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The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Ninja SLUSHi review: the ultimate party piece
I'M OBSESSED with what Ninja's been up to lately. The brand has perfected the art of taking fancy restaurant and bar gadgets and bringing them right into your kitchen for a fraction of the price. First, it did it with the CREAMi ice cream maker, which utilised the same technology as the £6,000 machines used by fancy restaurants and incorporated it into a device costing just £200. Now, it's gone and done it with my childhood dream item: the slushie machine. I've been eyeing up the Ninja Slushi since it launched back in November, and managed to get my hands on one just as England was melting under its hottest June on record. Spoiler alert: it was worth the wait. BUY HERE Pros: Slushies! At home! Incredibly easy to use Can be used to make frappés and milkshakes as well as slushies and frozen cocktails Not deafeningly loud Big enough for 10+ portions, which is perfect for parties (or just gluttony) Surprisingly quick (although it takes noticeably longer on hot days) Plenty of recipes on the Ninja website, plus a 350k-strong Facebook community full of helpful enthusiasts Slushies! At home! Cons: Not super easy to clean Mine drips slightly, but I don't think this is an issue with all Slushis Struggles to hit its coolest temperatures in hot weather Heavy Expensive Rating: 8.5/10 How I tested the Ninja Slushi Being the responsible journalist I am, I've thrown myself headfirst (or perhaps mouthfirst) into testing the Ninja Slushi. My beverage intake has been 90% frozen drinks since I started using it. Admittedly, I've mostly been testing the Frozen Cocktail function (I think this is called "Spiked Slush" on US models), because who wouldn't? It's probably the setting most people will hammer anyway, so I feel justified. However, over a month of testing, I've had the chance to try out the other functions, as well as a bevy of recipes — both ones written by Ninja and ones from the goldmine that is the Ninja Slushi Enthusiasts Facebook group. How much is it? This will be the biggest sticking point for most people — the SLUSHi retails for a cool £349.99, and it seems to be too early in its life cycle to go on sale — it was excluded from Ninja's most recent Prime Day deals. Who's it best for? Parents and booze lovers alike. It's a lifesaver for keeping kids cool during summer holidays, and if frozen margaritas are your love language, this one's for you. What we loved: It's a slushie machine you can use at home. What's not to love? What we didn't: Oh, yeah — the price. It's also a slight nuisance to clean, and mine has a habit of dripping a bit while it's working its magic — not loads, but enough to be slightly annoying. Ninja Slushi, £349.99 £340 from Amazon - buy here Ninja Slushi review: The Nitty Gritty First impressions 5 Ninja Slushi, £349.99 £340 from Amazon A frozen drink maker certainly fits into the category of "silly impulse purchases I make after exactly four pints", but before you order one of these, make sure you've got space for it. It's a hefty appliance, and initially I wasn't sure about where I was going to store it. It's too tall to fit on a shelf and too heavy to store up high, so I had to shuffle some things around to make space. I'd fully intended to use the Slushi straight out of the box, but it's important to leave it standing upright for two hours after unboxing to make sure the refrigerant inside the machine settles. (If it's been upright in the box for a few hours before unboxing, you can probably skip this step). I decided to use the time to thumb through the several booklets Ninja included in the box, which include an actual instruction booklet (I hate QR code instruction booklets almost as much as I hate QR code menus in restaurants). There's also a handy recipe booklet, and some basic instructions about how to go about creating your own recipes. It's actually a bit more complex than I expected. If a recipe doesn't have enough sugar, for example, it'll freeze too much and jam the machine. But if you put in lots of sugar and lots of alcohol, it won't freeze properly, staying in an unappetizing soupy state. As a general rule of thumb, I'd use at least five cups of non-alcoholic liquid for every cup of alcoholic liquid, and always include an ingredient that boosts the sugar content. If you're trying to stay healthy, you can buy sugar-free alternatives like liquid Stevia (many of Ninja's online recipes recommend allulose, but that isn't approved for sale in the UK). And there's no need to worry too much about this; the Ninja will cleverly alert you if it senses that the levels of sugar or alcohol aren't within the recommended range. Does it deliver? 