Ninja Swirl by CREAMi Soft Serve & Ice Cream Maker with 2x Tubs, 13 Functions, Makes Ice Cream, Soft Serve, Gelato, Sorbet, Milkshakes & More, Mix-In Option, Platinum Silver, NC701UK

Came promptly well packed.It's amazing at the moment using brought ice cream 🍦 not tried making my own.Love it

The media could not be loaded. This is an expensive machine and there is one thing about the whole of the Creami range that needs to be factored in when purchasing: these are not traditional ice cream making machines. They neither contain a compressor (and freeze an ice cream themselves after churning) nor use a pre-chilled bowl to chill a mix whilst churning. Instead, Creami machines work by forcing a small blender-like blade (‘paddle’ in the manufacturer’s terminology) through a tub of pre-frozen non-churned dessert mix in a ‘spinning’ process to create a churned-style effect. On its soft serve settings the Swirl machine takes the processing further (by running for longer) to a super soft, smooth consistency which can then be extruded through a swirl creator.Where an ice cream machine with a compressor can yield frozen ice cream/desserts within a couple of hours, this requires 24 hours of freezing any base mixes before they can be spun, although once you get to the spinning part this is quick, easy, and less messy than a regular ice cream maker.The machine is pretty tall. Too tall to go on our worktops as it's above the base of the top cabinets and too deep to sit in front of them. I'm currently running this on the kitchen table. It's a good looking machine: well made and quite imposing, and feels like a quality item.If you already have a Creami or Creami Deluxe machine and were hoping to to be able to reuse extra pots with this machine, it's no good: the Swirl by Creami machine has its own style of pots which include a release nozzle for soft serve, and are a different shape from the older styles. I did successfully transfer a batch of frozen protein powder mix from one of my older pots into one of the Swirl pots and then process that so that I could try using my machine without waiting a full 24hrs for a fresh mix to freeze in a Swirl tub on first receipt, but it's a little bit fiddly.When creating your mixes, make sure that the Swirl tubs are fully set to ‘Close’ at the nozzle. If they're not, you may get some leakage that prevents the pots from closing properly when frozen and then they won't fit inside the outer bowl for spinning because the shaped parts of the tub won't align with the holder parts of the bowl.So far I have tried this with a protein mix (I definitely need to tweak the recipe I used: I attempted one without adding any Angel Delight style pudding mix and it was too soft by far, so that soft serve just collapsed), a basic but really flavourful non-cook strawberry ice cream recipe I got with a little Kenwood ice cream machine years ago, a frozen yogurt mix, and a classic vanilla custard based ice cream. They all work nicely, but - with the exception of the protein mix, which was too soft - I have found that there are more noticeable ice crystals than in traditionally churned, then frozen mixes unless they're spun more than once. There are masses of customisation options and I do like the wide range of choices for base mix types, add ins, and texturing. The spinning process is (at least initially) extremely noisy. It slows down part way through cycles and is a bit quieter then.On the soft serve side, you get 4 servings from a tub of ice cream. The dispensing nozzle is part way along the side of the tub so the extruder pusher can't move to beyond this, and a good serving’s worth of ice cream gets left behind that can't be extruded. The pot design is a bit fiddly and less easy to clean if washing by hand. All the removable parts are dishwasher safe, so this is useful, but I’m waiting for a warranty repair on my dishwasher and currently doing this by hand - the nozzles on these need little bottle brushes to get in and clean them out.Considering the timings and amount of usable ice cream you get in a tub, the included two tubs aren't really sufficient. You get three tubs with a basic Creami machine, so to have less with the new top of the line version seems mean. Extra pots are, at time of writing, pretty expensive at £25.99 for two (with nozzles and storage lids) from the manufacturer - but I would be loathe to jeopardise my warranty by using cheaper third party tubs which might not fit as precisely to either of the working parts of the machine.After extruding any leftover ice cream (or other frozen dessert) in the tub has been compacted and so goes hard and crystalline if put back in the freezer. This requires respinning to regain even a scoopable texture.Overall, the machine is really good. I like it, and like the ceremony of using the soft serve lever, which has attracted a lot of interest from family and friends - at the moment I can't keep up with demand with the two supplied Swirl tubs. The machine is very easy to use, and there is clear labelling on parts to help guide you through the usage process.But I’m not convinced that it's £350 worth of great.It's slow, because of the necessity for 24 hour pre-freezing of mixes, and does leave things a bit crystalline. And for the amount of time it’s actually working (the spinning process for each pot of frozen mix takes at most a few minutes, and only a few seconds for extruding soft serve) it seems very, very expensive. I don't dislike my purchase here, it's good fun and we have had some really enjoyable results, but on balance I could be more impressed by it at the price point. I think it's overpriced by something like £50, especially considering the more limited number of pots included vs the original and Deluxe Creami machines. I have also been frustrated to find that it wasn't possible to register this with Ninja (necessary for the two year warranty) without emailing Customer Services because their website didn't recognise the model number (hopefully this will be fixed shortly, but it's not great).Manufacturer packaging was excellent: Ninja are great at providing sustainable packaging solutions that hold products securely, and that was true of this machine too. There was even a fabric storage bag. I could see this being useful over the Winter months when the machine is in use less.Update:7/8/25I messed up my custard mix for an ice cream (overheated and it went scrambled eggy), decided to freeze and process it anyway and see what would happen. This little machine pulled it back and turned the spoiled texture into a smooth, creamy ice cream.Pros- easy to use- high degree of customisation- masses of options- well made- very appealing for friends/family- when it's actually going it's really quick- turns a spoiled custard (overheated so went scrambled-eggy) into a perfectly smooth ice creamCons- high price point- only two tubs included (the basic Creami, currently less than half the price, comes with 3)- noisy- no chilling capabilities so all mixes require 24hr pre-freezing- requires model-specific tubs

