I'm not one to be influenced by buzzy new product launches, but Ninja consistently wins me over with every new kitchen appliance. The viral SLUSHi took our entire office by storm. The portable CRISPi air fryer legitimately converted this air fryer skeptic. But one product I've never had the chance to try was the CREAMi.
The CREAMi is the poster child of Ninja's portfolio and has accumulated a dedicated online fanbase. Entire social media enclaves are dedicated to sharing new recipes that can be made with the CREAMi ice cream maker. It's always been something I've wanted to try. And now the brand is upping the ante with an even more versatile appliance: Ninja Swirl by CREAMi.
The Swirl by CREAMi combines the same churning technology of the original ice cream maker with a soft serve dispenser. So you can make all of the same recipes that you love with the CREAMi and make decadent soft-serve treats, too. When the news was announced, CREAMi fans were excited (to say the least).
"This is making our soft serve childhood ice cream stand dreams come true," one user commented on the brand's Instagram. Another added, "This is exactly what my kitchen is missing."
I wanted to see what the hype was about, so I got my hands on a Ninja Swirl by CREAMi to test it out and see if it's worth adding to your home kitchen.
First, let's break down the dimensions. Compared to the original CREAMi, the Swirl is a behemoth. The added soft serve function understandably takes up more space, but the machine may struggle to fit in most kitchen cabinets. So unless you have plenty of extra pantry space and the ability to easily lift a 20-pound appliance, the Swirl may just be stuck on your countertop. If you're planning to buy a machine for yourself, I strongly recommend taking some measurements before you commit.
Current CREAMi users will be relatively familiar with the way the Swirl works. But if you're like me and are starting from the beginning, here's a breakdown. The machine comes with two plastic pint containers for mixing and storing your frozen treats. Once the contents have been frozen for 24 hours, you place the pint into the dedicated churning bowl outfitted with the Creamerizer paddle. This paddle shaves and churns your frozen base into a creamy, scoopable dessert.
From there, the Swirl technology takes a few extra steps. Unlike the original CREAMi, the pints that come with the Swirl are outfitted with a nozzle. Once your frozen treat has been churned, you can cover the pint with the dispenser lid and attach the whole thing to the soft serve dispenser. From there, you can swirl your dessert directly into your cone or cup.
There are a lot of different steps that have the potential to overwhelm beginners, but thankfully, Ninja includes several tips and reminders on stickers posted on every part of the appliance.
I decided to break in my Swirl with two different recipes from the included book—a simple vanilla soft serve and their tropical fruit whip (which is giving serious Dole Whip energy). They were both pretty straightforward to prepare. The hard part? Waiting 24 hours for the bases to freeze.
The learning curve of using the machine was pretty minimal, but it was definitely there. The biggest obstacle was removing the dispenser lid from your pint—you need to press a lever clockwise to unlock it, then twist the lid itself counterclockwise at the same time. It's not impossible to maneuver, but the design of this particular mechanism isn't great.
That being said, our office had an absolute field day with this machine. Both of the recipes received rave reviews (from a team of food editors, that's saying a lot). Our soft-serve swirls weren't exactly artful, but we had a lot of fun using the machine.
However, the consensus was clear: as cool as this machine is, it's not worth the $350 price tag. We think the CREAMi component is a great appliance that has a wide range of uses. The soft serve dispenser, however, is a bit too fussy for its own good. We think that paying $120 more than you would for the CREAMi should come with upgrades that reflect the added cost—and in our opinion, it just doesn't.
Instead, we'd recommend opting for the classic CREAMi. It's more affordable, it takes up less space, and it's the most useful part of the Swirl anyway. Plus, there's no need to feel FOMO, because you can still enjoy a soft serve experience without the Swirl. Just transfer your churned treat into a piping bag and squeeze it into your cone.
That being said, if you have the space, the budget, and some serious dedication to the CREAMi craft, you'll still probably love this machine. The Ninja Swirl by CREAMi is available now on ninjakitchen.com and will start rolling out at retailers nationwide later this year.
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