Ever since I saw this machine on social media, I’d been wanting to get a Ninja Creami for the longest time. But with the price of the machine being a bit high, I was a bit reluctant to buy it since you can’t really use it as a blender and it’s really only useful for making ice cream, but since I do like ice cream a lot, I think that the price was more than justified and I highly recommend getting it just for that alone.
Especially since you can make your own ice cream, you can choose your own ingredients to mix together, allowing you to save some money, and more importantly, save a ton of calories. I love eating ice cream, but I don’t love how many calories there are, even in a small amount of normal ice cream, so I almost never eat it. But with the Ninja Creami, I can now make high protein, low calorie ice cream of any flavor whenever I want!
Speaking of which, the ice cream flavors I chose to make for this recipe are ones that I’ve really enjoyed and I think showcase a bunch of the different ingredients you can use to make your ice cream tasty while keeping it low calorie and high protein. Out of the ones I made for this recipe, I think the strawberry cheesecake was my favorite since it had the fresh strawberries in it, but they all were creamy and sweet and tasted almost like the real thing. Of course, there are basically infinite flavor options, so if you do get a Ninja Creami, I highly recommend experimenting with the basic recipe mix and adding or swapping in ingredients to make your favorite ice cream dup. For example, some other flavor options I would like to try next are adding matcha powder to make green tea ice cream or adding in some espresso to make some coffee ice cream.
Also, there are a ton of other flavor options in the included recipe book, so I definitely recommend checking that out as well. And you can even find recipes for the other machine options, such as making a sorbet from just canned fruit. There are plenty of frozen treats you can make, but the machine is quite loud, so I would just keep this in mind if you plan on making a late night treat with others in the house.
The jars should last for about a month or so in the freezer, but like normal ice cream, if you keep it in the freezer for too long, large ice crystals might develop, which will make the texture kinda weird. Each jar is about a pint of ice cream, so if you don’t plan on eating the whole thing, you can put it back in the freezer and save it for later. As long as you have about 1/4 of the pint left, you just need to reblend the frozen ice cream when you want to eat it again. Just make sure to flatten the surface before freezing it and it should be just as good as it was the first time.
But regardless of if you eat the entire pint in one sitting or save some for later, this Ninja Creami High Protein Ice Cream is a great way to enjoy a sweet treat without the calories of normal ice cream and with the added bonus of additional protein, making this dessert actually quite a healthy option to add when making a meal plan while cutting or bulking.
Ingredients:
- Basic Mix
- 12 oz milk or ready-to-drink Protein Shake
- 1/2 cup Greek/Protein Yogurt/Cottage Cheese
- 1½-2 scoops of Protein Powder of choice
- 2 tbsp Gelatin Powder (if you want it to be extra creamy)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
- A pinch of salt
- Cookies & Cream
- 12 oz milk or ready-to-drink Vanilla Protein Shake
- 1/2 cup Vanilla Greek/Protein Yogurt
- 1½-2 scoops of Vanilla/ Cookies & Cream Protein Powder
- 2 tbsp Gelatin Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- A pinch of salt
- Some Oreos/Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip
- 12 oz milk or ready-to-drink Chocolate Protein Shake
- 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 1½-2 scoops of Chocolate Protein Powder
- 2 tbsp Gelatin Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- A pinch of salt
- Some Chocolate Chips
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- 12 oz milk or ready-to-drink Strawberry Protein Shake
- 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
- 1½-2 scoops of Vanilla/Strawberry Protein Powder
- 2 tbsp Gelatin Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- A pinch of salt
- Some Strawberries
- Some Graham Crackers or Other Crackers
Special Equipment:
- Ninja Creami Machine
- Ninja Creami Pint Jar(s)
Step 1: Combine Ingredients in Ninja Creami Pint Jar, Then Smooth Top to Flat Surface, & Place into Freezer Overnight or Until Frozen
First, we’ll prepare the mixes, so in a Ninja Creami pint jar, add in all of your ingredients, reserving some of the milk or other liquid for later, and give it a mix until everything is combined together.
For any hard ingredients such as the cookies, chocolate chips, and crackers, I would hold off on adding these until later unless you want them to be completely pulverized. Also, for the strawberries (or other fruits), I would recommend using fresh or defrosted fruits.
And since you want the mixture to be completely solid when frozen, I recommend mashing the strawberries into a paste or cutting them up into small pieces before mixing them in.
Then, once everything is mixed together, flatten the mixture so that the surface is smooth, and then cover it and put it into the freezer on a flat surface overnight or until frozen.
Step 2: Once Ready, Place Creami Jar into Machine, Selecting “Full” Processing Mode (if needed) & “Lite Ice Cream”
Then, when you’re ready to blend your ice cream, take out your frozen Creami container from your freezer and let it unthaw for 10 minutes or run the sides under some hot water to help soften the frozen mix.
Then, place it into the chassis, add your blade to the lid, seal it up and place it into the machine. Select full processing mode if needed and then select the “Lite Ice Cream” option and allow it to blend.
Step 3: If Mix is a bit Chalky/Crumbly, Add Some Liquid & Select “Re-Spin” Button
Once that’s done, if the mix is looking a bit chalky or crumbly, add in the reserved liquid or some milk/water and then return the container to the machine and hit the “Re-Spin” button.
Step 4: Add in Any Mix-ins & Select “Mix-In” Button; & Enjoy!
Then, when the mix is to your liking, if you wish to add in any mix-ins, make a hole in the blended ice cream all the way to the bottom and add in any of the solid pieces such as the cookies, chocolate chips, and crackers, or anything else you want and put the container back into the machine one more time and hit the “Mix-In” button. And then once it’s to your liking, your Ninja Creami High Protein Ice Cream is ready to eat.