If you love cotton candy, you have to try this Ninja Creami cotton candy protein ice cream. It tastes EXACTLY like the cotton candy you’d get at a carnival, has 31 grams of protein per pint, and it comes out pink, white, and blue right in the same container. You would never know it’s a protein ice cream!
This recipe comes in at 357 calories, 31 grams of protein, 16 grams of sugar, 11.5 grams of fat, and 53 carbs for the ENTIRE pint.
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Cotton candy is one of those flavors that brings you right back to being a kid at a carnival or fair. This Ninja Creami cotton candy ice cream captures that exact sugary cotton candy taste in a high protein frozen treat that looks just as fun as it tastes. The pink, white, and blue colors all swirled together in one container make this perfect for parties, birthdays, or any time you want a really fun dessert.
The LorAnn cotton candy extract oil is what gives this ice cream the real cotton candy flavor. It’s a really concentrated flavoring oil that comes in a small bottle, and you only need ½ teaspoon to make the whole pint taste like cotton candy. You can find it at most baking supply stores or on Amazon, and trust me, it’s worth tracking down because nothing else gets you that exact carnival cotton candy flavor.
Now let’s talk about the colors because this is the fun part. To get the pink, white, and blue layers in the same container, you dig a well all the way down to the bottom of the pint (VERY important that it goes all the way down). Add the blue food coloring in first, then the chopped Cotton Candy Oreos, then the red food coloring on top. Process on mix-ins and you get blue on the bottom, white in the middle, and pink on top!
The Cotton Candy Oreos really make this recipe pop. They add the extra cotton candy flavor and a really fun texture in every bite. If you can’t find Cotton Candy Oreos at your grocery store, golden Oreos will work too, you’ll just need to add a couple of extra drops of the cotton candy extract to the base to make up for the missing flavor. You could also add some sprinkles as a mix-in for an even more festive look.
This Ninja Creami protein ice cream is going to be a personal favorite for anyone who loves cotton candy or just wants a really fun, festive frozen treat. The pink, white, and blue colors look so cool when you scoop it into a bowl, and the cotton candy flavor is spot on.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Cotton Candy Protein Ice Cream
Yes!!! If you dig a well (VERY important that it goes all the way to the bottom of the container), add the blue food coloring, then the cookie pieces, and then the red food coloring on top. The ice cream comes out blue on the bottom, white in the middle, and pink on the top! All of the ice cream has the same flavor, but the different colors make it look so festive and just like the colors of cotton candy.
If you can’t find Cotton Candy Oreos at your grocery store, you can use golden Oreos instead. If you use golden Oreos, add a couple of extra drops of the cotton candy extract to the base recipe to make up for the missing flavor.
You can find LorAnn cotton candy extract oil at most baking supply stores or on Amazon. It comes in a small bottle and a little goes a long way, so one bottle will last you through plenty of batches of this Ninja Creami cotton candy ice cream.
Yes, the food coloring is totally optional and doesn’t change the flavor at all. The ice cream will just be all white instead of the fun pink, white, and blue colors. If you want a festive look without using food coloring, throw in some colorful sprinkles as a mix-in.
Not at all! The cotton candy extract and Cotton Candy Oreos give this so much real cotton candy flavor that you would never guess it has 31 grams of protein. The texture is creamy and thick too, not chalky or icy like a lot of protein ice cream recipes can be.
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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: Any of your favorite vanilla protein shakes will work in this recipe, and if you don’t have one, use the same volume of your milk of choice mixed with vanilla protein powder and adjust the flavor and sweetness based on what you use.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: Any dairy or non-dairy milk works in place of almond milk, like whole milk, 2% milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or Fairlife milk (the higher the fat content, the creamier the texture).
- Swerve Sugar Substitute (Granulated-Allulose Blend): Use your favorite granulated sweetener that is a 1:1 ratio with sugar, or use real sugar if you prefer.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract works as a substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
- LorAnn Cotton Candy Extract Oil: This concentrated cotton candy flavoring oil comes in a small bottle and can be found at baking supply stores or on Amazon, and there’s really no substitute for it if you want that real carnival cotton candy ice cream flavor.
- Guar Gum: Guar gum is what gives this ice cream its creamy texture, and if you can’t find it, xanthan gum works as a substitute at a 1:1 ratio.
- Cotton Candy Oreos: If you can’t find Cotton Candy Oreos at your grocery store, you can use golden Oreos instead, just add a couple of extra drops of the cotton candy extract to the base recipe to make up for the missing flavor.
- Red and Blue Food Coloring (Optional): The food coloring is totally optional and doesn’t affect the flavor, but if you want the fun pink, white, and blue colors, gel food coloring works just as well as liquid (you could also skip the colors and add sprinkles as a mix-in for a festive look).
- Unsweetened Almond Milk (Optional): This only gets used if the ice cream looks like sand after the first spin, and any dairy or dairy-free milk works in its place like whole milk, 2% milk, heavy cream, coconut milk, cashew milk, oat milk, or Fairlife milk.
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the protein shake, almond milk, sugar substitute, vanilla bean paste, cotton candy extract, and guar gum into a small blender and blend until all of the ingredients are well 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.
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 add the blue food coloring, followed by the cookie pieces, and then the red food coloring. Process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Cotton Candy 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
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Swerve Sugar Substitute (Granulated- Allulose Blend)
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Vanilla Bean Paste
- ½ Teaspoon (½ Teaspoon) Lorann Cotton Candy Extract Oil
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) Guar Gum
Mix-ins
- 2 (2) Cotton Candy Oreos (Chopped)
- 4 Drops (4 Drops) Red Food Coloring (Optional)
- 4 Drops (4 Drops) Blue Food Coloring (Optional)
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the protein shake, almond milk, sugar substitute, vanilla bean paste, cotton candy extract, and guar gum into a small blender and blend until all of the ingredients are well 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 "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 add the blue food coloring, followed by the cookie pieces, and then the red food coloring. 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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