Blueberry Cheesecake Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream
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Want to enjoy an indulgent blueberry cheesecake in ice cream form? How about with some added protein? This Blueberry Cheesecake Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream recipe tastes just like a blueberry cheesecake and has the perfect ice cream texture! The Ninja Creami ice cream maker helps get everything together for an indulgent high-protein frozen treat!
I know that the fall menu is out at coffee shops, and everyone is just adoring their Pumpkin Spice Lattes. People are even thinking about making some pumpkin pies already! However, for those of you who are grasping onto the last days of August like I am in Canada, then don’t worry! Thankfully the weather is still sunny and still warm, which means it’s ice cream weather! The same way that preparing restaurant dishes at home can give you the power to customize flavours, spice levels, and more, so can making your very own ice cream in terms of sweetness, and in this case… nutrition!
Trust me, I totally love my ice cream! When I was in Italy, I had a gelato every day. Ice cream is in the top list of my favourite desserts, and I’m so happy that I have the option to make my own ice creams at home now that I have a Ninja Creami. I actually bought it last November, and I did an entire deep dive video on my thoughts and demoing some of the recipes written by Ninja to test out the functionalities. While I do love an ice cream trip for a memorable date night or snagging a Ben and Jerry’s from time to time, it is true that those ice creams are full of sugar, low in protein, and high in calories! Full disclosure that I’m not a calorie counter, but when I am working hard in the gym and want some ice cream more often than not, then it is a good idea to know what’s going into my ice cream!
That’s where the Ninja Creami can help out! This Blueberry Cheesecake Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream has the right amount of indulgence by tasting EXACTLY like a blueberry cheesecake, but it also has some added protein and vitamins from our fruits! If you’re looking to put your heart in a bowl or cup for a homemade healthy-ish ice cream, then be sure to try out this Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream Recipe as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get started for free today by signing up to my newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent right to your inbox!
If you want to follow along with making our perfect protein cheesecake ice cream base and how to spin this incredibly easy homemade frozen treat, then be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post! If you haven’t already, please subscribe YouTube channel, and don’t forget to press the bell button so you’re notified when all of my video recipes are live! Let’s get mixing!
Why You Need to Make This Ninja Creami Protein Cheesecake Ice Cream!
Protein-packed: As the name suggests, there is a lot of protein going on in this Ninja Creami Protein Cheesecake Ice Cream recipe! The protein not only comes from the protein powder, but we also have protein from our whole milk and cottage cheese. To be more precise, the whole pint has close to 50 grams of protein!
Antioxidants: Blueberries are high in antioxidants, which promote good health! Antioxidants help with recovery and to boost your immune system. We certainly will be loading up on the blueberries here!
Loaded with calcium: Calcium is key for strong bones and teeth, which ultimately assist in your overall health. We have calcium from our milk, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.
Perfect ice cream texture: The ratios in this Ninja Creami Protein ice cream will give you a scoopable ice cream texture so you can serve in a cup or cone to have a true ice cream experience!
Easy to make: You just need to blend all the ingredients for the base recipe and then let the Ninja Creami do all the work when it’s time to enjoy your ice cream!
Tastes just like ice cream! No weird artificial sweeteners, chalky protein taste, or unsatisfactory experience overall. You’ll really feel like you’re eating some blueberry cheesecake with the extra nutritional bonuses of the ingredients in this protein ice cream recipe!
Protein Ninja Creami Ice Cream Recipe without Pudding Mix!
You may see lots of protein ice cream recipes that add in pudding mix. They do this because high-protein recipes tend to use lower fat plant-based milks or even lower fat dairy. As a result, to get the perfect texture, you need some sort of thickening agent to bind all the ingredients together. Furthermore, the pudding mixes will add their own unique twist of flavour and creaminess to the final ice cream which is a bonus for you!
However, I can understand why you may not want to do this - personally I didn’t. I didn’t want to add artificial sweeteners to my Ninja Creami, and for me I don’t really make pudding, so I didn’t want to pay for the extra ingredient that would just end up sitting in my pantry until I made another creami. Some people make creamis every day or multiple times a day. Well, that’s great! But then again, the cost of the pudding mix purchases will certainly add up…
Protein Cheesecake Ice Cream with Cottage Cheese or Greek Yogurt?
Since we’re going for a cheesecake, I chose to use cottage cheese. I know lots of people don’t like cottage cheese, and to be honest I only really grew fond of it quite recently! The key is…. to blend it! Blended cottage cheese makes it so smooth and spreadable, if you’re looking how to use your cottage cheese after making your protein ice cream. Furthermore, it’s airy and light, and the taste is very mild. Don’t worry about tasting cottage cheese at all in your ice cream! Even if you’re not trying to make a cheesecake ice cream, cottage cheese can do a great job to help thicken up your protein ice cream and prevent the ice cream from being icy. The higher fat content of the cottage cheese the better.
