Have you tried the Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker yet for smooth and creami vegan ice cream, sorbet, slushies, and more? If not, you are in for a real treat! There is absolutely no other device I’ve come across that turns fruit, coconut cream, and other flavorings into such a delightful frozen creamy rich vegan dessert!
Recently I was turned onto the Ninja Creami by another blogger singing Ninja’s praises for its ability to turn a can of fruit into a rich and creamy frozen dessert. Yeah right…
As it turns out, the Ninja Creami can absolutely do that! And so much more! I have long been working on perfecting vegan ice cream recipes. And though my recipes all taste amazing, they also fall a little short in the texture department. But then so does every single other vegan ice cream recipe I’ve tried. And I’ve tried many! That is, until I discovered the Ninja Creami!
Ninja is not paying me for this post. Nor do they even know that I, as a food blogger, exist. This is my personal Ninja Creami review and experience as a vegan blogger and Ninja Creami owner. I hope you find the following information and recipes useful! Check back because I will be adding to the knowledge base as I also learn more.
Table of contents
- An important disclaimer
- The Recipes
- Haagen Daz Copycat Coffee Ice Cream, Vegan
- Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream, Dairy-Free
- Pina Colada Ice Cream
- Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Apple Pie Ice Cream
- Disney Dole Whip
- Watermelon Lime Ice Cream
- Frozen Yogurt with Bananas
- Banana Pudding Ice Cream
- Tips, tricks and what has worked for me
- Ingredients that work best for Ninja Creami recipes
- Vegan Milk
- Vegan Cream Cheese
- Vegan Mayo
- Citrus Juice
- Steps to process your vegan homemade ice cream
- Step 2: Prepare for processing
- What could go wrong?
- Ingredients that work best for Ninja Creami recipes
An important disclaimer
There are my experiences as a user. You must follow the manufacturer’s directions that came with your machine. Before using the NInja Creami for the first time, I highly recommend that you watch some of the videos that Ninja recommends including this basic intro video to the Ninja Creami. You will learn a lot by watching it. I know that I did:)
The Recipes
I hope you enjoy my favorite Vegan Ninja Creami recipes! I’ve worked very hard on them and have tested the recipes many times on my family (lucky them) to bring you what works for me. Check back because I’ll be adding more as I develop more.
After the recipes section, you can find tips, tricks, and suggestions to help make your Ninja Creami experience as fabulous as mine! Is your mouth watering yet?
Save this post and check back because I will be making more and more recipes for the Ninja Creami! And if you are looking for other ice cream recipes NOT using the Ninja Creami including no-churn ice cream, sorbets, and other frozen desserts, check out this post for all the best homemade vegan ice cream recipes from Veggie Fun Kitchen.
Haagen Daz Copycat Coffee Ice Cream, Vegan
This will remind you of your favorite coffee-flavored ice cream. This rich and creamy version has a little less sugar and fat and is dairy free.
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Vegan Coffee Cream Ice Cream for the Ninja Creami
Get the Haagen Daz Recipe!
Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream, Dairy-Free
As fresh as a summer day, the vanilla/orange mix will remind you of one of your favorite childhood treats!
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Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream, Dairy-Free
Vegan orange creamsicle ice cream is made with orange juice concentrate, French vanilla pudding mix, a little sugar, vanilla extract, oat milk, and coconut cream, and is an absolute dream come true! The creamy smooth orange-vanilla flavors taste just like an orange creamsicle. You will want to make this dairy-free frozen dessert again and again!
Get the Creamsicle Recipe!
Pina Colada Ice Cream
Tastes just like a pina colada! But it’s ice cream…unless UNLESS you want to turn it into the famous frozen adult beverage! Yep, I give you directions for that one too!
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Pina Colada Ice Cream, Vegan
Get the PIna Colada Ice Cream Recipe!
Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Is it a frozen blueberry cheesecake? Or ice cream? I’ll let you decide. You’ll love this blueberry ice cream that is bursting with sweet blueberries with an subtle layer of tartness that is just right!
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Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream, Vegan
This luscious creamy purple/blue blueberry cheesecake ice cream is 100% dairy-free! It's made with fresh blueberries, coconut cream, lemon juice, maple syrup, and a secret ingredient – vegan mayo! This recipe was developed for the Ninja Creami, but could be made using another ice cream maker. See notes below.
Get the Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe!
Apple Pie Ice Cream
Made with a can of apple pie filling and a few other minor ingredients…and that’s it! No fuss, just yummy ice cream that tastes just like the apple pie grandma used to make.
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Vegan Apple Pie Ice Cream in the Ninja Creami
Apple pie ice cream will bring a little taste of fall to a warm summer day. This vegan ice cream is super easy to make in the Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker. It is made with canned pie filling, a little spice, and Ritz Crackers to lend an authentic apple pie flavor.
Get the apple pie ice cream here!
Disney Dole Whip
This is the real deal! This is made from the same stuff Disney uses to make their Dole Whip soft serve. And no, it’s not actually fresh pineapple!
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Vegan Dole Whip Pineapple Recipe for the Ninja Creami
Real vegan Dole Whip made at home in the Ninja Creami using Dole Pineapple frozen dessert mix. This pineapple frozen soft-serve tastes just like the Dole Whip you get at the Disney parks but you can make it at home!
Get the real deal Dole Whip here!
Watermelon Lime Ice Cream
This recipe is techically a sorbet because it only consists of fruit and sweetener. It’s so darned creamy though that I had to call it “ice cream”!
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Vegan Watermelon Ice Cream in the Ninja Creami
As carefree and sweet as a warm summer day, this vegan watermelon ice cream is creamy, smooth, and flavorful with a hint of lime and sweetness. Made with fresh watermelon and only two other ingredients, this frozen dairy-free treat is unbelievably creamy because it is made in the Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker.
Get the creamy watermelon ice cream here!
Frozen Yogurt with Bananas
This one is my husband’s favorite – and he doesn’t even like yogurt! Shhhh….he’ll nver know!
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Vegan Frozen Yogurt with Bananas
Creamy, smooth, and sweet, with a little tang from the vegan yogurt, this frozen dessert is made with bananas, vegan yogurt, maple syrup, and a little vegan cream cheese. This recipe was developed for the Ninja Creami, but you could make it in another ice cream maker as well. (See blog post and recipe notes.)
Get the recipe for frozen yogurt with bananas!
Banana Pudding Ice Cream
Okay, I may have lied. THIS one is my husband’s favorite. And mine too! Made with banana pudding mix, fresh bananas, and golden Oreo vanilla cookies. Yummmmmmm!
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Vegan Banana Pudding Ice Cream
Creamy, smooth, and delicious, this Vegan banana pudding ice cream is made with coconut cream, real bananas, banana pudding mix, and Golden Oreos. Delight your tastebuds with the silky sweet flavor of old-fashioned banana pudding, frozen and served for an elegant frozen dessert that everyone will remember! Developed for the Ninja Creami, but could work in other ice cream makers. See blog post above for more information.
The the banana pudding ice cream here!
Tips, tricks and what has worked for me
Homemade ice cream can be a fun and rewarding experience. Unfortunately, it’s not always so rewarding when making vegan ice creams which tend to freeze icy and hard. Using the Ninja Creami has been game changing for me! Read on to learn some tips and tricks and what has worked for me.
Again, I recommend if you are new to the the Ninja Creami, you watch some of the videos that Ninja recommends including this introductory video on how to use the Ninja Creami.
Ingredients that work best for Ninja Creami recipes
Honesly, you can freeze a can of fruit in it’s juice and have it come out creamy and smooth when using the Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker. There are a few ingredients I’ve found though that consistently work in my vegan ice cream recipes.