5 Not wanting to overcomplicate things, I kept my first recipe simple; I headed down to the local corner shop and grabbed a carton of tropical juice and threw that in the machine with an irresponsible amount of tequila for a Tuesday night. I switched the machine on (there's a hard-to-find switch at the back) pressed "Frozen Cocktail", and off it went. When you choose one of the presets (there are five: Slush, Frozen Cocktail, Frappé, Milkshake and Frozen Juice), the Slushi will automatically adjust the consistency it aims for. However, you can manually adjust this, which is handy — I thought the frozen cocktail function actually made things too solid and hard to drink, so I lowered the temperature target by one or two notches. 5 There's a display on the right-hand side that shows how far your Slushie is from its desired consistency, but be aware that it does tick up more slowly as it gets colder, especially in warm weather. I found that, on hotter days (when you're most likely to use it) it struggled to reach the chilliest settings, but it did get there eventually. And boy, was it worth the wait — a refreshing, chilly cocktail with tonnes of flavour... and a dangerously un-alcoholic taste, considering how much tequila I put in there. I've used the other settings since, and the only ones where it falls slightly flat — and I've seen this in other reviews, too — is the Milkshake setting. It's not that they're unenjoyable — they're perfectly drinkable, in fact — but the amount of agitation provided by the Slushi made the drink incredibly foamy. After a perusal of my new favourite Facebook group, I've come to the conclusion that the answer might be in the amount of cream included; the more cream, the less foam. My favourite Ninja Slushi recipe Frozen Brazilian Lemonade (serves 4-5) 5 limes, washed thoroughly 1 can of condensed milk 1/4 cup sugar 4 cups cold water Zest all 5 limes and add zest to a blender. Peel the limes, removing the bitter white pith. Halve each lime and add to the blender with the sugar and water. Blend and, optionally, strain to remove any remaining pith. Stir in a full tin of condensed milk (you might want to add less if you don't have a sweet tooth). Add to Slushi and select "Slush" preset. I don't have too many other complaints — specifically, two. Firstly, my machine drips a bit; it's nothing dramatic, but for a brand-new £350 machine, I'd expect this not to happen. However, I've not seen any other people mention this, either in the Facebook group or in other reviews, so I'm going to assume that's just my machine. Secondly, while it's not hard to clean, per se, it's not so easy that I feel I can use mine every night. The drip tray, auger and condensation catch all happily go in the dishwasher. The barrel does, too, but it's so big that I have to clean it by hand, and it's tough to clean the hard-to-reach areas around the spout. The drinks maker has a rinse cycle, too, which is especially handy if you've been making something extra-sticky or dairy-heavy. How much is the Ninja Slushi? 5 Ninja Slushi, £349.99 £340 from Amazon The Slushi retails for an ice-cold £349.99. For a machine that is a bit of a novelty and can only really be used for one thing, it's undeniably a lot of money. For me, though, it's one of those irresponsible "treat yourself" products. If you look at it objectively, of course it's absurd to spend £350 on a home Slushie machine. But, had a bonus at work? Treat yourself. Got some birthday money to spend? Treat yourself. Had a month so rough that it can only be fixed by a frozen strawberry daiquiri? Go on, treat yourself. Being less than a year old, the Slushi has also so far been committed from most sales events; in Amazon Prime Day a couple of weeks ago, for example, it didn't receive any discount. However, as we come out of summer and Black Friday draws nearer, I wouldn't be surprised to see it occasionally reduced to the £300 mark. Where to buy the Ninja Slushi The Slushi is widely available, from Ninja's website as well as third-party retailers. The cheapest price we can see it available for is around £340. Amazon - £340 Argos - £340 Very - £340 Ninja - £349.99 Ninja Slushi alternatives 5 With the Slushi, as with the Creami a few years ago, Ninja has made a device unlike almost anything else on the market. The only device I've found that is similar is the Inoviva Slushi Machine, which looks remarkably like the Ninja and comes with the same presets. It also has a very similar price tag — £329.99, although it's currently on sale on Amazon for £249.99. Another option is the Cuisinart Frost Fusion, which does many of the same things as the Slushi, plus more — it also makes soft serve ice cream and sorbet. It's also cheaper than the Slushi, at £299. There are a few budget, lo-fi options available, too, which Sun Writer Lynsey Hope tested out back in June, with a sub-£10 gadget coming out on top.
Wall Street Journal
18-07-2025
- Wall Street Journal
Frozen Drinks at Home?
