Beat the Canadian heat with these frozen homemade treat recipes

There's nothing like an ice-cold frozen treat on a hot summer day to cool you down — and even better when you can make it yourself.

The Ninja Swirl by CREAMi and the Ninja Slushi, a.k.a. the ultimate countertop dessert duo, let you whip up homemade frozen treats easily all summer long. 

Whether you're crafting custom soft serve or slushing up some treats for cocktail hour, they're built to make the process fast and seriously fun.

The Swirl is a sleek machine that can transform almost anything into ice cream. It gives you full control over your ingredients, flavours, and textures (thanks to dual processing modes) for everything from scoopable to soft serve. Just prep, freeze, and process — it's literally that simple.

Meanwhile, Slushi is your go-to for refreshing and creative drinks.

Powered by exclusive RapidChill Technology, it delivers delicious frozen beverages in minutes. With XL capacity, it's perfect for parties, making batch cocktails, or families. Plus, its handy one-touch program makes everything from slushies to daiquiris to milkshakes completely hassle-free. (P.S. the cleanup is easy too!).

With that in mind, we've put together a few recipes to try with your Swirl and Slushi machines this summer. 

Fresh Strawberry Soft Serve

Strawberry soft serve is a creamy, dreamy swirl of summertime bliss. Smooth, velvety, and light, it delivers a refreshing burst of fruity flavour that's both sweet and tangy.

Top it with crushed cookies, chocolate drizzle, or anything your heart (and sweet tooth) desires.

The best part about this recipe is it's so customizable — once you've mastered strawberry, you can try all types of other flavours like cinnamon, chocolate peanut butter, birthday cake, and even dairy-free alternatives.

What you'll need: 

• Your Ninja Swirl by CREAMi
• 1 cup strawberries, stems removed
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 0.5 cup whole milk
• 0.5 cup heavy cream

Method:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Make sure the pint base is closed and pour mixture into an empty Swirl Pint. Place storage lid on the pint and freeze for 24 hours. 
3. Once you've removed the pint from the freezer, place it in the outer bowl. Attach the Creamerizer Paddle to the outer bowl lid and lock the lid assembly on the outer bowl. Slide the bowl assembly onto the motor base and twist the handle to the right until the platform raises and locks.
4. Process by selecting SOFT SERVE, then ICE CREAM.
5. Serve in a cone or bowl! 

One-ingredient Pineapple Fruit Whip 

With just one single ingredient, this tangy-sweet fruit whip is as simple as it gets! This makes for the perfect last-minute dessert or refreshing mid-day treat, and proves that sometimes less really is more.

What you'll need:

• Your Ninja Swirl by CREAMi
• 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks

Method:

1. Fill an empty Swirl pint with pineapple chunks (up to the MAX FILL line), then pour in the juice from the can to cover the fruit — again, up to the MAX FILL line. Seal with the storage lid and freeze for 24 hours.
2. Remove pint from the freezer and place it in the outer bowl. Attach the Creamerizer Paddle to the outer bowl lid and lock the lid assembly on the outer bowl. Slide the bowl assembly onto the motor base and twist the handle to the right until the platform raises and locks.
3. Select SOFT SERVE, then FRUIT WHIP.
4. When processing is complete, press the release button (on the left of the outer bowl), twist the bowl handle, and pull the bowl away from the unit. Install the dispense lid, place the pint into the unit aligning the blue tabs, and twist the white pint base to OPEN. 
5. Pull the handle to dispense your fruit whip into a bowl or cone and serve immediately.

Pina Colada Spiked Slushi 

This one's a real summer crowd-pleaser — the Pina Colada Spiked Slushi. Fresh, creamy, and oh-so-sweet, it's a drink that'll make you feel like a pro mixologist. This recipe makes four to six servings. 

What you'll need:

• Your Ninja SLUSHi
• 5 cups piña colada mix
• 1 cup coconut rum

Method: 

1. Pour all ingredients into the vessel.
2. Select SPIKED SLUSH. The preset will start at the default/optimal temperature for an ideal texture — if desired, you can adjust the temperature as well.
3. Once the frozen drink is done, the unit will beep three times. Garnish and serve immediately. 

Espresso Martini Spiked Slushi

Dessert meets cocktail in this frozen twist on the Espresso Martini. Perfect for after-dinner drinks or if you need a little caffeine pick-me-up post-sunbathing and pre-happy hour with friends. This recipe makes four to six servings.

What you'll need: 

• Your Ninja SLUSHi
• 0.5 cup vodka
• 0.5 cup coffee liquor
• a quarter cup Irish cream
• 3 cups cold brew coffee
• 2 cups water

Method: 

1. Pour all ingredients into the vessel, select SPIKED SLUSH, and let the magic happen! 
2. Garnish and serve immediately.

It's as easy as it gets for all your summertime drinks. Head over to Ninja Kitchen's website to get your tools and start making homemade frozen treats now.