Dairy Free Vanilla Protein Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)

The next time you’re craving homemade ice cream, make this Dairy Free Vanilla Protein Ice Cream in your Ninja Creami! Made with just 5 wholesome, simple ingredients, this recipe is the perfect base for making all kinds of dairy-free ice cream in the Ninja Creami ice cream machine. This creamy vanilla ice cream is so delicious you’d never know it was dairy free, refined sugar free & packed with protein!

This spring I finally decided to join the Ninja Creami community & got myself the 5-in-1 Ninja Creami machine. I surprised my ice cream loving husband with this recipe & he thought it was the best vanilla ice cream. He could not believe it was made with non-dairy milk & now he is convinced this is the best ice cream out there! Sometimes we even add our protein shake to the ninja creami pint container & turn that into ice cream so we can enjoy it every single day!

The Ninja Creami creates such a creamy texture, it’s truly a dairy-free person’s dream come true. One thing I did make sure to do after getting myself the Ninja Creami ice cream maker was to stock up on more Ninja Creami pint container to make sure I was always ready to make my new favorite dairy-free dessert whenever the mood strikes.

If you’re a dairy free ice cream lover then you’ll want to try some more of my favorite Ninja Creami recipes, like this Protein Buncha Crunch Ice Cream recipe, this Protein Rocky Road recipe or make the Viral Cracking Latte an affogato by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream once you make this easy recipe!

Why You’ll Love This Ninja Creami Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

• It has minimal ingredients. Made with just a few basic ingredients you likely already have at home, it’s a healthier way to enjoy delicious ice cream at home.

• It is highly customizable. This recipe is the base recipe for all of my dairy free ninja creami ice cream recipes, so once you’ve mastered this you can experiment with so many different flavors!

• It is dairy free. Of course, this recipe is dairy free and refined sugar free, too!

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Ninja Creami Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream Ingredients & Tested Substitutions

• Almond Milk. My preference is to use unsweetened almond milk; I like Califia Farms new 3 ingredient organic almond milk, however you may use sweetened or vanilla almond milk if you like. You may also use unsweetened oat milk which will make a nice creamy ice cream.

• Full-fat Coconut Milk. I find the canned coconut milk that works the best has a little bit of guar gum, which is a plant-based thickener. Thai Kitchen & Whole Foods in house brand coconut milk are my personal favorites, but if you’d like to stay away from gums, Trader Joe’s has a great option. I do not recommend using low fat coconut milk as it will make the ice cream base less creamy. 

• Medjool Dates. For added sweetness, I use Medjool dates. You may replace them with 1-2 tbsp of maple syrup instead if you do not have any on hand.

• Vanilla Bean Paste. To really amp up that classic vanilla flavor, using vanilla bean paste or even whole vanilla beans is preferable. If you don’t have those on hand, vanilla extract is just fine.

• ​Vanilla Protein Powder. It’s important to note that you should enjoy the taste of your protein powder, or you won’t enjoy the taste of this ice cream! If you don’t have a protein powder you are loyal to, I recommend trying Equip Foods. My personal favorite is their grass fed beef isolate protein because it mixes super well and creates an incredibly creamy texture. You can use PRETTYDELISH to save 15% off your first order.

• ​Sea Salt. This is optional, but I always like to add a pinch of Celtic sea salt to the ice cream base.

Ninja Creami Vanilla Ice Cream Step by Step Instructions

1. Make the ice cream base. Add the almond milk, coconut milk, dates, protein powder, vanilla & sea salt to a blender. Blend until smooth. You may find that a few small bits of the dates remain if your blender is not high speed; this is ok. You can strain them out or leave them in, it’s up to you.

2. Freeze the ice cream base. Pour base into the ninja creami container right up to the max fill line. Place storage lid on the container and freeze for a minimum of 8 hours. Ninja recommends at least 24 hours but I don’t have that kind of patience and find that 8 hours is plenty.

3. Mix the ice cream. Once the base is frozen, follow the instructions for placing the pint container in your Ninja Creami. For your first spin you will choose the “Lite Ice Cream” function.

4. Respin. Once the first spin is complete, you will need to respin the ice cream mixture in order for it to become super creamy. My best creami prep tip is to add about 2-3 tsp additional almond milk, just enough to cover the top of the pint, before you respin.

5. Add mix ins. If you’d like you can add your favorite mix-ins or simply enjoy the vanilla ice cream as is.

Expert Tips, Tricks & Favorite Mix-Ins

• Add peanut butter to the ice cream base for a delicious nut butter flavored ice cream.

• Add fresh fruit to the ice cream base or during the mix in step.

• Add chocolate chips or this Protein Buncha Crunch as mix ins.

• Swap out the vanilla protein powder for chocolate & add 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to make dairy free chocolate ice cream.

• Ninja’s instructions state that you cannot use the “respin” feature followed by the “mix in” feature. I ALWAYS respin my dairy free ice cream, because it needs this in order to be creamy, and I use the mix in function after with no trouble.

• Before respinning, I recommend always adding a little bit more almond milk, or dairy free milk of choice. Just enough to almost cover the top of the pint container is perfect, about 2-3 tsp. This will help ensure the final result is super creamy.

How To Store Dairy Free Vanilla Protein Ice Cream

If you do not finish your pint in one sitting, smooth over the ice cream that is left in the container with the back of a spoon. Place the lid back on & freeze. You will need to run the leftovers back through the same steps in the Ninja Creami when you are going to enjoy it again. Note that if you added mix ins, the machine will end up pulverizing them!

More Recipes You Might Enjoy:

If you like protein packed desserts that require no baking & just a handful of simple ingredients, you might also enjoy this 4 Ingredient Edible Protein Cookie Dough, these Gluten Free Protein Rice Krispies Treats, or this 3 Ingredient Chocolate Protein Mug Cake recipe.

Did you have a chance to make this recipe? If so, please leave me a 5 star rating and review below. I always love and appreciate hearing from you!