I bought myself a Ninja Swirl machine about a month ago and I have been acquainting myself with the machine since then. As a huge fan of the Ninja Creami (I have a NC300 machine) I wanted to expand my recipe repertoire and see how the new offering measures up. So! Let’s dive straight into my Ninja Swirl review.
Size
When comparing the NC300 Ninja Creami machine and the Ninja Swirl, the latter takes up a lot more bench space. It feels roughly the same size as my Barista Express espresso machine. The machine is significantly heavier and it has more parts – two separate lids (the second with two parts) and soft serve nozzles.
In terms of the tub size, they are both apparently 470ml. I found some of my NC300 Ninja Creami recipes looked shorter in the tub of the Ninja Swirl – that is, they came up under the fill-line. The tubs for the Swirl are smaller in circumference, thinner but taller and have a unique swivel bottom that opens when you are making soft serve.
Settings
Compared to my NC300 Ninja Creami, the Swirl does offer more settings. Among other things, there is a CreamiFit setting which is for high protein, low calorie ice cream recipes. There is also the fact that the machine shows the processing time when you start it.
An important distinction is that the Swirl asks you select your ice cream style (scoop or soft serve) before selecting the type of mixture you are processing (frozen yogurt, sorbet, full fat ice cream, etc).
The Swirl shows you how long the mixture will take to process in minutes which I like. I haven’t timed it to see if it is accurate but it is a feature I have enjoyed on the Swirl machine.
Noise
So far, I think the Ninja Swirl is slightly less noisy than the Ninja Creami. It has sort of a loud rumble rather than a more urgent, higher pitched rumble. Neither of them are quiet necessarily, but the Ninja Creami has made me walk off to avoid the noise whereas the Swirl hasn’t yet.
Either way it is a noise I can get used to for the sake of ice cream!
Ease of use and cleaning
When comparing the two machines, the Ninja Swirl is more complicated to use. Simple enough once you get the hang of it, but more of an intermediate machine than the Ninja Creami.
In terms of cleaning, I have some issues so far. The lid is no longer see through on the underside which makes it difficult to see if there is any errant ice cream mixture lurking in there. You’d be surprised how much can get stuck if you don’t wash it vigorously and almost immediately.
The part that has surprised me is the lid and mechanism for processing the mixture into soft serve. Mine has already started to smell a little bit and I have only had the machine a month. As it turns out, you really need to take the blue rubber seal off every time you use it and give that a good wash. The black piece for the Swirl aspect has two ‘plug’ holes on either side but it is impossible to know whether you have thoroughly washed it or whether anything is stuck inside.
My advice is to thoroughly wash every aspect of the machine immediately after use. Have some hot soapy water ready to go and dunk it in there as you eat the ice cream, even. I would also recommend letting all of the pieces dry in a sunny spot to ensure they don’t stay damp and encourage mould.
Pros of the Ninja Swirl
- A fun way to make ice cream at home
- It is a two for one – you can make soft serve or a classic scoopable ice cream
- The swirl function does aerate the mixture and create a lighter texture
- Although I am newer to it, I think the CreamiFit setting does produce a great fluffy texture with the right recipe
- Showing how much time is left for processing is a helpful feature
Cons of the Ninja Swirl
- It is quite a heavy machine and takes up a lot of bench space
- In my experience, the swirl setting spins the ice cream for too long. In the case of higher fat ice creams, it processes the mixture to the point that the cream starts to split. The result is a fatty mouthfeel and an ice cream that immediately coats the roof of your mouth with fat, even at lower fat percentages
- Higher sugar recipes (which are naturally less able to freeze) tend to become very soft once spun on the on the soft serve setting. The result is soft serve that is already melting straight out of the machine (and I am testing the machine in Australian winter).
- If you make some soft serve and decide it is too soft to process, it is hard to re-freeze the mixture to firm it. This is because there is already ice cream in the soft serve pipes, which will freeze solid faster than the mixture in the tub.
- You can’t just make one soft serve and then refreeze the mixture to have another soft serve the next day. Once the mixture freezes solid in the soft serve pipe, you will need to defrost it completely to make another soft serve. The soft serve function is really for a whole tub of ice cream (and it always leaves about 1/2 cup of ice cream in the bottom of the tub, seemingly unable to process that last bit).
Tips for the Ninja Swirl machine
- In my experience, it is best to process high fat ice cream on the scoop setting, even if you intend to make soft serve. The soft serve setting processes the mixture for too long and starts to turn the mixture into butter. The result is a fatty coating on the roof of your mouth which is unpleasant.
- I think the soft serve option for this machine benefits from lower sugar recipes that utilise glucose syrup or light corn syrup (distinct from high fructose corn syrup). This gives the recipes more body and viscosity which translates to a smoother soft serve.
- In my experience, soft serve recipes also benefit greatly from xanthan gum. The result is a smoother consistency that pipes out of the machine in a smooth and controlled way. At the moment, I think 1-2g xanthan gum is the sweet spot for a super pipeable soft serve.
- If you are making soft serve and you notice your ice cream is soft after the first processing, put it straight in the freezer for 30+ minutes. It is much easier to firm up your ice cream before processing. Once there is mixture in the soft serve pipes, it will freeze solid before the mixture in the tub and you won’t be able to make soft serve without defrosting again (defeating the purpose).
My verdict:
- Buy the Ninja Swirl if you have kids, entertain a lot and are happy to go the extra mile (and do extra dishes)
- Buy the Ninja Swirl if you don’t already have a Ninja Creami and have plenty of bench space
- Don’t buy the Ninja Swirl if you like quick and easy desserts
- Don’t buy the Ninja Swirl if you have limited bench space
My personal verdict is that, although the Swirl is a fun machine, I would be fine without it. I absolutely love my Ninja Creami and think it’s a total game-changer. If I were an everyday consumer who already had a Ninja Creami machine, I wouldn’t buy a Swirl. You can simply transfer the ice cream into a piping bag with a nozzle and save yourself the bench space.
Does the machine produce a nicely aerated soft serve? With the right recipe, yes. But I wouldn’t say that the extra bench space and cost make it better than the revolutionary Ninja Creami. It is a ‘nice to have’ if you don’t already have a machine, rather than a must-have.
Can I use Ninja Creami recipes in the Ninja Swirl?
Sometimes and depending on what you are making (scoop or soft serve). However, I will say that there are a few differences which require a bit of adjustment. If you can, I recommend using recipes designed for the Ninja Swirl when making soft serve.
Firstly, I have found that for whatever reason, some Ninja Creami 470ml recipes come up below the fill-line in the Ninja Swirl. I don’t know why that is specifically (and it’s not a deal breaker) but it is worth mentioning.
Can I use Ninja Creami tubs in the Ninja Swirl?
No. You cannot use Ninja Creami tubs in the Ninja Swirl. The tubs have different shapes – the Ninja Creami is shorter and wider, whereas the Ninja Swirl is taller and thinner. Secondly, the Ninja Swirl has a unique swivel bottom that clicks open to allow the soft serve to be dispensed.
Can I use the Ninja Creami blade in the Ninja Swirl?
No. The Ninja Swirl has a very similar looking blade, but the key difference is that the hole in the top of the blade is wider. As such, the Ninja Creami blade won’t fit in the Swirl and vice versa. This also means you cannot mix them up on the off chance you have both machines. Both blades clip into the lid but they will refuse to attach to the machine for processing.
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