Picture this: You’re throwing the party of the year, and all of your guests are talking about one thing. Maybe it’s your opulent decor; maybe it’s your delicious pasta entrée; maybe it’s your super cute new puppy… Maybe it’s the Ninja SLUSHi frozen drink maker that you have set up in the corner, churning out cranberry sour slushes like the night will never end.
Whether you’re enjoying a summer slush alone on your patio or making a big batch of frosty beer slushies for the whole crew, the SLUSHi has you covered. This compact frozen drink maker works quickly and efficiently to deliver delicious, ice-cold drinks for any occasion.
What’s in the box of the Ninja SLUSHi frozen drink maker?
In the box of the Ninja SLUSHi, you’ll find the device itself along with a small recipe booklet. The SLUSHi consists of a 200W motor base with RapidChill Technology, an 88 ounce vessel with a comfort handle and anti-drip spout, a condensation catch, a 2-part drip tray, and an auger. It also has a removable spout shroud to prevent splashes.
The SLUSHi’s vessel, auger, drip tray, spout, and condensation catch are dishwasher-safe for easy clean-up. The device also has a rinse function (to be run at the end of every use, once the SLUSHi is empty of any remaining slush.)
What does the SLUSHi do?
When it comes to making innovative kitchen appliances, Ninja dominates the market. Products like their SLUSHi and CREAMi create an at-home version of appliances that are typically only made for commercial use. With the SLUSHi, you can make up to 88 ounces of cold, slushed drinks in an appliance that’s roughly the size of a coffee machine. You can slush essentially any liquid in under an hour, from wine and coffee to lemonade and soda. The SLUSHi can then keep your slush slushy for up to 12 hours.
The SLUSHi has a rinse function for easy cleaning. It also features preset functions for slush, spiked slush, frappés, milkshakes, and frozen juice. You can customize each of its preset functions to be more or less slushy with the controls on the front right of the SLUSHi.
How does the Slushi work?
The SLUSHi works using Ninja’s WhisperChill and RapidChill technologies. RapidChill is a two-part system with an auger and a cooling cylinder that freezes liquids evenly. It moves the liquid constantly as it chills, creating a slush texture that’s part liquid and part frozen. Thanks to its powerful condenser, the RapidChill system in the SLUSHi can turn a liquid to slush in as little as 15 minutes. (Your slush may take up to 60 minutes, depending on volume and ingredients.) Slush is created similarly to ice cream or soft serve; it needs to stay moving to incorporate air and and sit at just the right temperature.
WhisperChill is what the brand calls their extra-quiet compressor, which keeps your drink chilled and slushy for up to twelve hours. It keeps an eye on the slush’s temperature and texture, adjusting the auger speed and chiller temperature as needed. For customizable results, the SLUSHi also has temperature controls that allow you to make your slush thicker or thinner.
Four alcoholic liquids to try slushing
Ninja recommends using the SLUSHi frozen drink maker with wine, coffee, soda, juice, and chocolate milk. I think they knocked that list out of the park! The SLUSHi is the perfect device to use with things like red wine (or even chilled mulled wine) for a holiday party, and you can make awesome lemonades and frozen juices with it for summer parties.
To get your inspiration juices slushing, here are a few liquids that I think are great in the Ninja SLUSHi:
Easy, summery beers. There’s a microbrewery near my home (Irrational Brewing, in Edmonton) that got me hooked on their summer beer slushes this year, but they keep breaking my heart: Their slushes change every month, so I only ever end up having each one once! With the SLUSHi, I can pick a consistent beer that slushes really well and make a batch whenever I want. Lighter beers, like pale lagers, blondes, and sours, tend to slush really well.
Fruity, low-alcohol drinks. Radlers are amazing in the Ninja SLUSHi! My favourite, of course, is the classic Stiegl Grapefruit Radler.
Ciders. Just like a radler, ciders are amazing when slushed. They’re light, crisp, and fruity.
