This review was conducted in partnership with Ninja using the standard Women’s Weekly Food testing approach. If you click, buy or book through our links, we may earn a commission. Read more here.
It’s shaping up to be the summer of Ninja with the release of two titans in the frozen treat department. We first crushed hard on the Ninja Slushi and its ability to turn any drink from OJ to Aperol spritz into ‘ice magic’, now we’re licking our lips, literally, with the release of the Ninja Swirl by Creami.
Whether you’re up for a soft serve to rival the Mr Whippy of your childhood, a more grown-up scoop of fudgy chocolate ice-cream or a fuss free fro-yo for your tween, we give the Ninja Swirl by Creami a twirl and spill the tea on whether this wonder whip of an ice-cream maker is every bit as deliciously easy as you want it to be.
Ninja Swirl by Creami review
GOOD FOR: Ice-cream lovers young and old who are keen to experiment with their frozen treats.
What we liked
- From one-ingredient ice-cream to a light and creamy soft serve, it actually delivers more bang for your buck than a simple ice-cream maker.
- It’s relatively easy to use (just be sure to give the instruction book a run through first!)
- Surprisingly easy to clean. All the detached parts can be popped in the dishwasher ready to be used again and again.
- The containers don’t take up much room in the freezer.
- Comes with a handy recipe book including a recipe on how to make the perfect soft-serve ice-cream.
What you need to know
- The machine is quite hefty and takes up its fair share of benchtop space.
- Each of the two supplied containers are 470ml so your ice-cream can disappear very quickly, especially if you have kids in the house.
- After refreezing ice-cream, you may need to re-blitz it in the creamy prior to putting it through the soft serve. If it’s too dense or icy it will not work in the soft serve and the ‘E’ error sign will appear.
- The scoop ice-cream ‘Creami’ function is especially noisy.
What’s so special about Ninja’s Swirl by Creami?
There are so many fun treats you can make with it including healthy fruity sorbets or super-indulgent ice-cream and eveything in between. We tried a few one-ingredient viral hacks with excellent results so once you’ve become acquainted with your Ninja Swirl by Creami, start experimenting. Also the nostalgia value of making soft serve at home.
Ninja Swirl by Creami: Materials and size
Let’s start with the giant purple candy store-style outer box, because, sweet. As soon as my tween saw it arrive, I thought her eyes would pop out of her head. Inside you’ll find:
- 800W Motor base with soft serve Creamify Technology
- 2 x CREAMi® Swirl 470ml tubs with nozzles and storage lids
- Dispensing lid with swirl press
- Outer bowl and lid
- Creamerizer ™ Paddle
- Pull-out drip tray
- A booklet with 20+ recipes.
The dimensions are 38.5 cm (W) × 25.5 cm (D) × 44.5 cm (H) and the unit weighs approx 9.25 kg. All removable components (the tubs, nozzle lids, paddle, drip tray) are dishwasher-safe and BPA-free.
How to use the Ninja Swirl by Creami
Once unboxed, it’s pretty simple to get set up ready to freeze and swirl. If you’re as impatient as I am, you may feel frustrated that you need to first fill one of the tubs up to the max line with your chosen ingredients, pop a lid on it and set it in the freezer overnight or at least 5 hours until frozen. My recommendation is to use that time to read the instructions.
Fast forward to removing the tub from the freezer. Remove the grey lid and place the frozen tub into the larger outer bowl/jug. Secure the paddle into the bottom of the black lid and twist it onto the bowl until it clicks into place. Slide the bowl onto the base plate on the Creami side of the machine and rotate anti-clockwise until it locks into place.
Press the ‘Scoop’ function and choose your program from the following 6 Scoop presets:
- Ice-cream
- Light ice-cream
- Gelato
- Sorbet
- Frozen yoghurt
- Milkshake
Your chosen dessert should be ready to uncover and scoop out. If you want to take it to the next level and turn it into a soft serve. Remove it from the outer bowl and add the white ‘soft serve’ lid. Twist the base of the tub to open the ‘vents’ then attach it to the soft serve side of the machine. Rotate to lock in – the nozzle should be facing down. Press the Soft Serve program and choose from the following presets:
- Creamifit
- Fruit whip
- Frozen yoghurt
- Frozen custard
- Lite ice-cream
Place a cone or bowl or other serving vessel beneath the nozzle and pull the handle. It may take a couple of seconds before anything begins to swirl out, but be patient and continue holding the handle down. Release the handle to stop. And there you have it, beautifully swirled soft serve. Decorate or dig right in.
Results from our test
I tried a couple of the one-ingredient recipes the Creami is known for. Using just a tub of store bought mango and passionfruit yoghurt, I turned out a frozen treat that my daughter and a friend declared tasted just like you’d buy at a frozen yoghurt store (I think the scattering of M&Ms and raspberry pieces may have helped). I was pretty chuffed that it disappeared in just two sittings. A total win if you’re keen for an easy and healthy-ish dessert or treat. And a lot cheaper than bought.
Next up on my hit list I decided to follow one of the recipes in the Ninja Swirl by Creami recipe booklet. Because I’m a sucker for chocolate ice-cream, the Chocolate Truffle Gelato caught my eye. This involved making a chocolate custard base that you cool and freeze. You choose the Scoop and Gelato settings and the result is a rich, chocolatey gelato. Even though you shouldn’t play with your food, I couldn’t help but want to see how the gelato would work through the soft-serve program. You can see the delicious results both at the top of the article and in the video. Needless to say, this was a favourite. So lookout Mr Whippy.
You can have a lot of nostalgic fun with the Ninja Swirl by Creami. Whether you’re keen to make ice-cream from scratch or love trying viral recipes, your summer of frozen treats starts with this.
Is the Ninja Swirl by Creami worth it?
Once I built up my confidence using the frozen treat maker, I didn’t want the fun to end. I’ll have a chai and think, ooh, this would make a great ice-cream or let’s make a Milo soft-serve using ready-made ice-cream. You get the picture. If I had more bench space or kitchen storage, this would be top of my Black Friday shopping list. Imagine the Christmas treats you could create. It definitely gets the lick of approval from my family.
Where can I buy the Ninja Swirl by Creami frozen treat maker?
