The Ninja Swirl by Creami is conquering the hardest type of ice cream to make at home

When it launched a couple of years back, the Ninja Creami became a viral sensation by making it easy to turn almost anything into a tasty frozen treat. However, there was still one thing it couldn’t do: a classic soft serve, like the kind you dream about on hot summer days. But Ninja has made it its goal to change that by launching the Swirl by Creami today, and after getting a chance to taste what it makes, I’d say: mission accomplished.

In a lot of ways, even though the Swirl is its own standalone gadget, it sort of like an expansion pack for the original Ninja Creami. That’s because if you look at the right side of the machine, it looks almost identical to its predecessor. The big change is the new module on the left, which is reserved entirely for soft serve. The other major difference is the design of Ninja’s pint containers. Now there’s a new base featuring a built-in nozzle for spitting out soft serve and not one but two lids. There are also a few other details like a large handle on the side of the device, but we’ll get to that later.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

For anyone who has used the original, the general workflow is quite familiar. First, whip up an ice cream base and then freeze it in a pint container. From there, you select one of two main modes (traditional scoops or soft serve), attach the paddle lid and then spin your frozen base as normal. If you’re making a traditional churned-style ice cream or one of its variants, you can simply stop there. But if you want soft serve, here’s where things take a turn.

After spinning your base, you take the paddle lid off, put on Ninja’s soft serve lid before slotting the entire pint into the cavity on the left side of the machine. Then you need to twist the base of the container to open up the previously mentioned nozzle. Now you can pull down on the handle to the right and after a short pause, the Swirl will push out smooth, airy soft serve just like your favorite local shop. Or Pinkberry, because this thing can do froyo too.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Granted, Ninja’s latest two-in-one contraption takes a few extra steps to get to the end zone, but the results really do speak for themselves (assuming you started with a decent recipe, of course). The Swirl’s soft serve is light and creamy without a hint of any crystal to mess up that unique semi-solid texture. And as its name implies, you can even twirl it around to create that signature spiral of frozen goodness on top of a cone or cup.

Honestly, it’s kind of magical. I will die on this hill, but to me there’s nothing better than enjoying soft serve on a super hot day (preferably after a game of mini golf or a trip to the beach). So to have the power to make it at home feels really special, as soft serve has long been one of those things you need to go outside to get. During my demo, I tried a basic chocolate soft serve, froyo, peanut butter “Creamifit” (which is basically soft serve with added protein and less sugar) and even a faux Shamrock Shake, all made using the Swirl. Heck, there was even some frozen mango and pineapple that were blended up to create homemade Dole Whips. And all of them tasted fantastic.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Aside from soft serve, the Swirl also features a few improvements over previous models. Ninja says it has refined some of its programs to reduce things like the need to respin ice cream in order to get the proper consistency. The machine is also a bit quieter and it has indicator lights that tell how long it takes to finish blending a frozen base. And for people who like making treats with alternative sugars, the Lite Ice Cream mode has been adjusted to produce better results.

That said, there are a couple of important things to know about the Swirl before you run out and buy one. Like the standard Creami, it uses traditional pint-sized containers instead of the larger 24-ounce cups used with the Creami Deluxe. You also can’t spin half a pint like you can on the larger models, though if you want, you can make soft serve out of store-bought ice cream (you know, in case you’re too lazy or impatient to make your own). Finally, when making soft serve, mix-ins are better left for the end rather than trying to blend them in.

Regardless, similar to what the original Creami did for ice cream by distilling the tech from a $5,000+ Pacojet into a $200 machine regular folk can actually afford, the Swirl is now doing the same for soft serve. Right now, even the cheapest single-purpose machine on the market costs almost $1,000, while the $350 Ninja Swirl can do everything the old Creami could do (which includes making milkshakes, sorbets, gelatos and more) plus practically every type of soft serve you can imagine — all in one device. So while it’s definitely pricer and bulkier than its predecessor, the Swirl really feels like a one-stop home ice cream shop.

The Ninja Swirl by Creami is available today directly from Ninja or third-party retailers including Amazon, Target, Best Buy and Kohl’s.

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