Ever fantasised about having free reign of an ice cream parlour? Honestly, I have, so to get my hands on the Ninja Swirl – the viral soft-serve ice cream maker that’s taken social media by storm – was a bit like having a childhood dream come true.
Having launched in the US earlier this year, the Swirl finally arrived in the UK in July 2025 and has been all over our TikTok and Instagram feeds, promising to deliver ultra creamy soft-serve and scoopable frozen desserts in a matter of minutes.
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But with an RRP of £349.99 – not to mention an enormous countertop footprint (44.5 x 38 x 25.5cm) – it’s also a serious investment, particularly compared to other freeze-first ice cream makers on the market. So, is it actually worth getting excited about or just a gimmick?
I spent a week putting the Ninja Swirl to the test, trying out a range of functions to see whether I think it lives up to the hype and hefty price tag. Spoiler alert: I loved it and rated it 4.5/5 stars, but I don’t think it’s flawless, nor is it a must-buy appliance for every household.
Keep reading for my full verdict – and check out more reviews in our guide to the best ice cream makers, plus our comparison of the Ninja Creami vs Ninja Creami Deluxe.
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First impressions of the Ninja Swirl ice cream maker
Fresh out of the box, the Ninja Swirl looks enormous – even on the wide, deep countertops of the Good Food Test Kitchen – but is undoubtedly impressive. The exterior is ultra-sleek and professional-looking, with buttons and handles that feel robust. The bowl also locks into place with a satisfying click.
Photography: Natalie Bass / Good Food
The packaging is made from entirely cardboard and paper, which is always great to see – Ninja has been using fully recyclable packaging materials for a few years now, which is slowly becoming more commonplace with other brands.
Included with the machine are two 480ml tubs with nozzles and lids, a lid with a press-down lever for dispensing the soft serve, an outer bowl and lid, a ‘Creamerizer’ paddle that churns the ice cream, a pull-out drip tray and a recipe booklet.
There’s also a written manual packed with diagrams and a troubleshooting guide, plus a sticker with a QR code on the machine that links to an instructional video.
How to use the Ninja Swirl ice cream maker
If you’re already familiar with the Ninja Creami or Ninja Creami Deluxe, you’ll find the operation of the Ninja Swirl similar – but first-timers should find it straightforward, too.
The key thing to remember is that, even though the machine can churn frozen mixtures into ice cream in a matter of minutes, you’ll need to have frozen your ice cream base for at least 24 hours beforehand.
Once your ice cream base is frozen solid in one of the two tubs provided (and bear in mind that it will need to be frozen flat for the churning process to work properly), place it inside the outer bowl and fix the lid on top. Secure the outer bowl into the machine – it should rotate anti-clockwise, then make a ‘click’ sound once locked in.
There are 13 presets to choose from, including six for soft serve (ice cream, light ice cream, ‘fruiti’, frozen yogurt, soft-serve gelato and CreamiFit), six scoop programmes (ice cream, light ice cream, gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt and milkshake), and a mix-in function for adding nuts, chocolate chips, fruit, sweets or whatever you’d like.
Photography: Natalie Bass / Good Food
Once you’ve selected the preset you want, a number appears on the screen to signify how many minutes the function will take – it varies from two to six minutes – after which the machine starts up.
The ‘Creamerizer’ paddle will start to spin quickly and submerge itself into the mixture, churning the frozen base into smooth, creamy ice cream. It struggles to do this if the frozen base is at an angle, which is why it’s important to store any mixtures on a level surface in your freezer.
The Swirl makes a pleasant chime sound once finished – a noise you’ll recognise if you own any Ninja appliance. You can throw in some mix-ins at this point if you want to add extra texture or flavour, then hit ‘re-spin’ on the control panel if you want to give your ice cream and mix-ins an extra blitz.
How to make soft serve ice cream in the Ninja Swirl
If making soft serve, remove the outer bowl and attach the white dispense lid – it’s worth securing this extra tightly as I found it was a bit leaky during testing. Rotate it 90 degrees and line it up with the dispensing area on the left-hand size of the unit, then twist it into place – you should hear it click once secure.
Pull out the drip tray at the base of the machine and twist the white tub base clockwise until it’s fully extended towards you in the ‘open’ position.
Photography: Natalie Bass / Good Food
Now for the fun bit: ready your ice cream cone or bowl and pull the lever towards you, and watch as your soft-serve ice cream starts to pour from the nozzle. It may take a few seconds to come out at first, so be patient if it doesn’t start dispensing right away. Once finished, sprinkle on a few toppings and enjoy!
Results of the Ninja Swirl ice cream maker
When testing the Ninja Swirl ice cream maker, I started with the preset I was most excited about: the soft-serve function, using Good Food’s ultimate vanilla ice cream recipe.
I’m pretty well versed with how to use the Ninja Creami and Creami Deluxe ice cream makers, so a lot of the set-up (freezing the base, churning the mixture) was familiar to me, but I’m confident that – armed with the instructions – even a total beginner would sail through this part of the process.
Photography: Natalie Bass / Good Food
As mentioned above, I found the tubs leaked a bit when I locked them into the machine’s dispensing area, so would advise fastening these extra tightly. Operating the lever was simple enough, though, and as for the soft serve itself, the texture was perfect: smooth, creamy and totally lump-free. I achieved the same with the scoopable ice cream, too, and my mix-ins were perfectly combined.
When it came to trying out the CreamiFit function, I used a chocolate protein powder to flavour my ice cream and one of Ninja’s chocolate protein ice cream recipes. Honestly, I didn’t love it and found it too icy – though I’d say this was a fault of the recipe rather than the machine.
Photography: Natalie Bass / Good Food
The verdict: Is the Ninja Swirl ice cream maker worth it?
The Swirl is undoubtedly a versatile ice cream maker that brings the excitement of visiting an ice cream parlour into your kitchen, and for the quality of materials and technology alone, I think it’s a brilliant appliance.
Ultimately, if your budget allows and you have the space for it, the Swirl is a worthwhile investment – particularly for families with young children, who will get tons of joy from whipping up their own soft-serve creations.
The control panel is also incredibly easy to use, so providing you follow the instructions, there’s little risk of you generating poor results then leaving the machine to gather dust.
Just bear in mind that it requires a bit of pre-planning, which is rare for an ice cream maker of this size. Most freeze-first models are cheaper and more compact, where this machine is neither – but then most freeze-first models don’t have a soft-serve dispenser, which is the Swirl’s main USP.
Wattage: 800W
Pre-freeze: At least 24 hours
Average churn time: 5 minutes
Capacity: 480ml per tub (x2)
Warranty: 2 years
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