This might be the ultimate home ice cream maker

The original Ninja Creami became a viral hit a few years ago when it took the tech from $5,000 commercial ice cream makers and distilled it into something you could buy for less than $200. As good as the Creami is at whipping up sorbets, gelatos and smoothie bowls, there’s still one classic frozen treat it can’t do: soft serve. But now there’s a new addition to the family, the Swirl by Creami, and with it Ninja may have just created the ultimate all-in-one home ice cream machine.

Instead of engineering a brand-new, multi-purpose device, Ninja basically took the existing Creami and bolted a soft serve module on the side. And then it tacked on a big handle, so you still get that physical sensation of pulling it down to dispense your icy creation.

That might seem a bit crude from a design perspective, but let’s be honest, the Swirl isn’t going to win any beauty pageants. More importantly, it’s a rather straightforward and effective approach. That’s because when you’re not making soft serve, you can simply spin a batch of regular ice cream with one of the machine’s two included pint containers. However, if you are going for something smooth and fluffy, things get a little more complicated.

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While the Ninja Swirl is more expensive and bulkier than the standard Creami, the ability to make soft serve and practically every other type of ice cream at home feels like a dream come true.

Pros

  • Excellent soft serve capabilities
  • Updated ice cream settings
  • Quieter
  • Physical dispensing handle
Cons

  • More expensive than the original Creami
  • Bigger and bulkier design
  • No deluxe-sized model

$350 at Amazon

In addition to the standard paddle lid, the Swirl has a special top you need to use when making soft serve. The machine uses a new pint container that has a clever but somewhat tricky built-in nozzle for dispensing said soft serve. You need to keep the twist cap on its bottom closed for traditional scooped desserts, but open for soft-serve. And you better not forget, because if you don’t seal it all the way while freezing your ice cream base, it’s going to get stuck. That’s no good because the container won’t fit in the machine unless the pint is fully closed, so you’re going to chip away at the parts that are stuck until it does. Unfortunately, if you’re not planning on making soft serve, you can’t use the classic Creami pints because those aren’t compatible (though like before, the Swirl’s lids and containers are dishwasher safe).

A potential hurdle with the Swirl’s design, especially for people who live in apartments or places with small kitchens, is that it’s about twice as big and heavy as a standard Creami. It’s 15.1 x 10 x 17.5 inches and weighs 20 pounds. This means you’ll have to find a decently large place to stash it, unless you live in a mansion, because this thing isn’t going to live on your countertop.

On top of new soft serve modes, the Ninja Swirl can still make all the same types of ice creams as the original Creami. On top of new soft serve modes, the Ninja Swirl can still make all the same types of ice creams as the original Creami.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

One of the best things about the Swirl is that it can do practically everything the Creami can and more. That’s because, in addition to the standard ice cream, lite ice cream, gelato, sorbet and milkshake modes, there are new options for frozen yogurt, fruit whip, frozen custard and so-called Creamifits.

Most of these are self-explanatory, but a few warrant further explanation. Fruit whips are mostly frozen fruit with a bit of sugar that are blended into something akin to a healthier sorbet (like those delicious pineapple Dole whips). I also appreciate that there’s a dedicated mode for frozen custard, which is even richer and creamier than traditional ice cream (often due to the inclusion of additional egg yolks). Since it’s hard to find outside of southern and midwest states, this is another welcome addition. Finally, Creamifit is a new term for high-protein concoctions that frequently feature ingredients like whey, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt. They effectively turn workout shakes into frozen treats.

The Swirl has a handy retractable drip tray. The Swirl has a handy retractable drip tray.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

When you’re ready to whip up a batch, Ninja made things simple by dividing the machine’s functions into two main categories: one for regular scooped treats and one for soft serve. The label you won’t see is the one for smoothie bowls, which is a setting that’s available on older models. I found that omission wasn’t a big deal because depending on the type of texture you’re looking for, the milkshake or Creamifit settings are viable replacements.

Another improvement over the original Creami is that Ninja updated the Swirl’s blending modes so that you get the right consistency without needing to re-spin. And in my testing, I’d say the company nailed it. Oftentimes with its predecessor, I would have to put ice cream in for a second go before I was happy, but not so with the new machine. That goes for both soft serve and regular scooped desserts. Furthermore, the Swirl is quieter too. Granted, it’s still rather loud at about 80 decibels from around six feet away. But compared to the basic Creami (around 82db), which routinely sent my three-year-old son running out of the kitchen when I used it, it’s a small improvement. So while you won’t want to watch TV in the same room, you can at least still have a conversation.

If you want to make soft serve, after using the standard paddle lid (left) to spin your ice cream base, you'll need to attach Ninja's dedicated soft serve lid (right) before slotting the entire pint into the opening on the left side of the machine. If you want to make soft serve, after using the standard paddle lid (left) to spin your ice cream base, you'll need to attach Ninja's dedicated soft serve lid (right) before slotting the entire pint into the opening on the left side of the machine.

If you want to make soft serve, after using the standard paddle lid (left) to spin your ice cream base, you’ll need to attach Ninja’s dedicated soft serve lid (right) before slotting the entire pint into the opening on the left side of the machine. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)

If you can handle the Swirl’s more involved process, the rewards are worth it. This thing really can produce soft serve that’s just as good as what you can buy from your local shop or friendly neighborhood truck. In fact, I’d argue that your creations might even be better because you can control what goes in them. Sure, you can follow recipes. But just like its predecessor, the magic of the Swirl is that as long as you follow a few basic guidelines, you can kind of throw anything together and it will taste divine. That’s exactly what I did for my first test batch.

Like a lot of parents, I try to minimize food waste as much as possible. Instead of tossing out some old strawberries and pineapple chunks at the end of the week, I diced them up, added a splash of lime juice and mixed everything with a third of a cup of sugar. After letting the fruit macerate for a bit, I simply stuck them in the Swirl’s pint container and froze it overnight. The next day, I set the machine to the fruit whip setting, spun it and then swapped in Ninja’s soft serve lid before pulling down on the handle. Goddamn, it was good.

To dispense your soft serve, you'll need to slot the entire pint into the machine. Just don't forget to open the bottom of the container so ice cream can flow out of the built-in nozzle. To dispense your soft serve, you'll need to slot the entire pint into the machine. Just don't forget to open the bottom of the container so ice cream can flow out of the built-in nozzle.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

The consistency of the fruit whip was super smooth without any big ice crystals, The flavor was like a tropical fruit bowl exploded in my mouth. But the best part is that it cost almost nothing to make, because its ingredients probably would have ended up in the trash in a lot of households.

Next, I whipped up some basic chocolate soft serve (using this recipe from Ninja’s Test Kitchen) because that’s my three-year-old’s favorite flavor. Instead of using regular whole milk, heavy cream and cocoa powder, I swapped those out for Fairlife chocolate milk. Not only does that increase the amount of protein, this brand is also lactose-free. This resulted in a super fluffy soft serve with an almost marshmallow-like mouthful that everyone in my family enjoyed (including my lactose-intolerant wife). It was a classic done right.