Dairy-Free Chocolate Creami Recipe | Feasting on Fruit (2024)

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A dairy-free spin on the Ninja Creami trend! Rich vegan chocolate ice cream sweetened with dates, healthy and high-protein, ready in minutes!

So after seeing enough swirly instagram posts of Ninja Creami creations, I finally justified to myself and my husband that this magical machine was something we NEEDed in our lives. And I have used it almost every day since the box showed up, so I think I was right. Finding the right dairy-free ratios started out a little bumpy (literally), but after a few weeks I figured out a recipe to get consistently creamy results! It had to be:

  • CREAMY – not too icy or powdery (part of this is about technique too!)
  • High-protein – you’ll notice a common theme with Creami recipes and that is protein powder, which is part of why I wanted the machine in the first place. A bedtime snack that tastes like ice cream but also packs 30+ grams of protein? YES PLEASE. And yes it is possible to do with plant-based protein too
  • Healthy-ish – not too high in sugar or fat, I wanted that eat-the-whole-pint experience
  • Easy – prep every morning in just a few minutes easy
  • Dairy-free – almost every Ninja Creami recipe you’ll see on the internet starts with “fairlife milk”, so I wanted to bring a dairy-free option to the Creami recipe scene

I started with the classic: chocolate! With chocolate chips mixed in. But don’t worry, I have plenty more flavors in the works…

Creating The Perfect Dairy-Free Chocolate Creami

Just a handful of simple ingredients you probably already have on hand, one blender, and 8ish hours of chilling time. The Ninja Creami instructions do say “freeze overnight”, but I have found that if I pop it in the freeze by about 9am I am usually good to go by post-dinner Netflix time (8-9pm).

Dairy-Free Creami Ingredients

  • Cashew milk. Almond milk will work too, but cashew has a little extra creaminess that is even better here.
  • Coconut milk. Or coconut cream if you want it extra rich, you can sub with dairy-free yogurt or dairy-free creamer.
  • Chocolate protein powder. Your favorite brand or variety, I personally like Sprout Living Chocolate Maca Epic Protein.
  • Medjool dates. For natural sweetness, and a little extra thickness too
  • Cocoa powder. We want it extra chocolatey of course.
  • Vanilla and salt. Both add extra flavor balance and make it taste more like store-bought ice cream.

Ninja Creami Tips

  1. The RE-SPIN function! If there is one tip/secret/key I can give any new Ninja Creami owner, it’s the re-spin button on your machine. The first time you run almost any ice cream recipe, it’s going to come out powdery. But do not lose hope there! Just give it a little stir, add a splash of milk, and re-spin. Still not perfectly creamy? Re-spin again, this time without milk. And then add your mix-ins. It makes ALL the difference.
  2. Use enough fat. Yes we are going for a healthier ice cream, but you still need some fat/richness to get a creamy satisfying texture that isn’t icy. The majority of the base is cashew milk, which is mostly water, so you need the coconut milk for that extra fat. Or if you want to skip the coconut milk, add a tablespoon or two of nut butter.
  3. Sweeten with dates. I’ve made batches with maple syrup too, but blending in dates as the “sugar” adds extra thickness and creaminess too. Win win!
  4. Don’t over-fill your Creami cups. I stay a 1/4 inch or so below the max fill line even. You will still end up with plenty of volume, and it tends to blend better in my experience.
  5. Have fun with mix-ins! Once you get a go-to base recipe down, the fun part is MIX-INS. Chocolate chips, sprinkles, brownie chunks, cookie dough, m&ms, granola, endless possibilities…

More Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Love

  • Vegan Pistachio Ice Cream
  • SunButter Soft Serve
  • Watermelon Mint Ice Cream
  • Dairy-Free Rocky Road Ice Cream

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Dairy-Free Chocolate Creami Recipe | Feasting on Fruit (11)

Dairy-Free Chocolate Creami Recipe

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  • Author: Natalie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Chilling Time: 8 hours
  • Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
  • Category: ice cream
  • Method: frozen
  • Cuisine: american
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Description

A dairy-free spin on the Ninja Creami trend! Rich vegan chocolate ice cream sweetened with dates, healthy and high-protein, ready in minutes!

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
  2. Pour into a Ninja Creami container and freeze overnight.
  3. Process on the “light ice cream” setting, it will be powdery at this point.
  4. Add a splash of milk (preferably coconut) and “re-spin” once or twice as needed.
  5. Add mix-ins of choice, and process on the “mix-in” setting. Enjoy!

Keywords: dairy free, chocolate, ice cream, soft serve, vegan, high protein, snack, dessert, medjool dates

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Dairy-Free Chocolate Creami Recipe | Feasting on Fruit (12)

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Dairy-Free Chocolate Creami Recipe | Feasting on Fruit (2024)

FAQs

Why are non-dairy milks harder to make a creamy soft texture in ice cream with? ›

This is because, says Cyrus, "non-dairy milks generally have high water content and low fat content, which creates hard, icy crystals when frozen." The more water that is present as ice, the faster the product will melt, and those changes in melting affect the "creamy" perception.

