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One of the most popular flavors of ice cream is butter pecan! There’s not an ice cream shop or grocery store that you can go into and not find butter pecan ice cream. Well, guess what? You can make your very own butter pecan at home using your Ninja Creami. But, this recipe is even better than just butter pecan ice cream. It’s a custard-like base, which means that it’s super rich, and creamy! Since the Ninja Creami ice cream maker doesn’t have a custard option, we are using the gelato option instead.
This recipe was submitted by a member of our Community!
This recipe was submitted by a member of our community, either directly through this website or through one of our Facebook Communities! We have so many great members and recipes in our communities! And now, we are sharing them with all of you!
Since this recipe (ingredients and instructions) was submitted by a member of the community, The Tasty Travelers™ has not tested or verified the recipe. General tips and tricks, extra information, and wording have been modified or added to fit the format of the post.
So, what is butter pecan ice cream and gelato? The base has a hint of rich, butter flavor to it. It’s not overwhelming, but you can definitely taste the butter flavor. Some recipes use actual butter in them, but we are using butter extract instead. It’s basically all of the great buttery goodness in the flavor, without adding much to the nutritional info for the recipe. Added to the buttery flavored ice cream are pieces of pecans. The nuttiness of the pecans goes really well with the buttery goodness that is found in the ice cream base. It’s really a perfect pairing!
For this recipe, we are taking a few extra steps and making a cooked custard base that has eggs in it. It’s a little extra work and does take some extra time but it’s worth it. You’ll notice that this recipe doesn’t have cream cheese, pudding mix, or any gums like guar gum. That’s because we are using the eggs to help thicken and stabilize the gelato. The higher fat content in the dairy also helps with creating a great texture.
Tips for Making Ninja Creami Butter Pecan Gelato:
Butter pecan gelato is a buttery flavored base with chopped-up pecans added in. You can achieve the buttery flavor either by adding actual butter to the recipe or with the butter-flavored extract. This recipe for butter pecan gelato uses butter extract.
Gelato is generally made with more milk, less fat, and more sugar than traditional ice cream. Sometimes, but not always, gelato also has eggs in the recipe. The biggest difference between gelato and ice cream is the texture. Gelato is very smooth and almost dense. Whereas, ice cream has more air in it so it is lighter and not as smooth.
If you have made gelato and it just isn't quite as creami as you would like, you can very easily get it super creami by using the re-spin function on the Ninja Creami. Simply place the pint into the outer bowl and snap it into place. Choose the RE-SPIN function. Once the cycle completes, remove the pint and enjoy! Your gelato should be nice and creamy again. ***Use re-spin on already spun ice cream. If the ice cream has been spun and then frozen again, do not use re-spin, Instead, use the original process (ice cream, gelato, etc.)
This is a controversial questions. I do not thaw my Ninja Creami treats before processing but many do. Ninja does not say to thaw the ice cream before processing in the manuals that come with the machine. The machine is made to process frozen solid ice cream mixtures.
You can. Sometimes freezing the containers without the lid helps prevent the hump from forming on the top of the ice cream. But, it doesn’t always work.
Ingredients substitutions for making Ninja Creami Butter Pecan Gelato:
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
- Egg Yolks- Large eggs were used in this recipe. 4 large egg yolks equal approximately ¼ cup of egg yolks. If you use a different-sized egg, use a total of ¼ cup of egg yolks.
- Corn Syrup- Light corn syrup was used for this recipe. It is not recommended to use dark corn syrup as it will drastically change the flavor of the gelato. Agave nectar or honey can be used as a substitute for light corn syrup.
- Sugar- Regular granulated sugar was used for this recipe. You can use any sugar substitute that you would like. The amount that will be needed and the end result will vary based on which sugar substitute you use.
- Heavy Cream– If you don't have heavy cream, you can use a combination of milk and butter instead. To make 1 cup of heavy cream, combine ¼ of melted butter with ¾ cup of milk. Mix thoroughly.
- Milk– Whole milk was used for this recipe. You can use lower-fat content milk but the end result may be less rich and creamy due to the lower fat content.
- Butter Flavor Extract– The butter flavor extract is important to achieve the butter pecan flavor so it is not advised to omit or substitute this ingredient.
- Pecan Pieces- If you don't have pecans, you can use any other nut that you would like.
Directions for making Ninja Creami Butter Pecan Gelato:
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, corn syrup, and sugar. Cook on medium heat while whisking continuously. Do not let the milk mixture burn. Cook until the mixture starts to look a little frothy. Do not boil the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.
- Temper the eggs by slowly pouring small amounts of the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Pour a couple of tablespoons at a time and whisk continuously.
- Once all of the milk mixture has been added to the eggs, pour the milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes or until it reaches 165 Degrees Fahrenheit. The mixture should start to thicken slightly, just enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.
- Add the butter extract and stir.
- Allow the ice cream base to cool before freezing.
- Pour into an empty Ninja Creami pint container and freeze for 24 hours.
Directions for Processing the Ice Cream Mixture
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
- Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on “Gelato.”
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream, pour in the pecan pieces, and process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Butter Pecan Gelato
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Equipment
- Stove
- Medium Bowl
Add Food Grade Vegetable Glycerin To Make Leftover Ice Cream Scoopable Right Out of the Freezer
Per 16 ounce pint: *Add 1 Teaspoon to full fat/full sugar bases *Add 1.5 teaspoon to high protein bases *Add 2 teaspoons to low sugar/low fat lite bases. Freeze and process per the recipe. Take the leftovers out of the freezer and scoop without having to reprocess. ***This is a guideline and adjustments may be needed based on your recipe.
Original, Breeze, Swirl, and Deluxe Ingredient Measurements
Use the multiplier below to adjust quantities based on the machine that you own. ***If you have the Original, Breeze, or Swirl machine, which use 16 ounce containers, choose the 1X option. ***If you have the Deluxe or XL machine, which use 24 ounce containers, choose the 1.5X option.
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 8 Fluid Ounces Heavy Cream
- 3 Fluid Ounces Whole Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
- 5 Tablespoons Sugar (Granulated)
- 4 Egg Yolks (Large)
- 1 Teaspoon Butter Flavor Extract
Mix-ins
- ⅓ Cup Pecan Pieces
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons Whole Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, corn syrup, and sugar. Cook on medium heat while whisking continuously. Do not let the milk mixture burn. Cook until the mixture starts to look a little frothy. Do not boil the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.
- Temper the eggs by slowly pouring small amounts of the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Pour a couple of tablespoons at a time and whisk continuously.
- Once all of the milk mixture has been added to the eggs, pour the milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes or until it reaches 165 Degrees Fahrenheit. The mixture should start to thicken slightly, just enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat.
- Add the butter extract and stir.
- Allow the ice cream base to cool before freezing.
- Pour into an empty Ninja Creami pint container and freeze for 24 hours.
Process the Ice Cream
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer.
- Place the pint container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on "Gelato."
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream, pour in the pecan pieces, and process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Optional ingredients are not included in the nutrition information.
Recipes that use allulose:
Allulose is a low calorie sweetener that your body doesn't fully digest, so it provides only 0.4 calories per gram instead of 4. That's why the calorie total doesn't match what you'd expect from the carb count. Calories from allulose are calculated based on metabolized carbohydrates. Allulose contributes fewer calories than standard carbohydrates.
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