Looking for more Ninja creami recipes? Use the machine to make my sugar free ice cream, protein ice cream, low calorie ice cream, and keto ice cream. You may have already seen it all over Instagram or Tiktok, but frozen dessert lovers are obsessed with the instant ice cream maker, the Ninja creami. I am a self-proclaimed ice cream lover. Because of my obsession (yes, I’m calling it that!), it’s fair to say my weekly grocery bill included a TON of healthy ice creams. When Ninja released the original Ninja Creami back in 2021, I was skeptical but curious, and now four years on, I have to thank this machine for my almost daily sweet treat habit.
Why I love this recipe
Tons of variety. I’ve included 52 flavor options to try, but honestly, I think I’ve made close to 200 different combinations. Seriously, you’ll never have frozen dessert boredom again. Tastes like real ice cream. Yes, even if you use wholesome and healthy ingredients, it tastes so decadent. Minimal ingredients. For my base recipe, you’ll need just 4 or 5 pantry staple ingredients. Diet friendly. Cut out the dairy, add protein, or keep the calories low. You can adapt it to suit your dietary needs. Small servings. Each batch of ice cream makes just one pint, so you don’t need to feel bad about polishing it all off in one sitting.
Ingredients needed
This is my Ninja Creami vanilla ice cream base recipe, which works well when adapted to other flavors or combinations. The Ninja Creami machine is an ice cream maker designed to make homemade frozen desserts like ice cream, gelato, and sorbet. It can also make instant milkshakes, cocktails, smoothies, and frozen drinks. Compared to traditional ice cream makers, you can literally use any combination of ingredients and skip the milk, cream, and dairy completely.
Cream cheese. It’s a little odd, but adding cream cheese to most Ninja creami recipes will guarantee an always creamy dessert. Vegan, lactose-free, and low-fat options all work. Heavy cream. Also known as double cream. Avoid heavy whipping cream, as it will yield a thinner consistency. Milk. Whole milk is preferred, but almond milk, oat milk, or non-fat milk work. Sugar. White or superfine sugar. I also tested this recipe with sugar substitutes, and allulose and stevia worked just as well. Vanilla extract. Or vanilla bean paste.
How to make ice cream in a Ninja creami
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Step 3- Serve. Stop the Ninja creami and scoop it into bowls and enjoy.
Arman’s recipe tips
Don’t Overfill the container. My #1 tip. DO NOT go over the “max” line, or your machine will struggle to churn everything. I recommend filling to about 1/2 an inch below the line to be conservative (this is especially true if you are adding mix-ins). Use the ‘ice cream’ or ‘lite ice cream’ modes only. I find these two settings to yield the creamiest frozen desserts. Unless you are making a smoothie bowl or milkshake, skip the gelato or sorbet settings. Freeze for at least 3 hours. While Ninja recommends 24 hours, I find 3 hours to be sufficient to yield a creamy ice cream. Anything less than that, and you risk a more smoothie or soft serve consistency. Re-churn if needed. Sometimes, the frozen dessert may look crumbly on top, and that just means you need to continue churning it with the machine. This is especially true if you use mix-ins. Don’t be afraid to churn several times if the ice cream isn’t to your desired consistency. Only add the mix-ins once the pre-frozen mixture is mostly smooth. If you add them when it’s still crumbly, it won’t evenly distribute throughout.
Storage instructions
To re-freeze: On the rare occasion that I can’t finish the pint of ice cream in one sitting, I’ve re-frozen it, and it’s been completely fine. Just treat it as though it’s a freshly frozen dessert ready to churn. Here are just a handful of tried and tested different flavors. Be sure to check back regularly as I update them.
Mixed berry sorbet. 1 cup each of fresh raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Cookies and cream. 1 tablespoon cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup milk, 3-4 sandwich or Oreo cookies. Chocolate high-protein ice cream. 1 3/4 cups premade chocolate protein shake and 2 tablespoons chocolate pudding mix (standard or sugar free). Banana cream pie ice cream. Add 1 overripe banana and some crushed graham crackers. Cinnamon roll protein ice cream. 1 3/4 cups premade cinnamon roll protein shake (or protein powder whisked with milk), 2 tablespoons vanilla pudding mix (standard or sugar free) and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mango sorbet. 15 ounces of canned or packaged mango pieces in their juices. Pineapple sorbet. 15 ounces of canned or packaged pineapple chunks in their juices. Frozen yogurt. 16 ounces of vanilla or any flavored yogurt. Mint chocolate chip ice cream. 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon green food coloring, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Chocolate ice cream. 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3/4 cup heavy cream, and 1 cup of milk. Vegan ice cream. Swap out the milk for coconut milk and use dairy-free cream.
Frequently asked questions
More Ice Cream recipes to use this machine with
Cottage cheese ice cream Peanut butter ice cream Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream Superman ice cream Oat milk ice cream Almond milk ice cream Strawberry ice cream Brownie ice cream
Originally published June 2023, updated and republished September 2024 Ninja creami ice cream machine. I mean, you need the gadget to make all the frozen desserts! Pint containers. So you don’t need to wait to re-freeze each one! I usually have 3 ready to go in my freezer at all times.