You could use Greek yogurt, but as I said we’re going for a cheesecake ice cream, so “cheese” is the keyword here. Also, in my opinion, I find Greek yogurt has more sourness than sour cream. As a result, you may taste the yogurt more than the sour cream. Furthermore, in my experience, the cottage cheese has made the protein ice cream smoother and creamier than the Greek yogurt did. If you will use Greek yogurt for whatever reason, go for a higher fat Greek yogurt, and try vanilla to add some sweetness.
What Kind of Milk Should I Use for Protein Ninja Creami Ice Cream?
Again, a lot of these high protein Ninja Creami ice cream recipes use some version of those Fairlife high protein milks. They do this to keep the fats low. To be quite honest with you, since we’re trying to achieve a cheesecake flavour, we want the fats to be on the higher end. Additionally, to be totally transparent, those milks are very expensive. Just regular classic milk is an ingredient most of you are likely to already have on hand, so I don’t want you stressing out about using a fancier milk. Although these milks have a higher protein content, you don’t need to worry, because the protein powder and cottage cheese in our base will provide plenty of protein for you!
How to Get a Cheesecake Flavour?
The most popular ingredient to make a cheesecake is with cream cheese, such as in a New York-style cheesecake. However, other dairy products like mascarpone or ricotta can also be used for your base as well. So in this Blueberry Protein Cheesecake Creami, the cheesecake flavour comes from cream cheese, cottage cheese, along with sweetness and flavourings like maple syrup, protein powder, blueberries and bananas.
What Type of Protein Powder Should I Use?
I recommend using a neutral protein powder or one with a very subtle flavour. The one I used is appropriately named Strawberry Shortcake. Out of all the flavours I have on hand, I thought this one would be the most suitable! This is because it is very mild and won’t mask the flavour of the blueberries and the “cheesecakiness” of our ice cream. As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, if you already have a suitable protein powder, then I definitely do NOT encourage you to go buy another one just for this ice cream! Other options that will work well here include a simple vanilla protein powder, or you could get even cakier and use a birthday cake protein powder!
How Do I Get the Perfect ICe Cream Texture?
You need to make sure that you allow the creami portion to chill in the freezer for at least 24 hours. This is an essential and a non-negotiable step since when the blades rotate on the Ninja Creami, the final texture depends on the frostiness of your portion to determine the final creamy texture.
Of course, the ingredients used in the creami itself contribute greatly to the creaminess of the ice cream. At the end of the day, that is why the whole milk and cream cheese add natural fats, and the banana further contributes to a creamy final consistency!
What DO I DO About the Powdery Texture After the First SPin?
This is going to be completely normal! Some people add some extra milk and then re-spin, but if you want scoopable ice cream, then I suggest just re-spinning the Ninja Creami. When I first tested this recipe, I added some milk in a hole in the centre of my NInja Creami pint, and the final result of my ice cream turned out to be more like the Dairy Queen Blizzard frozen treat compared to classic ice cream. I wanted to have some classic ice cream, so we want some “hardness” to our ice cream!
Do I really Have to Freeze the Pint for 24 hours?
Depending on how cold your freezer is, the full 24 hours probably isn’t really necessary. If you want to be safe, you can freeze for the full 24 hours, but probably 20-23 hours will yield results that are pretty much exactly the same as if you were to freeze for 24 hours! The key here is just to ensure that the ice cream base is ENTIRELY frozen. Otherwise, you will get more of a milkshake texture and not ice cream, which is what we are going for in this recipe.
Can I Make This Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Dairy-Free?
To be honest with you I’m really not sure. Quite frankly, there is a lot of dairy in this cheesecake Ninja Creami ice cream recipe. We have dairy from the milk, whey protein powder, cottage cheese, and cream cheese. You’d have to find dairy-free alternatives to all of those ingredients. However, I can’t guarantee how the flavour and texture will turn out compared to this original recipe. You could try and let me know if you get a delicious flavour with scoopable ice cream texture!
Can I Do Other Types of Cheesecake ice creams?
Yes, you definitely can! I chose blueberry cheesecake because - while I don’t eat much berries- I do quite enjoy blueberries! However, here are some other types of cheesecake ice creams you can try out!
Strawberry
Raspberry
Cherry
Citrus
Chocolate
Coffee
Extra Tips to Have the Best Cheesecake Ice Cream!
Using full-fat dairy products for the milk, cream cheese and cottage cheese is the sure fire way of achieving the creamiest texture in the final product. Of course you can use low fat variations, since there are still ways to get a creamy ice cream in the Ninja Creami ice cream maker, such as multiple re-spins.
