Check out my recipe for making Ninja Creami Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream! I’ll show you how to take a simple ingredient like instant pudding mix and turn it into a thick and creamy ice cream using the Ninja Creami ice cream maker!
One of the trickier things about making ice cream using the Ninja Creami ice cream machine is getting the creamy texture just right. Sometimes the ice cream can be too soft if the right ingredients are not used. While you can use gums like guar gum or other thickeners and stabilizers, one of the easiest ways to improve the ice cream texture and add flavor at the same time is to use your favorite instant pudding mix. You can use sugar-free pudding mix or regular to make your Ninja Creami sweet treat.
I love this recipe because it’s easy to make and the flavor and texture is spot on! There’s just enough chocolate flavor and the texture is perfectly scoopable every time! With just 5 ingredients, this recipe is not complicated, can easily be modified to fit your dietary preferences, and is convenient to make since you probably already have these ingredients on hand. There’s no extracts, cream cheese, or cottage cheese in this recipe. Milk, cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and pudding mix…that’s it!!
If you like chocolate ice cream, then be sure to check out my recipe for making the best, richest, chocolate ice cream and my recipe for chocolate protein ice cream!
For this recipe, I used regular dairy and sugar as well as regular instant pudding mix. If your diet doesn’t allow for dairy or sugar, you can use your favorite substitutes and you can even use the sugar-free instant pudding mix. I have used the sugar-free instant pudding mix in probably 100 recipes and it has worked wonderfully. Some folks think it tastes like fake sugar but I can’t tell the difference. Use the ingredients that you like. Keep in mind that the lower the fat/sugar that is in the recipe, the more likely it is to be a little icy.
I almost always use dark cocoa powder when I make Ninja Creami treats. I have found that it really takes the chocolate flavor to the next level! Regular cocoa powder will work, but the chocolate flavor will be less intense. If you’ve ever tried to mix cocoa powder with a liquid, you know that it does not mix well at all. I highly recommend blending the base ingredients in a small blender before freezing them in the Ninja Creami container. If you don’t blend them, or mix them together really well, the chocolate flavor will not be evenly distributed and you might end up with dry cocoa powder clumps in the finished ice cream.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream:
Some folks have frozen premade pudding and turned it into a very thick “ice cream.” But, the texture is very thick and almost gooey. For this recipe, you will need to use the dry instant pudding mix. Do not use the cook and serve pudding mix. It needs to be instant pudding mix. Just add the dry mix as is. Do not follow the instructions on the box.
Yes, you can add mix-ins. Oreo cookies, chocolate chips, candies, or brownies would be great mix-ins.
Yes, you can add protein to this recipe. The easiest way to do it is to add a scoop of unflavored protein powder to the recipe as written. If you want to use a premade protein shake, the entire recipe will need to be adjusted due to the sugar, stabilizer, and flavorings that are usually added to protein shakes.
Yes, you can substitute the dairy and sugar to fit your dietary needs. You can use any sugar substitute that you would like, just make sure that it is a 1:1 ratio with the sugar. The milk and half and half can also be substituted. However, some substitutes like oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and cashew milk have a lower fat content and will likely produce ice crystals and a less creamy result.
This happens when your freezer is too cold or can happen depending on the ingredients used in the recipe. It’s normal for the ice cream to be dry or crumbly. But, there’s an easy way to fix it. If the ice creami is dry or powdery looking, add a tablespoon of liquid like milk or juice and then respin it. If the ice cream looks like little balls of ice cream (almost like dippin dots) after the first spin, just respin it without adding additional liquid. You might have to respin more than once to get the texture of a creamy dessert.
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Ingredient substitutions for making Ninja Creami Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Milk– I used whole milk in this recipe. You can use a dairy substitute or lower fat milk if you prefer but the lower the fat content, the less creamy the result will be.
Half and Half– If you don’t have half and half, you can use a mixture of ¼ heavy cream and ¾ whole milk.
Sugar– White sugar was used. You can use a sugar substitute that is a 1:1 ratio.
Dark Cocoa Powder- I prefer to use dark cocoa powder but you can use regular cocoa powder if you prefer. Some have found great success using black cocoa powder too.
Instant Pudding Mix- Make sure you use INSTANT pudding mix and not cook and serve or premade pudding for this recipe. You will be using the dry pudding mix straight out of the package. Do not follow the instructions on the box.
Directions for making Ninja Creami Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream:
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the milk, half and half, sugar, instant pudding mix, and cocoa powder into a small blender and blend until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.
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 “ICE CREAM.”
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking, pour in a tablespoon or two of milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks more like dippin dots, (little balls of ice cream), re-spin without adding liquid.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream
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Equipment
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.
Original and Deluxe Ingredient Measurements
Use the multiplier below to adjust quantities based on the machine that you own. 1X=Original 16 ounce 1.5X=Deluxe 24 ounces
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 8 Ounces (226 ⅘ g) Milk (Whole Milk)
- 4 Ounces (113 ⅖ g) Half and Half ( )
- ⅓ Cup (66 ⅔ g) Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Instant Chocolate Pudding Powder
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Dark Cocoa Powder
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the milk, half and half, sugar, instant pudding mix, and cocoa powder into a small blender and blend until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit. To avoid getting a bump on the top of the frozen mixture, freeze with the lid off of the container.
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 "ICE CREAM."
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking, pour in a tablespoon or two of milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks more like dippin dots, (little balls of ice cream), re-spin without adding liquid.
- 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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Robin says
How long is this good for in the freezer?
Lauren Cardona says
I’ve had them last several weeks or even a couple of months. It really comes down to how well you store it. Make sure it’s not in the door of the refrigerator and make sure the top is sealed tightly. The ice cream won’t get bad (meaning that it won’t spoil) but the texture will change the longer it’s in the freezer and the more freezer burnt it gets.