Ninja Slushi review: a simple way to make frozen drinks at home
Ninja Slushi: two-minute review
Frozen drink connoisseurs rejoice - the Ninja Slushi is here. Even the best blenders, tend to create watered-down beverages full of ice chunks, but this machine aims to deliver your favorite frozen drinks, from milkshakes to spiked slushies, at the perfect temperature, with an ideal texture, in under 60 minutes. That’s thanks to RapidChill Technology, which uses an evaporator, auger, and motor to continuously rotate the liquid while chilling. But does this kitchen gadget deliver on these promises? For the most part, yes.
Ninja has been in the small appliance game for a while and is known for creating quality, mid-range products from coffee makers to air fryers. However, the Slushi is a completely new and unique product from the brand, paving its own path. In fact, there’s really nothing like it on the market. Sure, there are a few at-home slushie machines, but none come close to the Slushi’s versatility, making this device worth the higher price tag.
It’s even poised for the same viral popularity as the Ninja Creami; at the time of writing, the Slushi is sold out. But Is the Ninja Slushi worth the hype? Yes, as long as you love a frozen drink and set your expectations accordingly.
This slushie machine is a bit heavy and tall, but surprisingly easy to use with a straightforward control panel featuring presets that automatically set the optimal temperature. The five presets are slush, spiked slush, frappe, milkshake, and frozen juice. Some recipes are as simple as pouring a juice or soda into the vessel and watching the machine turn your drink into slush in as little as 15 minutes, all while staying whisper quiet.
I managed to test out most of the Ninja Slushi’s presets to varying results. The machine produced the best consistency using tropical juice in the frozen juice setting, and Coke in slush mode, with both beverages ready to drink in under 20 minutes. Making those drinks thicker using the temperature controls on the panel was also simple.
However, when testing the frappe mode, my drink came out extremely frothy, and the strawberry daiquiri on the spiked slush mode was too liquid, even after adjusting the temperature to the coolest setting.
Though there were some slight texture issues, the drinks were delicious and never watered down like the ones made in blenders tend to be. Clean-up afterward is less hassle than you'd expect, too. A rinse cycle does a great job of removing stuck-on residue, and most components are easily removable and dishwasher-safe.
The Ninja Slushi is a solid machine that’s especially well-suited for those who love to entertain, as it’s capable of making up to 64oz of frozen drinks that will remain frozen for up to 12 hours, and has an easy-pour handle for guests to serve themselves. However, given the high $299.99 (about £240 / AU$470) price tag, it’s only worth the investment for those who adore a variety of frozen drinks and plan to use this kitchen gadget regularly.
Ninja Slushi review: price and availability
- List price: $299.99 (about £240 / AU$470)
- Launch date: July 2024
- Availability: US only
The Ninja Slushi retails for $299.99 (about £240 / AU$470) and is only available in the US. However, it’s currently sold out. It’s possible to join a waitlist on the Ninja website to be notified when the machine is back in stock. Given this product is brand new and extremely popular, don’t expect to see any major discounts on the Ninja Slushi for a few months to a year.
Slushie machines are few and far between. When comparing the Ninja Slushi to others on the market, nothing beats its versatility and ease of use. The Slushi is in a category all its own, and the high price tag reflects the uniqueness of this kitchen gadget. Since the build quality is solid and the machine delivers on the promise of producing less watered-down frozen drinks quickly, it’s good value for money. However, I would only invest in this machine if you love frozen beverages and plan to use it regularly.
Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5
Ninja Slushi review: specs
Ninja Slushi review: design
- Heavy and tall build
- Sleek, simple design that highlights drinks
- Straightforward control panel
The Ninja Slushi resembles a smaller version of the slushie machines you see at the movie theater or convenience store. It’s still a hulking device that takes up a good amount of space, weighing 24.25lb / 11kg and measuring 16.28 x 6.52 x 16.92in / 414 x 166 x 430mm (L x W x H).
The narrow design allows it to squeeze between other appliances. My biggest issue was height, as the Slushi failed to fit under my kitchen cabinets. That led to lots of rearranging of kitchen gadgets. Given its size and weight, the Slushi isn’t something you’ll want to move often. At least the power cord reached a long way, which was necessary for my final placement.
