Review: Ninja SLUSHi

It feels a bit like a childhood dream to be able to make that ice mixture at home that is so sought after by all children (and some adults with other ingredients). To not have to stand in line, to be able to drink as much as you want, and to be able to decide for yourself what it should taste like. Maybe it’s mostly a childhood dream, but during our test with Ninja SLUSHi, it quickly became clear that at the right time, a slushie is really nice. Even for adults. Because everything doesn’t have to be sugary sweet and tropical.

Very quickly, it also became clear that there is a great deal of science behind this simple product. There is quite a bit to consider and keep in mind. At the same time, the concept is simple with a few basic rules. The sugar content must not be too low or too high, and the adult option must not contain too much alcohol. It’s not much harder than that, but despite this, it took a few attempts and a bit of a learning curve before the success became clear.

Ninja SLUSHi falls under the same category as Ninja CREAMi and Ninja Swirl (which we hope to test in the future). All three are focused on the cold, but in slightly different ways.

The Machine – Ninja SLUSHi

How does it work to make a slushie? Well, a cylinder in the middle of the container cools the liquid, which is churned around with the rotating whisk. The cylinder is made of metal and the whisk of plastic, which is appropriate since you don’t want the slush to freeze onto the whisk (all industrial machines are manufactured the same way). If you are making something more advanced than a season-appropriate julmust slushie, you should mix the ingredients in a bowl before pouring them in. No solid objects may be placed in the container, such as ice, fruit, or undissolved sugar.

You then press the appropriate program and the process begins. Depending on the amount and content, the preparation time varies, but after about 10 minutes, the slush usually begins to take shape. At this point comes an important part: let the slush churn for a while so everything truly gets chilled. The result is remarkably better.

Many of you have surely thought more than once that it would be nice to make your own orange juice for breakfast, only to surrender after four or five times to the extremely extensive washing up that is always part of juice making. A kind of death-by-dishes. At least if you use a machine with its ten parts that have to be disassembled every time. Therefore, it’s very nice that Ninja SLUSHi is easy to clean. There are essentially three parts that need to be washed, and it goes quickly. Thus, Ninja SLUSHi won’t be left unused just because you simply can’t be bothered to wash it.

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We dove into Slushis

So we started testing. We have made slushies from julmust, Coca Cola, Trocadero, Coffee Frappe, watermelon juice with white wine, and several other variants. Imagination is the only limit, but there are some nice tips that Ninja sent along. For example, adding a little lemon juice to give it some kick, and it makes a big difference. An obvious area of use is parties, whether for adults or children. A slushie is highly sought after by children, but possibly both one or two adults might be tempted by an apple cider-bourbon-cinnamon slush in the summer heat.

Ninja SLUSHi can run for twelve hours, which covers any children’s party, most adult parties, and essentially an entire summer day. And as we mentioned, feel free to let the slush churn to become thoroughly chilled. And if it starts running out, and you have prepared with a pre-chilled mixture, you can just top it up as you go, wait a short while, and then serve again.

Although there is a loss of elegance in using plastic glasses, there are also practical advantages. Plastic does not conduct cold away as effectively as glass. The alternative is to chill the glasses in advance, but the spontaneity suffers slightly. So it is not for nothing that it is most common to have your slush served in plastic.

What distinguishes Ninja SLUSHi from the competitors?

Since we haven’t tested the other slush machines, this part will be a “comparison on paper,” and to be on the safe side, we will stick to technical features and omit comments on the results. Ninja SLUSHi is priced slightly above the competitors, so we asked ourselves why. Capacity-wise, it is generally similar among most machines: different programs, about 2 liters, the same type of container, and the same three parts you detach. However, Ninja SLUSHi has some features that set it apart from the crowd. For example, you get temperature control with Ninja SLUSHi, something that is not as common among competitors. The advantage of temperature control is, of course, that you can choose the viscosity yourself. If it gets too icy, you can simply raise the temperature.

Furthermore, Ninja SLUSHi automatically senses if more or less sugar or less alcohol is needed. This is signaled with both light and sound. The LED bar on the front flows either upwards or downwards depending on what needs to be adjusted. Exactly how it does this we don’t know, but it likely measures if the applied cooling disappears abnormally fast. And as for how it knows whether it’s about alcohol or sugar, we guess it uses the program selection as help. But these are our guesses. At the same time, when we encountered warnings and did as it said, it suddenly became slush. So it’s not just chance.

The same bar also works as an indicator for how the cooling is progressing. In the beginning, all segments flash, and as the cooling advances, diode after diode stays solid. It’s a bit like a hint of how far the machine has come.

If you look at higher price points, what changes is mainly capacity in volume and Watts (meaning faster cooling and a more powerful motor for rotating larger volumes). But the principle is the same.

The Bottom Line

Ninja SLUSHi is a stylish machine to have in the kitchen. The original price is 4,500 SEK, so it’s something of an investment. However, during our test, we have seen sales where the price dropped to about 3,000 SEK, which for Ninja SLUSHi feels clearly justifiable. One should remember that this machine is something of a unique item in the kitchen with a very specific purpose. But it can be used for more than children’s parties, and during the hot months of the year, it becomes a godsend to be able to cool down without it necessarily tasting sweet or cloying. You can create your own slush with an edge and broader flavors, and with tempting colors as well.

However, Ninja SLUSHi requires fine-tuning and a consistent approach to achieve the best results. You can wing it, but if it turns out well, you want to be able to do the same thing again. So a tip is to somehow note down your mixtures’ ingredients and amounts. You can buy ready-made mixes from several suppliers where you don’t need to do anything other than measure the right amounts. Functionally, it’s perfect for children’s parties, but the taste reflects that.

But the field is open. Why not pour in Sprite, lemon, and blue food coloring for a great effect? Or a frozen Gin & Tonic, Whiskey Sour, or the classic Frozen Margarita. And why not choose one among hundreds of variants of Christmas Slush that you can easily find online to follow the season.

We haven’t found many faults with Ninja SLUSHi, but it’s also not entirely easy to compare it with anything. It is unexpectedly fast, not loud, narrow but deep, easy to clean, and even the drip tray has a small mount for when you store it (the entire machine can be stored lying down but must stand upright for two hours before use). You can also choose between several stylish color options.

The only downside is the price. It costs a bit, but at the same time, you get a hybrid between consumer and professional levels. We also believe that if this is your thing, Ninja SLUSHi is the level you should choose. Because it is stylish, different, and tasty. And it works very well.

Ninja sent review samples for this test. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests; we always write independently with you, the readers and consumers, in focus.