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Check out our recipe for Ninja Creami Pina Colada Lite Ice Cream
Let me start out by saying that I LOVE all things coconut and one of my favorite drinks of all time is the Pina Coladas!! The combination of the pineapple mixed with coconut is delicious and my favorite!!
So, naturally, when I got the Ninja Creami, I was on a mission to turn my favorite drink into an ice cream treat! There are so many ways to make pina colada ice cream and this version uses the lite ice cream function because there is no added sugar.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Pina Colada Light Ice Cream
You sure can! But…you will need to use 2 pint containers instead of one. You always want to make sure that the pint containers are only filled up to the max fill line and not any more than that. In order for the ice cream to turn out creamy, it needs to be mixed by the machine after freezing. If you overfill the pint, the machine is going to have a hard time mixing it and the result will not be as expected. It's ok if you go over the max fill line a little bit when adding in the mix-ins after the ice cream has already gone through the lite ice cream function.
If you have made ice cream and it just isn't quite as creami as you would like, you can very easily get it super creami by using the re-spin function on the Ninja Creami. Simply place the pint into the outer bowl and snap it into place. Choose the RE-SPIN function. Once the cycle completes, remove the pint and enjoy! Your gelato should be nice and creamy again. ***Use re-spin on already spun ice cream. If the ice cream has been spun and then frozen again, do not use re-spin, Instead, use the original process (ice cream, gelato, etc.)
It depends. If you are keeping the ice cream in the Ninja pint container with the lid sealed tightly and are freezing it in a cold freezer (between 9 degrees F and -7 degrees F), your ice cream will keep for several weeks, even months. However, if you transfer your ice cream to another container or freeze it in a freezer that is not quite as cold (or that is accessed a lot/door opened and closed often), the lifetime of your ice cream will decrease greatly to just a few days and you will likely end up with freezer-burned ice cream.
Yes! Feel free to mix it up however you would like. You can use fresh or frozen fruit. If you add the fruit before freezing, the ice cream base will have that fruit flavor. If you add the fruit as a mix, you will end up with small bits of fruit mixed into your flavored ice cream. Be sure to cut the fruit up into bite-sized pieces if you are adding it during the mix-in process. Strawberries or bananas would be delicious added in!!
Yes! You can! And this is great news! You can add in rum and it will be more like a real Pina Colada!! Simply replace about an ounce of coconut cream with the rum and follow all other instructions. DO NOT add more than about an ounce of rum or the ice cream will not freeze to the desired temperature and you will end up with more of a slush than ice cream.
Ingredient substitutions and tips for making Ninja Creami Pina Colada Light Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is found at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Coconut Cream- I used canned coconut cream that is found in the canned food aisle of your grocery store. Usually, it is in the ethnic foods aisle. You can use coconut milk that is found in the cooler section of the grocery store but final the texture will be less creamy and icier.
Pineapple- I prefer to use canned “tidbits” because it’s easier and I always have it on hand. If you prefer, you can use fresh pineapple instead. Just be sure sized pieces before adding it to the pint container. that you cut the fresh pineapple into bite
Coconut- Sweetened or unsweetened can be used. I prefer to use toasted coconut because it adds a nice nutty flavor to the ice cream. You can buy toasted coconut or make your own by lightly browning it in a skillet on the stovetop for about 3 minutes over medium heat.
Rum- I did not use rum for this recipe but you can add any type of rum or coconut rum that you would like. If you would like to add rum before you freeze the mixture, do not add more than one ounce of rum. If you add more rum, the mixture may not freeze all the way.
Directions for making Ninja Creami Pina Colada Light Ice Cream:
1. Pour coconut cream and pineapple into an empty Ninja Creami pint container and freeze for 24 hours. There is no need to stir it before freezing it.
2. After 24 hours, remove the pint from the freezer. Remove the lid.
3. Place the Ninja Creami pint into the outer bowl. Place the outer bowl with the pint in it, into the Ninja Creami machine and turn until the outer bowl locks into place. Push the Lite Ice Cream button. During the lite ice cream function, the ice cream will mix together and become very creamy.
