Ninja Creami Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry (Protein)

McDonalds' new Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry but make it high protein, dairy free and gluten free too! Creamy vanilla ice cream is mixed with fresh fruit & gluten free wafer cookies in place of kit kat pieces (but you'd never taste the difference!) This recipe is lower sugar than the version you'll see on McDonald's menu and can even be made refined sugar free if you prefer.

McDonalds recently debuted a new McFlurry flavor launching for a limited time called the Kit Kat Banana Split. This new treat sounds absolutely amazing, but if you're someone who is dairy free, gluten free and following a high protein lower sugar diet, well you're going to want to skip the fast food version & try mine instead.

Made at home in the ninja creami, this McFlurry copycat has a creamy vanilla soft serve protein ice cream base and is packed with real fresh strawberries & bananas. Instead of actual Kit Kat pieces, which are not gluten free, we're using gluten free wafer cookies. If you'd like to avoid refined sugars altogether, you can easily sub the cookies for dark chocolate chips instead!

If you're a fan of a classic McFlurry, you'll love this Protein M&M McFlurry recipe, this Buncha Crunch Protein Ice Cream or you can check out this round up of my favorite healthy ninja creami recipes.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's better for you. The next time you're craving a frozen treat from the golden arches but want something with less sugar, this copycat Kit Kat McFlurry is sure to satisfy.

• It is perfect for special diets. If you're someone who is dairy free or gluten free, you won't be able to order the McDonalds version but you can make this banana split kitkat protein ice cream at home & not miss out!

• It is delicious. The strawberry and banana flavors pair so perfectly with chocolate wafer cookies that taste just like the classic candy bar!

Copycat Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry Ingredients & Tested Substitutions

Vanilla Protein Powder. My preference for all of my ninja creami recipes is to use Equip Foods Prime Protein because it gives the dairy free ice cream such a creamy texture & has 21 grams of protein per serving, but you may use whatever kind of protein powder you prefer. PRETTYDELISH will save you 15% at checkout. A tip I will always give you is that it is very important to enjoy the flavor and texture of your protein powder. If you have a protein powder that is gritty or doesn’t taste great, it will make your protein desserts gritty & not taste great!

Full Fat Coconut Milk. Use canned coconut milk with guar gum for best results. I like Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk. Full fat is necessary for a creamy texture – trust me, it makes a huge difference!

Unsweetened Almond Milk. I like to use MALK or Califia Farms new organic almond milk for best results but any refrigerated almond milk or non-dairy milk like oat milk will do.

Medjool Dates. I use dates to add a little bit of sweetness to the ice cream base. For a lower carb option you can use monkfruit or your favorite low carb sweetener.

Vanilla Extract. Use a high quality vanilla & measure with your heart depending on your taste preferences.

Sea Salt. This is optional, but I like to add a pinch of sea salt.

Fresh Fruit. You'll need fresh strawberries & ripe banana. I do not recommend using frozen fruit.

Gluten Free Chocolate Wafer Cookies. I used these gluten free wafer cookies because they were the closest gluten free option to kit kats I could find. Full disclosure the ingredients aren't the cleanest & these cookies have 10 grams of sugar per cookie, so if you're someone who is being mindful of their sugar intake, I recommend using chocolate pieces or chips instead from a brand like Hu Kitchen.

Ninja Creami Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry 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 because they will blend completely as soon as you blend the ice cream.

2. Freeze the ice cream base. Pour base into the ninja creami pint 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, the next step is to respin the ice cream mixture in order for it to become super creamy. Simply add a little bit of milk, about 1 tablespoon to make the texture like soft-serve ice cream, and place the outerbowl back into the creami & press re-spin. Generally after the first spin there are still some ice crystals on the ice cream so you shouldn’t skip the respin step if you want creamy ice cream.

5. Add mix ins. The good thing about this recipe is that you can add the strawberry & banana pieces into the ice cream base along with the cookie crumbs or chocolate pieces and fold them in using a spoon rather than go through the step of processing the ice cream a third time using the mix in function. This is mostly because you're adding in a lot of extras which over fills the creami container and could be bad for your machine. 

Expert Tips & Tricks

• 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. Since we want more of a soft-serve texture for this McFlurry, I recommend adding about 1 tablespoon of milk before you respin. 

How to Store Kit Kat McFlurry

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 so you might want to add a few more banana & strawberry slices with some chocolate chips on top the next time you enjoy.

Pair this recipe with a Gluten Free High Protein Copycat McChicken Sandwich for a healthier fast food meal at home!

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!