We live in the golden age of the home slushie machine. It's a new age brought upon us in 2024 after the virally popular Ninja Slushi brought the bar slushie into American kitchen—and with it a new world of frozen margaritas and Bapple slushies. But this year Ninja's original slushie machine has been supplanted. The Ninja Slushi dropped to record low prices during Prime Day, likely in part because the new best slushie machines are a couple of newer models by Ninja.
Both of the new Ninja slushie machines in 2026 have leapfrogged the rest of the competition. The Ninja Slushi XL ($350) is the best frozen drink maker I'd recommend to most for its faster freezing times, smarter controls, higher capacity, greater flexibility on ABV and sugar content, and ability to make satisfying soft-serve ice cream. For those prone to hosting parties, I'll take this year's Ninja Slushi Twist ($400), a two-chamber device whose marketing gimmick is frankly silly, but which solves a real problem for hosts. The Twist lets you keep one chamber of slush always flowing, while the other one re-freezes.
And so I am happy to report the state of the home slushie remains strong. Boozy slushies are maybe the one thing I miss from that first Covid-19 pandemic summer—the days when “supporting local business” meant sucking down whiskey slush by parked cars, like some John Cougar Mellencamp character. These days, I’m like the king of daiquiris. I am the sultan of slushed tamarind micheladas and the friar of frosé. These frozen drink machines can, of course, also make normal slushies without booze in them, for parents and lovers of 7-Elevens. Frozen juice is delicious. Everything frozen is slightly more delicious. There is also the promise (but not quite the reality) of frappés and milkshakes.
Prefer ice cream? Former WIRED reviewer Adrienne So had her spring and summer changed last year by a rainbow of soft serve and tart froyo from the delightful Ninja Swirl by Creami (9/10, WIRED Recommends). For other summer refreshment, see our guide to the Best Cold-Brew Coffee Makers and the Best Pod Coffee Makers for Cold or Hot Brew.
Updated June 2026: After a new round of testing, I've added Ninja Slushi XL and Ninja Slushi Twist as my two new top picks. Greenpan Frost is added to the honorable mentions. I also newly tested a Vibofrost machine. Prices and discontinued items have been updated and/or noted.
Crate & Barrel (Mocha Color)
Ninja Slushi machines are, quite simply, childlike fun for adults. I don’t know a soul who owns a Slushi who isn’t just kinda delighted by it. The Ninja Slushi XL, which arrived in the spring of this year, is a better machine than the original Slushi in almost every way. It's bigger, sure, with a maximum fill level of 96 fluid ounces versus the 64 fluid ounces of slush offered by the original. This is useful for groups larger than four or five, but if this were all the machine offered, it would be a nominal refresh.
What matters is that the compressor is significantly upgraded. This means faster freezing, and colder freezing that allows for higher-ABV drinks and even credible soft-serve ice cream. Depending on fill levels, boozy slushies take a mere 8 to 12 minutes—half the time I'd expect on the smaller machine.
You also don't need to fuss around as much determining correct freezing temps. A “SlushAssist” feature determines and monitors optimal slush temps for any liquid you dump into the XL. While I don't know how it works even after asking Ninja (their answer was pretty opaque), the feature works well enough I abandoned choosing “milkshake” or “boozy slushie.” I just press the SlushAssist button, and then a slushie or Dole Whip or soft-serve ice cream comes out.
Notice I didn't say milkshake, despite Ninja's advertising? That's because low-fat dairy that goes into milkshakes causes too much froth in a slushie machine, so most recipes recommend heavy cream. This produces a substance a lot more like dense, rich, soft serve than a much lighter milkshake. But let's be clear: The ability to make soft-serve ice cream in 20 minutes is a wild addition to my home life.
The one relevant downgrade is that the larger size means that the minimum slush is 14 fluid ounces instead of a pint. For coffee frapps in the morning especially, this might be relevant. The machine is also 13 pounds heavier and a couple inches wider. Otherwise, this is just a better slush machine, on sale for last year's Ninja Slushi price.
