Did you know that you can make a custard base using the Ninja Creami machine? Well you can! The Ninja Creami ice cream maker doesn’t have a custard setting but it does have a gelato option. Using the gelato option for the custard base recipes provides a super thick and creamy “gelato.” For this recipe, we are adding in black cherries to a vanilla custard like base.
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.
One of the most important things about making gelato or custard, is the texture of the ice cream base. It needs to have a SUPER creamy texture with no icy bits. The creamier the better! For this recipe, we are using eggs and cooking the base which helps create a super creamy treat!
This is not a diet or low calorie recipe. It is a full fat and sugar recipe. While you can try to make it a little “healthier” by using lower fat milks, I wouldn’t recommend trying to go too low fat or low calorie with this recipe because usually, the lower the fat and calories, the more likely the base is to get ice and less creamy in texture. You could try to substitute some of the high fat dairy with non-dairy milk, oat milk, almond milk, etc., but I would not substitute all of it.
While it does take a little extra work and a bit of extra time to make the custard-like base, it’s worth it! Eggs act as a stabilizer/thickener and really help create the best texture! Now, you’ll see a lot of recipes that use raw eggs without cooking them. For me, it’s a personal choice and I feel better about using eggs that have been cooked in the base, instead of raw eggs.
Looking for another homemade cherry ice cream recipe? Check out the recipe for making Ninja Creami Cherry Garcia Ice Cream.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Black Cherry Gelato:
Frozen, black cherries were used in this recipe. You can use fresh or frozen cherries. Jarred maraschino cherries could also be used if that’s all you have on hand, but they are much sweeter and taste more like sugar than fresh or frozen cherries.
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.
Usually, if your gelato comes out dry or crumbly it’s due to one of the following reasons:
*Your freezer is too cold. Try to adjust your freezer to be a little warmer or let your ice cream sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes before processing it.
*Your recipe does not have enough fat in it. Try adding in a little bit of a higher fat dairy product to your recipe next time.
*Your recipe may not have enough sugar in it. The less sugar in the recipe, the icier and crumblier the ice cream will be. Regular sugar, honey, or corn syrup can be used to increase the sugar content if desired.
To solve this problem, re-spin if the ice cream looks like tiny balls of ice cream, or add a tablespoon or so of liquid and then re-spin if the ice cream is very dry and powdery.
It depends. If you are keeping the ice cream in the Ninja pint container with the lid sealed tightly and are freezing it in a cold freezer (between 9 degrees F and -7 degrees F), your ice cream will keep for several weeks, even months. However, if you transfer your ice cream to another container or freeze it in a freezer that is not quite as cold (or that is accessed a lot/door opened and closed often), the lifetime of your ice cream will decrease greatly to just a few days and you will likely end up with freezer-burned ice cream.
If you want to mix things up a little bit, try adding chocolate chips as mix-ins. The combination of cherries and chocolate chips work really well together. How good does cherry chocolate chip ice cream sound? Just add the chocolate chips when you add the cherries and push the mix-in button.
Looking for more Ninja Creami Ice Cream Recipes?
Ingredients substitutions for making Ninja Creami Black Cherry 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 (heavy whipping 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.
- Almond Extract- Almond extract was used for this recipe. If you don’t have almond extract, vanilla extract is a good substitute. The almond extract has a stronger flavor than vanilla, so you will need to almost double the amount of vanilla extract if you use that instead.
- Black Cherries– Frozen, black cherries were used in this recipe. You can use fresh fruit or frozen fruit as long as the frozen fruit is thawed. . Jarred maraschino cherries could also be used if that’s all you have on hand, but they are much sweeter and taste more like sugar than fresh or frozen cherries. I would not use canned cherry pie filling for this recipe as the extra cherry gel that’s in the filling will make the gelato quite soft and will overpower the flavor of the ice cream base.
Directions for making Ninja Creami Black Cherry 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 almond 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 cherries, and process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
Pin Ninja Creami Cherry Gelato for later!!
Recipe
Ninja Creami Black Cherry Gelato
Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin RecipeEquipment
- Stove
- Medium Bowl
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 8 Fluid Ounces Heavy Cream
- 3 Fluid Ounces Whole Milk
- 4 Egg Yolks (Large)
- 1 Tablespoon Corn Syrup (Light)
- 5 Tablespoons Sugar (Granulated)
- 1 Teaspoon Almond Extract
Mix-Ins
- 1 Cup Black Cherries (Frozen, thawed and quartered)
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 almond 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 cherries, 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.
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
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Lauren Cardona says
Hi Lisa- you fold the cherries in at the very end after processing. It’s step 11 in the recipe card.