Bacon makes everything better! That goes for Ninja Creami ice cream too! If you love bacon as much as I do, you have to try my recipe for making Maple Bacon ice cream in the Ninja Creami ice cream maker! It’s sweet, it’s savory, it has a creamy texture, and it even has extra protein added in.
This recipe comes in at 641 calories, 35 grams of protein, 61 grams of sugar, 21 grams of fat, 94 carbs, 82 net carbs (total carbs-allulose) for the ENTIRE pint. See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts.
Ninja Creami maple bacon protein ice cream combines the sweet flavor of maple with the savory flavor of bacon, all in one delicious ice cream! The ice cream base is maple flavored with just a hint of bacon flavor. Mix-in bacon and chocolate and you have the perfect combination of savory and sweet with just the right amount of crunch.
The easiest way to describe the flavor of Ninja Creami maple bacon ice cream is to say it tastes a bit like chocolate covered candied bacon…in ice cream. Yea…that’s sounds pretty good, right!?
For this recipe I used maple bacon flavoring along with maple syrup, cooked bacon, and chocolate chips. If you can’t find the maple bacon flavoring, you can you maple flavoring and add in a little extra bacon. I would not recommend adding the bacon to the base recipe as I think the texture would be a bit off after processing.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Maple Bacon Protein Ice Cream:
Sure. You can use whatever kind of bacon you want. You could even use turkey bacon. As long as you like the flavor and the texture of the bacon or bacon bits before adding it to the ice cream, it should work!
Well, the name says it all. Bacon and maple syrup are high in calories and sugar. To reduce the sugar and calories in this recipe, reduce the amounts of both and look for low sugar maple syrup.
You can technically use either maple syrup or pancake syrup for this recipe. However, I’d probably stick with maple syrup if you have it. Pancake syrup is quite sugary and sweet, and doesn’t have the same flavor as maple syrup.
Since there are mix-ins, it’s not recommended to process the leftovers in the Ninja Creami. When you have mix-ins and process the leftovers, the mix-ins get ground up and mixed in with the ice cream base and can negatively effect the texture. Instead, thaw the leftovers on the counter for a few minutes until they are soft enough to scoop.
No, and I personally wouldn’t recommend doing so. The Ninja Creami is made to process frozen solid mixtures (using the correct ingredients) into thick and creamy ice cream that is the perfect texture. If you thaw the ice cream before processing, you are no longer processing a frozen solid mixture. It is possible that this can damage the machine (no longer frozen enough to hold the ice cream in the little feet that are in the bottom of the container and it can spin inside the container) and it will likely be more like soft serve.
Looking for more Ninja Creami Protein Ice Cream Recipes?
Ingredient substitutions for Ninja Creami Maple Bacon Protein Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
Protein Powder- Unflavored whey protein powder is my go-to protein powder because it is so versatile. If you prefer, you can use a flavored protein powder, but to keep in line with the flavor profile of this recipe, I’d go with vanilla.
Sweetener- I like to use granular allulose because it does not have a fake sugar taste and is a 1:1 ratio to sugar. You can use your favorite sugar substitute like monk fruit, stevia, Splenda, or even honey.
Maple Syrup- I recommend using real maple syrup but if you don’t have any, you can use pancake syrup instead. Pancake syrup is sweeter and does not have quite the same flavor, but it will work if you don’t have maple syrup.
Maple Bacon Extract-Maple bacon extract can be found at some grocery stores and craft stores. However, it is a bit more difficult to find compared to other flavors. If you can’t find maple bacon extract, you can use maple extract instead.
Guar Gum–If you don’t have guar gum, you can use xanthan gum or a couple tablespoons of cottage cheese or yogurt.
Bacon-Freshly cooked and chopped bacon is recommended. If you prefer, you can use precooked bacon or bacon bits but I would not recommend the bacon bits that are not actually cooked bacon.
Chocolate Chips-Chocolate chips, chocolate bars, or even magic shell can be used. If you are using chocolate chips or chocolate bars, be sure to chop them up so that they are easier to chew once added to the ice cream. If you are using magic shell, drizzle down the well in the processed ice cream, wait a minute or so for it to harden, and then process on mix-ins. ***Magic shell will make tiny flakes of chocolate throughout the ice cream instead of small chunks.
Unsweetened Almond Milk– To try and keep the calories as low as possible (the maple syrup and bacon add quite a few calories to the recipe already), I used almond milk. If you are not counting calories, you can use whole milk, half and half, 2% milk, 1% milk, or another dairy-free option like oat milk or coconut milk.
Directions for making Ninja Creami Maple Bacon Protein Ice Cream:
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the almond milk, protein powder, sugar substitute, maple syrup, maple bacon extract, and guar gum into a small blender and blend until all 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 pour in the chopped pieces of bacon and chocolate chips. Process on mix-ins. Drizzle with maple syrup on the top.
- Remove the pint from the machine and enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Maple Bacon Protein Ice Cream
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
- 10 Fluid Ounces (295 ¾ ml) Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 Scoop (1 Scoop) Unflavored Whey Protein Powder
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Swerve Sugar Substitute (Granulated- Allulose Blend)
- ⅓ Cup (78 6/7 ml) Maple Syrup
- ½ Teaspoon (½ Teaspoon) Maple Bacon Extract
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) Guar Gum
Mix-Ins
- ¼ Cup (59 ⅐ g) Bacon (Cooked and chopped (About 2 slices))
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Zero-Sugar Chocolate Chips (Chopped-)
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the almond milk, protein powder, sugar substitute, maple syrup, maple bacon extract, and guar gum into a small blender and blend until all 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 pour in the chopped pieces of bacon and chocolate chips. Process on mix-ins. Drizzle with maple syrup on the top.
- 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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