The Ninja Slushi Twist looks, quite frankly, like a dumb idea if you take Ninja's marketing at face value. The device has two small 48-ounce slushing chambers, each with their own compressor and evaporation cylinder—a miniature version of basically every dual-chamber bar slushie machine in existence.
The Slushi Twist has essentially the same total capacity as the XL and the same excellent SlushAssist tech. You can make soft-serve. You can slush cocktails up to 20 percent ABV, which I've tested. It even slushes slightly faster than the XL, because of the dual compressors and small chambers. But the real utility of this design is obvious to anyone who's hosted a party: You can slush or refill one container while still pouring slush from the other fully frozen slush jug. This all but removes the party lag time whenever you empty your slushie machine and make a new batch. It's terrific, and I don't know why Ninja hasn't leaned into this utility.
Instead, Ninja and the various influencer videos have leaned into the “Twist.” The drip plate has a little thumb-powered spinner that lets you rotate your glass, so that you can pour two different kinds of slushie into the glass and swirl them into something that usually tastes worse but looks cool on TikTok. This function works. It's also kinda dumb, and you probably won't use it except as a party trick.
Unfortunately, the spinner always remains, and it can't be fixed in place. And while the small dual-chamber volumes do lead to a lot of flexibility—and sliiiiightly faster freezing than the XL—they also mean that more slush will stay trapped in the two chambers. Anecdotally, the XL was better at making thicker soft-serve, while the smaller one is more likely to produce foamier ice cream. The machine is also more expensive, and significantly wider. And so I'd still recommend the XL for most people, unless you're planning a lot of parties—or unless you and your partner have wildly different slushie tastes. Either the Twist or the XL is a good choice, however.
Amazon (Pistachio, Blue, Cream)
Amazon (Strawberry)
The slushie machine from Belgian-founded kitchen and wellness brand GreenPan is maybe the only slushie machine I'd describe as being even slightly attractive, or pleasant on a countertop—available in a trendy pistachio color scheme that a 21-year-old co-tester called “cute.” The slush produced by this device also had quite a nice consistency, perhaps due to a tighter auger around the cylinder that roiled the slush a little more. My colleague Martin Cizmar, who also tested this device, was able to recreate a Philly recipe for Italian-style water ice with Meyer lemons, and declared himself an unending fan.
The GreenPan slushed admirably, making a full chamber's worth of spiked slush in about 25 minutes. This is nowhere near as fast as the XL or the Twist on slushing speeds, alas. The fill chamber is a little shallow, which means you have to pour slowly or you'll make a mess. If you accidentally leave the handle down, you'll also make a mess. Some reports online of cracks in the cylinder over use are also reason for pause. But if aesthetics are a prime consideration, this will slush handily. And look better while doing it.
Crate & Barrel
The original Ninja Slushi was quite simply a triumph of industrial design when it arrived in 2024—the machine that managed to bring the cocktail bar or convenience-store slushie to the home kitchen countertop. Among many imitators, Ninja's original design remained the most user-friendly and reliable until the next-generation Ninjas supplanted it.
I’ve made coconut-lime daiquiris for a family of visiting Brazilians, who joked that they planned to take the machine back with them on the airplane. I’ve entertained a party full of children with the nonalcoholic version of slushie. And I've made silly frozen cocktails at home, whether lime Jarritos slushies or tamarind michelada slushies. Everything frozen is better, it turns out. Freezing a cocktail adds fun and removes shame.
But it's been replaced. I consider the original Slushi a good value model, but it's no longer the top of the market. The original Slushi doesn't slush as well on higher-alcohol slushies as the newer XL and Twist, even for ABV below 16 percent. (Really, with an OG Ninja Slushi, the sweet spot is around 10 to 12 percent ABV if you want good consistency.) Milkshakes/soft-serve are not really feasible on the original Ninja either, always either foamy or ice-gritty.
Which is all to say, buy the Slushi when it's on a good sale at $250 or less—it served me well for a year—or when it's updated with a compressor as good as the one on the XL or Twist.
