I love experimenting with low-calorie ice creams, and this Grape Kool-Aid version is a fun throwback to drinking Kool-Aid as a kid. Using 2% milk, allulose, sugar-free instant vanilla pudding, and just a touch of grape Kool-Aid powder, this pint comes together with the perfect balance of sweet and fruity flavor. It's creamy, satisfying, and still keeps the calories low.
This recipe comes in at 257 calories, 12 grams of protein, 18 grams of sugar, 7 grams of fat, 81 carbs, 33 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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Making this Grape Kool-Aid ice cream in your Ninja Creami is super simple. The ingredients are all things you probably already have on hand, and it comes together in no time. Even if it's your first time using the machine, you'll be amazed at how smooth and flavorful it is.
This recipe uses allulose. The allulose keeps the ice cream sweet without adding extra calories, so you get all the flavor without any extra calories or added sugar. The sugar-free vanilla pudding is what helps make it creamy and smooth. You can use regular sugar or instant pudding mix with sugar in it instead of the sugar free options, if you prefer.
Ok, so what if you don’t like grape Kool-Aid? No problem! You can very easily switch things up! You can use any Kool-Aid flavor you like. Raspberry, cherry, or blue raspberry all work great, and you can adjust the amount of powder depending on how strong you want the flavor. It's an easy way to make a new flavor every time!
When you make this recipe, make sure you follow the recipe amounts for the Kool-Aid powder. You need to use the unsweetened powder in the amount provided in the recipe and not the kind that already has sugar added to it. Don’t add more than the recipe calls for because the flavor gets overwhelming very quickly.
Tips for making
It does! And surprisingly, you don't need much of the unsweetened Kool-Aid to get just the right flavor! A little goes a long way!
Since the goal was to have very few calories, unsweetened powder and allulose were used. You can use the pre-sweetened Kool-Aid powder instead of the unsweetened. You'll need to increase the amount of Kool-Aid and eliminate the allulose. Keep in mind that using sweetened Kool-Aid will drastically change the nutritional information for the recipe.
Yes, you can use any flavor of Kool-Aid that you would like. However, through my experiments, I have found that not all Kool-Aid flavors have the same strength. Which means you might need more or less than the ¾ Teaspoon of Kool-Aid powder used in this recipe.
I would recommend starting with ½ teaspoon of the powder, mix together with the other ingredients, taste the mixture, and add more as needed.
If the ice cream is too soft, check your freezer temperature to make sure it is the correct temperature. Oftentimes, freezers have basic thermometers that don’t show the actual temperature. If needed, get an external thermometer to test the actual temperature. For more details on this, see this post.
Yes, if you have the Ninja Swirl, you can make this into soft serve ice cream. When using the Swirl, choose the soft serve option, then push the ICE CREAM button. Once it’s finished processing, move the container over to the swirl side of the machine and dispense.
Looking for more Ninja Creami Low Calorie Recipes?
Ingredient tips and substitutions
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
- 2% Milk- You can use any dairy or non-dairy that you would like. The higher the fat content in the dairy, the thicker and creamier the ice cream will be. So if you use some heavy cream or whole milk, the ice cream will be thicker and creamier than if you use almond milk or coconut milk.
- Allulose Granular Sugar Substitute- Use your favorite sugar substitute or actual sugar. It’s best to use one that is granulated and a 1:1 ratio with sugar as you won’t need to adjust the amounts that are already in the recipe as written.
- Sugar Free Instant Vanilla Pudding Powder- Use sugar-free or regular instant pudding mix. Do not use cook and serve or premade pudding.
- Unsweetened Grape Kool-Aid Powder- Be sure to use the unsweetened powder that comes in the little packets and not the pre-sweetened kind that comes in a container. If you don’t like grape, use your favorite flavor.
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the milk, allulose, pudding mix, and Kool-Aid powder into a small blender and blend until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Directions for Processing the Ice Cream Mixture
- After 24 hours, remove the Ninja Creami container from the freezer. If there is a large bump in the ice cream, melt or scrape the large bump so that the top is level.
- Place the Ninja Creami container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on “ICE CREAM.”
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks more like little balls of ice cream, re-spin without adding liquid. You may have to respin a couple of times.
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Low Calorie Grape Kool-Aid
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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
- 12 Fluid Ounces (340 ⅕ g) 2% Milk
- ¼ Cup (50 g) Allulose Granular Sugar Substitute
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Sugar Free Instant Vanilla Pudding Powder
- ¾ Teaspoon Unsweetened Grape Kool-Aid Powder
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons 2% Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the milk, allulose, pudding mix, and Kool-Aid 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.
Process the Ice Cream
- After 24 hours, remove the pint container from the freezer. If there is a large bump in the ice cream, melt or scrape the large bump so that the top is level.
- 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. You may have to respin a couple of times.
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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