We Tested the Viral Ninja CREAMi Swirl: Here's Our Honest Verdict

The Ninja CREAMi Swirl (NC701) is the soft-serve sequel to the machine that started the home ice cream craze. It spins a frozen base into scoopable ice cream, and the swirl handle lets that same pint dispense soft serve straight from a nozzle. It went on sale in February 2025 (retailers staggered through the month) and drew more than 96,500 waitlist signups, SharkNinja's most successful launch ever.

Ninja CREAMi Swirl at a Glance (Key Specs)

Ninja Swirl by Creami is the machine's official page name on the Ninja site.

The original Creami (NC301, 2021) is a cult favorite: 7 one-touch programs, spin-and-scoop only. The Swirl keeps that system and adds what the original cannot do: dispensed soft serve, via a new swirl handle, six soft-serve programs, and redesigned 2-in-1 pints with nozzles. The 24-hour pre-freeze carries over. See our full Ninja Creami review.

You freeze a base flat for 24 hours, then load it into the machine. The 800W motor shaves the block into ice cream in a few minutes, then you scoop it or switch to the swirl handle to dispense straight from the pint's nozzle.

We tested the Swirl the way our test kitchen tests everything: daily use until the quirks surface. We bought the NC701 at retail ourselves. First-time setup and clean-up took about 15 minutes; once the routine stuck, daily use was much faster. We measured the noise with a phone decibel meter, and we worked through the program families in pairs: soft serve and frozen yogurt from full-fat dairy and store-bought bases, ice cream and gelato for creaminess, CreamiFit and sorbet from protein shakes and dairy-free fruit, and Mix-In with chunky add-ins. The processing cycle ran about 4 to 5 minutes once the pint was in the machine, and a store-bought pint went from supermarket shelf to dispensed swirl in that same span, no 24-hour wait.

Soft Serve From Store-Bought Ice Cream Pints

The best trick in the box: a store-bought pint skips the 24-hour freeze. We ran a supermarket chocolate pint through the soft-serve cycle and got genuine soft serve straight from the chute. The first run came out slightly melty; 30 minutes back in the freezer and a second run fix that. We also ran Ninja's own chocolate soft serve recipe as a baseline.

Frozen Yogurt and One-Ingredient Sorbet

Frozen yogurt was the standout: rich, creamy, and delicious. Frozen pineapple or mango whips into a smooth Dole-Whip-style whip; sorbet comes out crystal-free and velvety after a re-spin. Our guide on using frozen fruit in the Ninja Creami covers the ratios.

Homemade Ice Cream and High-Protein Treats

Our custard-style vanilla beat the store pints we had been buying. CreamiFit is the sleeper feature: a plain frozen whey protein shake with 25g of protein spins into a creamy one-spin pint. Lean bases spin crumbly on the first pass.

The 13 Built-In Programs

The 13 one-touch programs split between scoop classics and new soft-serve modes. The scoop side runs Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Milkshake, and Mix-In. The soft-serve side adds six modes: Soft Serve, Soft Serve Lite Ice Cream, Fruit Whip, Frozen Custard, Swirled Frozen Yogurt, and CreamiFit.

Pint Compatibility With the Original Ninja Creami

The Swirl uses NC700-series 2-in-1 pints only; the original's NC300-series pints do not fit, lacking the soft-serve nozzle.

Size, Noise, and Footprint

The Swirl measures 12.99 x 9.45 x 17.44 inches, weighs 22.2 lbs, and at over 17 inches clears most countertops but not most standard kitchen cabinets. Noise is the other daily factor: 85 to 95 dB, about as loud as a vacuum cleaner and loud enough to wake sleeping family members. The first setup has a learning curve; it is not intuitive until the second batch.

Yes, and that is a pleasant surprise. The main unit never touches food, so only the pint, nozzle, lid, and handle get dirty; every part is top-rack dishwasher safe, and a hand-wash runs about five minutes. If the pint chute is clogged or the base is too soft, the dispenser drips, so clear the chute before every swirl.

The Deluxe (NC501) is the family-sized member of the Creami line: 11 programs, 24-oz XL tubs that hold 50% more, scoop-only, lighter, and cheaper. Big batches point to the Deluxe; soft serve points to the Swirl. See our Ninja Creami vs Creami Deluxe comparison and how to use the Ninja Creami Deluxe.

For the churner side, see our Cuisinart FastFreeze vs Ninja Creami and Cuisinart Ice-21 vs Ninja Creami comparisons.

At a list price of $349.99, the Swirl is the most expensive machine in the Creami line, though it has traded as low as about $250 on deal cycles and typically lands around $270. Check the current price at Amazon.

Buy it for a soft-serve craving, a family that plans desserts ahead, or a protein-shake habit; skip it if a loud spin, a tall machine, or the 24-hour freeze is a deal-breaker. Heavy users reach for the scoop mode more than the swirl handle, and the machine earns its keep on protein pints and frozen yogurt.

Update after continued use: our verdict holds, and the nightly user in our kitchen found the Swirl replaced store-bought dessert entirely.