What Do You Do About the Bump on Ninja Creami Ice Cream? Can It Damage the Machine?

Let me start off by saying that not all bumps are treated equally. This is not a one-size-fits-all all answer.

The information in this post is for informational purposes only and is based on my own personal experiences and the experiences of the folks in the Ninja Creami Community on Facebook. You should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

This is one of the most common and controversial troubleshooting issues with the Ninja Creami.

Sometimes after freezing Ninja Creami creations, a mound or hump can develop on the top of the ice cream. Per the instructions from the manufacturer, the top needs to be level in order to safely process the ice cream in the machine. But, what does “level” actually mean and are these bumps okay to process?

Why does this happen?

There’s various reasons the Ninja Creami ice cream can start to grow a bump out of the top.

The main reason is due to the way that the ice cream freezes. The mixture close to the outside of the container freezes faster than the ice cream in the center. It freezes from the outside in. Things expand when they are frozen. Since the middle is less frozen and softer (easier to push through and expand), it usually expands through the middle part of the mixture, causing it to grow out of the top.

A few things can impact how your mixture freezes, and if and how the bump is created.

Freezer temperature
Ingredients
Placement in the freezer
Type of freezer-Chest or standup
Time frozen
Covered or uncovered

So, the question is, how big of a bump is okay, and what do you do if it needs to be removed or flattened?

Large/Tall Mound

If the ice cream has a large/tall mound of icy ice cream growing out of the middle, you need to remove it before processing the ice cream. The bigger and taller the mound, the more important it is to remove it, even it it’s centered.

Examples of large mounds:

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Small/Flat Mound

If the ice cream developed a small, fairly flat bump in the middle of the top of the ice cream during the freezing process, you do not NEED to remove it before processing. However, many choose to remove it just to be safe. These bumps can be soft and almost squishy (lots of air) or can be more solid like ice.

Examples of small bumps:

Unlevel

If the ice cream has been frozen at an angle and the top is not level, do not process it. It needs to be thawed and refrozen on a level surface.
If the mixture has chunks of things like fruit in it, the fruit should not be sticking out of the top of the frozen mixture. It should be flat.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

There is a big difference between having a bump or mound on the the top of the ice cream and having an unlevel pint.

Unlevel=The ice cream was frozen on an angle in the freezer. You cannot process an unlevel pint. You need to thaw and refreeze it.

Bump or mound=Occurs during the freezing process and varies in shape, size, and location. This is more common in low-fat, low-sugar, and low-calorie creations. Depending on the size and shape, you may need to remove it before processing. Not all bumps are created equal.

How to resolve the issue…

There are several ways to remove the bumps on the ice cream. None are better than others, it’s just a matter of preference.

Many freeze the ice cream with the lid off for a couple of hours, or for the entire freezing time. Sometimes this reduces the chances of the bump from forming, sometimes it doesn’t.
Some put small silicone disks (coasters or wine glass covers) or parchment paper on top of the mixture while freezing- this sometimes reduces the likelihood of the bump forming.
If the bump needs to be removed, here are some methods to use to remove it:
- Run a spoon under warm water and then use the warm spoon to melt the bump down.
- Fill a Ziplock bag with warm water and place the Ziplock bag on top of the bump for a few minutes until it’s soft enough to scrape down.
- Microwave the container of ice cream for about 10 seconds and then scrape the bump down (doing so will start to melt all of the ice cream, so if you don’t want your ice cream to be soft, choose another method).
- Gently scrape the bump down with a vegetable peeler.
Higher fat and sugar recipes are less likely to develop the bump. This is more common with low fat and low sugar recipes.