The Ninja Creami has quickly become a household staple, after sweeping through social media feeds for the better half of two years. It promotes ease of use for home chefs and flexibility for those with specific nutritional needs to who are trying to meet dietary goals. One of the delights of the Ninja Creami is that it truly is as flexible as advertised, and this recipe for chocolate ice cream is both dairy free and high protein, while also being flexible enough to swap out ingredients to meet your needs and kitchen.
This recipe is light and airy, and deliciously creamy. It’s not icey like many dairy free ice creams, with the usage of full fat coconut milk making it seem as luxurious as your favorite ice cream shop. It holds up well, and is highly customizable with sugar alternatives and mix ins.
For protein powder, it is important to utilize a chocolate protein powder that you enjoy. There is not enough cacao flavor to hold it’s own, so if you are using a neutral flavored protein powder, I recommend adding additional cacao to balance it out. Another fun swap that I make at home is peanut butter protein powder, to turn it into a chocolate peanut butter recipe. I love using the chocolate PB fit powder for this.
Can I Add Mix-ins?
You absolutely can add mix ins to this recipe. I love adding chocolate chips, nuts, or crushed oreos. After your first spin, create a 1 inch hole down the center of the pint and add your mix ins, then remix on the mix in setting. They blend great!
Substitutions and Swaps
Can I swap the Almond Milk?
Yes, you can! An unsweetened oat milk works great in this. Soy is also a great choice, although it is thicker, so it will alter the texture slightly.
How do I make this recipe low sugar?
If you are concerned about the sugar content from the maple syrup, you can use any sugar substitute you would like. I like the richness that maple syrup provides, which is why I favor it, but this recipe still works great without. If you end up using a sweetener with very little mass, such as monk fruit, you may have to add additional almond milk to the mix in order to meet the fill line.
Can I substitute cacao for cocoa powder?
Yes, you may. This recipe utilizes cacao for it’s richness, but if you only have cocoa powder, that will also work.
Dairy Free Chocolate Ice Creami
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the full fat coconut milk to your ninja creami pint, then add maple syrup, cacao powder, vanilla extract, salt, expresso powder, and your chocolate protein powder.
- Stir well, then add almond milk to freezer the fill line designated on the Ninja Creami pint, about 1 1/2 cups.
- Put in the freezer on a flat surface for 24 hours, until frozen solid.
- After 24 hours, remove from freezer and use the ice cream attachment on your Ninja Creami to process, then the re-spin button to achieve that creamy texture.
- Serve and enjoy!
