The Ninja Slushi is the internet’s most coveted kitchen appliance right now, and I’ve spent the last few weeks testing it to see if it lives up to the hype and is worth $270.
Testing how noisy it is, how long it takes to turn soda into slushies, how to clean the Ninja Slushi, plus some easy recipes.
Testing how noisy it is, how long it takes to turn soda into slushies, how to clean the Ninja Slushi, plus some easy recipes.
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TechTranscript
00:00I have had my hands on the ninja slushy for a couple of weeks now. I know it's like the most
00:08coveted viral gadget on the internet right now. It's been going in and out of stock. So right off
00:13the bat, I'll tell you, check the link in the description to see if it's available. But that
00:18said, do I think it's worth $270 coming from someone who will always order the slushy drink
00:25if it's on the menu at a restaurant or bar? Let's start with setup and controls. I posted
00:31the unboxing back on TikTok when I first got it in for testing. And I'll say I am no stranger
00:36to ninja appliances. So unboxing and getting the ninja slushy set up was familiarly straightforward.
00:42I always figured that those fancy slushy machines at Tiki Bars were super pricey and expensive. So
00:47I didn't expect to have it up and running in just a few minutes. There are a few parts to know here.
00:53There is the vessel, which is basically the main container and the pouring spout is attached here
01:00to it. The auger here, this is how the magic happens. It keeps turning and eventually the
01:06liquid turns to slush. This part comes out here. It's the condensation tray and it catches any drips
01:12as the machine gets cold. But how does it actually get cold?
01:15It gets cold thanks to this 360 degree chilling cylinder that's attached to the main base. It uses
01:26what ninja calls rapid chill technology. When it comes to the controls, there's not very much going
01:32on here. We have the power button, our five presets, slush, spike slush, frap, milkshake,
01:37frozen juice. We have the rinse cycle button. And here we have the meter that lets you control how
01:43slushy you want your slush to be. Kind of like these volume buttons here let you determine how
01:47much you want it to be. Even if you don't read the instruction book, you'd probably be able to
01:52figure it out. I would, however, recommend the instructions. The quick start guide here comes
01:57with two Kickstarter recipes, one of which is going to be the fan favorite. It's the one ingredient
02:05soda slush. You can use any full sugar soda. I've already done this a few times. So today we're
02:10going to be using Pepsi wild cherry. You're going to see just how easy this is to get started.
02:17The options for drinks with the ninja slushy are pretty endless though. You can follow the recipe
02:22book. I've also looked up some stuff online and I've also gotten a little creative. I tried frozen
02:27espresso martinis and frozen margaritas as well as a frozen coffee frappuccino type thing that was just
02:32way too early in the morning for me to film. But you can use, you know, lemonade mixes, juices,
02:37milkshake ingredients. If it's liquid and it has a high enough sugar content, it can be turned into
02:42a slushy. The thing that surprised me most about the ninja slushy is how quiet it is when it's
02:47actually in use. My current collection of countertop appliances include my manual espresso maker,
02:54the Breville Infiz, both of which are quite loud when they're actually being used. I'm sitting
02:59literally right next to it and I have the noise app open on my Apple Watch. I'm going to stop talking
03:05and show you what the sound is like.
03:12It does make some noise, don't get me wrong, but it's very low and it's consistent enough that it's
03:17not so much of a nuisance. Okay, it's been about a half hour and that's looking pretty slushy to me.
03:25I'm not sure what's up with the indicator light, but usually that would blink. I like how this looks.
03:30I want to move on with my day, so we are going to open up the pour spout.
03:37That's really awkward.
03:40There we go.
03:41I got my Wild Cherry Pepsi slushy. I went ahead and turned the machine off. Now, my biggest concern
03:50with any appliance, especially something like the Ninja slushy, was that it was going to be just
03:55a major pain in the ass to clean. But I am pleased to report that the cleaning process isn't as intensive
04:02or time-consuming as you might think. First, to empty the vessel of any leftover slush lodged around
04:08the edges, you pour water inside and press the rinse button. You open the spout, let the water out.
04:14I usually use a medium-sized measuring cup like this one. Turn the machine off and disassemble it
04:19by pulling the bale handle forward. The vessel and auger come off and I rinse those out in the sink
04:24with some water and dish soap. I take a damp paper towel and wipe down the chilling cylinder and the
04:29condensation tray so that everything is dry. And that's all there really is to it. It's just a few
04:34minutes of cleanup, nothing out of the ordinary compared to my other appliances. But since there
04:39is a lot of sugar involved, you definitely want to keep it clean. I would not let this sit out
04:44overnight. I would just make sure it's rinsed properly after you're done so you don't have to
04:48worry about it. Now let's talk about some of the things I don't really like about the Ninja slushy,
04:54starting with the fact that it's not very ideal for single servings. I'm lucky to live in a
04:59household of slushy lovers, but if you were hoping to go solo on your slushy adventures,
05:04the Ninja slushy seems like a very big commitment. Not only is it pretty bulky, taking up a lot of
05:11precious counter space on my already crowded counters, but you need a minimum amount of liquid
05:17for the machine to actually work. Recipes max out at six to eight servings, but bottom out at two to
05:22three servings, meaning even if you just want one drink, you'll have to use enough ingredients to make
05:28multiple drinks, or at least to hit that minimum indicator line here on the vessel. Of course there
05:34is nothing that stops you from having seconds and thirds, but at that point I would probably just go
05:39get a slurpee for less than three dollars at 7-eleven. Something I didn't consider beforehand and has
05:44actually been kind of a pain point for me is how much sugar you need to have in the Ninja slushy in
05:51order for it to work. So if you're trying to watch your sugar intake, the Ninja slushy is not for you.
05:57I'm no scientist, but a very quick Google search taught me that the syrupy sugars circulating
06:03constantly throughout the mixture keep it from freezing solid. That means if you want to put your
06:09favorite diet soda in the machine, it won't get the results you're looking for. Similarly, you can't
06:15just dump in a bottle of wine and get a wine slushy. You need to add some juice to it if you want to make,
06:21say, a frosé. Ninja's recipe book does do a good job at breaking down the standard sugar requirements,
06:26but as someone who doesn't like to drink too many of their calories, this is the type of thing that's
06:31definitely a treat. I wouldn't make it more than once or twice a week, which has been a challenge
06:36since I've been wanting to test it as much as I can for this reviewed. That's compared to something
06:42like the Ninja Creamy where you get kind of the best of both worlds. You can enjoy the full fat ice
06:47creams, but then also make something healthier like a low-cal protein ice cream. Overall, if you do like
06:54slushy drinks as a treat, maybe you have kids or people in your household and you're constantly
06:58looking for fun appliances to switch things up, the Ninja slushy makes a lot of sense. Again, I know
07:04it's hard to get your hands on, so the link in description, if you're interested, is down below.
07:09The couple of pain points I mentioned are not deal breakers. However, they are things that I think
07:14people should keep in mind so they know whether it's actually something they want to buy or if they
07:19just saw it online and thought, oh, that looks cool. Be sure to let me know what you think,
07:23though, in the comments of this video. I've posted plenty of videos of the Ninja slushy in action
07:28on socials, so be sure to check us out everywhere at Tom's Guide and catch up with what I'm doing
07:33at Kate Kozich. Thanks for watching. I'll catch you next time.
07:53Bye.