by Chris Shugart
Healthy Ninja CREAMi Ideas
Physique-friendly ice cream is a thing. Make this high-protein, no-added-sugar version and customize it however you want.
Why make your own healthy ice cream? Why not just pick up a pint of Halo Top or something? Well, if you make your own, you double or triple the protein and pay less per pint.
The average cost of Halo Top ice cream is around $5 with 16 to 24 grams of protein. The average price of ice cream made with MD Protein (Buy at Amazon) is roughly $4 with 40 to 70 grams of protein per pint (and that's using pricier organic milk).
Also, with Halo Top, you're paying for air, about three-fourths of a cup of air in every pint. That's why their pints are about half the weight of regular ice cream in the same size: they're poofed with air.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather pay less and get more protein. The only caveat? You do need an ice cream machine, like the Ninja CREAMi (Buy at Amazon). Well worth it!
So, in this edition of Protein First, let's make a basic vanilla ice cream that's anything but basic, then look at all the ways to customize it to fit your macros and nutritional needs. Here's the video.
Make the Base
Step 1: Choose a milk. Most Ninja CREAMi recipes start with 12 ounces of milk or an alternative:
- Cow's Milk: Fat-free, 1%, 2%, or whole
- Almond Milk: Sweetened or unsweetened, plain or flavored
- Canned Coconut Milk: Full-fat or lite
- Other Alternatives: Oat, goat, breast, etc.
To get the creamiest ice cream texture, use milk with at least a little fat, though fat-free works too. It's just a bit icier.
Step 2: To make the most flavorful, high-protein ice with the best mouthfeel, add two scoops of MD Protein (Buy at Amazon) (2.5 with some recipes). You won't get the same flavor or texture with plain whey. Choose vanilla or chocolate.
Step 3: Whisk the milk of choice and protein powder together, pour into the provided Ninja CREAMi pint cup, and freeze it overnight. This is the only annoying part: you have to plan ahead. Want ice cream on Saturday? Freeze the base on Friday. But you can solve this problem by buying extra pint cups (Buy at Amazon) so you always have one frozen and ready to spin.
Spin It! (And Maybe Re-Spin It)
Step 4: Place the frozen pint in your machine and use the "lite ice cream" button to give it a churn.
Step 5: Take a look at it. It's probably perfect, but it might look powdery or dry. If that's the case, add one tablespoon of milk, place it back in the machine, and hit the "re-spin" button.
Add a Mix-In
Step 6: Now you can really have some fun. Here's the general rule: You can add one-fourth of a cup of chopped mix-ins per pint:
- Nuts: Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamias, etc.
- Chocolate Chips: Regular, dark, sugar-free, etc.
- Coconut Flakes
- Bits of Fruit: Press between paper towels to get the excess water out.
- No-Sugar Granola Cereal (Buy at Amazon)
Just make sure everything is chopped up. The CREAMi is not a blender.
Even More Ideas
That was just a basic how-to, but you can get creative. For example, use sugar-free pudding mix (one or two tablespoons) to make new flavors. Just add that to the base of milk and protein powder. Cocoa powder works too, and a teaspoon or two of sugar-free gelatin adds more flavor options. Or use powdered peanut butter to make Peanut Butter Protein Ice Cream.
You can see examples of all those ideas in our dedicated Ninja CREAMi Thread.
Make It Your Own
With all the options, anyone can make ice cream fit their preferred macros or eating style, but here are the numbers for the basic vanilla ice cream shown in the video above (whole pint without mix-ins):
- Calories 425
- Protein 67g
- Carbs 25g
- Fat 7g
Yes, a pint is supposed to be two servings, but let's get real. You're gonna eat it all. And you should.
T Nation earns from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. Read more about our policy.