4. Once the lite ice cream function has ended, turn the outer bowl and release it from the Ninja Creami machine.
5. Using a spoon, create a hole through the center of the ice cream that goes from top to bottom. This hole is where you will add the mix-ins. Add in 1 tablespoon of toasted coconut and 1 tablespoon of chopped pineapple.
6. Place the outer bowl with the pint back into the Ninja Creami machine and lock it into place. Choose the MIX-IN function.
7. Once the Ninja Creami completes the MIX-IN cycle, remove the outer bowl from the machine.
8. Your ice cream is ready to eat! Enjoy!
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Pina Colada 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
- 1 ¼ Cups Coconut Cream (Canned-Unsweetened)
- ½ Cup Pineapple (Canned tidbits- small pieces)
Mix-Ins
- 1 Tablespoon Toasted Coconut (Coconut can be "toasted" by browning it in a small skillet on the stovetop for about 3 minutes over medium heat. )
- 1 Tablespoon Pineapple (Chopped)
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons Pineapple Juice (Reserved from the canned pineapples)
Instructions
- Pour coconut cream and pineapple into an empty Ninja Creami pint container and freeze for 24 hours. There is no need to stir it before freezing it.
- After 24 hours, remove the pint from the freezer. Remove the lid.
- Place the Ninja Creami pint into the outer bowl. Place the outer bowl with the pint in it, into the Ninja Creami machine and turn until the outer bowl locks into place. Push the Lite Ice Cream button. During the lite ice cream function, the ice cream will mix together and become very creamy.
- Once the lite ice cream function has ended, turn the outer bowl and release it from the Ninja Creami machine.
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of reserved pineapple juice 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.
- Using a spoon, create a hole through the center of the ice cream that goes from top to bottom. This hole is where you will add the mix-ins. Add in 1 tablespoon of toasted coconut and 1 tablespoon of chopped pineapple.
- Place the outer bowl with the pint back into the Ninja Creami machine and lock it into place. Choose the MIX-IN function.
- Once the Ninja Creami completes the MIX-IN cycle, remove the outer bowl from the machine.
- Your ice cream is ready to eat! Enjoy!
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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SS says
This is “light”? 1116 calories??? Even at 1/2 a pint it’s 500+ calories
Lauren Cardona says
Hi there- Lite refers to the function on the Ninja Creami that you use to process it. It’s “lite” because it does not have dairy or added sugar in it. The coconut cream is where the majority of the calories come from.
Ali says
This is a great recipe! Thanks for taking the time to explain everything in such detail.
Randi says
How many servings is the nutritional analysis based on?
Lauren Cardona says
All of the ninja CREAMi recipes nutritional info is based on 1 pint. Technically there are 4 servings in the pint but many eat half the pint or the full pint so the nutrition is for the entire pint. If you eat half of the pint then just split the nutrition info in half.
Betty says
-7
Lauren Cardona says
Hi Betty- That should definitely be cold enough! When I’ve made this recipe mine comes out very cold and super hard so I’m not sure why yours isn’t freezing up all the way since your freezer is quite cold. Sometimes, if an ice cream is softer than I would like I’ll put it back in the freezer for a couple of hours after I’ve processed it. Have you tried that? Maybe that would help make it harder.
Betty says
I tried the Pina colata lite ice cream, I used 1oz rum and took away 1 oz of coconut cream but ice cream was not hard after mixing
Lauren Cardona says
Hi Betty- What temperature is your freezer set at? Sometimes if the freezer is not cold enough, the ice cream does not get hard enough.
Betty says
-7
Phoebe says
Alcohol keeps ice cream from getting hard in the freezer.
1 oz alcohol for 1 pint of ice cream is enough to stop it from freezing hard enough to process into a “firm” ice cream.