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! Try more classics like Strawberry, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, or Coffee or enjoy fun flavors like this Protein Buncha Crunch Ice Cream , Rocky Road , or make the Viral Cracking Latte an affogato by adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream once you make this easy recipe! It would also be delicious on top of this 3 Ingredient Cake Mix Mug Cake!
You might also enjoy this Single Serve Chocolate Protein Ice Cream with 56 grams of protein in the entire pint!
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 tablespoon 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 teaspoon 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, crumble up these Monster Cookie Protein Bites or add this Protein Buncha Crunch as mix ins.
- Swap out the vanilla protein powder for chocolate & add 2 tablespoon 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!
Dairy Free Vanilla Protein Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)
Equipment
- Ninja Creami
- Ninja Creami pint containers
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- ¾ cup full fat coconut milk
- 1-2 medjool dates can sub with 1-2 tablespoon of maple syrup
- 1-2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 pinch celtic sea salt optional
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 teaspoon additional almond milk, just enough to cover the top of the pint, before you respin.
- Add mix ins. If you'd like you can add your favorite mix-ins or simply enjoy the vanilla ice cream as is.
Notes
-
- 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.
- 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!
Verena Keppler says
This recipe looks amazing! I've been trying to find more dairy-free options and this vanilla protein ice cream seems like the perfect fit. I'm curious – does the Medjool date flavor come through a lot, or is it subtle enough that you mostly just taste the vanilla? Might give this a try soon, especially since it's sugar and dairy free. Thanks for the sharing – love the idea of healthier ice creams!
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prettydeliciouslife says
Great question! The date flavor does not come through at all, it really just adds subtle sweetness to the ice cream base. You can sub it with something like maple syrup or honey if you prefer! I'd start with 1 tbsp and adjust according to your desired level of sweetness 🙂
Anna Taylor says
Very impressed, so sweet and creamy, you'd never know its sugar free. Definately going to try the other flavours now. Thank you
Fernanda Barnes says
I’m not sure what went wrong, but I ended up with a clump that seemed to be either fat or protein—I couldn’t quite tell. On the first spin, the mixture looked very clotted, so I decided to blend it a bit more. After that, I ended up with a blob about the size of a scoop, and honestly, I have no idea what it was.
Here’s what I used: Thai Kitchen coconut milk, vanilla Equip protein powder, Mooala almond milk, and maple syrup.
I’ve removed the blob and transferred the mixture to my Creami container. I’ll still give it a spin once it’s frozen and see how it turns out. Any insights into what might have caused this would be appreciated!
prettydeliciouslife says
I love to hear it! You'll have to let me know if you stumble upon any other favorite flavors! 🙂
prettydeliciouslife says
Thank you for letting me know what you used, that's helpful! I've made this recipe more times than I can count and I have never encountered that but I can tell you the protein powder is what caused the "blob" as sometimes the grass fed beef isolate can tend to clump I've noticed. Did you blend everything in the blender before pouring into the container and freezing?
Maggie says
Would this recipe work without adding the protein powder?
prettydeliciouslife says
Hi Maggie! It will work without protein powder 🙂