Assembling the Ninja Slushi was an absolute breeze. Out of the box, it came almost fully assembled. The two-part drip tray was the only component not attached. There's a handy notch on the side panel to slot the drip tray when you store the machine, ensuring it doesn’t get lost.
Before the first use, I washed the vessel and auger. The evaporator needs to be wiped down, as it’s not removable. That process was fairly simple, and the machine comes covered in stickers and has multiple instruction booklets to help you along while removing different components.
Once it's set up, the Ninja Slushi looks awesome, and is definitely a conversation piece when you have friends over. The arctic blue and gray coloring is simple and stylish, while the clear vessel for frozen beverages looks especially flashy with colorful, fruity drinks inside. It’s mesmerizing watching the evaporator and auger do their thing, creating and spinning the slush.
Most of the machine’s components are plastic, but feel sturdy. However, the vessel, which can hold up to 64oz / 1.9L of slush, seems a little flimsy and could crack if accidentally dropped during cleaning. I also would have loved a metal handle for pouring, but the one included feels solid enough to last several years.
The Ninja Slushi’s control panel is straightforward. There are five presets to choose from when making a drink: slush, spiked slush, frappe, milkshake, and frozen juice. After selecting a preset, the machine will begin the cooling process with a small LED illuminating the selection. A beep indicates that the beverage has reached the desired temperature (each option sets the optimal temperature for your drink of choice).
On the opposite side of the presets is the temperature control with easy-to-press up and down arrow buttons to adjust the preset temperature. The LEDs indicate the current set temperature, and will blink as the beverage cools to the set temperature. Blinking will stop and the LEDs will remain lit when that temperature is achieved. It’s
super simple and took me less than a minute to figure out how the control panel worked.
Design score: 4 out of 5
Ninja Slushi review: performance
- Easy to create frozen drinks quickly
- Not always the best drink consistency
- Quiet operation
The Ninja Slushi may be one of the easiest kitchen appliances to master, as it mainly involves pressing a couple of buttons and letting the machine do its thing. Sure, I had to mix up a few beverages before pouring them into the vessel, and occasionally tap the temperature control for the proper slush consistency, but that’s it. Never needing to deal with ice makes life so much easier.
Out of the five different drink presets available, I tested four. My first drink was a tropical juice slush. It just involved pouring juice straight from the carton into the vessel. There’s a 16oz / 473ml minimum for liquids, and it’s well-marked on the vessel. The inability to make smaller portions is a slight annoyance, but you can leave the machine on for up to 12 hours – plenty of time to finish the frozen beverage.
Since I was drinking the tropical juice slush alone, I only filled the drink to the minimum mark. After turning on the machine and pressing the Frozen Juice preset, the Ninja Slushi’s auger attached to the motor immediately began to spin. Thanks to the Whisperchill compressor, the machine only hit about 55dB while in use. The noise level is consistent and around the same level as an electric fan. I found it quickly became a barely noticeable background sound.
After about seven minutes, I noticed the drink getting thicker, and after 15 minutes it beeped and the temperature control LED stopped flashing, indicating the drink was finished. Ninja was right on the money, stating you could have a frozen drink in under 15 minutes.
Immediately after finishing, I poured myself a glass of frozen juice. As I pulled the handle towards me, the beverage started to come out, but it didn’t dispense smoothly, coming out in clumps. Still, the drink itself had a lovely consistency but melted rather quickly. With the RapidChill technology that allows the machine to forgo ice, my tropical frozen juice wasn’t watered down in the slightest, maintaining a rich, tangy flavor.
I tested the machine further using the temperature control panel to make the beverage thicker. It worked like a charm, with the consistency getting chunkier in under 10 minutes. I also let the drink just spin for about four hours. Even after all that time, it tasted the same with a similar texture. Just be prepared for the machine itself to get a little warm
Beyond the frozen juice setting, I was hyped to try the frappe mode, as I love these blended coffee beverages. To make it, I followed a recipe in the instruction manual. Around 25 minutes after pressing the frappe preset, the drink was finished. Unfortunately, when I poured it out, it was excessively frothy. Still delicious, but almost my entire glass was filled with foam. That’s not the ideal situation when trying to get your caffeine fix, but not having it become a watery, tasteless drink after melting was a huge boon.