The Slushi makes slushies, of course, turning drinks of all sorts, from soda to juice to cocktails, into frozen(ish) concoctions. The mechanics are simple. Pour 16 to 64 ounces of your beverage in the top of the vessel, choose from one of five preset programs (slush, spiked slush, frappé, milkshake or frozen juice) and in 15 minutes to an hour, your frozen treat will be ready. The machine looks similar to the frozen drink maker you might see behind a bar, on a smaller scale. There's a metal evaporator at the core, attached to a motor, with a plastic auger that keeps the liquid moving around it as it freezes. All of that is housed in the transparent plastic vessel with a built-in pour spout. I primarily focused on the slush and spiked slush settings in my testing. The output of each was somewhere between the micro-pebbly ice texture of a Slush Puppie and a smooth, airy Slurpee from 7-Eleven, depending on the freeze setting, although it was inconsistent. For example, a cream soda slush was too thick to smoothly dispense at its default setting, but turning down the temperature one notch brought it closer to a liquid than was ideal. Across my tests, the slushes were never totally homogeneous, as there was always some discernible liquid surrounding the frozen beverage. While it didn't make the treat any less tasty, it was noticeable every time, and a little surprising for a premium device. I recently hosted a Fourth of July party where I put the Slushi to the test. I started with a frozen Negroni recipe I found on YouTube, made with the standard gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, plus orange juice and grapefruit juice to cut down the alcohol percentage and increase the sugar content. After an hour of roaring and whining, the mixture was still liquid, suggesting the alcohol content was too high to properly freeze. I added some more juice and within about half an hour had a delicious, and, just as importantly, frozen slushie. It was gone almost as quickly. Ninja includes a manual with a handful of recipes and, more importantly, guidelines for making your own concoctions. Slushes need to have certain sugar and alcohol thresholds to freeze properly, and the instructions can help you figure out the right proportions. Cleanup is relatively easy, especially because the removable components are dishwasher safe. Does anyone actually need this slushie maker at home? Probably not. Will it be the star of the party if you have one? Almost certainly. While it's not perfect, it's hard not to love the Slushi for what it is.
The Irish Sun
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I tested budget slushie makers against £350 Ninja gadget – a £10 high street dupe is just as good & the kids'll love it
WHEN the sun comes out, so do the pleas from kids for ice creams, slushies and sugary summer treats. With school holidays around the corner and temperatures finally set to climb, frozen drinks become a household essential. Advertisement 9 The Sun's Lynsey Hope puts slushie makers to the test while Fabulous Food Editor Kirsty Spence has two great recipes Credit: Oliver Dixon But after concerns over Enter Ninja's Slushi. The sleek, high-end gadget went viral, with foodie influencers around the world showing off their bar-quality frozen cocktails and perfectly textured slushies. The hashtag #ninjaslushie has already racked up more than 15,000 TikTok videos. Advertisement read more on fabulous It has launched in the UK just in time for the sunshine. But at nearly £350, this machine is anything but cheap. So, is it worth the hype, or can budget-friendly versions deliver the chill for less? Lynsey Hope puts them to the test while Fabulous Food Editor Kirsty Spence has two great recipes. NINJA SLUSHIE FROZEN DRINKS MAKER, £349.99, THE first thing that hits you is the price – and then the size. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous Exclusive This is a huge appliance and even getting it out of the box was a mission. 9 The Ninja Slushie Maker is huge but easy to use Credit: Oliver Dixon But it is very easy to use. Just add your ingredients to the plastic vessel and choose what type of drink you would like on the control panel. Mum shares genius hack to make slushies for your kids in seconds Unlike other slushie makers, this one doesn't need ice. The compressor in the machine cools the ingredients as it churns away. Advertisement Once your drink is ready, it will keep it cold for up to 12 hours. You do have to keep it running, though, and it is not silent. I was very impressed with the drinks that came out. The texture of the frozen cocktail was restaurant or bar quality, although you do have to select the right temperature. Even simple tropical fruit juice and cola came out as a perfect slushy for kids. Advertisement The recipe booklet was really helpful to get you started. Any drinks you add to the machine do need at least 5g of sugar per 100ml. If you want to make diet drinks you must add erythritol – a sweetener – which you can buy online or at supermarkets. It is £3.35 for 250g at Tesco. You also need lemon juice and salt but the instructions in the manual are easy to follow. Advertisement I loved it. The only downside is the size. You need a decent bit of counter space if you want it out all the time and as it is so big, it is hard to store. The main drinks vessel was also quite hard to clean by hand but it can go in the dishwasher. Rating: 4/5 CHILLFACTOR SLUSHY MAKER, £9.99, IF you only need a single serving, this is a great option and especially fun for kids. But it does require a bit of prep. Advertisement You have to put the cup in the freezer for eight to ten hours before you want to make your slushie. 