This is a unique recipe for making Ninja Creami ice cream that tastes like horchata. It's low in calories and includes a couple of secret ingredients to achieve amazing flavor and perfect texture while keeping the calories super low.
This recipe comes in at 250 calories, 9 grams of protein, 8 grams of sugar, 17 grams of fat, 60 carbs, 12 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 Low Calorie Horchata Ice Cream:
- Looking for more Ninja Creami Low Calorie Recipes?
- Ingredient tips and substitutions for making Ninja Creami Low Calorie Horchata Ice Cream:
- Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Directions for Processing the Ice Cream Mixture
- Save for Later on Pinterest!
- Recipe
- Comments
You're probably wondering what horchata is and what it tastes like. Horchata is a drink that started in Spain and is usually made with white rice, water, cinnamon, and sugar, though some recipes add vanilla or nuts like almonds. It's sweet, creamy, and lightly spiced with cinnamon, making it super refreshing and satisfying. The cinnamon adds such a nice flavor, and it's honestly the perfect combination for turning into ice cream.
To keep this recipe low calorie, I didn't add a lot of mix-ins. If you're not as worried about calories, you can definitely add more. Extra Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a great choice because it adds a nice crunch and tons of sweet, cinnamon flavor. You could even try other mix-ins like chopped nuts or a few chocolate chips. The more you add, the more texture and flavor you'll get, and the more delicious it will be.
You'll notice I used Lorann's Horchata Flavor Oil for this recipe and I highly recommend using it. It adds a ton of flavor without any extra calories, and you only need a tiny bit to get that perfect horchata taste. You’ll need to check at your local craft store (like Hobby Lobby or Michael’s) or look on Amazon to find the Horchata flavor oil.
Once you taste this recipe, you're going to be shocked at how creamy it is, especially considering the entire pint is only about 250 calories. That even includes the Cinnamon Toast Crunch mix-in. How crazy is that?
Tips for making Ninja Creami Low Calorie Horchata Ice Cream:
Horchata tastes similar to rice pudding. It combines the flavors of rice milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar to create a sweet and creamy treat.
Lorann's horchata flavor oil can be purchased online at lorannoils.com, amazon.com, and in some craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. A little goes a VERY long way so you don't need a very big bottle of it.
No, you don't have to add the cinnamon toast crunch if you don't want to. However, I HIGHLY recommend you do. The cereal not only adds great flavor but it adds a little bit of crunch to the ice cream.
Since there are mix-ins in this recipe, I would not recommend reprocessing the leftovers as they will completely combine with the rest of the ice cream, which will create a grainy texture. Instead, let the leftovers sit on the counter until they are soft enough to scoop.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch or other cinnamon cereals
Chopped nuts like almonds or pecans
Mini chocolate chips or white chocolate chips
Caramel or dulce de leche drizzle
Toasted coconut flakes
Cinnamon sugar cookies or snickerdoodle pieces
Rice Krispies or puffed rice cereal
Looking for more Ninja Creami Low Calorie Recipes?
Ingredient tips and substitutions for making Ninja Creami Low Calorie Horchata Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk- Feel free to use a different type of unsweetened dairy or dairy substitute that you prefer. The higher the fat content, the creamier the ice cream will be.
- Half and Half- The half and half is important in this recipe. If you use a lower fat dairy or dairy alternative, the result will be icy. I experimented with different amounts and different fat contents and this is the version that creates a creamier texture with the lowest calories.
- Cottage Cheese- 1% Low-Fat/50% Less Sodium Cottage Cheese. If you cannot find low sodium cottage cheese, you can rinse your cottage cheese under water to remove some of the salt. If you use regular sodium cottage cheese, the ice cream will be slightly salty.
- Sweetener-I prefer to use granulated allulose because it does not have that fake sugar taste that a lot of sugar substitutes have. Feel free to use sugar or your favorite sugar substitute like monk fruit or stevia.
- Horchata Flavor Oil-You only need a little but it’s an important part of the recipe. If you absolutely can’t find this flavor oil and still want to make the recipe, you can omit it but the horchata flavor will not be as strong.
- Cinnamon-This is an important ingredient. You only need a small amount for the recipe, but it adds so much flavor. I would not recommend substituting the cinnamon for anything else.
- Guar Gum– If you don’t have guar gum, you can use an equal amount of xanthan gum instead.
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch– The cereal adds crunch and flavor. If you don’t have cinnamon toast crunch, you can use rice Krispies, snickerdoodles or cinnamon cookies instead.
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the almond milk, half and half, cottage cheese, allulose, horchata flavor oil, cinnamon, and guar gum into a small blender and mix until all of the ingredients have been mixed together well. Once fully mixed, pour 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 “LITE ICE CREAM.”
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of half and half 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.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream and pour in the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Process on “MIX-INS.”
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Low Calorie Horchata 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
- 6 Fluid Ounces (177 3/7 ml) Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 4 Fluid Ounces (118 2/7 ml) Half and Half
- 3 Tablespoons (3 Tablespoons) 1% Low-Fat/50% Less Sodium Cottage Cheese
- ¼ Cup (50 g) Allulose Granular Sugar Substitute
- ½ Teaspoon (½ Teaspoon) Loranns Horchata Flavor Oil
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) Ground Cinnamon
- ⅛ Teaspoon (⅛ Teaspoon) Guar Gum
Mix-Ins
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) Half and Half
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the almond milk, half and half, cottage cheese, allulose, horchata flavor oil, cinnamon, and guar gum into a small blender and mix until all of the ingredients have been mixed together well. Once fully mixed, pour into a Ninja Creami 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 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 "LITE ICE CREAM."
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of half and half 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.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream and pour in the Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Process on "MIX-INS."
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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