Coconut cream
Many non-vegan recipes call for heavy cream. We will be using coconut cream instead. I have specified in my recipes if you should use use lite coconut milk, full-fat, or coconut cream – or if it even matters.
You will be skimming to top layer of cream from a can of coconut milk. Use lite coconut milk, full fat, or even a can of coconut cream. You need to use canned coconut milk – not the type that comes in a carton. The coconut milk that comes in a carton will not seperate and you won’t be able to skim any cream from a carton.
It’s best to place the can of coconut milk, upright and undisturbed for serveal hours before opening. If you do not have time for that, then place the can upright in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. That should speed up the process.
I usually keep a can or two undisturbed near the back of the fridge so I’ll always be ready when the urge to make ice cream hits!
Vegan Milk
Most recipes call for milk. If you are adapting from a non-vegan recipe, it will usually call for whole milk. I use unsweetened oat milk – the extra creamy version if I can find it. You can also use any thicker plant milk with a pleassant flavor you enjoy. Almond milk or cashew milk should work as well.
Vegan Cream Cheese
Many recipes will call for a Tablespoon of cream cheese – including some of mine. Cream cheese helps with the texture. I have use Tofutti brand, Kite-Hill, as well as Violife. They all worked great. What I don’t recommend is using homemade oil-free tofu cream cheese. You need a little oil for the texture.
Vegan Mayo
When I want my ice cream recipe to have a tany flavor, I substitute vegan mayo for the cream cheese. Just make sure to use actual vegan mayo with oil for an extra creamy texture.
Citrus Juice
If I am making a sorbet and don’t need the extra creamy texture of ice cream, I add a little lemon juice or lime juice to the mix. This keeps the fruit colors bright and helps to balanace out any sweet from the sugar or syrup I use to sweeten the mix.
Steps to process your vegan homemade ice cream
Step 1: Freeze the mixture
The one and ONLY disadvantage to using the Ninja Cream Ice Cream Maker for vegan ice cream is that you need to have an extreme amount of patience to freeze the ingredients for 24 hours! But you really really do!
So that I always have a frozen mixture ready to go, I have purchased several extra pint containers. I keep them filled in the freezer so that I can pull them out and make my ice cream or other frozen dessert whenever the urge strikes.
Before freezing, make sure that all of the ingredients don’t exceed the max fill line on the pint container. Some of the recipes specify to max out a little below the line. These are recipes with a higher water content that I know will be expanding before freezing.
Before placing the filled pint containers in the freezer, I put a piece of tape on the lid and write the recipe name along with the date and time I froze it.
After the ingredients have frozen for 24 hours, you can pull out the pint container and process your lucious creamy vegan dessert! I promise you, this will be the best homemade ice cream you’ve made – even better than store bought!
Step 2: Prepare for processing
It’s best to read the manual that came with your Ninja Creami. Here is a recap of what works for me:
- Remove the pint container from the freezer and remove the lid.
- Place the frozen pint container into the outer processing container or bowl that came with your device.
- Insert the blade/paddle device into the outer-bowl lid and lock the lid assembly.
- Place the bowl assembly onto the motor base pad. Make sure it is plugged in and twist it up until it locks.
- You will know it is locked because the lights will turn on when you press the on-switch. If you’ve not done it correctly then the “install” light will be flashing.
- Process this recipe using the setting recommended in the recipe you are using. Remove from the device following the directions that came with your machine.
What could go wrong?
If you have followed all of the steps that came in your owner’s manual, really nothing much is going to go wrong. Sometimes though, after processing, you will notice that your vegan ice cream is not nice and smooth, but rather powdery with little frozen ballas on top.
This is probably because your freezer is too cold and freezing the ingredients too hard. It’s not a problem though. simply reinsert and do a “respin”. It should be nice and smooth now…
BUT IF IT’S NOT!! Add a tablespoon of plant milk to the top and do one more respin. That really should do the trick.