Using the spiked slush preset also had its own issues, as the drink would come out too liquid, even on the coolest setting. It was also ready surprisingly fast, at under 25 minutes, when the drink was estimated to take closer to 45 minutes. That could be due to the alcohol content, as the recipe for the strawberry daiquiri I created called for a tiny amount of rum (a third of a cup to served between four and six people), so I added more. However, the machine alerts you when too much alcohol is in the vessel, and that didn’t happen. Maybe pre-mixed alcoholic beverages or wine slushies would’ve worked a little better. The drink still tasted great and had some slushiness to enjoy.
Similar to alcohol, a low sugar warning goes off when the minimum sugar levels aren’t met. It’s an easy fix, as you can add sugar, syrups, and honey to meet the requirements. Just don’t expect to be drinking low-calorie beverages, as artificial sweeteners and sugar-free substitutes will not meet the recommended sugar minimum.
Another slight qualm with the machine was the martini glass for the daiquiri didn’t fit under the spout when the drip tray was installed, leading to drips on the tabletop when I was pouring. Also, at one point, I didn’t have the removable shroud attached to the spout, and the slush splashed everywhere, so don’t make that mistake.
For my final frozen beverage, I made a Coke slush using the slush preset. After about 20 minutes, this soda slush yielded the best results of the bunch with a great consistency that took me straight back to my childhood of getting slushies from the machine at the movie theater.
Even if the results weren’t always perfect when making my different beverages, the Ninja Slushi achieved what it promised, creating a less watered-down frozen drink quickly. Sure, the texture wasn’t always ideal, but I was never left with the random ice chunks you’d get from a blender. Some of the machine’s problems could have been human error; more experimenting could’ve yielded better results.
Cleaning the Ninja Slushi was easier than it looked. The machine runs a rinse cycle after finishing the frozen drink, which does a solid initial clean, helping to remove any sticky residue from the components. After that, a bail handle lets you remove the vessel, auger, and drip tray for a more thorough cleaning. I had some issues with dripping upon removal, but tipping the vessel upwards helped alleviate the problem. The condensation catch also needs to be dumped and rinsed.
If you’re hand washing the vessel, it’s a bit of a pain to get in all the nooks and crannies, but it didn’t take me more than two minutes to clean. The auger and drip tray took less time. Most components are dishwasher safe, but note that the motor base and evaporator need to be wiped down by hand. Other than cleaning, no regular maintenance is required on the Ninja Slushi.
Performance score: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Ninja Slushi?
Buy it if...
You love a frozen beverage
If you enjoy drinking slushies, frappes, and frozen juice, this machine makes these drinks quickly with minimal effort. The results never taste watered down like many frozen beverages that require ice.
You like to entertain
The Ninja Slushi makes up to 64oz of slushies, has an easy-pour handle, and can run for up to 12 hours. It’s perfect for pool parties or BBQs.
You want an easy-to-use machine
It takes just a couple of button presses and a little time to enjoy a refreshing frozen drink. Clean-up is a little more involved, but most components are dishwasher safe.
Don't buy it if...
You have limited space
The Ninja Slushi is a large, tall machine that takes up a good amount of room on the counter and won’t fit under some cabinets. It’s also heavy, weighing almost 25lb, making it a pain to move around.
You want to make low-calorie drinks
Every slushie has to contain at least four per cent sugar. Sugar-free or artificial sweeteners won’t work with the Ninja Slushi.
You’re on a tight budget
Retailing for almost $300, the Ninja Slushi doesn’t come cheap. It also only serves a single purpose (making frozen beverages), making it a luxury appliance rather than a necessity.
How I tested the Ninja Slushi
I tested the Ninja Slushi for a couple of weeks, making various frozen beverages in the machine for myself and a few friends. I used four out of the five presets available: slush, spiked slush, frappe, and frozen juice. Beyond observing the texture and taste of the different slushies, I used a decibel reader on my phone to measure the noise levels.
First reviewed August 2024
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