Tower takes on Ninja’s Swirl with new soft serve ice cream maker – and there’s no pre-freezing required

Summer 2026 may be over but Tower certainly doesn’t think so with the launch of its new ice cream maker. The Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip Soft Serve & Frozen Drinks Maker makes frozen desserts and slushies in just 30 minutes – and there’s no ice or pre-freezing required.

Ninja has become a serious trendsetter in the world of appliances, and ice cream and slushie makers are no exception. Ninja’s soft serve ice cream maker, the Swirl, came out in 2025, and since then, many appliance brands have introduced their own – and that now includes Tower.

The new Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip Soft Serve & Frozen Drinks Maker does exactly what it says on the tin. It makes frozen drinks and desserts in just one stylish machine. While soft serve and slushies are its main focus, it can also make regular ice cream, frappes, sorbetto and frozen cocktails.

Available in a lilac colour, the Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip has simple button controls on the front where you can select dedicated soft serve and slushie functions. The controls also allow you to personalise the consistency of your drink or ice cream, with three thickness options to choose from.

The Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip is powered by Chill-Core Duo technology which uses an ultra-quiet dual compressor to chill and mix your ingredients, without the use of ice or pre-freezing. Once you pour your mixture into the 1.5-litre container, the Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip immediately starts working to make your treat in just 30 minutes.

The Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip also uses FreezeIQ Intelligent Cooling which detects and monitors the sugar or alcohol content in your ingredients throughout the chilling or freezing process. This ensures the machine achieves the right texture and doesn’t overfreeze your drink or dessert.

I love the look of the Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip, and I think I prefer it to the design of the Ninja Swirl. The latter looks a bit chunkier as it has the dispenser on one side, and its controls and tub attachment on the other, while the Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip is much more compact.

To serve your treats, the Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip has a dispense tap at the front which feels quite nostalgic – it reminds me of the Mr Whippy machine in the local ice cream vans from when I was a kid. It has dual drip trays to prevent any spills, and there’s a self-clean function that makes tidying up much quicker.

The Tower Slush ‘n’ Whip Soft Serve & Frozen Drinks Maker is available to buy for £349.99 at Tower. It’s definitely made me hold onto summer a little longer!