9 Chillfactor slushie cup is especially fun for kids Credit: Oliver Dixon Then simply add a chilled drink of your choice until the cup becomes two-thirds full, screw the lid on and squeeze the cup. It was pretty easy to do, although my younger daughter did need a bit of help with this step as some of the liquid spilled over the top. Advertisement But this simple process freezes your drink into a thick, slushie texture in about a minute. The children were amazed by how easy it was and loved that they could do it themselves. 9 The cup freezes your drink into a thick, slushie texture in about a minute Credit: Oliver Dixon They thought they were getting a cafe-quality slushy at home and yet I could make it healthier, with fruit options and less sugar. Advertisement You cannot put the cup in the dishwasher, although it is easy to wash by hand. You really need to keep it in the freezer so it is always ready to go when you need it. I found it took up quite a lot of freezer space. The serving size is also limited. But if you don't want a bulky appliance and want something cheap, this is a fun and wallet-friendly alternative. Advertisement Rating: 4/5 LIVIVO ELECTRIC ICE CRUSHER, £39.99, MARGARITAS came out watery and the cola slushies were flat after adding a can of it and some ice. The steel blades did a great job of chopping up the ice. 9 The Livivo ice crusher didn't blend the drink too well Credit: Oliver Dixon Advertisement But the ice and liquid didn't really blend properly when I poured it out of the machine. It only took a minute, but I'd rather wait a bit longer and get something drinkable. None of it can go in the dishwasher, either, and it was a right faff to wash by hand. While quick and relatively compact to store, it is also very noisy to use. Advertisement It probably made around four small cups in one go. For nearly £40, I did not think much of it. Rating: 3/5 SLUSH PUPPIE SLUSHY MACHINE, £34.99, I ALWAYS wanted this as a child and now in my forties, I was still pretty excited to try it out. Advertisement Sadly, my childhood dreams were crushed and I was left disappointed. 9 The Slush Puppy slushie maker was nothing like you would get from a machine in a cafe Credit: Oliver Dixon All the slushies that came out of this were very watery and didn't have the blended, icy texture I had been hoping for. It was nothing like you would get from a machine in a cafe, or what I remember as a kid. Advertisement And it was pretty noisy to use, although it only took a minute or two to prepare as the plastic mixer quickly ground through the ice. There are two settings so you can have the ice fine or coarse. Both were too runny, leaving large uneven chunks in the drinks. It was easy to clean and relatively compact to store, especially compared to the Ninja. Advertisement Rating: 2/5 ANDREW JAMES ICE CRUSHER SLUSH MACHINE, £32.99, HERE is a super-quick and convenient way to make an icy drink. All you have to do is add ice to the compartment at the top and this is then crushed into the liquid in the main blending container at the simple press of a button. 9 The Andrew James slushie maker is cheap and simple but very average Credit: Oliver Dixon Advertisement Quick and easy to do but the quality of the drink wasn't a patch on those from the Ninja. They were on the watery side and lacked the thick, slushie-like texture. I tried adding shaved ice afterwards but it didn't blend in very well and spoilt my enjoyment. The kids still liked it. Having a slushie at home was a real winner, even though it wasn't perfectly blended. Advertisement Simple, wallet-friendly but very average. Rating: 3/5 LYNSEY'S VERDICT: IT'S A DRAW MOST of us don't have £350 to spend on a whopping great machine, or a place to store it. So while the Ninja was brilliant, the ChillFactor cup is fun for the kids and costs less than a tenner. Advertisement 9 Find out where Lynsey thinks you should spend your money Credit: Oliver Dixon It would make a great gift if you have lots of parties over the summer and it comes in a lovely range of colours. If the Ninja was cheaper it would definitely be a winner. But I had to knock a point off because it is so bulky and takes up so much room in my already jam-packed kitchen. Advertisement The bonus is that it can also make cocktails and frappes for the grown-ups, which would be difficult with the ChillFactor cup. If you spend a lot on these overall, it might be a worthy investment. Two iced coffees