### Reviving the Froyo Fad with the Ninja Swirl

I confess—I really miss the frozen yogurt phenomenon of the 2000s. With shops everywhere and limitless flavor and topping options, it was a fantastic time for dessert enthusiasts. I never imagined I could recreate that joy at home—until I found the **Ninja Swirl**.

After trying the **Ninja Creami**, I became accustomed to having homemade frozen delights whenever I wanted. So when Ninja introduced the new **Ninja Swirl**, which enables you to prepare soft serve at home, I was excited to give it a shot.

I got an early look at the Swirl during a Ninja event in early February, and after giving it a test run, here are my impressions.

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## What Is the Functionality of the Ninja Swirl?

The **Ninja Swirl** enhances the technology from the original Creami. It includes two pints that you fill with your preferred mixture and freeze for 24 hours before “spinning.” The spinning mechanism operates like an inverted blender—unlike traditional blending from the bottom, the blade descends from the top down, slicing through the frozen mixture to yield a smooth, creamy finish.

The device features various settings, including ice cream, lite ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato, and milkshake. There’s even a re-spin option if the texture isn’t perfect or if you wish to incorporate mix-ins.

What distinguishes the **Swirl** is its **soft serve dispensing capability**. The pints equipped with the Swirl have a built-in dispensing mechanism. Once positioned in the left-hand dispenser, you simply pull the lever, and the machine dispenses fresh soft serve.

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## In What Ways Does the Ninja Swirl Differ from the Creami?

The primary distinction between the **Swirl** and the typical **Creami** lies in its capability to produce **soft serve**. While both the original and deluxe Creami models create scoopable ice cream and frozen beverages, the Swirl achieves all this **plus soft serve**.

Soft serve is different from standard ice cream as it incorporates more air, resulting in a lighter, fluffier texture. Traditional ice cream makers integrate air during the churning and freezing process, whereas the Ninja Swirl does this during the spinning phase.

The Swirl features a setting that infuses additional air into the mixture, guaranteeing it’s primed for dispensing as soft serve.

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## Creamier Than Ever

When I first learned that the **Ninja Swirl** added more air to create an authentic soft serve texture, I was dubious. My experience with the **Creami** indicated that achieving a smooth consistency often needed several re-spins.

To evaluate the Swirl, I prepared my favorite chocolate hazelnut frozen yogurt by combining plain Greek yogurt with a chocolate hazelnut spread and freezing it for 24 hours. When I spun the pint, I was **astounded**—after just one spin, it produced the smoothest ice cream I ever made with a Creami device.

In previous models, I required multiple spins to approach that texture, and even then, it was frequently too thick. Clearly, **Ninja has enhanced the technology**, making the Swirl more robust and effective.

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## Soft Serve Comfort at Home

There’s a unique charm in going out on a warm summer evening for a cone of soft serve. Unlike store-bought pints, soft serve isn’t usually something you can whip up at home—until now.

Utilizing the **Ninja Swirl’s soft serve function** is exceedingly straightforward. After spinning your pint on the soft serve setting, you attach the soft serve lid and place the pint into the dispenser. Simply pull the lever to release the ice cream.

I tried both **dairy and non-dairy recipes**. The dairy-based frozen yogurt dispensed smoothly and evenly, while my homemade **pineapple whip** (inspired by the well-known Dole Whip) had a slightly inconsistent flow due to air pockets. Ninja cautions that some popping sounds may be heard during dispensing, which I noticed with the fruit-based mixture. Although it didn’t look as flawless as the froyo, the texture was still fantastic.

No matter the recipe, using the **soft serve dispenser is simply enjoyable**—it feels like working at an ice cream parlor!

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## Ideal for Meal Preppers and Fitness Buffs

The **Ninja Creami** became wildly popular among health and fitness aficionados, who utilize it to create high-protein ice cream. At the Ninja event, the brand highlighted the Swirl’s attraction to this demographic, introducing a new **Creamifit setting** tailored for recipes that include protein powders or shakes.

One drawback remains: **pints must be frozen for 24 hours before