If you like lemon pie as much as I do, then you have to try my recipe for protein packed, lemon pie frozen yogurt made in the Ninja Creami machine. It has a super thick and creamy texture, just enough lemon flavor, and a bit of a tang from the yogurt.
This recipe comes in at 288 calories, 40 grams of protein, 10 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fat, 45 carbs, 25 net carbs (total carbs-allulose) for the ENTIRE pint. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts.
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- Tips for making Ninja Creami Lemon Pie Protein Frozen Yogurt:
- Looking for more Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream Recipes?
- Ingredient tips and substitutions for making Ninja Creami Lemon Pie Protein Frozen Yogurt:
- Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Directions for Processing the Ice Cream Mixture
- Save for Later on Pinterest!
- Recipe
- Comments
This recipe isn’t just about the taste. It’s also about the texture. A lot of times, protein packed recipes made using the Ninja Creami ice cream maker can have a chalky or icy texture. Thanks to the combination of ingredients used, not only is the flavor good, but the texture is great! It’s not chalky or icy, it’s thick and creamy!
It might look like there are a bunch of ingredients in this recipe, but I promise you…it’s still really easy to make. You need each of the ingredients to get the right lemon pie flavor, to make it thick and creamy instead of soft and icy, and to provide the extra protein that so many people are looking to get through their ice cream.
Let’s talk about the mix-ins for lemon pie protein ice cream. I wanted to keep it simple and make it as close to the real lemon pie flavors, so I added graham crackers as mix-ins. But, it you want to add even more mix-ins, try adding white chocolate chips, golden Oreo cookies, marshmallow fluff, or even fresh fruit like blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries!
If you love lemon flavors, be sure to try out my recipe for making Ninja Creami lemon gelato! It’s easy to make and the texture is amazing!
Tips for making Ninja Creami Lemon Pie Protein Frozen Yogurt:
No. The lemon juice and yogurt go really well in this recipe! The lemon juice does not make the dairy curdle or take on a strange texture. Through several attempts to find the perfect lemon pie ice cream, I discovered that the lemon yogurt not only helps with the texture but also helps to add a wonderful tartness that you would expect in a lemon pie.
If you have a fresh lemon, use it. If you don’t, the store-bought pre-squeezed lemon juice works perfectly fine. Not only is the pre-squeezed lemon juice cheaper to buy, but it lasts a lot longer than a fresh lemon does and you can’t tell the difference in the taste!
If you want even more lemon flavor and are not worried about calories or sugar, add a spoonful or two of lemon curd or canned lemon pie filling.
Use a yogurt that you actually like the taste of. If the yogurt is tart, the frozen yogurt will also be tart. If the yogurt doesn’t have a lot of flavor, the frozen yogurt won’t either. I have used many different brands and flavors of yogurt and have been happy with the results for each one. The higher the fat content in the yogurt, the thicker and creamier the frozen yogurt will be. If you are trying to get frozen yogurt like you get at at a yogurt shop, you will need to add a lot of sweetener. Usually, the yogurt shop’s frozen yogurt is quite sweet and less tart. Add sweetener to the yogurt before freezing, taste it to check the sweetness, add more if needed, then freeze.
It depends on your freezer, the ingredients used, and your desired outcome. You should start by freezing your treats for 24 hours and then slowly cutting back on the freezing time. If your freezer is extra cold, you might only need to freeze for 12 hours. But, it’s not a one-size-fits-all all answer. You have to try it and see.
Just because it looks frozen solid, doesn’t mean that it is. The frozen base recipe should be frozen solid. If it’s not frozen solid, processing it can be a challenge and can result in soft and icy ice cream.
Looking for more Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream Recipes?
Ingredient tips and substitutions for making Ninja Creami Lemon Pie Protein Frozen Yogurt:
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk-You can use any dairy (2% milk, whole milk, low-fat milk, half and half) or dairy-free substitute (coconut milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or oat milk) that you would like, for this recipe. Just be sure to use unsweetened and not flavored milk.
- Oikos Triple Zero Lemon Tart Yogurt– If you prefer, you can use a lemon yogurt that has sugar in it. If you can’t find this exact yogurt flavor, use any other lemon flavored yogurt.
- Unflavored Whey Protein Powder– Use your favorite unflavored protein powder. I don’t recommend using a pre-made protein shake because you will need to adjust the amount of sweetener, vanilla flavoring, and guar gum used to get a similar result.
- Swerve Sugar Substitute (Granulated-Allulose Blend)- I use allulose because it tastes like sugar and is a 1:1 ratio with sugar. If you prefer, you can use sugar or another sugar substitute like monk fruit sweetener, Splenda, or Stevia.
- Lemon Juice– It’s best to use fresh lemon juice, but for this recipe you can use bottled instead. Do not use lemon extract instead of lemon juice.
- Vanilla Bean Paste– Vanilla bean paste adds a rich, vanilla flavor. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can use vanilla extract instead.
- Yellow Food Coloring-Adds a nice yellow color to the frozen yogurt but can be omitted.
- Guar Gum– You only need a small amount but it really helps thicken the ice cream and make it thick and creamy in texture. Use xanthan gum if you don’t have guar gum.
- Graham Cracker (Broken into pieces)-You can use another type of cookie or even cooked pie crust as a mxi-in.
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the unsweetened almond milk, yogurt, protein powder, sugar substitute, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, food coloring, and gaur gum 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.
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 pieces of graham crackers. Process on mix-ins.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Lemon Pie Protein Frozen Yogurt
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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
- 6 Fluid Ounces (177 3/7 ml) Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 5.3 Ounces (150 ¼ g) Oikos Triple Zero Lemon Tart Yogurt
- 1 Scoop (1 Scoop) Unflavored Whey Protein Powder
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Swerve Sugar Substitute (Granulated-Allulose Blend)
- 1½ Tablespoons (1 ½ Tablespoons) Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Vanilla Bean Paste
- 6 Drops (6 Drops) Yellow Food Coloring
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) Guar Gum
Mix-ins
- ½ (½) Graham Cracker (Broken into pieces)
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the unsweetened almond milk, yogurt, protein powder, sugar substitute, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, food coloring, and guar gum 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 "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 pieces of graham crackers. 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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