As an ice cream addict, things were getting a little out of control before I discovered this Ninja Creami vanilla ice cream recipe. All my ice cream options at the store are either costly or have so many processed fillers and ingredients, but of course, I wasn’t going to stop eating ice cream! This past summer, my friend gave me his brand-new Ninja Creami. I thought it was another unnecessary appliance just taking up space in my cupboard until one day I realized all the untapped creative potential of the Ninja Creami.
It didn’t take much experimenting to realize that the Ninja Creami is an incredible tool that I would purchase for myself if I hadn’t been gifted one. It’s the kind of appliance that I think people will be adding to their wedding registries and buying for their college students in the future. This is because the Ninja Creami makes it easy to whip up delicious, healthier frozen treats unlike any other machine. If you want to know how check out this really interesting video from LifebyMikeG about how this technology works.
Many popular Ninja Creami recipes have highly processed protein powders, shakes, or Jello pudding mix. I try to avoid these processed foods, so I developed a delicious Ninja Creami vanilla ice cream recipe using only whole foods ingredients. This is a very simple vanilla ice cream recipe that can be the base for all kinds of creative creations. I love to add sourdough cookie dough chunks, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, or homemade hot fudge sauce to really spice things up. This recipe is also great for making ice cream sandwiches or freezing into ice cream bars!
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Jump to RecipeHow does the Ninja Creami work?
The Ninja Creami works by rapidly spinning metal blades into a completely frozen base. It breaks down the ice crystals with its fast blade, making a creamy and rich mixture. Once the ice cream is made, the machine has a setting that allows you to add any additional toppings you like.
Steps for making Ice cream with the Ninja Creami
~if this is your first time using the Ninja Creami, be sure to also read the basic running instructions of the machine~
One: mix your ice cream base
Two: freeze it in one of the provided containers
Three: thaw the container for about 7-10 minutes at room temp before using the machine
Four: Remove the lid of the freezer container and add the blender lid
Five: Plug in and turn on the machine
Six: Secure the container in the machine and press the appropriate button (we will be using the “ice cream” button)
Seven: Remove the container from the machine once finished
Eight: Add a little bit of cream, but the container back in the machine, and “respin”
Essential elements for this recipe
Fat, protein, sweetener, flavor, and mix-ins are the five essential elements for creating your own ice cream. The fat and protein make the mixture creamy and rich and the sweetener, flavor, and mix-ins are for making it taste like ice cream.
Why is there raw egg yolk in this recipe?
Egg yolks improve the stability of ice cream making the mixture emulsified, smooth, and creamy, with a satisfying mouth feel resulting in a light, fluffy, and whippable mixture. I like to keep the eggs raw because they whip well and cut down on the overall process time of making the ice cream base mixture. Because we are not using a traditional churn, egg yolks really improve the texture of this Ninja Creami Vanilla ice cream recipe. I feel comfortable eating raw eggs from local farmers that I trust and would not suggest you eat conventionally raised eggs from the store. Please do your due diligence to source eggs and make decisions based on what you’re comfortable with.
How does this recipe work?
This is a simple, plain vanilla recipe. It’s a great base to start with before adding your favorite mix-ins like cookies, fruit, nuts, chocolate or caramel sauce. Below, I will outline how to make this Ninja Creami Vanilla ice cream recipe and how to mix in anything you want!
Mix In ideas:
- Chocolate chips
- Peanut butter cups
- Sourdough cookie dough
- Collagen marshmallows
- Graham crackers
- Homemade hot fudge sauce
- Homemade caramel sauce
- Brownies
- Your favorite cookies
- Fresh fruit
- Honeycomb candy
- Roasted, salted, peanuts
Ingredients you will need:
- organic, whole milk, ideally low temp pasteurized or raw
- organic, heavy cream
- egg yolk, separated from the white (see notes above about using raw eggs)
- raw cane sugar or maple syrup (to taste)
- vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- A good mineral salt
- Optional mix ins
Supplies you will need for this Ninja Creami vanilla ice cream recipe
Ninja Creami– This is the one I have, but you can also get the Deluxe model
Small electric whisk– One of my most used tools, this one is water proof which is essential!
Ice cream scoop-We love this one
SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS:
If you don’t have heavy whipping cream, or want to make things a little bit lighter, substitute for whole milk and whisk in 1 tablespoon of collagen powder (you can use my code: WILDWOOD10 for 10% off).
Ninja Creami Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk separated from the white
- 2 tablespoons of raw cane sugar or maple syrup to taste
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- A pinch of salt
- Optional mix ins
Instructions
- Add the egg yolk and sugar to a small mason jar and use your small electric whisk to whip (see notes above about egg yolks)
- Whip until your mixture is light, fluffy, and lighter in color
- Add the milk and cream to the Ninja Creami container
- Add the yolk mixture to this container and use a spoon or (not electric) whisk to combine everything really well
- Stir in the vanilla and salt
- Freeze for 24 hours
- Remove from the freezer and let sit on the counter for 7-10 minutes
- Follow the Ninja Creami instructions to blend the mixture using the “ice cream” setting
- Once the cycle is finished, remove the container and add a splash of cream in the center
- Run the Creami one more time on the “respin” setting
- Now the ice cream is ready to eat, or add mix ins (see my suggestions above)
- For mix-ins, make a small well in the center of the ice cream container, add mix ins
- Run the ice cream on the mix in setting
- Enjoy right away or freeze for later!
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