Protein Ninja Creami Cherry Berry Smoothie Bowl (DF)

Craving ice cream for breakfast? This Ninja Creami Smoothie Bowl is an easy way to satisfy that craving in a healthy way (not that you need an excuse to eat ice cream for breakfast)! Made with fresh or frozen fruit, dairy free milk and protein powder, this smoothie bowl is a healthy way to start your day. Don't forget to add your favorite toppings like fresh berries and gluten free granola!

I've been making healthy dairy free Ninja Creami ice cream and sorbet recipes for a few years now and I'm actually shocked that it took me this long to try making a smoothie bowl recipe. My Ninja Creami machine doesn't have the smoothie bowl option, but that didn't stop me from trying it out anyway! Whether your machine has the smoothie bowl function or not, you'll still be able to make this recipe at home.

If you love fruity ninja creami recipes then you'll enjoy trying these dairy free ice creams like my Dole Whip, Coconut Ice Cream or Cherry Sorbet. I have a whole collection of delicious, healthy ninja creami recipes you can check out too if you're a lover of healthy desserts like I am!

Why You'll Love This Smoothie Bowl Recipe

• It is healthy. Made with wholesome ingredients like dairy free yogurt, coconut milk, fresh (or frozen) fruit, and protein powder, it's the healthy breakfast, snack or dessert that you wish you could do everyday!

• It is dairy free. It's a Ninja Creami smoothie bowl recipe for those who are dairy free, and with some protein powder adjustments it's perfect for vegans, too. You can easily make this a gluten free smoothie bowl too with the addition of gluten free granola.

• It is easy. Minimal prep and made in the Ninja Creami, it doesn't get much easier than this! No really, the hardest part is the waiting for it to freeze for 8 hours.

Please note this post contains affiliate links.

Ninja Creami Cherry Berry Smoothie Bowl Ingredients & Tested Substitutions

• 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 and 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 cause the ice cream base to have a less creamy texture than desired.
• 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. As long as you do not skip the coconut milk, you can truly use any type of milk if almond milk isn't your favorite. 
• Banana. I used ½ of a fresh banana that was still slightly green because that's my personal preference, but a more ripe banana is fine and will even add extra sweetness. Fresh or frozen is perfectly fine.
• Frozen Berries. I love the antioxidant berry blend from Whole Foods. It's a mix of blueberries, strawberries, cherries and pomegranate seeds, but a traditional frozen mixed berries blend would be great too. Additionally as with the banana you can use fresh fruits instead, I just prefer frozen because it's more cost effective.
• Frozen Cherries. When it comes to cherries, frozen is the easiest option so you don't have to spend time pitting fresh cherries. Alternatively, you can skip the cherries and use more mixed berries in their place if you'd prefer.
• Vanilla Protein Powder. My favorite protein powder to use is the Prime Protein by Equip Foods. It's a grass fed beef isolate protein powder, has minimal ingredients and always blends up so nice to create a perfectly creamy texture. It also tastes amazing which is important when choosing a protein powder. If you don't have a protein powder you love, I have some great easy to digest recommendations in this post, including vegan protein powder options as well.
• Dairy Free Vanilla Yogurt. I added this for a little extra protein and creaminess. If you're not dairy free you can feel free to use vanilla greek yogurt in its place.

Ninja Creami Smoothie Bowl Step by Step Instructions

1. Make the smoothie bowl base. Add the different frozen (or fresh) fruits to a Ninja Creami pint container. Pour the coconut milk and almond milk over top, then add the protein powder and dairy free yogurt ensuring the ingredients do not pass the max fill line. You may need to give it a gentle stir with a spoon to incorporate everything, but it doesn't have to be perfectly mixed.

2. Freeze. Place the lid on the pint container and freeze for 8 hours up to 24 hours. Ninja Creami suggests freezing for 24 hours, but I never freeze mine that long! 8 hours is generally enough time and mine still turns out creamy and delicious.

3. Mix the smoothie bowl. Remove the frozen pint from the freezer, remove the lid and place in the outer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. If your Ninja Creami ice cream machine has the smoothie bowl function, select that. If you do not have a machine with the smoothie bowl function, you can use the lite ice cream or sorbet function, both will work for this recipe.

When processing is complete, if you used the smoothie bowl function you can immediately transfer to a bowl as it should be the perfect texture. If you used the lite ice cream or sorbet function, you may have to add 2-3 tablespoons of additional milk and use the respin function to get the desired consistency for a smoothie bowl. I actually let mine sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a bowl since it was still a little thick.

4. Garnish & enjoy. Add your favorite toppings like fresh berries, chia seeds, natural peanut butter or almond butter, or Homemade Maple Vanilla Granola and enjoy!

Ninja Creami Expert Tips & Tricks

• If you do not have a ninja creami machine with a smoothie bowl option, don't worry! Use the "lite ice cream" or "sorbet" function on your machine. The only thing to note is that you'll have to add a bit more milk after the first spin before re-spinning and you may want to allow the smoothie bowl base to sit out at room temperature for ten minutes or so to get a creamy smoothie bowl texture. Otherwise, the texture will be a bit more like an ice cream or sorbet (which I personally don't mind!) You could also use 1-2 tablespoons of hot water before re-spinning to help thin out the mixture and make it more of a smoothie consistency.

• Top your smoothie bowl with fresh banana slices, berries, chia seeds, nut butter, gluten free granola, or a drizzle of honey for a delicious breakfast.

• I love using homemade gluten free granola (my favorite store bought granola is from Go Raw) or adding chunks of chocolate and coconut flakes as a garnish.

Ninja Creami Smoothie Bowl FAQs

Do I have to use full-fat coconut milk?

I highly recommend sticking with the full-fat canned coconut milk! The fats from the milk are what give this dairy-free ice cream that rich, velvety texture we all love. It's not the end of the world to use low-fat coconut milk, but using a low-fat or "lite" version can result in a more icy, less creamy consistency once it’s spun.

Do I really have to wait 24 hours for it to freeze?

The Ninja Creami recommends 24 hours because the Ninja Creami blade needs the base to be completely solid to shave it into that creamy consistency. However, I am super impatient when it comes to my sweets so I don't wait the full 24 hours most of the time. I find 8 hours is usually the sweet spot, so if you are anything like me and don't want to wait to enjoy a sweet treat, go with the 8 hours. If you have the patience, freezing it overnight or up to 24 hours, will give you great results as well.

Is this smoothie bowl vegan?

This recipe is dairy-free but can be made vegan, because some protein powders are not vegan. If you want to make a vegan version, you can simply use an unflavored, plant-based protein powder.

What else can I use instead of cherries?

If you don't like cherries, can't have cherries, or don't have cherries on hand, you can sub the cherries for more berries.

How to Store Ninja Creami Smoothie Bowl Base

​This recipe is intended to make one serving however if that's too much for you, you can split it into two servings. You can simply scoop out the amount of smoothie bowl base you'd like to enjoy and then simply use a spoon to smooth out the remaining mixture in the pint container. Place the lid back on and freeze until you'd like to use again. You'll have to go through step 3 again, including adding more milk or hot water to achieve the desired consistency.

If You Loved This Cherry Berry Smoothie Bowl Recipe, You May Also Like These Recipes

• Homemade Maple Vanilla Granola
• 3 Ingredient Ninja Creami Cherry Protein Sorbet
• 3 Ingredient Ninja Creami Raspberry Sorbet Recipe
• Rich & Creamy Healthy Ninja Creami Recipes
• Easy, Refreshing 3 Ingredient Ninja Creami Protein Sorbet Recipes

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!