbet and gelato (sorbet has no dairy, ice cream is airier and gelato is more dense), I was curious as to what makes light ice cream so different from its traditional counterpart.
This time around, I followed one of the recipes available on Tefal’s website, a plain vanilla. It was pretty easy to do, and took around 10 minutes to prep before I popped it in the freezer.
While I didn’t expect to see much of a difference between the two, I was pleasantly surprised. The light ice cream setting reminded me of powdered snow rather than its usual thick, creamy consistency. I drizzled Pistachio Papi over mine, because it’s only fair to have balance, right?
Frozen Yoghurt
This was the setting I was most excited for. I’d seen people on TikTok making acai bowls using the frozen yoghurt setting on their Tefal Dolci’s and Ninja Creami’s, so I was keen to give it a go.
I popped frozen berries, milk and some Greek yoghurt in the container and decided to blend it in the Dolci straight away, because surely frozen fruit would suffice as enough icy material?
It worked after a few blends (however, I wouldn’t follow in my footsteps justttt in case it’s not good for the Dolci).
It was definitely a bit of a mix between acai bowl and fro-yo texture since I hadn’t pre-blended and frozen it for 24 hours beforehand, but that’s the vibe I was going for, so I was content.
Tefal Dolci Frappé
The last setting I tried on the Tefal Dolci was its frappe setting. I followed it’s Greek-style frappé recipe — or at least, tried to. I’m apparently incapable of reading the method properly and added the milk to the frozen mixture rather than adding it before blending.
It was easily fixed by just adding a tad extra liquid coffee and milk to even out the proportions before mixing, and the result was a deliciously strong frappé that sent me straight back to my Euro summer last year. This setting is gonna be well-loved in summer, for sure.
Tefal Dolci: My Honest Thoughts
To be blatantly honest, I thought the Tefal Dolci was going to be a bit of a gimmick. But after trying it, I’m pleasantly surprised. Not only is it extremely easy to use, you can make so many different things with it. I’m yet to try all the settings, but I can’t wait to try the cocktail function and make a frozen margarita on a hot summer’s day. It’s going to come in handy for entertaining guests, that’s for sure.
The thing that impressed me the most was just how distinct the textures are with each setting. They all take similar times to blend, but all turn out so different?!
It’s also wild how easy it is to clean. A lil spin on the rinse cycle followed by wiping down the Dolci, and you’re good to go.
The only downsides? How you have to wait 24 hours for your mixture to set before blending. That means you can’t impulsively whip up a slushy or ice cream, and have to put some forethought into what you’re making and when. It’s also a noisy beast, so give your housemates a heads up before putting the Dolci to work.
The Tefal Dolci ain’t no gimmick. I see myself using the frozen dessert maker all summer long — and saving myself a bucketload on buying desserts in the process. And at $100 cheaper than the Ninja Creami with the same level of functionality, I’d say it’s a worthy investment.
Where to shop the Tefal Dolci:
Happy dessert-making!
Image credit: Tefal / @nunnamaryskitchen
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