a week at £4 a go would cost you £416, so it might save money if you spend a lot on iced drinks out and about. But if all you are after is a bit of fun on a hot day, the ChillFactor is a brilliant and affordable option. Advertisement FROSE 9 A Forse mixes Sparkling Rosé, Martini Fiero, and lemon juice Credit: Paragon Brands Serves 1 YOU NEED: 60ml Martini Sparkling Rosé 15ml Martini Fiero 30ml water 30ml sugar syrup 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice METHOD : Add the ingredients to the slushie machine until blended. Advertisement Garnish the drink with a dried grapefruit slice. Pina colada Serves 1 YOU NEED: 50ml Bacardi coconut rum 37.5ml Coco Real 37.5ml pineapple juice METHOD : Combine all ingredients in the machine and blend. Advertisement Serve in a highball glass, garnished with a pineapple wedge plus a 'cherry flag' – a cherry and orange slice on a cocktail stick. Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Tom's Guide
03-06-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
You can now buy the Ninja Slushi XL — and it's cheaper than the original
When Ninja first launched its viral Slushi machine, the brand hinted that an XL model would be on the way. But over a year later, we've still not seen the Slushi XL drop on NinjaKitchen. But, because we're pretty eagle-eyed for all things Ninja here at Tom's Guide, we've spotted the elusive machine available to buy for the very first time. There's only one catch — the 96-oz Slushi XL is a Costco member exclusive. And while you can't see the price until you log into your account, we're seeing the price at $329 — that's $20 less than the standard model Ninja Slushi, available at Amazon for $ we're excited to hear about Ninja's Slushi XL, the frozen drinks maker is not that easy to get your hands on unless you're a Costco member. Still, we're hopeful that this is a sign it will be more widely available soon, and we'll keep you posted about the latest stockist news. So, what makes the Ninja Slushi XL such a good buy? The professional-level frozen drinks maker can turn all sorts of liquids into servable slush in 15 minutes, thanks to its RapidChill technology. But unlike the standard Ninja Slushi, which only launched in July last year, the Slushi XL increases on the standard capacity of 64-ounces to 96-ounces. That's a whole lot more slush for a crowd. What's more, for $329 you don't just get the Slushi XL, you come away with two highly desirable slushy cups, so you can sip your iced drink in true Ninja style. The cups match the Ninja Slushi colorways, and have clear lids and drinking straws. As with the standard Ninja Slushi, you get five settings to choose from, including slush, spiked slush (for those who like to add a drop of alcohol), frappé, milkshake and frozen juice. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Whatever chilled or ice drink you or your guests fancy, there's a whole load of choice and you'll be guaranteed a perfect summer party.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
The best Walmart weekend deals from Dyson, Keurig, Ninja, PlayStation and more
March may be making its lamb-like way to the door, but we all know that that's no guarantee of clement weather from here on in — you just know there's gonna be at least one more multiple-day blast of frigid air and, in some places, a final multi-inch snowfall, before we're truly locked into the warmth and sun of spring. But let's be aspirational, shall we, and use Walmart's Super Savings weekend deals to gear up for those more glorious days ahead. Speaking of lamb: What's a backyard cookout without some tasty animal flesh on the grill? This propane number is $23 off. Not baaah-d, eh? Maybe you'd like to enjoy a nice frozen dacquiri or margarita while the baby sheep sears away. This Slushi frozen-drink maker from Ninja is marked down a very cool $50. And these sheer curtains, just $8 a pair, will ensure that that one stubborn vegetarian in the family will be able to clearly see you all mocking them out on the patio while you devour every last delicious chop, cutlet and kebab. And that's to say nothing of the tech, beauty and style deals that await. Seriously: Get your spring and summer outfitting sorted while the weather's still making up its mind what season we're in. Top Walmart Super Savings weekend deals: Dyson Digital Slim Cordless Vacuum for $280 ($220 off) Untimaty 6-Inch Mini Chainsaw for $30 ($30 off) Inse Cordless Vacuum Cleaner for $90 ($230 off) Steelite 2-in-1 Cordless Pole Saw & Electric Mini Chainsaw for $75 ($75 off) Skechers Summits Slip-On Shoes for $45 ($20 off) Keurig K-Express Essentials Single Serve Coffee Maker for $35 ($24 off) Ninja 4QT Air Fryer for $69 ($20 off) PlayStation 5 Digital Console Slim Bundle for $399 ($111 off) Want to save even more? Make sure you're signed up for Walmart+. It's easy to sign up for your free 30-day trial here. You'll get free shipping and grocery delivery, savings on gas and prescriptions, exclusive access to major deals, and more. The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