Mulled wine. This one is perfect for holiday parties! I recommend making your mulled wine the night before and chilling it in the fridge before pouring it into the SLUSHi. The extra rest time makes the drink even spicier and more flavourful (I find the overnight fridge time really emphasizes the drink’s cinnamon notes)
Four nonalcoholic drinks to try slushing
Sparkling juice. Because the freezing point for water is higher than the freezing point for alcohol, nonalcoholic drinks freeze more quickly and consistently in the SLUSHi. Sparkling juices and nonalcoholic ciders are the perfect, festive liquids to slush! I really like sparkling apple and sparkling pear juice, both of which are delicious when frozen.
Sparkling water. Liquids absolutely do not have to be carbonated to go into the SLUSHi, but I find carbonated drinks work very well in it. They’re designed to have a certain flavour and texture that plays very well with a semi-frozen texture. Flavoured waters make for awesome, low-cal, low-carb slushes and are the perfect base for at-home frozen ices and slushes.
Coffee. Making a slush for an afternoon party? Don’t overlook something a simple as a coffee slush. I like to take my inspiration from Timmies for this one and make a creamy, sweet coffee treat that tastes like an Iced Capp. I make mine using decaf or half-caf cold brew coffee with caramel sweetener and lactose-free milk. To finish, I keep plenty of straws on hand for that true Iced Capp experience.
De-alcoholized mulled wine. De-alcoholized mulled wine is the perfect holiday drink to make in your Ninja SLUSHi. De-alcoholized wine is much sweeter than regular wine, so your recipe will need a few tweaks. I recommend adding the same amount of orange juice, but then doubling the number of orange peels used (pith included). Then, add slightly more cinnamon and cloves. Toss in a few whole black peppercorns while simmering, and then: Just a tiny, tiny bit of a hot pepper to give the drink that “bite” you’d normally experience with mulled wine. I like using about a quarter of a red Thai chilli or a quarter-inch of habanero.
Get ready to slush
Just like going on a winter excursion, the Ninja SLUSHi requires a fair amount of prep work and prep time. To start, your Slushi needs to sit level and upright for two hours before use—no exceptions. You’ll also need to wash and rinse the device’s vessel and spout, and reassemble once they’re dry. Finally, for ideal results, you should chill all of the liquids going into the Slushi, whether that’s soda, cider, or mulled wine.
Using the SLUSHi is a simple process, but the prep time can be significant if your SLUSHi is in storage. I recommend setting aside 2-3 hours before any event where the stakes are high, just in case!
My experience with the Ninja SLUSHi
I filmed a simple, super tasty red wine sangria for this review, but it’s far from the only thing you can make in the SLUSHi. I really enjoy using this drink maker for quick, one-ingredient slushes: Think Sprite, root beer, and ginger ale. (Slushed ginger ale makes an awesome, cold basse for holiday cocktails.) To make a red wine sangria in the Slushi, you blend a bottle of red wine with three cups of orange juice, a third of a cup of orange liqueur, and three tablespoons of brown sugar. It’ll finish in 35-45 minutes, depending on how much you’re making.
There aren’t a lot of steps involved in using the SLUSHi, and I really appreciate that. It’s an appliance that adds to a menu or event without needing a llot of care or maintenance. For the device’s only two real “warnings,” the fixes are simple, and it’ll alert you when it’s necessary. I’d like the SLUSHi’s warnings to be more aggressive (I have had an over-alcoholized wine slush fail to come together without warning), but overall, it performs well and keeps a good eye on its temperature limits.
- If there isn’t enough sugar in your drink, the device will give you a low temperature warning. If there is too much alcohol, it’ll give you a high temperature warning.
- To fix the former, you just need to add a tablespoon of sugar per serving. To fix the latter, add a quarter cup of non-alcoholic liquid per serving.
In conclusion
The Ninja SLUSHi frozen drink maker was very easy to set up, use, and clean. The machine makes a consistent whirring sound, but it’s not distracting—it’s similar in level to a loud dishwasher, but because the noise is so smooth and consistent, it’s less obtrusive. I find that a single serving of slush takes about 15 minutes to make (which feels fantastically quick), while a party-sized batch of alcoholic slush takes closer to an hour.
I really enjoyed using the SLUSHi, and as someone who loves to host and loves a slushie, I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it. I think it would make a very fun gift for someone who throws a lot of summer parties!
Shop the Ninja SLUSHi online at Best Buy today.
