Ninja has seriously impressed with its iconic ice cream maker, the Creami. But, they’ve got more up their sleeve with the hotly anticipated Ninja Swirl soft-launching across the internet ahead of its early February release. The waitlist is live on NinjaKitchen and shoppers are eagerly signing up to make sure they don’t miss out.
It’s similar to the Creami, but with one very important difference — a soft-serve ice cream dispenser which has sent TikTok influencers and ice-cream lovers around the world wild. But, if you don’t want to wait for the Ninja Swirl to come out, there’s a very popular alternative that’s available right now.
The Ninja Swirl alternative with added sprinkles
The Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker is a compact all-in-one machine that’ll give you soft serve, yogurt, sorbet, sherbet frozen drinks, and, of course, ice cream. But what’s even better than a delicious frozen dessert? One covered in toppings.
Unlike the Ninja Swirl, it comes with built-in containers where you can store your favorite toppings, such as sprinkles, chocolate chips, dried fruit, and lots more — and you can dispense them with a simple pull of a lever. Adding sprinkles is a fun extra when the weather eventually warms up and it’s, of course, a lot of fun for kids (and adults) too.
Plus, a keep-warm cup and heating plate means you can mix up a warm liquid topping to pour over the top, too. In under 30 minutes, the cooling tech inside churns and dispenses your soft serve in one go and there’s a 1.5 quart capacity, meaning you can hand out servings to family and friends.
What users say
One user on Amazon raved about this Swirl alternative, saying: “This ice cream maker is so easy to use and best of all, easy to clean up. Great for family gatherings or small parties or an after dinner snack.”
However, others weren’t so quick to praise how soft the soft serve can be, so depending on what consistency you like, it’s worth considering if you'd prefer to wait for the Swirl.
The bottom line
Since Ninja is keeping fairly quiet about what to expect, we don’t have a price to compare to the Cuisinart yet. If we take a look at the price of the Ninja Creami though, it retails for around $200-$300 at full price, so we know it’ll come in pretty expensive considering it’s a Creami, plus extras. In comparison, the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker is only $180 on Amazon which is a fraction of the price.
With Ninja Slushi selling out almost instantly when it was released in 2024, we're pretty sure the Ninja Creami Swirl will follow suit. So, if you miss out in February or you've already bought the Creami and don't want to buy another one just for the dispenser, then buying the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Machine is a perfect alternative.
More from Tom's Guide
- The Ninja Swirl isn't out yet, but Creami fans are already mad — here's why
- I review kitchen gadgets — these are the 6 best Ninja air fryers
- Just got the Ninja Creami? Follow these 3 tips for perfect results every time
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