5.0 out of 5 stars Creami

K.C. · 26 August 2025

Absolutely brilliant. Looks like I'm going to be eating lots more ice cream

4.0 out of 5 stars Really, really good. But a little expensive for no compressor. And only two pots!!!

S.n. · 4 August 2025

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

5.0 out of 5 stars So easy to use

A.C. · 5 August 2025

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

5.0 out of 5 stars very good quality

R.M. · 20 August 2025

came on time and was just what I was looking for.

5.0 out of 5 stars Such fun!

S. · 29 August 2025

Great fun, a little time consuming, but the result is well worth it!

4.0 out of 5 stars Good machine for ice cream but a little loud and expensive.

M. · 12 August 2025

Its very easy to use especially when following the recipes that are given to us in the booklet and i do like how there are different types and functions that the machine does. The build quality is very good as the machine is almost fully metal. The only problem that I have is that its very loud when you are using the machine. The ice cream it does make tastes good. I feel like its a little expensive for what you do get.

5.0 out of 5 stars Guiltless healthy icecream recipes

M.a. · 29 August 2025

I lovvvvvvve this producttttt

5.0 out of 5 stars Ice cream

L. · 27 August 2025

Love love