Feel comfortable with experimenting with the re-spin function on the Ninja Creami machine in case the final product does not turn out as creamy of a texture as you are hoping for.
In addition to topping off the ice cream with graham cracker crumbs and cream cheese chips, you can explore adding mix-ins using the “mix-in” feature. You would do this once you’ve achieved your desired texture after re-spinning the required amount of times. Examples of mix-ins can be toasted almonds, candied pecans or a few extra tablespoons of cream cheese.
If you don’t want to make an entire pint, you can use the recipe card to reduce the amount of ice cream base. The Ninja Creami will still spin less liquid under the “max fill” line perfectly fine! That being said, if you’re using the Ninja Creami deluxe ice cream maker, you can use the recipe card to scale the recipe by 1.5 times, or make the same amount as outlined but not fill your pint up all the way.
To store the ice cream in the freezer long term, make sure you have used an airtight container in the freezer. Furthermore, be sure to cover the ice cream with plastic wrap, with the wrap pressed firmly against the surface of ice cream. Covering with plastic wrap isn’t entirely necessary, but it will benefit you in keeping the ice cream fresher for longer because it will prevent ice crystals from forming.
Tools Needed to Make Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream
Ingredients for Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream
To see all measurements and to save this amazing ice cream recipe for later, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD! You can also use the recipe card to scale the recipe based on how many pints of this Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream you want to make! By default, this recipe yields one pint in the regular Ninja Creami ice cream maker.
For the ICe Cream Base
Cream cheese: I recommend full fat.
Cottage cheese: I actually used a reduced fat cottage cheese here because I already had it in the fridge.
Fresh or frozen blueberries: Either work! However, you get a nicer purple colour using frozen blueberries, and you may find that they are even sweeter than fresh.
Banana: Make sure that it is ripe to add natural sweetness and extra creaminess to the ice cream.
Whole milk: You can use a lower fat milk if you’d like, but for the creamiest results and to achieve a true cheesecake flavour, I recommend whole milk.
Vanilla extract: Essential to enhance the flavours and sweetness of our base!
Maple syrup: Just a bit extra sweetness to balance out the tanginess of the cottage cheese. You’ll also be better off adding extra sweetness since flavours get muted when a mixture is frozen. So to be on the safe side, a little bit of maple syrup will ensure that you have a sweet ice cream coming out of the freezer and when the Ninja Creami creamifies it!
Protein powder: I recommend either vanilla protein powder or strawberry protein powder so that you’re not masking the flavours of the blueberries and cream cheese.
Salt: Always a must when I’m making a dessert, which I know may be counterintuitive! However, when we freeze our mixture, the flavours indeed get muted. To ensure all of the deliciousness is preserved when we’re spinning our Ninja Creami blueberry cheesecake ice cream base, some salt will bring everything out!
For the toppings
Graham crackers: You can use either packaged graham cracker crumbs, as I did here. This saves a lot of time! Otherwise, if you already have some whole graham crackers, simply crumble them.
Cream cheese chips: Just to really give us even more cheesecake goodness! If you can’t find these, white chocolate chips will also work.
How to Make Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream in the Ninja Creami
Place all the ingredients for the protein ice cream in a pitcher and process using an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can use a blender to do the same.
Transfer the blended contents to the Ninja Creami 1 pint jar and fill to the max line. Freeze at a level spot for at least 24 hours.
Insert the frozen creami treat to the Ninja Creami machine and select the Ice Cream setting.
Once the machine stops, you may notice that the base is powdery. Select the re-spin setting to make the ice cream creamy.
Scoop the ice cream to a bowl and top with graham cracker crumbs and the cream cheese chips for garnish.
Enjoy!
Watch how to make Blueberry Cheesecake Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Ninja Creami Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup cream cheese
- 1/2 Cup cottage cheese
- 1 Cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/4 Cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder or strawberry protein powder
- pinch of salt
- graham cracker crumbs or graham crackers, crumbled
- cream cheese chips, as desired
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients for the protein ice cream in a pitcher and process using an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can use a blender to do the same.
- Transfer the blended contents to the Ninja Creami 1 pint jar and fill to the max line. Freeze at a level spot for at least 24 hours.
- Insert the frozen creami treat to the Ninja Creami machine and select the Ice Cream setting. Once the machine stops, you may notice that the base is powdery. Select the re-spin setting to make the ice cream creamy.
- Scoop the ice cream to a bowl and top with graham cracker crumbs and the cream cheese chips for garnish. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
776Fat (grams)
31.15 gSat. Fat (grams)
18 gCarbs (grams)
79.27 gFiber (grams)
6.03 gSugar (grams)
43.63 gProtein (grams)
49.88 gSodium (milligrams)
890.88 mgCholesterol (grams)
157.20 mgNutrition info is an estimate and does not include the graham cracker and cream cheese chips toppings.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