Ever since Ninja took slushies to the home market, the Amazon directories have filled with newer brands you've likely never heard of and whose names sometimes seem subject to a randomizer engine: Inoviva, Chivalz, Vibofrost, Friwest, Aekda, Syintao, Vischic, Ranvaira, Rinvotio, and the list goes on. Most are available at discounts compared to Ninja or other more recognizable brands.
I've tested three such brands: Chivalz, Invoviva, and Vibofrost. All three have had one form of reliability issue or another: basic design defects, inconsistency of performance, or simply disappearing from the market.
Chivalz Slushie Machine (no longer in stock): This was previously WIRED's budget pick, which my co-tester Kat Merck called, without insult, “a quite respectable Ninja Slushi knockoff.” The device arrived with a welcome digital temp readout and a removable back panel that made cleaning easier on the slush chamber. Performance was comparable to the original Ninja, though the user interface was a bit janky. But since last year, the brand's slushie machines seem to have disappeared, as the brand's focus returned to air purifiers and humidifiers.
Vibofrost Slushie Machine ($235, sold out after Prime Day): This Vibofrost, like the Chivalz, freezes slushies comparably to the original Ninja Slushi. And like the Chivalz, it has a somewhat irritating child-lock feature, and a timed feature that seems of limited utility. Though it will slush within around 20 to 30 minutes, the oddly designed spout can spray wildly if there's any liquid in the machine, the drip tray does not attach securely, and it kinda moans like a dying tauntaun while in operation.
Inoviva Slushie Machine for $120: I tested this Inoviva slushie machine twice. The first time, the device registered much louder than competitors, the drip tray arrived stuck to the machine, and the compressor began to fail after a week's testing. The second time, it was still loud, and the user interface had a difficult-to-navigate locking feature, but freezing was indeed more consistent. The inconsistency in quality control makes this device difficult to recommend. But maybe you're willing to brave this for a steeply discounted price. The Inoviva also has one terrific feature: The ability to adjust thickness for each drink setting.
My co-tester Kat Merck (on the now-discontinued Chivalz) and I made so very many slushies with each machine, from dairy to nondairy to coffee slushies to straight-up bottles of wine. Specifically, we tested every version of slush that a machine advertised. If Ninja or GreenPan says a machine can make frappés and milkshakes and frozen juices, we made frappés and milkshakes and frozen juices, tinkering where necessary. I froze orange juice and strawberry juice, slushed a bouquet’s worth of rosé, and made slushies from daiquiri to margarita to whiskey Coke. I slushed tamarind micheladas (an excellent idea) and Twisted Tea (a terrible idea).
I also raced the freezing capabilities of each machine by pouring a 16-ounce can of delicious Mike’s Harder Lemonade in each, then seeing which machine was fastest. (For the XL, I used a 24-ounce can.) And I made smooth and dense coconut-lime daiquiris with coconut milk, according to Ninja’s recipe, to test how well each machine’s dispenser handled a genuine dense-textured challenge.
How Do Home Slushie Machines Work?
The tech is pretty simple, almost ingeniously so: A beefy cylindrical freezing core in the center of the drink chamber continually cools any liquid in contact with it. It’s encircled by a plastic spiral auger attached to a motor. The auger mixes the drink, keeps it slushing instead of freezing solid, and also pushes the resulting slush toward the dispenser nozzle so you can have some. The resolute simplicity of this design allowed Ninja and others to scale down the commercial slushie maker for home consumers thirsty for frozen treats.
The main requirement on most machines is that the frozen beverage have more than 4 percent sugar—or between 3 percent and 16 percent alcohol (20 percent for the newest Ninjas). This lowers the freezing point of the resulting concoction, and makes slushing possible. Some slushie machine vendors recommend percentages more like 15 percent sugar, for perfect consistency. But I often balk at this. Coca-Cola and orange juice are each around 11 percent sugar—so that’s very sweet. Some hero of the internet has made a slush calculator for easy reference.
