Ninja Swirl by CREAMi review: Nice, ice, baby

Soft serve ice cream is the essence of Summer. From Mr Whippy vans to cheap cones at McDonald's, there’s something about soft serve vanilla ice cream that reminds me of blue skies and sunshine.

So when Ninja launched a version of its iconic viral CREAMi ice cream maker that lets you pull soft serve ice cream at home, I knew I had to test it out.

While it’s a pretty large bench top appliance, and requires a fair amount of prep work, the Swirl by CREAMi doesn’t disappoint. Not only does it give you the freedom of making your own delicious soft-serve vanilla ice cream, you can also create any number of flavours.

I’ve been testing the Swirl for a few months now, and it’s officially one of my favourite kitchen appliances. There are several areas Ninja can improve the product, but it’s a really fantastic appliance for ice cream lovers.

What makes the Ninja Swirl by CREAMi stand out?

The CREAMi isn’t a traditional ice cream making appliance. Instead, you need to create a base, then freeze it before popping it into the CREAMi to churn.

The Swirl by CREAMi takes this to the next level, which lets you churn the base for soft serve. In reality, I found myself creating custom bases for soft serve, but arguably you can turn most bases, including ice cream and frozen yoghurt, into soft serve.

To be able to do this, the Swirl has a few design tweaks over other CREAMi models. Most notable is the big handle on the side that you pull to extract soft-serve.

But more importantly are the custom ice cream tubs that allow you to make regular scooped ice cream as well as soft serve.

There are also dedicated one-touch controls for both soft serve and scoop ice cream on the appliance. The controls are simple enough that anybody can comfortably use it, though when you first get started, there’s definitely a lot of checking the instruction manual to make sure you don’t mess anything up.

While soft serve may seem like a single option, there are actually six separate options for different soft serve styles.

There’s the regular ice cream you know and love, but there’s also a mode for fruit whip (which lets you turn soft, frozen fruit into a healthy ice-cream alternative, light ice cream, frozen yoghurt, frozen custard and Ninja’s CreamiFit, a more healthy alternative to traditional ice cream using protein powders and plant milk.

Ninja Swirl by CREAMi specs

Design and build quality

The Swirl is not a small bench-top appliance. Measuring in at 44.5 cm high and 38.5 cm wide, it takes up a fair amount of space, and that could be problematic for smaller kitchens.

At 9.25 kg, it’s also not overly light. While you can move it to and from a storage cupboard, it’s not necessarily easy to do.

The catch is that for the Swirl to do its job, it needs to be that big and solid. It works by spinning a metal blade through the frozen ice cream, so to stop the whole appliance falling over, it needs a really firm base.

In addition to the solidly built base, the Swirl also has a few components. There are the ice cream tubs – two of which are supplied in the box – which are designed specifically for the Swirl. You can’t use older CREAMi tubs in this appliance, sadly.

These Swirl tubs open at the bottom with a twist, which is what lets the unit force out the soft serve.

Combined with the container that holds the tub in place while the ice cream is churned, these plastic accessories do feel solid and robust, and are dishwasher safe for easier cleaning.

Performance

I have had some of the most delicious ice cream of my life from the Swirl. Part of that is arguably just the fact I made it myself.

As I said at the start of this review, though – this isn’t a traditional ice cream churner. Instead of gradually making ice cream, you instead mix your ingredients, pop it in the tub and freeze for 24 hours before you need it.

That means two things. First, that you are going to want to make bulk batches of ice cream so you always have a tub ready to go. And secondly, that you will need to budget for some extra tubs – the two in the box were nowhere near enough.

(Side note: You can add store-bought ice cream into a tub and turn it into soft serve in a pinch, though you still need to have a spare tub ready to go for that).

Once you’re ready to eat your ice cream, the Swirl by CREAMi does its job in a few minutes, depending on what it’s churning. Fair warning here, though – this machine gets loud. Like, really loud. The act of churning the frozen ice cream is not quiet.

It was a big surprise, if I’m honest, and is probably the biggest downside with the product. It means no late night soft serves once the kids have gone to bed, or breakfast CreamiFits while your wife sleeps in.

If Ninja could somehow work out how to make the appliance a bit quieter, it would be impossible to pass up.

If you are mixing up an ice cream mix to scoop, you simply remove it from the machine once done and scoop it out. You can add mix-ins like other CREAMi models, which is easily done with a dedicate button on the front of the device.

If you’re going for soft serve, there are a couple of extra steps. Once it’s churned on a soft-serve setting, you need to replace the lid with the Swirl press dispensing lid. You then attach this into the top left part of the appliance, inserting and twisting until it clicks in place.

After opening the bottom of the tub, you simply pull on the handle to serve your soft serve – it couldn’t be easier. Unfortunately, though, the design of the tub means that a good chunk of ice cream is always left stuck at the bottom of the tub. You can’t actually soft serve an entire tub effectively.

I don’t know if there’s a way to physically extract all the ice cream from a tub easily, but it feels like far too much gets left behind when you use soft serve. You can still scoop it out with a spoon, obviously, but it would be even better if you didn’t have to.

More than just ice cream

Probably the most underrated elements of this appliance is that it does much, much more than just ice cream.

One of the greatest discoveries I made during this review was freezing a can of peaches, then using the fruit whip setting to turn it into a soft-serve treat. Literally, just peaches in syrup, turned into a delicious treat.

Ninja also highlights an option called CreamiFit. It’s a longer cycle, but it lets you create high protein, low sugar treats that taste remarkably close to ice cream using protein powder and milk.

Yes, it means you can have guilt-free ice cream for breakfast. Yes, I tested this. Yes, it was delicious.

If nothing else, this is almost worth the price of admission on its own.

Verdict

Ninja’s Swirl by CREAMi is a bit too pricey to just be an impulse purchase for most people. But it’s a solid investment for anyone who enjoys ice cream – or frozen treats at least.

It is ridiculously easy to use, and the results are fantastic. But you do need to do a bit of prep and plan ahead, which means budgeting for some extra tubs.

If you have a small kitchen, you may find the Ninja Swirl to be a bit too bulky. However, if you’ve got the room – and the appetite – then this sweet appliance will satisfy your soft serve cravings.

Buy the Ninja Swirl by CREAMi if you:

• Love ice cream and frozen treats, and want soft serve at home
• Don't mind planning ahead and freezing bases 24 hours in advance
• Have plenty of bench space for a larger appliance

Skip the Ninja Swirl by CREAMi if you:

• Are sensitive to noise — this machine is seriously loud during operation
• Have a smaller kitchen where bench space is at a premium
• Want a grab-and-go dessert without the prep work

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