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Cookies and cream is one of those ice cream flavors that pretty much everyone loves, and this Ninja Creami Cookies and Cream Protein Ice Cream nails it. It has a smooth, creamy vanilla base with mini Oreos mixed throughout, and it tastes like the real thing instead of something that has been watered down to fit a protein recipe. This one is GOOD!!!
This recipe comes in at 368.08 calories, 31.72 grams of protein, 18.67 grams of sugar, 11.83 grams of fat, and 33.26 carbs for the ENTIRE pint. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts.
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The base for this recipe is really clean and simple. It is just a vanilla protein shake, a little unsweetened almond milk, vanilla bean paste, and guar gum. That is it. No pudding mix, no extra sweetener. The guar gum does all the heavy lifting when it comes to texture, acting as a stabilizer that keeps the base thick and creamy instead of icy. The vanilla bean paste gives the base that rich vanilla flavor that actually tastes like cookies and cream ice cream and not like a protein shake with cookies in it.
Cookies and cream ice cream is one of those flavors that really is all about the ratio of cookie to ice cream in every single bite. Too little cookie and it just tastes like vanilla. Too much cookie and it gets heavy and dense. Eleven mini Oreos hits the right balance for a whole pint in this Ninja Creami protein ice cream recipe. You get cookie in almost every spoonful without overwhelming the creamy vanilla base.
Here is something important to know about the mix-ins step before you get started. The recipe says to run the mix-ins function twice, and that is not a typo. After the first mix-ins run, the Oreos tend to stay clustered in the center of the pint instead of spreading throughout the whole thing. Running the mix-ins a second time redistributes everything and gives you that true cookies and cream consistency all the way through. Do not skip the second run or you will end up with half of the ice cream with no cookies.
Mini Oreos go in whole for this recipe, and that works because they are already a good size for mixing into the Ninja Creami. If you want to use regular full-size Oreos instead, chop them up first. Whole regular Oreos are too big to distribute properly and you will end up with chunks sitting in one part of the pint rather than spread throughout. Breaking them into smaller pieces before adding them to the well gives you that perfect cookies and cream texture in every bite.
Guar gum is what makes this base work without any pudding mix or heavy cream. It gives the vanilla base that smooth, scoopable consistency that you want from a creamy ice cream without adding a bunch of extra ingredients. Add it last when you blend the base so it incorporates properly. If you skip it or forget it, the texture is going to be noticeably icier and less creamy. Xanthan gum works about the same way at a 1:1 ratio if that is what you have on hand.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Cookies and Cream Protein Ice Cream
The easiest fix is to run the mix-ins function a second time, which will redistribute everything more evenly through the pint. If your mix-ins were too big to begin with, that can also be part of the issue. Chop up larger mix-ins before adding them to help them blend throughout the ice cream more consistently.
Yes! Regular sized Oreos, or even different flavored Oreos, all work in this Ninja Creami cookies and cream protein ice cream recipe. Just make sure you chop them up before adding them to the well. If you add them whole, they will be too large to distribute evenly and you will end up with big cookie chunks in one spot instead of cookies and cream throughout the whole pint.
Yes, vanilla extract is a 1:1 substitute for vanilla bean paste and works great. Vanilla bean paste does give a slightly deeper, richer vanilla flavor and does not have the faint alcohol taste that extract can sometimes bring, but either one will work well in this recipe.
Yes! Xanthan gum is a 1:1 substitute for guar gum in this Ninja Creami protein ice cream recipe and works about the same way as a stabilizer. Use the same quarter teaspoon amount and you will get the same creamy, scoopable texture.
If the ice cream looks like sand after the first spin on the lite ice cream setting, add a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and re-spin. If it looks more like little balls of ice cream rather than sand, skip the liquid and just re-spin without adding anything. You may need to repeat the process a couple of times to get the texture right.
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Ingredient tips and substitutions
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
- Vanilla Protein Shake: I use a vanilla Premier Protein shake for this recipe, but any vanilla protein shake you enjoy will work. Fairlife vanilla protein shakes are another popular option. Taste your shake first since the flavor does carry through to the finished Ninja Creami protein ice cream.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: Any dairy or non-dairy milk works here, including whole milk, 2% milk, oat milk, or Fairlife milk. The higher the fat content in the milk, the creamier the ice cream will be.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: Vanilla extract is a 1:1 substitute if you do not have vanilla bean paste on hand, though the paste does give a deeper vanilla flavor in this cookies and cream protein ice cream.
- Guar Gum: Xanthan gum is a 1:1 substitute for guar gum and works about the same way as a stabilizer. Do not skip it, as it is what gives this base its creamy, scoopable consistency.
- Mini Oreos: Regular full-size Oreos or different flavored Oreos all work as a substitute. Just chop them into smaller pieces before adding them to the ice cream so they distribute evenly throughout the whole pint.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk (Optional): Only needed if the ice cream comes out dry or crumbly after the lite ice cream setting. Any milk works here including whole milk, 2% milk, or oat milk.
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the protein shake, unsweetened almond milk, vanilla bean paste, and guar gum, into a small blender until all ingredients have completely combined with each other. 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.
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 “LITE ICE CREAM.”
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks like little balls of ice cream, respin without adding liquid. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream and pour in the Oreos. Process on mix-ins. The Oreos will likely not be mixed throughout. Repeat the mix-ins process.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Cookies and Cream Protein 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. ***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
- 11.5 Fluid Ounces (340 ml) Vanilla Protein Shake
- 4 Fluid Ounces (118 2/7 ml) Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Vanilla Bean Paste
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) Guar Gum
Mix-ins
- 11 (11) Mini Oreos
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the protein shake, unsweetened almond milk, vanilla bean paste, and guar gum, into a small blender until all ingredients have completely combined with each other. 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 "LITE ICE CREAM."
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks like little balls of ice cream, respin without adding liquid. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream and pour in the Oreos. Process on mix-ins. The Oreos will likely not be mixed throughout. Repeat the mix-ins process.
- 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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