A minimum of 16 ounces of liquid is required for most 88-ounce home machines, for simple reasons: The liquid needs to be in physical contact with the core in order to slush up and also to keep ice from forming on the central cylinder’s surface. The Slushi XL requires a 24-ounce minimum, because it's bigger.
Can You Put Diet Soda in a Slushie Machine?
No and yes. Slushies rely on a helpful property of water: Sugar (or salt) dissolved in water lowers its freezing point below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Why? Solubles like sugar are chaos agents. Sugar molecules move randomly, refuse to dissolve into ice, and interfere with water’s ability to form hydrogen bonds and turn crystalline. Some water molecules freeze, but sugar water doesn’t. Tada! Slush.
If you try to make a slushie out of sugar-free soda, or sugar-free anything, ice crystals will instead form easily. The stainless steel freezing core will ice over and scrape on the auger, and ice cubes or hunks will gather mass in the slushie machine. The cylinder will start to shake, then the machine will clunk, then eventually you’ll probably break your machine: Low-sugar fail-safes on these devices have not been overly reliable, alas. So don’t try this at home!
This doesn’t mean you’re doomed to massive calories if you want to make a slushie. Not every artificial sweetener lowers the freezing point appropriately, but the one that Ninja recommends for diet slushies is allulose, a rare but naturally occurring sugar that’s 70 percent as sweet as basic sugar but is not metabolized effectively by the human digestive system. This means it’s low in calories and doesn’t cause insulin spikes—but as with a lot of indigestibles, note that side effects can include bloating or GI distress for some.
For easiest use in a slushie, buy liquid allulose. Powdered versions also exist, but to use them, you’ll need to make a simple syrup by heating up the powder in water to help it dissolve, then let it cool. If you just try to drop the allulose powder into your machine with some Diet Coke, it might not dissolve, and you might still get ice formation. Or at least, I definitely still got ice formation when I tried this on the OG Ninja, and had to stop my machine.
How Can You Stop Milkshakes From Getting Foamy in a Slushie Machine?
Bet you didn’t expect a lesson in milk proteins today! But here’s the deal: Milk proteins start to separate when agitated. Churning milk is, in fact, how butter gets made. Proteins separate out, and you get butter on the one side and buttermilk on the other. Both are delicious, but neither is wanted in a milkshake.
If you try to make a milkshake in a churning slushie machine using just milk, you’ll eventually start to see the effects of these milk proteins separating out from buttermilk—which will manifest first as an undesirable foaminess. To avoid this, Ninja recommends also adding heavy cream or half-and-half to any milkshake recipe. The higher fat content will keep things smoother.
Note it’s easiest to use fruit syrups, rather than just juice, and add vanillin, or it’ll be a bit boring: The heavy fat tends to overwhelm any subtle fruit flavors. Another deep secret of the tasty milkshake? Salt. Add a tiiiinny pinch; it’ll help bring out flavor. A 16-ounce McDonald’s milkshake has 260 milligrams of sodium—about 1/16th of a teaspoon of table salt, or approximately the amount that fits between your index finger and your thumb.
But temper your expectations here. None of the slushie machines we tested made a texture comparable to a classic milkshake. On most machines, which don't have compressors as powerful as the new-model Ninjas that are now our top picks, the texture is often a little ice-gritty and not as richly textured or integrated as the milkshake you’ll get from your local burger joint, let alone the soft serve from the famously broken ice cream machines at McDonald’s. Slushie machines also can't handle chunks of frozen fruit, often the best part of a milkshake.
On the newer Ninjas, with their more powerful freezing power, I was able to get the smoothness and freeze I wanted. But because most recipes call for a high-fat mix of 2:1 milk and heavy cream in order to avoid churning foam and butter, the results still weren't quite a light milkshake. It was more like a dense, rich, quite tasty soft serve. I learned the hard way that throwing in a half-teaspoon to a teaspoon of salt was necessary to drop freezing temps enough to get good cream formation.
Now, do I like being able to make 20-minute soft-serve in my home? From milk and heavy cream and sugar and a dash of salt and vanilla? Heck yes, I do.
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Source: Wired