How is dairy-free ice cream made? ›

What is vegan ice cream made of? Vegan ice cream recipes often use coconut milk and nut milks in lieu of cow's milk. Xanthan gum is a thickener that helps ice cream gain a creamy texture, without the need for heavy cream and eggs.

Why is dairy-free ice cream good? ›

Choosing non-dairy ice cream can offer some health benefits that include saving you calories, sugar, and saturated fat, which can contribute to high cholesterol. In other cases, though, the plant-based versions have more of the above.

How does the Ninja creamer work? ›

After the appropriate program is selected, the appliance gets to work. The rapidly spinning blade shaves and mixes the frozen-solid contents, boring its way to the bottom as the ice cream becomes creamy, and then reverses to blend the ice cream mixture as it returns to the top.

What is the best non-dairy milk for homemade ice cream? ›

Kaminsky says that you'll get the best results from dairy-free counterparts that are higher in fat such as canned coconut milk. She typically uses almond milk as her base, but other non-dairy milks can work (steer clear of rice milk because it tends to be too watery).

What is the thickest creamiest non-dairy milk? ›

Oat Milk. Oat milk is perhaps the creamiest of all the plant milks. Its thick creamy texture means it's one of the closest plant-based milks to resemble dairy milk. Oat milk is quickly becoming a favorite non-dairy alternative to milk with popular brands like Oatly disrupting the traditional milk industry.

What is ice cream without dairy called? ›

Sorbets. Sorbets are naturally lactose-free because they do not contain dairy. They're typically made from water and fruit juice or purée. Sherbets, on the other hand, will contain dairy in the form of dairy milk or cream, so be sure to inspect the label.

What is a substitute for eggs in ice cream? ›

Instead of the traditional egg custard base, this recipe uses cornstarch and a few tablespoons of cream cheese to thicken the base. It's not enough that you taste the cream cheese, but just enough to give the ice cream a creamy, silky mouthfeel.

What is so delicious dairy free ice cream made from? ›

Organic Coconutmilk (Filtered Water, Organic Coconut), Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Pea Protein, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Natural Flavor, Vanilla Bean Specks.

Why is dairy Queen's ice cream not ice cream? ›

Technically, our soft serve does not qualify to be called ice cream. To be categorized as ice cream, the minimum butterfat content must be ten percent, and our soft serve has only five percent butterfat content.

Is there a healthy dairy-free ice cream? ›

Dairy-free brands

For example, So Delicious' Creamy Vanilla soy milk ice cream has only 120 calories and 0 grams of saturated fat per half-cup serving. Similarly, Dream's vanilla-flavored almond milk ice cream has 140 calories and 1 gram of saturated fat per half-cup serving.

Does Tillamook make dairy-free ice cream? ›

Do you make any dairy-free ice creams? We do not make any dairy-free products. However, we do offer a fruit sorbet option at our ice cream counter at the Tillamook Creamery so that everyone can enjoy a delicious dessert! You can find our ice cream menu here.

What's the difference between Ninja Creami and Ninja Creami Deluxe? ›

The Ninja Creami Deluxe version expands upon the original Ninja Creami, which offers seven functions (ice cream, sorbet, lite ice cream, gelato, milkshake, smoothie bowl, and mix-in) while the Deluxe offers 11 (it adds slushy, Italian ice, frozen drink, Creamiccino, and frozen yogurt to the mix).

Why is Ninja Creami so popular? ›

The Ninja Creami is an appliance primarily lauded for its ice cream-making capabilities but it has numerous functions. I tried the more budget-friendly Ninja Creami Breeze 7-in-1 Ice Cream Maker, which can make regular ice cream and “l*te” ice cream, smoothie bowls, sorbet, gelato and milkshakes.

What makes non-dairy ice cream creamy? ›

The secret is nothing more than coconut milk. Full-fat, creamy coconut milk. Other vegan milk substitutes, like almond milk or soy milk, just don't cut it when it comes to ice cream. You need the fattiness and unctuousness that can only be found in a can of coconut milk.

What is the secret to making ice cream very creamy? ›

When it comes to great ice cream, cold temperatures and speed are your friends: the faster you bring your base from liquid to solid, the creamier it'll be. In a 2-quart unit, a typical batch of ice cream will take between 18 and 25 minutes to churn.

What gives ice cream its creamy texture? ›

At its core ice cream is a successful emulsion of fat into water, sugar, and ice with air mixed into the batch. An emulsion is a mixture of two substances that typically separate (like oil and water). But, instead mix together to form the consistent creamy base used for ice cream. It's Science!

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