This was bought as a present for our nieces and it is fair to say it has proved a massive success. Whilst there are certain quirks to be aware of it is an exciting unit that not only is great fun to use but produces excellent results that are delicious. We gave careful consideration to many elements of the machine itself and this proved to be time well spent and our expectations have been exceeded.The first thing to be aware of is it is quite heavy and fair sized unit measuring in at 24.5 cm wide by 48.5 cm deep and 44.5 cm tall. This means you will need a fair amount of workspace to have it out on display permanently. It also weighs around 9.5kg so you need to be aware of this if you're going to move it from a cupboard to work top or similar.There's no doubt it is easy to use but again you need to be aware that it isn't just a spur of the moment thing. You need to prepare the ingredients in advance and freeze them for around 24 hours first. Once this is done the operation is simple and you can produce all kinds of delicious results including ice cream smoothies and so on. It is excellent for experimating to produce your own genius creations!The fun part comes at kids can use it with just very basic instruction and it really is exciting for them. The interface is intuitive and easy to become familiar with. Also, you are in control of what goes in so it can be used for less sugary based recipes and still produce delicious results. A nice touch is that the parts are dishwasher proof so cleaning up is easy as well.It soon becomes apparent after using for awhile this is a substantial unit that is well-made and built to last. At the same time it is quite loud when in use but in a way this just add to the excitement.I would say with the right amount of preparation and if you can live with the size and noise elements this would be a great addition to the family and provide lots of fun and enjoyable desserts.

The 'Ninja Swirl by CREAMi Soft Serve & Ice Cream Maker with 2x Tubs, 13 Functions, Platinum Silver, NC701UK' arrived in a branded box.The first and most obvious thing I noticed about this machine was its size; it is big which even in my large kitchen is a potential issue; not just because of the machines large footprint but its height which I measured at 17.5 inches. I have older flat pack kitchen units with high level cabinets which are 18 inches above the work surface, but as they have a 2inch light pelmet installed the Ninja will not fit underneath; I would recommend the size of the machine and its placement be carefully considered. Fortunately due to the size of my kitchen I also have some areas without overhead cupboards.A secondary issue I encountered was that the tubs are too tall for the drawers in my under counter freezer but they will fit the taller bottom drawer or in any draw of a tall freezer. It also needs to be remembered that the tubs require 24 hours in the freezer before processing and that there are only two tubs provided each with a capacity for 4 soft ice creams.Before even attempting to use the Swirl for ice cream my wife and I performed several dry runs so we knew what had to be done and where it had to be placed and by doing so we eliminated errors that might otherwise have be irreversible.When it came to our first actual attempt at making ice cream everything went smoothly and my wife and I were able to sit back and enjoy a cone of ice cream with strawberry syrup and sprinkles of course.I am sure my wife and I will be making a lot more ice cream in the future using the Swirl; and there will be a lot of experimentation on the way; though more tubs may be necessary to allow for increased variety.I am pleased to recommend this machine but caution to ensure there is enough room for it.